Make Twice Baked Potatoes for a perfectly portioned delicious creamy and cheesy dinner side dish that can be made in advance!
The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes
“And here we have Idaho! Winning her way in fame…” And that’s all of the Idaho state song I can remember of the many trips to my mom’s home state with her singing as we crossed over the border. Do all states have a state song? Well, I’m in Idaho right now so it’s only fitting that I post a potato recipe, right?! I’ve been eating these Twice Baked Potatoes since I was little and they are still my favorite potato side dish!
And of course this is another amazing recipe from my mother (as good as her dinner and cinnamon rolls). Seriously guys, she should really be the one writing this blog. It’s thanks to her I can cook and have good recipes.
But I should mention that I did a little tweaking to the recipe. I basically just cut down on the fat (sour cream, butter, cream cheese) by about a fourth (50 calories and 5 grams fat per serving!) so it’s really not that noticeable in taste… just your waste line. Don’t make any more adjustments/substitutions or you won’t get the same creamy delicious results.
I have always been a big fan of potato skins and these are similar in that they are baked and loaded with cheese and green onions but I like that these are more filling since they are stuffed with mashed potato… and cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. You can eat just the inside but I prefer to also eat the skins after eating most of the inside.
These potatoes are a definite favorite in my family. When my siblings and I were kids, twice baked potatoes were often requested as part of our birthday dinners along side another favorite– beef brisket. They are also really good along side baby back ribs.
How to Cook Twice Baked Potatoes
First, you’ll wash and then poke the potatoes with a fork. Poking the potatoes allows the steam to escape the potato without it exploding. Believe me, you don’t want to clean that up.
After baking the potatoes and letting them cool enough to handle, you’ll cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh and place it in a large mixing bowl.
You can then proceed to add the other ingredients to make the filling- sour cream, butter, cream cheese, seasonings, cheese… there is so much yummy goodness in there!
Once mixed, place the filling back into the shells. Finish it off with a dusting of paprika and at this point you can pop them in the oven and enjoy in 20 minutes or you can place them covered in the fridge for later.
Tools used to make these Twice Baked Potatoes:
Knife Set– I got this when I got married almost 8 years ago. I use them multiple times a day and they’re still going strong!
Hand Mixer– I love my hand mixer. I use it for everything from frosting, to whipped cream, to mashed potatoes.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 baking potatoes, about 2 pounds
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- Paprika
Instructions
- Poke potatoes once with a knife and bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour our until tender.
- When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half lengthwise and spoon out the inside and place in a large mixing bowl. (Leave about a 1/4 inch of the flesh of the potato still intact around the edges.) Set skins in a large baking dish.
- Add sour cream, butter, cream cheese, onions, salt, pepper, thyme, and milk to the potatoes and mash until light and smooth adding more milk if needed. Fold in cheese and spoon mixture into skins. Sprinkle with paprika for garnish.
- Place in fridge until ready to bake. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
For more delicious sides, try these recipes:
- Buttery Parsley Potatoes by Foodie Crush
- Garlic Parmesan Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes by The Chunky Chef
- Funeral Potatoes by The Country Cook
I haven’t made them yet..but have the potatoes all cooked and ready to go. I am a bit confused…one says thaw over night if frozen…one says cook right away..which is the answer..I made enough to freeze.
This was marvelous!
I changed a few things due to what was on hand or allergies. I had chèvre with chives, so used that instead of cream cheese, and skipped the onions and milk. Everybody loved them! This is a keeper!
(no onions on hand and I can eat cheese but not milk)
These are THE BEST twice-bakes I’ve ever made at home. No need for bacon or other additions … these are creamy, cheesy, fluffy, wondrous pillows of potatoes that easily pair with your most important beef entrees and hold their own. Follow the directions exactly and you won’t be disappointed!
Twice baked potatoes make a great side dish to so many main dishes. Thanks for sharing your recipe! I love the pictures of you and your family…all your children look so sweet. A busy and blessed time for you and your husband. Enjoy!
Made these last night! Huge hit! Didn’t use any onion or paprika. Everyone loved them!! Awesome addition to our “sides” rotation….
Such a yummy and easy recipe!! Just made them and they were a total hit!!
I made this as a side dish yesterday and was a huge hit. Very easy recipe too. In my bookmarks!
I can’t wait for my husband to come home to work for these bad boys! I substituted the sour cream with Greek yogurt to feel ‘healthtier’ And add some additional protein! I also added some finely chopped jalapeños for an extra kick!
When baking these do you put them back in foil or do you place them in a baking dish? If so do you cover them when baking them
Making these for game day! Thanks so much!
Loved these. Made them Christmas Day to go with prime rib. Did not use the sour cream and substituted chives for green onions. Definitely a keeper.
Sounds like a great Christmas dinner. Glad you enjoyed them Pam! 🙂
Loved these. Made them Christmas Day to go with prime rib. Did not use the sour cream and substituted chives for green onions. Definitely a keeper.
I made these last night and they were delicious!
Thanks Willow! Glad to hear you like them as much as we do! 🙂
What is the baking directions if I freeze the potatoes?
Place the potatoes in the fridge the night before to defrost and then cook as normal.
I want to make these for our Christmas party this weekend but the party is 3 hours from my house. I was thinking of making them the night before, freezing them, and reheating them in the morning before leaving but am wondering if they would travel ok in a crockpot and keep them warm in that during the party. Would that work?
Stephanie, You don’t need to freeze them. After you fill the skins just put them in the fridge. You can cook them right before the party and transport in the crock-pot or just put them in the oven for 20 minutes when you get to the party.
The 16 people in my family love it
I made these last night with steak and asparagus. They were so easy and delicious. My boyfriend usually teases me about my cooking fails but he went back for seconds and thirds of these! This is seriously a no-fail wonderful recipe! Will definitely be keeping this on hand for the future.
That sounds like an awesome dinner Maria! These potatoes are seriously one of my favorite recipes so I’m happy to hear you both enjoyed it too! 🙂
Of ALL the recipes for twice baked potatoes that I’ve found, this is by far the most appealing to me & my family. Simple steps & the ingredients are everything that my very picky family will love! I’m wondering if I can substitute the cream cheese for sour cream for the 1 person in my house that isn’t a huge fan (not that they’d even know) of cream cheese?
Can’t wait to try it tonight!
Substituting the cream cheese with sour cream would be just fine. That’s so nice of you to accommodate for that picky eater! 🙂 When I was a kid my mom would make half the potatoes with the green onions and half without… but that’s a lot easier to do since it’s mixed in last. I hope your family enjoyed them! 🙂
Could these be premade and frozen until ready to serve? My thinking behind this is that I would only need enough for 3 people, and these would be great to just pull out and thaw for a quick side dish.
That’s such a good idea to make a bunch to have on hand for a side! I have only premade them and put them in the fridge. I think they should be perfectly fine to freeze. I’m not sure how quickly and evenly they will thaw though if you put them straight from the freezer to microwave. I would recommend taking them them from the freezer to fridge the night before you are going to have them. But let me know what you try and how it works.
If you freeze them individually then vacuum seal them individually they are great for individual meals . They will last up to 3 months in the freeze.
I make ahead and freeze. Make sure to heat them from frozen, either in microwave or oven, or they will be soggy.
Craving all of the cheesy deliciousness of these twice baked potatoes right now. They look so incredibly delicious.. and it’s crazy that they are relatively healthy too!