If you’re hosting a party this weekend, this Loaded Potato Skins recipe is the perfect appetizer! These potato skins are baked, not fried. So they’re easy to make with minimal mess and clean-up. And when you’re planning a party it’s super convenient to bake the potato skins and cook the bacon the evening before. Just before serving, load them up and pop them under the broiler.
This restaurant recipe for loaded potato skins is amazing. It’s filled with hearty goodness: a crispy potato shell filled with delicious Tillamook cheddar cheese and generous sprinkles of smoked bacon. Below is a quick look at all the ingredients you’ll need to make loaded potato skins. If possible, try to select potatoes of similar size so they will all be finished baking at the same time. If you wish, you can also add ranch dressing to the ingredients list to give your guests an additional option. Which is your favorite garnish for potato skins?
Here’s how to make loaded potato skins from scratch. To prepare the baked potato skins, remove one oven rack and put it aside. Adjust the remaining oven rack so it’s positioned in the center of the oven. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the potatoes under running water then dry them off with a clean kitchen towel. With a fork, pierce each potato 3-4 times on each side. Place the potatoes on a baking tray and brush all sides with olive oil. Bake the potatoes for about 50 minutes or until a thin knife can be inserted all the way through the potatos without much resistance.
Allow the baked potatoes to cool for about 10 minutes or until they’re cool enough to handle. In the meantime, pull out a second baking tray. On a cutting board, slice each potato length-wise. Using a small cookie scoop, remove a portion of the interior from each potato half. I like leaving about 1/4 inch of the interior intact so my loaded potato skins will be nice and hearty, but you can scoop out a bit more of the inner flesh if you’d like.
Place the potato skins on the two baking trays. Brush each of the skins with olive oil, both the inside and backs of the potato skins. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the interior and exterior of the potato skins. Return the first oven rack back into the oven sliding it into the top setting. Turn on the broiler. Broil the potato skins for about 2-3 minutes or until lightly crisp, then flip the potato skins over and broil another 2-3 minutes. Take the two trays out of the oven and generously sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese and bacon pieces within each potato skin.
Put the trays back under the broiler just until the cheese is melted and the bacon starts to sizzle. Remove the loaded potato skins from the oven. Immediately garnish with sliced green onions. Serve hot alongside a small condiment bowl of sour cream and/or ranch dressing. Loaded potato skins are ideal for any occasion! You can make a few batches in advance and freeze them in Ziplocks. Just be sure to freeze the potato skins in flat rows with enough space in between so they don’t freeze together.
How to Make Loaded Potato Skins > Shop This Post
Loaded Potato Skins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Description
If you’re hosting a party this weekend, this Loaded Potato Skins recipe is the perfect appetizer! These potato skins are baked, not fried. So they’re easy to make with minimal mess and clean-up.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Russet potatoes, small or medium sized
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- 5 cups shredded Tillamook medium cheddar cheese
- 15 slices bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 3/4 cup sour cream and/or ranch dressing
Instructions
- Remove one oven rack. Position other rack in the middle of the oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Scrub the potatoes clean under running water. Dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Pierce each potato 3-4 times on top and bottom sides. Place on a baking tray and brush with olive oil. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a thin knife inserted into the middle of the potatoes runs through without resistance. Remove baking tray from oven. Allow potatoes to cool for 10 minutes or until they can be handled comfortably.
- Take out a second baking tray. On a cutting board, slice each potato length-wise. With a small cookie scoop, spoon out the middles of the potato skins leaving 1/4 inch of flesh on all sides.* Place the potato skin halves on the two baking trays. Brush the interior and exterior of each potato skin with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt over all sides of the potato skins.
- Replace the first oven rack – slide it back into the oven at the top position. Switch the oven to broil. Put the two trays of potato skins under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until lightly crisp. Keep a close eye on the potato skins during this broiling process. Flip the potato skins over and broil again for 2-3 minutes. Remove both trays from the oven.
