Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy) (2024)

Easy Potato Skins aren’t just a diner favorite. They are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as an appetizer for your next get-together.

Easy Potato Skins are filled with bacon, cheese, sour cream and green onions. To say the least, these bad boys don’t skimp on flavor.

When I whip up my homemade gnocchi, I always save the skins for later to make this recipe. I mean, why waste it?!

My family goes CRAZY for good and crispy potato skins. I would even go as far to say that we prefer the skin over the starchy innards. Especially when said skin is flavored with luscious bacon fat. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get it!

Quick Overview on Making Easy Potato Skins

• Season your potatoes with sea salt olive oil. Bake them.
• Allow them to cool, cut them in half and scoop out the insides. Place the skins on a baking sheet.
• Dice green onion and set aside.
• Chop up your bacon and pan fry it until crispy.
• Fill each one with bacon and shredded cheese.
• Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 ℉ for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
• Remove from the oven and top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped scallions.

Best Potatoes for the Potato Skins

Hands down, russet potatoes are the best spud for potato skins. They have a thicker skin and tend to have a perfect shape for stuffing. Just remember to save the potato innards to make homemade gnocchi, mashed potatoes or piroshki.

How to Serve Potato Skins

• Guacamole – Add some fresh, creamy fat to the skins by also scoping on a dollop of guacamole.
• Salsa – Black bean and corn salsa is a great sidekick. You get a nice pop of citrusy, tomato flavor that makes them feel like a well-rounded meal.
• 15-Minute Avocado Hummus – At first glance, this might seem like a strange recommendation. But trust me, a dollop of avocado hummus just works!

Different Variations of Potato Skins

• Instant Pot Chili – Stuff your potato skins with chili and cheddar cheese. Once you take them out of the oven, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped scallions.
• Mexican-Style – Swap the pepper in this recipe for a potato skin. YUM!
• Cheesesteak – Same goes as above — swap the pepper for a potato skin and enjoy this classic sando in a fun, new way.

Make Potato Skins Ahead of Time

If you are making your potato skins for a party, you likely want to prep as much as you can ahead of time. Bake your potatoes, scoop out the filling and have the skins ready to stuff.

In fact, it’s even better to prepare the skins early because they will harden a bit as they sit in the fridge, making them sturdier. Only stuff and bake right before you plan on serving them!

A Few More Appetizers

Throwing a party and looking to add a couple of other crowd-pleasers to your spread?

• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms – These mushrooms are stuffed to the gills with crab, cream cheese and the perfect seasoning.
• Grape Jelly Meatballs – Yes, you read right — grape jelly meatballs! These sweet and savory treats will disappear as fast as you can make them.
• Smoked Oysters with Spicy Miso Butter – Grab the freshest oysters you can get your hands on. This recipe never disappoints.