Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes (Freezer Friendly)

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These freezer-friendly loaded twice baked potatoes include crispy potato skins overflowing with creamy mashed potato, crumbly bacon bits, and lots of melted cheese.

Enjoy! Twice Baked Potatoes - Make 'em and Freeze 'em!

Today’s recipe about how to make loaded twice baked potatoes is quick and easy to throw together and serves as a wonderful side dish or main entree.

Back when we had people over for dinner on a regular basis, this was a go-to dish for me that I served just about every time. It was a great way to round out the meal without taking any additional prep time and they always got rave reviews.

I’m going to show you the ingredients I use, which are crispy bacon, melted cheese, sour cream for extra creaminess, and green onion. But the best-stuffed potatoes are the ones made to your individual tastes. I’ve seen folks add milk, tomatoes, leftover chicken or bbq (yum!), mayonnaise, ricotta cheese, fresh or dried herbs, etc. The sky is the limit here.

Oh, and did I mention the fun thing about these potatoes is that you can make a batch ahead of time and freeze them to use in a jiffy at a later date? Reheating may then be done either in the oven or microwave, so this is a win-win either way you look at it.

Now, how bout some loaded ‘taters?

Ingredients for Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Potatoes
  • Butter
  • Cooked and chopped turkey bacon
  • Green onions
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Salt and pepper

How to Make Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

cooked potatoes

Bake your medium potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise like this.

I bake my potatoes by starting them in the microwave for about five minutes, then transferring them to a 450-degree oven for about an hour. Sometimes I rub them down with a little cooking oil and sprinkle some coarse sea salt on them before baking as my great-grandmother did. MMM-MM good!

scooping filling out

Scoop out the pulp but leave enough that the potato skin still has a bit of shape to it.

To your pulp, add butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper.

To your pulp, add butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper.

Mash filling with potato masher.

Mash up well with a potato masher or just a fork.

add in cheese to filling and mash.

Add in cheese and mash that, too.

add remaining ingredients to mixing bowl.

Add all other toppings.

finished filling

Stir your potato mixture up well.

And resist the urge to eat the entire bowl as is.

filling in potato skins.

Spoon the mashed potato filling into each potato shell.

Flash freeze loaded potatoes.

Line these beautiful loaded potatoes up on a baking sheet and place this in the freezer, uncovered, for about an hour.

This is called flash freezing and it keeps them from sticking together. 

Place loaded potatoes in zipper seal bags to freeze.

After they are frozen, remove them from the sheet and put them in a zipper seal bag.

Return to the freezer until you need them. 

Twice-baking loaded potatoes with added cheese.

Ready to prepare your main dish or side?

When you are ready to make your loaded twice baked potatoes, take as many as you need out of the freezer and sprinkle with cheddar cheese to bake.

You don’t have to use extra cheese unless you are a cheese lover like me! 

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

YUM! I like to keep these in the freezer and reheat just one or two for a quick lunch but as I said, they are a great side dish to have on hand for any meal.

Enjoy! Twice Baked Potatoes - Make 'em and Freeze 'em!

Enjoy! 

Storage

The freezer directions are above, but you can reheat the thawed potatoes in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. They’ll also last in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

  • Here are some loaded potato variations:
    • Cream cheese and chives: substitute the sour cream and cheddar cheese for 1.5 cups of cream cheese and use 1/4 cup of chopped fresh chives instead of the chopped green onion. You could also do this with blue cheese and chives.
    • Substitute the bacon for sauteed mushrooms.
    • Beef and broccoli: substitute the bacon for 8 ounces of cooked lean ground beef and 1 cup of finely chopped broccoli florets.
  • Use any kind of shredded cheese you like, such as pepper jack cheese, colby jack cheese, or gruyere cheese.

Recipe FAQs

Why did my loaded potatoes fall apart?

The main reason loaded potatoes fall apart is because you scooped out too much of the flesh. Leaving at least a quarter-inch of flesh will help the potato skin retain its shape.

What are the best potatoes for twice baked potatoes?

I strongly recommend using russet potatoes for this loaded twice baked potatoes recipe. They have more starch than say Yukon gold potatoes, which wouldn’t work.

What do you serve with loaded twice baked potatoes?

If you’re serving your potatoes as a side dish, they work great with a simple main dish. This might be roasted chicken, fried chicken, pork chops, meatloaf, or pulled pork. Add some greens like fresh green beans or collard greens and you have a complete (not to mention utterly delicious) main meal.

You may also like these potato recipes:

Greek Potatoes With A Twist

Rotisserie-Style Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes

Freezer Mashed Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes

Sweet Potato Skins With Candied Bacon and a Spicy Basil Cream Sauce

Loaded Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows

Twice Baked Potatoes - Make 'em and Freeze 'em!

