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.
These look great–and will surely be better than the store-bought version!
Can I have two dinner guests? I’d have Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, I bet they’d both be fascinating.
Good idea. I cant pick just one anyway!
We can all just call it a dinner party!
That’s another good idea.
We love these but I never thought about making them and freezing them. What a great rainy day project 🙂
Maybe Andrew and Dolly would like meeting each other too…;)
Speaking on behalf of Andrew Malcolm, I would definitely choose to dine w/Christy so long as she cooked everything including these potatoes and those pecan pie thingies. Dolly can watch us eat. And we could talk politics. And we’d let Scarlett Johansson in too if she showed up and wanted potatoes. But not the thingies. They’re mine.
Sincerely,
Andrew Malcolm @latimestot
or latimes.com/ticket
Okay, I feel like the cool kid now!
~squeal~
That whole thing made me smile!!
🙂
I think I’d pick Andrew Malcolm of the LA Times. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know him through Twitter and he’s a fascinating, intelligent, articulate, and approachable man with ten lifetimes worth of tales to tell (also a class A grandpa). I follow politics like most people do sports so that would be one fascinating dinner!
I’d also love to have dinner with Dolly Parton. She’s savvy with a smile. Gotta respect a southern gal who can accomplish what she has and not become too jaded. I’d love to get her advice on life in general.
Yes, Dolly would be fun to visit with.
Yes, Michelle Duggar. I know we would have a lot to talk about, mostly about the Lord, but also about house stuff.
I make these also, but I usually add some Zesty Italian Dressing to my mix…..so yummy!
Twice baked potatoes are one of those comfort foods I enjoy occasionally while out and about- but have never attempted at home for whatever reason. Yours look fabulous and I just loved the story of your family mealtimes growing up. Thanks for sharing. (I was introduced to your fantastic site a few weeks and found your Crock Pot Apple Butter recipe- fantastic! The house smelled heavenly- there was a ton to share and it was a wonderful addition to my pumpkin bread recipe when I replaced a little of the oil with it…so moist and flavorful…thank you!)
I am very similar to Karen in that I need things to be a little too perfect in order to have guests over- something I need to work on. Thanks, Karen, for the reminder that in the end all that truly matters is the hospitality and graciousness that my guests experience, not the spotless home.
My dinner guest would be a toss up between Michael Savage and Glenn Beck- two men that have such a sincere love for our country and aren’t afraid to inform the public in a manner that lets you decide-by simply stating fact. Plus they are quite funny to boot. I just adore them both and would love nothing more than to hear their passion and wisdom shared at my table!