Fully Loaded Crispy Potato Skins with Cheese & Bacon

These Fully Loaded Crispy Potato Skins are a delicious appetizer or side dish recipe. The flavorful seasoning, fluffy potato, crispy skins – and you can’t forget the cheese – make this a recipe that will quickly become a family favorite!

If you like potato skins (or potatoes, or fries, or potato chips) you absolutely have to try this recipe. Potato skins are crunchy, filled with fluffy potato, cheesy, and seasoned to perfection. And, they are easy to make. Baked Potato Skins taste just like restaurant-style potato skins but now you can have them at home.

These Homemade Potato Skins are a favorite side dish in our house. We love to make them to go with our Crockpot Tomato Vegetable Soup or as a side with Blue Cheese Burgers or Barbecue Ranch Burgers. We also love to make a big plate of these as an appetizer when friends come over to watch football. They are always a crowd-pleaser.

Potato Skin Ingredients

• Potatoes – I like to use Russet Potatoes for making potato skins. Since you are eating the skin, the potatoes need to be scrubbed well to make sure any dirt is removed.
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Garlic Powder
• Paprika
• Taco Cheese – Taco Cheese is a shredded mix that is usually made of cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, jalapeño, and or queso quesadilla.
• Fresh or Dried Chives or Green Onions (optional)
• Sour Cream or Ranch (optional)
• Bacon – Cooked and diced up. (Also optional)

Optional ingredients are bacon, chives/green onions, and sour cream/ranch. If you want to jazz up the potato skins to make stuffed or loaded potato skins, you can add bacon (yum!) and top the potato skins with chives or green onions as a garnish.

As for the sour cream or ranch, some people (me) like to dip their potato skins in something cool and creamy to balance out the salty flavor.

What are the best potatoes for making potato skins?

Russet potatoes are the best potatoes to use when making potato skins. Their skin is tough, so they hold up well and won’t fall apart when baked and scooped out.

How to Make Crispy Homemade Potato Skins

First, Prepare the Potatoes:

First, bake the potatoes either in the oven or microwave. I prefer using the oven because the potatoes will be crispier when cooked in the oven. (However, cooking them in the microwave is a bit quicker.)

Either way, you will need to prepare the potato the same way before baking them. Prick the potatoes with a fork several times. Firmly hold the potato on the counter or table while doing this so you don’t accidentally stab yourself with a fork.

Once you have that done, rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (Use enough olive oil to cover each potato.)

If you will be cooking them in the oven:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Place the prepared potatoes on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or foil. Bake them at 425°F for 45 – 60 minutes.

If you will be cooking them in the microwave:

• Place prepared potatoes on a microwave-safe plate.
• Cook on full power for five minutes.
• Flip them over and cook an additional five minutes. They will be hot coming out so be careful taking them out. 

Once they are baked, the oven temperature needs to be increased from 425°F to 475°F to bake the potato skins if you bake the potatoes in your oven. If you are using the microwave to bake the potatoes, then preheat the oven to 475°F.

Next, Assemble the Potato Skins:

While the oven is preheating or adjusting temperatures, let the potatoes sit a few minutes to cool down so you can handle them. (They will be HOT.) While they are cooling, combine the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl.  Set that aside.

Once the potatoes are slightly cooled, cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the middle of the potatoes so you have about ¼” of potato around the edge. Place the extra potato in a bowl and set it aside. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. (You can use the same baking sheet as earlier, just wipe it down if there is any residue on it.) 

Spread about one teaspoon of the seasoning mixture on both sides of the potato, starting with the inside of the potato first. I pour the seasoning onto the potato and spread it around with either my fingers or the back of the teaspoon.

Wondering How to Make Baked Potato Skins Crispy?

Place the potatoes on the baking sheet with the skin side up first and bake them in the oven at 475°F for eight minutes. (Don’t worry, the cheese/oil will stay put!) This will let the oil sink into the skin a bit and will crisp up the potatoes!

Then flip them over and cook another eight minutes. (The potatoes will be hot so be careful – I recommend using tongs!)

If you so desire, these potato skins can become “stuffed potato skins” if you stuff them to the brim with cheese and bacon. Fill each potato with the cheese (and bacon if using) right to the edge of the potato and cook for an additional two minutes to melt the cheese.

Finally, EAT!

Let the potatoes cool a little bit as they will be like little fireballs, then garnish with fresh chives or green onions, if desired. Serve with sour cream or ranch for dipping and enjoy!

How to Store Leftover Potato Skins

Once cooled, place any leftover potato skins in your refrigerator in an air-tight container. They can easily be reheated in the microwave, toaster, or air fryer.

Toppings for Baked Potato Skins

• Keep it Classic: Bacon, cheese, and chives or green onions are a family favorite.
• Taco Style: Top the potato skins with ground beef or ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning – then add cheese and garnish with fresh salsa & cilantro.
• Make them a Little Southern: Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken topped with extra BBQ sauce and dipped in ranch. Yum!
• Make Spicy Potato Skins: Turn your potato skins into jalapeño poppers by stuffing them with cream cheese, diced bacon, and diced jalapeños, – then topping them with shredded cheese. These are a fun & spicy appetizer.

Expert Tips

• Russet potatoes are a great potato choice for making potato skins because they hold up well and won’t fall apart when baked and scooped.
• If you can’t find taco cheese, cheddar cheese is a great substitute.
• Hold the potato firmly on the counter or table when pricking it with the fork. This will help prevent the potato from slipping as you poke holes and will prevent you from stabbing yourself with a fork.
• The extra potato that you scoop out can be used as mashed potatoes for another dinner. (Mix them with butter, heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, & pepper. Yum!) They should be used within 2 – 3 days. Otherwise, the extra potato can be discarded.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Update Note: This recipe was originally posted earlier, but was published again in 2022 to include step-by-step directions, more information, and new photos.