This is the potato skin you actually want. The one off a sports-bar menu: a shell with real crunch, a deep pocket of melted cheese, and enough bacon to taste in every bite.

I’ve found most homemade versions miss that execution the same two ways. The potato skin goes soft or it splits when you scoop it and loses its filling to the pan. Not this recipe. These are the potato skins I set out for parties and get togethers when I want them holding their crunch from the first one to the last.

Baked Potato Skins topped with melted cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, sour cream, and chopped chives, arranged on a wooden board lined with parchment paper for a savory appetizer everyone will love.

Make These Ahead So You’re Not Chained to Your Oven

The question I get most is whether you can make potato skins ahead so you’re not finishing food while your guests stand around.

The one move to avoid is assembling them fully ahead. The empty shells store well overnight, but a loaded skin does not, so prep everything up to the filling and stop there.

Here’s the order I space it out in:

A few days ahead: Crisp the bacon and keep it covered in the fridge. It holds fine until you’re ready to load the skins.
The day before: Bake, scoop, and crisp the empty shells, then store them covered in the fridge. The bare shells keep well overnight, where a loaded one would go soft.
The day of: Bring the shells to room temperature, fill them, and do the final melt right before serving.
To plan further out: Freeze the bare crisped shells on a sheet pan, then bag them. Fill and finish straight from frozen, no thawing needed.

Ingredient Notes

A group of ingredients for delicious Baked Potato Skins sits on a marble counter, including russet potatoes, sour cream, extra virgin olive oil, bacon, butter, cheddar cheese, canned tomatoes, dried chives, and assorted spices in small jars.

Mild or medium cheddar cheeses have a higher moisture content and will melt better than sharp cheddar.
Colby-Jack, Monterey Jack or a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese all make wonderful alternatives for the cheddar in this recipe.

Three baked potato skins topped with melted cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, and chopped chives are arranged on a plate with a bowl of sour cream for dipping in the center.

Use small russets, about the size you’d want to pick up in one hand. Try to get them all close to the same size.

A hand holds half of a baked potato skin with the inside scooped out, leaving just the skin and a thin layer of potato flesh. A metal knife and spoon rest on a white surface in the background. — Smaller russet potatoes crisp faster and hold up better for parties and events.

Lessons Learned From Recipe Testing

Bake the potatoes until they are genuinely soft, not just cooked through. A fork should sink to the center so they can be scooped without tearing the skin.

(If you’d rather not run the oven for an hour, I start these from air fryer baked potatoes and pick up at the scooping step.)

Let the potatoes cool until you can hold one bare-handed before you scoop. If you scoop while they’re still hot, you’ll likely rush and gouge through the wall trying not to burn your fingers.

A person scoops out the inside of a baked potato with a spoon over a wooden cutting board, preparing baked potato skins. The board also holds another halved potato and a whole potato.

Leave a layer of potato on the skin instead of scraping all the way down. That layer is what keeps the wall sturdy, so the shell holds its shape when you fill it and when someone picks it up off the tray.

For a veggie-forward spin on the same shell, I also make broccoli and cheddar potato skins.

Don’t Miss This Step

The flip is the part people often skip, but it’s what crisps the inside surface instead of just the outside.

After testing multiple batches, I found that most potato skin texture problems traced back to the potatoes not being crisp enough before filling them. I’ve found there’s no fixing a soft shell once the cheese goes on. If the potato isn’t crisp before filling it, it won’t magically crisp underneath the toppings.

Brush the skin side with seasoned butter and bake it first. The skin of the potato takes the longest to crisp, so it needs the most time in the oven.

A hand uses a black silicone brush to coat Baked Potato Skins with oil or butter on a foil-lined baking sheet. — Bake skin side first. Brush the outside before the first bake.

Then flip the shells, brush on butter and crisp the scooped-out side too.

This is important because the inside surface is where the cheese and bacon sit. If you only crisp the skin side and leave that scooped-out side, the potato skin won’t hold its crunch after it’s filled.

A hand uses a basting brush to coat Baked Potato Skins with oil on a foil-lined baking sheet. The potato skins are arranged cut-side up, looking seasoned and ready for further cooking.

Use the color of the potato as your guide, not just the timer. The shells should be deep golden brown, with edges that look dry and lightly curled. That’s when they’re ready for the cheese.

A baking sheet lined with foil holds halved baked potatoes; some are plain, while others are filled with shredded cheddar cheese—delicious Baked Potato Skins ready for further cooking.

Once the cheese is on, bake until it’s fully melted. If you’ve ever had potato skins that looked perfect coming out of the oven but softened underneath a few minutes later, the shells usually needed a little more time BEFORE they were filled.

Loaded Baked Potato Skins topped with melted cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, a dollop of sour cream, and chopped chives, served on a white plate with bowls of sour cream, chives, and shredded cheese in the background.

If you’re putting together a spread, these sit well next to my Rotel dip, bundt pan nachos, and crockpot meatballs. For something heartier on the table, I add crack chicken sliders or a tray of hanky panky.

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Baked Potato Skins

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Loaded baked potato skins feature potatoes filled with smoky bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and a blend of seasonings, making them the ultimate crowd-pleasing snack.

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 25

Servings potato skins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

6 ounces hickory smoked bacon, diced into ½-inch pieces (8-10 slices center cut)
8 small russet potatoes, rinsed and patted dry (approximately 3½ to 4 inches long)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons salt, divided (1 teaspoon to season the oiled potatoes before baking and ½ teaspoon to add to the melted butter with the other spices)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Optional Garnish

Sour cream

Instructions

In a medium skillet, over medium-low heat, cook the diced bacon pieces for 14-16 minutes or until browned and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the crispy bacon pieces from the skillet and place onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. While the bacon is cooking, prepare the potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Brush the russet potatoes with olive oil on all sides and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon salt and place onto the prepared baking sheet, allowing 2 inches between each potato.
Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. A fork should easily be able to pierce the skin and slide into the center of the potato with no force.
Allow the baked potatoes to cool at room temperature until no longer warm to the touch and can be safely handled with bare hands.
Slice the cooled potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop out the center flesh from each half, leaving a ½-inch border around the sides and bottom of each potato skin. Repeat until all the potatoes have been halved and scooped.
Place the scooped halved potatoes back onto the same baking sheet, scooped side facing down.
Mix together the melted butter, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and ground black pepper until well combined.
Brush the skin of the baked potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter mixture.
Bake for 10 minutes, flip the potato halves over (scooped side facing up) and brush the top potato flesh with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the melted butter mixture, then bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the potato skins from the oven, fill the scooped centers of the potato skins with shredded cheese, dividing the cheese evenly between each, then top evenly with the reserved bacon.
Return the cheese and bacon filled potato skins to the oven and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
Remove the baked potato skins from the oven, transfer them to a serving platter and sprinkle with the finely chopped chives. Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Notes

Russet potatoes are the best type of potatoes for this recipe because they have a thicker skin that holds up well when baked and scooped.
You can prepare the bacon up to 3 days ahead. Be sure to allow the bacon to cool and drain before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerating. It can be added to the potato skins straight from the refrigerator if desired.