Your family will LOVE this easy twice-baked potatoes recipe! The potato filling is rich and creamy, while the potato skins get nice and crispy. Broccoli and cheddar cheese make this recipe extra delicious, and sets it apart from the rest. Prep the potatoes in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer for a quick 30 minute meal or side dish.
Broccoli Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes
Jennifer says: “Love these! Thanks so much for the recipe! Made exactly as written and always make extra to freeze.”
Comfort food is basically the only thing getting me through this wicked cold winter! I’m craving carbs every 15 minutes and right now these twice-baked potatoes are my go-to cure. This famous side dish is:
- creamy, cheesy, and bursting with flavor
- topped with broccoli (yay, veggies!)
- make-ahead friendly/freezer friendly
- a great side-dish but can also work as a main meal if served with soup or salad
- the definition of comfort food
Inspired Wendy’s Baked Potatoes
Confession: My first broccoli and cheddar twice-baked potato was from a Wendy’s (drive-thru). Do you remember those?! My mom would get me one with a small chili and omg, it was heaven.
But my homemade version is 1,000,000 times better! They’re healthy comfort food and I’m convinced after one bite you’ll be 100% obsessed with this recipe.
Ingredients for Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Russet Potatoes: You’ll want to wash your russet potatoes well and dry them completely before use in this recipe.
- Olive Oil: Use whatever you have on hand, it doesn’t need to be fancy.
- Butter: Unlike 99% of the recipes I make, I actually prefer using salted butter for these twice baked potatoes. In a pinch, use unsalted butter and add salt as needed.
- Greek Yogurt: In a pinch, sour cream makes a great sub. Or use sour cream if you prefer the taste and texture. I use Greek yogurt because I find it’s a little healthier, but use what works for you.
- Buttermilk: I love the tangy flavor buttermilk adds (it’s what I use in my mashed potatoes, too). But in a pinch, regular milk will work fine. I don’t suggest using plant-based milks.
- Herbs and Spices: Salt and pepper, chives (or sub green onions), garlic powder, onion powder, dried onion flakes, dried dill weed, and paprika. This spice blend adds so much flavor!
- Broccoli: You’ll need 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked broccoli. Chop it into bite-sized pieces before use in this twice-baked potato recipe.
- Cheese: I love using orange cheddar cheese in this recipe, but use whatever cheese you know melts well and tastes great.
Let’s Make Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees about 30 minutes before you plan on baking. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake Potatoes: Bake the whole potatoes for an hour, or until they’re soft. Set aside until they’re cool enough to handle.
- Mashed Potatoes: Slice the russet potatoes in half. lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh. Place the potato flesh it in a mixing bowl, add butter and use a potato masher to mash smooth. Add in remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
- Potato Skins: Rub the outsides of the potato skins with olive oil, then place the potato skins on the prepared baking sheet.
- Fill Potato Skins with Mashed Potatoes: Divide the mashed potato filling evenly among the potato skins.
- Toppings and Bake: Top with remaining cheese and bake potatoes for about 20 minutes. Or until the cheese melts and the potatoes heat through. Serve at once!
What is a Twice-Baked Potato?
- Twice-baked potatoes, much like biscotti, require two – almost back to back – baking sessions. Thus, they are “twice-baked”.
- The first baking session softens the russet potatoes. You’ll need the potato flesh to become soft enough to scoop out easily.
- The second bake crisps the potato skins and heats the mashed potato filling. It also helps melt the gooey cheese on top of the twice baked potatoes.
This recipe makes 8 twice-baked potatoes, which is a TON of potato if you’re a smaller household. If you’re serving a crowd, you can easily double or triple this twice-baked potato recipe to suit your needs. Jump to the recipe below!
Twice-baked potatoes are totally make-ahead friendly!
- Remember earlier when I said these where convenient? Twice-baked potatoes can be assembled, stuffed, and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- You can also individually wrap each potato (minus the cheese) in aluminum foil and pop them in the freezer for up to two months. In my experience, cheese does not hold up well in the freezer, so you’ll want to save that step for baking day.
- The frozen potatoes will need about 12 hours to thaw before baking, so remember to transfer them from the freezer to the fridge the day before you plan to use them.
- When you bake twice-baked potatoes that you have frozen, you’ll likely need to add a few minutes to the bake time. Start checking at 20 minutes, but don’t be surprised if they take up to 30 minutes.
What to Serve with Twice-Baked Potatoes
I really, really hope you make these twice-baked potatoes! Paired with a light salad, you’ve got yourself a whole meal.
