If you love baked potatoes, then you’re going to flip over these cheesy Baked Potato Skins! With crispy crunchy baked potato skins loaded with cheese, bacon, green onions, and sour cream, these are hearty, delicious, and easy to make!
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Baked Potato Skins are delish! They’re a terrific snack, but also make a great addition to potlucks, BBQs, and gatherings of all kinds. I love adding them to snack boards because they’re hearty and filling and can be prepped ahead of time so there’s not so much last-minute work in the kitchen.
These are an American invention and they show up on restaurant menus all over the world. You’ll also find them in Irish pubs, because of potatoes. Who doesn’t love potatoes?
Sure you can order them, but make them from scratch! They’re so much tastier, and I’ll show you how to prep these easy Baked Potato Skins ahead of time so that you’re not stuck in the kitchen.
What you’ll love about Fully Loaded Baked Potato Skins
- They have all the flavor of baked potatoes but aren’t so filling!
- Prepare them ahead and cut down on kitchen time!
- They’re hearty and are perfect on game day, for parties, BBQs, and more!
Ingredients
- Potatoes – Scrubbed clean.
- Butter
- Cheese – Sharp cheddar, Pepper Jack, smoked gouda – use whatever you like!
- Bacon – Cooked and crumbled.
- Green onions – Cleaned and chopped.
- Sour cream
How To Make The Best Baked Potato Skins
- Preheat your oven to 425-F.
- Scrub the potatoes clean and pop them into the oven right on the rack. Bake them for 40-60 minutes or until tender. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool until they’re safe to handle.
- Cut the potatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a layer of baked potato. Don’t break through the skin. Reserve the removed potato for another use.
- Brush the inside of the potatoes with butter and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Put them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 15 minutes to crisp up a bit.
- Fill the insides of the potato skins with cheese and bacon. Return them to the oven until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish the fully loaded potato skins with green onion and sour cream and serve.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Prep these potato skins ahead of time by baking the potatoes and scooping out the filling. Keep the potato skins in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days in advance of serving. You can also cook and crumble the bacon, shred the cheese, and chop the green onions in advance.
- You can shave some time off cooking the potatoes if you start them in the microwave. Just be sure to pick them all over with a fork first.
- Switch up the cheese! You can add any kind of cheese, including Irish cheddar, if you want to make these Irish baked potato skins.
- Add some hot sauce to the sour cream to give these potato skins a bit of a kick!
Recommended
Serving Suggestions
I love serving fully-loaded Baked Potato Skins on a snack board. They’re hearty, filling, and satisfying. And, they look so pretty! I use this food-safe snack board from Reluctant Entertainer. It’s all handcrafted here in the USA, and everyone always oohs and ahhs when I bring this out to share! Load your snack board with other tasty eats like Shepherd’s Pie Bites, Crab Spanakopita, Smoked Chex Mix, and all your favorite appetizers. These potato skins are also perfect for St. Patrick’s day (because potatoes!) but I also love serving them as a fun side dish on steak and potato nights.
Storage
Keep any leftover Baked Potato Skins in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Step By Step Process
Fully Loaded Baked Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 6 baked potatoes Cut in half, filling scooped out.
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups cheese sharp cheddar, Pepper Jack, etc.
- 1/2 cup crumbled bacon
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425-F. Scrub the potatoes clean and pop them into the oven right on the rack. Bake them for 40-60 minutes or until tender. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool until they're safe to handle.
- Cut the potatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a layer of baked potato. Don't break through the skin. Reserve the removed potato for another use.
- Brush the inside of the potatoes with butter and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Put them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 15 minutes to crisp up a bit.
- Fill the insides of the potato skins with cheese 2-3 tablespoons of cheese and a heaping tablespoon of bacon. Return them to the oven until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish the fully loaded potato skins with green onion and sour cream and serve.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Prep these potato skins ahead of time by baking the potatoes and scooping out the filling. Keep the potato skins in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days in advance of serving. You can also cook and crumble the bacon, shred the cheese, and chop the green onions in advance.
- You can shave some time off cooking the potatoes if you start them in the microwave. Just be sure to pick them all over with a fork first.
- Switch up the cheese! You can add any kind of cheese, including Irish cheddar, if you want to make these Irish baked potato skins.
- Add some hot sauce to the sour cream to give these potato skins a bit of a kick!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.