These classic cheesy potato skins are our favorite game-day appetizer. Take some cooked potatoes, hollow them out, and top them with all the cheesy and favorite potato toppings.
Game day just isn’t the same with cheesy appetizers. We’ve perfected this recipe over the years, and we promise you, it’s a game-changer. Crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and oozing with cheesy goodness, these potato skins are an absolute must-try.
What is in Cheesy Potato Skins
These cheesy potato skins are ready in under 1 hour. All you need are 5 baked potatoes, Lawry’s seasoned salt, cheddar cheese, butter, and bacon. After the potatoes are baked, they are topped with a delicious seasoned sour cream that we could eat with a spoon.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cheese: Swap out cheddar for pepper jack, mozzarella, or your favorite melting cheese.
- Toppings: Add crumbled bacon, green onions, jalapenos, or even some pulled pork.
- Vegan Option: Use dairy-free cheese and a vegan sour cream alternative.
Toppings
You can top these potato skins with whatever you would like. We absolutely recommend making the seasoned sour cream. It is made with mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and Lawry’s.
Some other great topping options would be salsa, fresh herbs, ranch dressing, diced bell peppers, and more.
Top Tips for Perfect Cheesy Potato Skins
- Be sure to leave a little bit of potato innards in the potato skin so you get that delicious potato texture in the potato skin. If you like your potato skins really crispy, remove all of the potato innards and cook the potatoes longer than 10 minutes for the first bake time.
- Feel free to mix up the cheese that you use for this recipe. Gruyere cheese would be a great trade.
- Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to a little added spice.
FAQ
Can you eat the skin of a potato?
Yes, you can eat the skin of potatoes. The potato skin has most of the nutrients from the potato.
What can I add to my potato skins?
Traditional potato skins are served with cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream. You can top your potato skins with anything you would like. Change up the cheese, make them breakfast potato skins, or anything in between.
Can I use sweet potatoes for this recipe?
Yes, you can use sweet potatoes for this recipe.
Get More
Cheddar Cheese Recipes
Looking for more recipes with cheddar cheese? Check out our cheesy collection of cheddar cheese recipes.
Storage
Let the potato skins cool and place them in an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat instructions: to reheat the potato skins, place the skins on a baking sheet and bake them at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes.
Can I Freeze Potato Skins?
Yes, you can freeze these potato skins.
- Follow the recipe and let the potato skins cool completely and do not top them with seasoned sour cream or green onions.
- Once the potato skins are cooled place them on a plate and freeze them for 20 minutes (so they don’t stick together later) and then place them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Reheat instructions: place the frozen potato skins on a baking sheet and bake them for 20-25 minutes at 350ºF.
Serving Suggestions
These potato skins are the perfect appetizers to serve with easy beef nachos, cream cheese Rangoon, and Velveeta cheese dip for your next gathering or game day.
Cheesy Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 5 cooked medium baked potatoes cold (we used russet)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning
- 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
- 3-4 pieces cooked bacon crumbled
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
Seasoned Sour Cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the inside leaving a thin layer of potato. Make sure that the potato skin stays intact.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl and mix in the Lawry’s seasoning. Brush the seasoned melted butter onto the inside of the potato skins.
- Bake the potato skins for 10 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the seasoned sour cream. Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix until well combined.
- Take the potato skins out of the oven and top with the shredded cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Top the cheesy potato skins with the seasoned sour cream and garnish them with thinly sliced green onions.
Tips & Notes
- This is a great recipe to use up extra baked potatoes. If you are making the baked potatoes fresh, we recommend this method.
- Don’t have Lawry’s seasoning, use ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder. It isn’t the same thing, but will still be very tasty.