Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes (Freezer Friendly)
These freezer-friendly loaded twice baked potatoes include crispy potato skins overflowing with creamy mashed potato, crumbly bacon bits, and lots of melted cheese.
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?
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
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!
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.
Mash up well with a potato masher or just a fork.
Add in cheese and mash that, too.
Add all other toppings.
Stir your up well.
And resist the urge to eat the entire bowl as is.
Spoon the mashed potato filling into each potato shell.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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:
Rotisserie-Style Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes
Sweet Potato Skins With Candied Bacon and a Spicy Basil Cream Sauce
Loaded Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows
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
Nutrition
I will prepare and someday my chance will come.
~Abraham Lincoln. To submit your quote, click here.
i LOVE twice baked potatoes! I am one of those people that love cooking for company, we have “girls night in” for the sistergirls every chance we get. I love it when all the kids, grands, and children of the heart come over, that’s 30 plus folks. My person that I’d love to make dinner for..h’mmm. That’s a toss up.Brennan Manning, a Christian author, or Maya Angelou.
Yummy!! Those look incredibly good.
I only have 3 potatoes left – I need to go shopping later.
But – take a guess what I’m going to do with the 3 potatoes I have left!!
I have everything else on hand, so this is going to be easy for dinner tonight.
At this time I would pick Michelle Obama. The people that I would really like to visit with are a lot of my deceased ancestors(which includes most of them), ask about their crossing from Scandinavia, if any of them knew each other before leaving the old country. This really intrigues me because one set of my great grandparents crossed the ocean seperatly, but were married in Iowa roughly three months after arriving in the states. I do know that my great grandma and one of my great grandpa’s sisters crossed at the same time on the same ship. I also know that they didn’t live in the same part of Denmark so it is kind of puzzle that a lot of us would like to solve.
What a wonderful idea, Joan. If we could have a dinner party, I’d ask Michelle Obama too and add Madeleine Albright, Barbra Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg, Uma Thurman and Gwyneth (sp?)Paltrow. What an evening that would be.
I use a grapefruit spoon to scoop mine out. It works great!!
CHRISTY,
I JUST LOVE YOUR RECIPES. MOST OF THEM ARE SO FAMILIAR TO ME AND HIT SO CLOSE TO HOME.
I THINK THE ONE I WOULD HAVE DINNER WITH IS PAULA DEEN. I JUST LOVE HER DOWN HOMENESS. I DON’T BELIEVE SHE HAS FORGOTTEN WHERE SHE CAME FROM, LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE.
THANK YOU CHRISTY FOR ALL YOUR RECIPES!!
These look yummy! My Dad is a potato and bacon guy so I will have to make for him!
For me, we usually eat breakfast and dinner as a family – me, my hubby, and our 3 kids. We entertain every now and then… but I must admit I am not a real casual hostess. I am getting better. But the planning I have to do to have people over – usually drives me nuts. Since I have had children, it is getting easier to just say come over.
My answer to the dinner question is a bit off the wall. I would probably say Wil Smith. Every time I see him interviewed, I think – he just seems like a nice guy. And I think, if I ever had the opportunity to meet him, I would be so disappointed if he wasn’t a nice guy. Do you sometimes think of people like that?
Enjoy the weekend!
ooh. michelle duggar is a good one – i would love to sit down with her too! 🙂
i think i would pick one of my online friends that i have never met IRL.
or, paula deen. hmmm, if she was the one cooking, it would have to be paula deen! 😉
I’ve been fortunate in getting to meet a few Southern Plate readers, who I consider online family , irl and each meeting has been absolutely priceless. Getting to meet another one tomorrow!!
WEEEE