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Twice Baked Potatoes (the BEST)

Twice Baked Potatoes are a classic side dish that is so tasty! Fluffy mashed potatoes loaded with cheese and bacon and then crisped to perfection!

Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword twice baked potatoes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 8 potato halves
Calories 249 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 large cooked russet potatoes, (see cooking notes)

For filling:

  • 8 TBS butter, softened
  • ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 stalks green onions, chopped

For topping:

  • ⅓ cup shredded cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
  • ¼ cup cooked bacon crumbles, optional
  • 2 stalks green onions, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Taking slightly cooled cooked potatoes, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop potato out from each side, leaving a little bit left at the edges to make some structure for the pocket. Place the potato shells on a baking sheet. Set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, add scooped out potatoes, softened butter, and sour cream, mash together until combined. Add cheddar cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and green onions; stir to combine.

  4. Add the potato filling to the potato shells. Shells should be overfilled. Sprinkle the ⅓ cup of cheese over the tops of the potatoes. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

  5. Remove from oven and top with bacon crumbles (optional) and more green onions.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Cook the whole potatoes:

  • Bake in oven: Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork, coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
  • Microwave: Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and place on a microwave safe dish. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip over and cook 5 more minutes.
  • Air Fryer (see my method step by step here): Coat the potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Add additional minutes if not cooked through.
  • Instant Pot (see my method step by step here): Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork, then add to the instant pot on a wire rack. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Cook on high/manual for 13 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 7 minutes. Release the rest of the pressure and remove.

To Freeze: 

  • Follow the directions but do not add green onions to the filling (they will turn black and get watery when frozen).
  • Instead of putting them into the oven for the second time, let them cook completely. Place into a freezer safe bag or container and then freeze up to 6 months.
  • How to cook the twice baked potatoes from frozen: Remove the potatoes from the freezer and allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed, follow the directions from adding the toppings and then baking.

Nutrition per serving (including bacon topping): 249 calories, 19g fat, 15g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 2g sugar, 6g protein.