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

These freezer-friendly loaded twice baked potatoes include crispy potato skins overflowing with creamy mashed potato, crumbly bacon bits, and lots of melted cheese.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: potatoes
Servings: 14 halves
Calories: 93kcal

Ingredients

  • 7 medium-sized potatoes, washed
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 chopped green onions
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 8-10 slices cooked and chopped turkey bacon

Instructions

  • Bake potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving enough for the skin to retain its shape.
    7 medium-sized potatoes, washed
  • In a mixing bowl, combine scooped potatoes, butter, and sour cream. Mash together well. Add cheese and mash again. Stir in all remaining ingredients and then spoon the filling into the potato skins.
    1/2 cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 4 chopped green onions, 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 8-10 slices cooked and chopped turkey bacon
  • Line the filled potato skins up on a baking sheet or another baking dish and freeze, uncovered, for about an hour. Remove and place into zipper seal bags and return to freezer.
  • To bake from frozen: Place on a cookie sheet in a 350-degree oven for half an hour, top with cheese, and return to oven until melted.
  • To microwave from frozen: Place on a microwave-safe plate and heat for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
  • To bake from room temp: Top with cheese and place in oven until heated through (about 15 minutes).

Notes

*I bake my potatoes by starting them in the microwave for about five minutes, then transferring them to a 450-degree oven for about an hour. Sometimes I rub them down with a little cooking oil and sprinkle some coarse sea salt on them before baking like my Great grandmother always did. 

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

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127 Comments

  1. Christy,

    Thank you for posting this recipe. I can’t wait to make it this weekend to freeze for future use.

    I would pick my mom for a lunch date. Now, that I have an 8 month old daughter, I need to THANK her for all she did for me and my sisters!

    Thanks again for the yummy recipe!

  2. I’d like to have dinner with Michelle Duggar. I have SO many practical questions for her.

    We try to have people over at least once a week. One of the limitations that I had to get over (and am STILL getting over) was my own pride. I didn’t want people to visit if my house was less than spotless or if I didn’t have time to make my BEST, most elaborate meal, and I found myself not having people over unless the conditions were ideal. Now, I know I’m not the best housekeeper and not a top chef, and I’m okay if others’ think that. I just want to be known as being kind, hospitable, and loving, and if that means people see a little dust on my hutch or a few crumbs on the floor, so be it.

    Thanks for sharing all your recipes and tips! You bless me in many so ways.

    1. Oh wow, if you have Michelle Duggar, can I come too? They do seem like such a nice family and I really enjoyed her book.
      I always marvel at how she stays so calm all the time! lol

      I’m learning to let go of the perfect house syndrome myself. Mama always had a perfect house but its a new day, I reckon! lol

      Gratefully,
      Christy:)

  3. Those look delicious. 🙂 I’ve never made twice baked at home before. I guess I’ve always thought it sounded like too much work! LOL. But I’ll eat taters anytime. I could live on ’em.

    I would love to have family over just about any night of the week…if they lived anywhere close enough to do so. And we don’t really have any real close friends. Sad isn’t it? My husband is outgoing, but gone all the time, and I’m a total introvert without him. 😛

  4. These would be great to eat while watching football on Sunday. Go Jets….I can’t wait to try them.

    We are all on different schedules in my house, so it’s a big deal when we get to sit as a family and eat dinner. It doesn’t even matter what we are having, it’s just icing on the cake when it’s a really good homemade dish.

    as to who I would like to have dinner with (other than you Christy) I think I would like to dine with Janet Evonovich my favorite author. I could ask her a million questions and still have more.

    Jets and loaded potatoes on Sunday! yah!

      1. 5 stars
        Love these, but had never tried freezing before. Can’t wait to give it a try.

        I’d love to have just one more dinner with my Grandma, so many things I still needed to learn from her, how she made favorite things and how she made her pickles or sauerkraut and her jelly recipes. Sadly, I know just one more dinner will never be enough.

    1. Great choice! I absolutely LOVE Evonovich! 🙂 And of course, Christy is a top choice, too. LOL!

      There are so many people I’d want to have over for dinner – it’s hard to pick. Off the top of my head I think I’m going with…. Stephen King. I tossed around the thought of one of my favorite comedians or perhaps even The Duggars (I just love them) but ultimately, I’d just have to serve dinner the the man who made me love to read. I gotta have the King over! 😉

  5. These look great we call them twice baked potatoes : )

    We have family over to eat about once a month, but we live about 20 min away from most of our family and friends and since its just my mother me and 3 year old brother who barely eats anything! We always have at least half our supper left over so I bring our left overs, or freeze half the casseroles to our bachelor friends

  6. Can’t wait to try these! Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite things, so these should be great. Enjoy your fall break!

  7. Yummy! Those look awesome. I know my husband will devour those up! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. Have fun in Atlanta!

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