Loaded Potato Skins are the most satisfying savory appetizers EVER! Potatoes with tender insides and crispy skins are all dressed up with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and any garnish your heart desires. Extra sour cream and green onions for me, please!

Several loaded potato skins are placed next to a small bowl of dipping sauce.


Loaded Potato Skins

Need something everyone will love to serve on Superbowl Sunday? Or maybe your New Years Eve soiree? Or just a little something special before dinner to treat your family or to give your kids as the ultimate after school snack?

With something as good as homemade Potato Skins, you just can’t go wrong! These cheesy, flavorful, bacon-loaded potatoes always hit the spot wherever they’re served.

I’m sure you’ve likely had your fair share of Loaded Potato Skins at various restaurants. They’re on so many appetizer menus at all kinds of establishments! Bars and kid-friendly joints alike all seem to have this appetizer in common.

However, most of those places just reheat their from frozen, and it shows. This homemade recipe is SO much better than anything I’ve ever ordered!

For starters, the potatoes are nice and fresh, so they’re perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The freshly shredded cheddar cheese melts oh so perfectly and tastes incredible!

I think my most favorite part of all, though, is the crispy bacon that makes every bite better than the last. Feel free to serve your potato skins with sour cream, green onions, and any other toppings that sound good to you!

Potatoes are scooped to make room to the cheddar cheese.

How to Make Potato Skins

This easy to make appetizer is low-stress and always delivers the most mouthwatering results.

  1. Prepare the potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half, then carefully scoop out the inside of the potatoes, leaving about ¼” of the potato still in the skin. You don’t want them totally bare.
  2. Crisp up the skins. Place the scooped-out potatoes in a pan and bake for 15 minutes at 450°F to make the skins nice and crispy.
  3. Fill them up. Remove the crispy potatoes from the oven. Fill each one with shredded cheddar cheese and cooked bacon.
  4. Bake the loaded potatoes. Bake the now cheesy potato skins for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Baked loaded potato skins are placed on a baking sheet.

How do I first bake the potatoes?

This easy method always works for me! To bake the potatoes, start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Rub the cleaned potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place them on a baking tray. Bake them for 45 to 60 minutes and they should be fork tender!

Can I make Potato Skins ahead of time?

I don’t recommend doing so. These cheesy appetizers have the best consistency (gooey cheese and crispy potato skins) when served nice and fresh out of the oven. Just make sure you don’t burn your mouth!

If you do want to prep ahead a little bit, go ahead and bake the potatoes! They’ll stay fresh in the fridge for about 3-4 days when kept in an airtight container. You can also go ahead and shred your cheese and keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

You can also make the bacon a day ahead either by cooking in the microwave like we did here or in the oven.

Do I need to shred the cheddar cheese myself?

Yes! I recommend shredding the cheese fresh off of the block. Pre-shredded bagged cheese is coated in a powder that prevents the cheese from clumping together in the bag. While that’s useful, it prevents the cheese from fully melting in the potato skins. Plus, freshly grated cheese right off the block has the BEST flavor that can’t be beat.

A loaded potato skin is being dipped into a bowl of sour cream.

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Several loaded potato skins are placed next to a small bowl of sour cream.

Get the Recipe: Loaded Potato Skins Recipe

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
A party must have and equally great for a "snack for dinner" night, easy homemade Potato Skins are loaded with your favorite baked potato toppings. So easy and tasty.
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Ingredients

  • 6 each medium baking potatoes, baked and cooled to room temperature
  • 8-12 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
  • 24 oz two full 8 oz blocks cheddar cheese, shredded for filing and additional garnish (if desired)
  • Sour cream , for garnish
  • Green onions, chopped for garnish
  • Fresh Chives, chopped for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 baking sheet

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • Cut the potatoes in ½ length wise, carefully scoop out the inside of the potato (approximately 3-4 tbsp of potato removed from each potato halve) leaving about ¼” of the potato still in the skin.
  • Place the scooped-out potatoes in a pan on a roasting rack or baking pan and bake for 15 minutes to crisp the skins.
  • Remove from the oven and fill each potato skin with 3-4 oz of shredded cheese and 3-4 tbsp bacon.
  • Return the potato skins to the 450-degree oven to bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  • Serve with green onions, green chives and sour cream.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

To bake the potatoes, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub cleaned potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, they should be fork tender.
Calories: 377kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 66mg, Sodium: 473mg, Potassium: 517mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 575IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 415mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American