- Generously sprinkle cheddar cheese and bacon pieces within each potato skin. Briefly return the trays to the broiler. Once the cheese has melted and the bacon sizzles remove from the oven. This is a quick process so keep an eye on your loaded potato skins.
- Immediately garnish with sliced green onion. Serve hot alongside a condiment bowl filled with sour cream or ranch dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
- For lighter, thinner, crispier potato skins – scoop out more flesh.
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: loaded potato skins, potato skin recipe
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How to Make Loaded Potato Skins > Your Thoughts
Do you have a favorite go-to appetizer for parties and special occasions? What do you think about this Loaded Potato Skins recipe? Share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
I made these ahead as a meal prep, I left them unfilled and put them in the fridge. When we were ready to make them I filled and heated them up, they were delicious and definitely will be made again!
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These look so good! Such a great appetizer for a summer get together!
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These potatoes look awesome! I am going to save this recipe and make it for dinner one night. I am sure it will be a big hit.
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I love that these are baked and not fried. I am vegan so I’ll have to use different fillers but I think that’s an easy switcharoo. I’ll have to give this try! I think they will make a good, hearty snack.
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Now this is what I would call the ultimate comfort food; hearty, satisfying, eye feast and just so tasty. I love the recipe… I’ll skip the bacon but everything else is perfect.
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These look great. It’s been a while a made these. Would love to try your recipe.
Love this recipe!! I adore loaded potatoes but i have never tired making them as I thought it would be too hard but I will have to check out your recipe you make it look so easy :)
Looks like such an easy appetizer! Can’t wait to make these for a party!
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Great recipe. I know it’s a lot of work. But I love making loaded potato skins and this recipe here looks awesome. Going to have to do this with my daughter soon.
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Oh my god this looks amazing!! I definitely need to make this recipe sometime soon!
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Yum! Such a classic delicious treat! I haven’t makes these in so long! I’ll have to give them
A try asap!
This recipe looks so easy and delicious! I am going to have to try this!
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This looks so delicious. I am currently on a high-protein/low carb diet and this is not helping me at all. I might just have to fall off the wagon just a bit ha ha….
I was wondering if you can share how you go from freezer to finishing, when you have some to freeze. Im guessing you freeze the potato bare. Then how to do reheat properly? Thank you!
Potato skins are one of my favorite appetizers and these look amazing! All my favorite ingredients in one dish.
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Bookmarking for football season! <3
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I always thought it would be rather hard to do these myself. I’ll have to keep this recipe in mind next time I’m craving!
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I love this blog. This is really nice, I hope to try out this recipe very soon.
Oh Denay…my weakness! I adore potato skins and used to eat them all of the time. After the scale started showing it, I had to make myself cut back. I haven’t had them in months so I think I need to make some!
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I have had these before and they tasted amazing! I’m glad I know how to make them homemade now and can have them whenever I want.
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This looks absolutely amazing! Thank you for the recipe, I will be trying this.
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Oh my gosh. Those look so good! I want them now!
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Wow I love all the recipes on your site, these look incredible. Potato skins are soooo good.
Great looking site!
Loaded Potato Skins ..they look so yummy…It’s been added to my Party menu…:)
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Potatoes are my all time favrouite… I think I need to ditch my diet and must give a try to this amazingly yummy recipe! I would like to add even more cheese to make a little bit more to my taste.
As a matter of fact i consume potato very often and your recipe and the images that comes with this post make it very very sumptuous.
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I love love LOVE all things potatoes! Your recipe for loaded potato skins won me over right away. I love the addition of the cheese. Yummer!
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I love the idea of loaded potatoes. It looks really good! Another easy recipe to try! xx corinne
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Wow, do those look delicious! I don’t eat meat, so I would leave out the bacon, but they would still be just as good. Yum!
I love potato skins. The way you have presented them and written the recipe, they just look too tempting to resist. I will have to try this out, might I add, with a dash of jalapeno slices, sometime soon.
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