Loaded Potato Skins
Loaded Potato Skins are the PERFECT game day appetizer made with russet potatoes cooked until crispy and topped with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives!
Loaded Potato Skins are the perfect appetizer for football season, made with russet potato skins scooped out and loaded with delicious toppings like cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, green onions, and sour cream. This is a really popular appetizer, and a great way to use up leftover baked russet potatoes!
If you liked this recipe, you may also like my Air Fryer Potato Skins, or my Spinach Artichoke Dip!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple to Make. If you can scoop the insides out of a baked potato, then you can make loaded potato skins!
Party Favorite. There’s a reason that this is served in so many restaurants, because people love it!
Gluten Free! These are homemade, so you can feel good knowing that they’re 100% gluten free!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Potatoes. This recipe uses russet potatoes, which hold up really well in the oven. The skin on russet potatoes will also hold its shape in the oven better and get nice and crispy.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is to help the potato skins get golden brown and crispy in the oven. You can also use avocado oil or canola oil. Try using non-stick cooking spray to coat the potatoes even faster.
Cheese. We’re topping the potatoes with extra sharp cheddar cheese. You can also use Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese.
Spices. I’m just using some basic pantry spices, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper to add some flavor.
Toppings. Loaded potatoes need toppings! My favorites are crispy cooked bacon, green onions or chives, and sour cream. You can also add broccoli florets, salsa, or queso sauce.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe you’ll need a baking sheet.
How to Make Loaded Potato Skins
Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Bake the potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the potatoes. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork-tender.
- Scoop out the flesh.
When the potatoes are done, allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then cut them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside of the potato halves and discard (or make mashed potatoes later). Place the potato halves on a sheet pan in a single layer.
Brush the inside of the potato skins with olive oil and sprinkle on garlic and black pepper, then add the shredded cheese evenly on each one. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. - Add the toppings.
Top with the crispy bacon pieces and green onions, and serve with sour cream.
Recipe Variations
- Make these spicy by adding some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, or a dash of hot sauce. Or add some pickled jalapenos as a topping at the end.
- You can also make these with sweet potato skins. Try topping with sweet toppings like honey and goat cheese, chopped pecans and brown sugar, or a savory topping like ground turkey.
- These also work well with my Homemade Ranch Seasoning.
- For extra flavor, try melting my compound butter and brushing the butter mixture onto the potatoes just before adding the other toppings.
- Try stuffing these with ground beef or chili, then topping with grated cheese for chili cheese potato skins.
Recipe Tip! When you’re scooping the potato flesh out of the shell, leave some of it in the potato to help it hold its structure. You want to have about 1/4 – 1/2 inch of potato skin and potato flesh left.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your potato skins turned out soggy and not crispy, the issue may be the oven temperature. If your oven is cooking too low, they won’t roast properly for that crispy shell. Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is cooking true to temperature, because this is a really common problem.
The other issue may be that you didn’t use oil, which also helps the skins get crispy instead of drying out. Make sure you either brush them with olive oil, or give them a good amount of cooking spray before baking them.
Recipe Tip! You can absolutely make these ahead of time! Just bake the potatoes, prep the potato halves, and let everything cool. Add the cheese, then store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to finish baking. These are best when served warm, so bake them right before you’re ready to eat.
More Appetizer Recipes
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Crispy Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
- Philly Cheese Steak Dip
Storage
Refrigerate for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Freeze in an airtight container for 2-3 months.
Cooking Tips
- When you’re baking the potatoes initially, the cooking time will depend on how big the potatoes are. Smaller potatoes will cook faster, and larger ones will take longer. I use medium russet potatoes for this recipe.
- If you want really crispy potato skins, turn the broiler on at the very end for 2-3 minutes, watching closely to make sure they don’t burn.
- You can also make these in a baking dish, but they will turn out a little softer.
- Save the potato filling for another recipe, like mashed potatoes or potato cheese soup (just add them after the cook time is up for the potatoes in the recipe).
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Loaded Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 6 medium russet potatoes, washed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 slices bacon, cooked crispy, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup sour cream, (optional)
- 2 tablespoons green onions or chives, (optional)
Equipment
- 1 Sheet pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the potatoes. Rub the potatoes evenly with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork-tender.
- When the potatoes are done, allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then cut them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside of the potato halves and discard.
- Brush the inside of the potato skins with remaining olive oil and sprinkle on garlic and pepper, then top evenly with cheese. Place the potato skins on the sheet pan in a single layer and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Top with the crispy bacon pieces and green onions, and serve with sour cream.
Notes
- When you’re scooping the potato flesh out of the shell, leave some of it in the potato to help it hold its structure. You want to have about 1/4 – 1/2 inch of potato skin and potato flesh left.
- When you’re baking the potatoes initially, the cooking time will depend on how big the potatoes are. Smaller potatoes will cook faster, and larger ones will take longer.
- If you want really crispy potato skins, turn the broiler on at the very end for 2-3 minutes, watching closely to make sure they don’t burn.
- You can also make these in a baking dish, but they will turn out a little softer.
Nutrition
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