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 always love your stories about your family and growing up. I can so identify! My Dad, a Master Sargent in the USAF would bring home the young men in his squadron that were single and living in the barracks. They would play with my brother and I like big brothers. Of course, my mother would always have something good for them to eat, even on short notice. Those boys kept in touch with my parents for many years as they married and had children of their own. When my own son was in the Army and stationed WAY out there in CA I was so grateful for his Sargent and his family that did the same thing for my son.
Anyway, taters look awesome and I will surely make them soon. I would love to have both Cesar Milan and Karen Pryor over to discuss dog behavior and training with me.
Thanks as always,
Elizabeth
Loaded Potatoes recipe (twice baked potato)
Can the bacon be lightly or fully cooked before adding to the mashed potatoes ??
How well does this RAW bacon, once added to the cooked scooped out mashed potatoes and baked – does it really fully cook ??
Hey Olga!
I’m sorry for the confusion. The bacon I used was precooked and then chopped up. Had it been raw it would have been a big globby mess. You can cook your bacon ahead of time – even cooking a large batch and freezing it if you like, or buy precooked bacon, which is what I used to save time and fuss with this recipe. Thank you and I hope this helps! I’ve modified the recipe to show this now and appreciate you pointing it out!
Gratefully,
Christy 🙂
Id have dinner with a clone of ME! I don’t know anyone with as much charm and humility as I have.
Seriously, I’m wonderful. 😉
Hahaha, Bill. I always love reading your comments, they make me smile every time.
I want to thank you all for your kindness and consideration of others in your comments. We’re a big family of wonderful people with varying opinions and outlooks and I appreciate your graciousness towards other family members.
I’m enjoying Reading about your dinner guests and would gladly try to win a seat at any of these tables!
Gratefully,
ChristyÂ
This is a question, but I hope it is ok to post it here. I love these & will usually order them if I find them on the menu when I go out to a restaurant. I have never thought about freezing them because potatoes seem to taste mealy after being frozen. BUT every recipe that I have tried of your is absolutely delicious & I trust that this one is also. I live by myself & freezing will help me out tremendously!!! Thank you so much for all that you do. You are such a wonderful person who brings happiness to many.
I would like to have dinner with JESUS. I would make a big pot of beef stew with large fresh peeled & sliced tomatoes and what my mama called cats head biscuits. I would have peach pie with praline topping and sweet tea. I would like to talk to HIM about how long this insanity in the world and the kooks running the american government will continue,and could He please ask The Father if HE could put a rush on HIS returning before we kill each other here.
Amen sister! I’d like to have a meal with Jesus and Billy Graham. 🙂
I love this recipe. We have a fellowship dinner the first Sunday of every month. I’m going to make a batch up and I’ll be already for next month. As for who I would like to have a meal with…Pat Robertson from the 700 Club. He is so well informed on everything. And he seems so nice.
Hi Christy- once again this recipe is a winner…great for football weekends- I am going to make these and take them up to a PSU homecoming reunion next sat- Oct 17th..they will be a hit!!
The person I would most like to sit down and talk to right now..would be President Barack Obama..as you know – there would be alot to talk about..but with all the negativity surrounding him- I would like to be a person with a positive attitude..he came into this job with a wealth of problems from the past 8 years…just would love to lend him my support..although I am only one person…I just hate that some of the talk on tv- Fox news would like to see him fail..that is horrendous..as we are supposed to be on country- not a divided country..this is not the civil war…north and south- black and white..so I would love to give support…
thank you for your understanding..
robin wieder
roblovesleo
Hey Robin!
I agree that there is a lot of misunderstanding on both sides of the fence, which is why I don’t discuss politics on Southern Plate. But Id love to see all of our dinner guests dreams come true!!
Gratefully
Christy
Robin, for some reason I am just now reading your response on whom you would like to invite for dinner. I live in Arkansas and at times feel like I’m the only person in the state that voted for Obama. All my friends and relatives didn’t and aren’t too happy with me at this point. I would love to have this beautiful man and his wife to my house for dinner. I would also invite you. :o) My husband and I both use to be republicans, but can no longer go that route. I pray that God will bless our President and lead this country into a different direction.
Bless you.
Susie in Arkansas