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Make simple baked potatoes into satisfying dinners with these loaded baked potato toppings! From classic sour cream and bacon to Mexican-style, a potato bar is a meal that’s customizable to any diet and eater.
It can be hard to find a dinner idea that works for everyone. But here’s one I fall back on time and time again: the loaded baked potato! Mix and match baked potato toppings, and you’ve got a delicious dinner that fits almost any diet.
I often use this recipe idea when I’m feeding a crowd, and everyone always loves it! There are endless ideas for customizing the meal, and it lets every eater get creative by choosing what they like. Here’s how to make a loaded baked potato bar, and some of my favorite topping ideas!
Creative Baked Potato Toppings
Got a baked potato? Let’s load it up! You can lay out all the toppings and let the eaters choose, or make up just the ingredients for one of the flavor combinations. Here are some of my favorite baked potato toppings:
- Classic: Sour cream, high quality cheddar, chives, bacon or coconut bacon
- Mexican: Pico de gallo, corn, black beans, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, cilantro
- Chili: Chili, cheddar cheese, green onion, sour cream
- Broccoli Cheddar: Sauteed broccoli, sour cream, cheese sauce or vegan queso
- Nacho: Taco meat or vegan taco meat, refried beans, cheddar cheese, nacho cheese or vegan nacho cheese, salsa, green onions, pickled jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips
- Ranch: Sauteed vegetables, ranch dressing (or vegan ranch), chickpeas or shredded chicken, chopped chives
- Lox: Smoked salmon, chives, cream cheese
- Fajita: Fajita veggies, refried beans or pinto beans, sour cream, shredded cheese
Why Loaded Baked Potatoes Work for Dinner
The genius of a loaded baked potato lies in its adaptability. A plain baked potato provides a neutral, filling base that complements pretty much any flavor profile you throw at it.
Contrary to what you might think, baked potatoes are a nutrient dense food with vitamins, minerals, some protein, and no fat.
Also, a potato bar is a fun interactive experience! You can set out bowls of toppings and let everyone customize their meal. This gives everyone control over what goes on their plate (especially picky eaters!).
Best Potatoes for Loading Up
The best potatoes for a baked potato? Russet potatoes or sweet potatoes. Russet potatoes are the type that are traditional for a baked potato. They’re called starchy potatoes and come out with a fluffy texture when baked. Contrast that with waxy potatoes like Yukon gold, red potatoes, or fingerling potatoes: these types are better for roasting and mashing.
Sweet potatoes are also a great choice! They have slightly more fiber and different vitamins, as well as a beautifully sweet flavor. Interestingly, they have a similar nutrition profile to russet potatoes.
How to Bake Perfect Potatoes
Here are my top methods for baking a potato, with a few alternative ideas:
- Classic: For a whole baked potato, rub the skin with olive oil and prick with a fork. Place on the oven grates and bake at 425°F 20 minutes, then flip and bake 25 minutes more until fork tender (or more, depending on the size).
- Quick baked method: For a quick baked potato, cut the potatoes in half, rub with olive oil prick with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 450°F for 25 to 35 minutes, until tender. Mash the tops with a fork before serving.
- Grilled: Go to Grilled Baked Potato for instructions.
- Sweet potato: Go to Baked Sweet Potato or Quick Baked Sweet Potato.
Creating a Loaded Baked Potato Bar
When I’m feeding a crowd (or even if it’s just a weeknight dinner), I like to set up a full potato bar. I place all the toppings in small bowls, grouping similar items together: all the proteins in one area, vegetables in another, and condiments at the end.
I also like to make sure there are options for various dietary needs, like gluten-free, meat and plant-based proteins, dairy-free, etc. Cashew cream is a great alternative to sour cream!
Pairing Your Loaded Potato
While a loaded baked potato can certainly stand alone as a meal, I like to pair it with a crisp green salad as a nice contrast. My arugula salad, chopped salad, and kale salad are all great options.
For Mexican-style loaded potatoes, I reach for this Mexican chopped salad with cilantro lime dressing.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Baked potatoes reheat well. Store leftover baked potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, place them in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes until heated through.
Always store toppings separately rather than on the potato: most will keep about 3 to 4 days refrigerated.
Dietary Notes
A loaded baked potato is naturally gluten free. Depending on the toppings, it also works for vegetarian, vegan (plant based), and pescatarian diets.
Loaded Baked Potato Toppings
Mix and match baked potato toppings for the best easy dinner: a loaded baked potato! A potato bar is a delicious meal that’s customizable to any diet and eater.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups purchased pico de gallo
- 15-ounce can black beans
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup canned corn (or thawed frozen)
- 1 cup guacamole
- Shredded cheddar cheese, optional
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Sour cream (or cashew cream)
- Other topping ideas:
- Classic: Sour cream, high quality cheddar, chives, optional bacon
- Lox: Smoked salmon, chives, cream cheese
- Chili: Chili, cheddar cheese, green onion, sour cream
- Broccoli Cheddar: Sauteed broccoli, sour cream, cheddar cheese or Vegan Queso
- Nacho: Vegan Taco Meat or taco meat, canned refried beans, cheddar cheese or Vegan Nacho Cheese, salsa, sliced green onions, chopped lettuce, pickled jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips
- Ranch: Sauteed Vegetables, Homemade Ranch Dressing, chickpeas or shredded chicken, chopped chives
- Fajita: Fajita veggies, refried beans or pinto beans, sour cream, shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 425°F. (Alternatively, you can use our Quick Baked Potato or Baked Sweet Potato methods.)
- Bake the potatoes: Scrub the potatoes and pierce them all over with a fork. Rub each potato with olive oil. Place the potatoes directly on oven rack (with a tray on rack below to catch any dripping oil). Bake 20 minutes and flip with tongs. Bake additional 25 minutes and check for tenderness with a fork. The fork should easily pierce the potato to the center. If not tender, continue baking, up to 15 minutes more depending on size of the potato.
- Prep the toppings: Meanwhile, drain and rinse the black beans and mix them with the kosher salt. Drain or thaw the corn. Chop the cilantro. Or follow the notes above for other topping ideas!
- Serve: When the potatoes are done, open the tops with a fork and top with the pico de gallo, seasoned black beans, corn, guacamole, cheddar cheese, cilantro and sour cream. Or follow the notes above of your choosing. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage and reheating notes: Store leftover baked potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, place them in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes until heated through. Always store toppings separately rather than on the potato: most will keep about 3 to 4 days refrigerated.
More Healthy Dinner Ideas
- Pesto Salmon or Pesto Shrimp
- Rice Bowl, Shrimp Bowl or Salmon Bowl
- Sheet Pan Dinner
- Salmon and Asparagus
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Tortelloni or Tortellini
I baked some potatoes cause me and my mom were very hungry so I made the fajita baked potato’s omg it was the bomb.com! very nice for occasions or just for lunch! loved the idea.
Thank You. I’m inspired now to work toppings nearing those of a classic potato salad. What do you think? T.
We made the fajita veggie baked potato for dinner. What a fabulous easy idea. Subbed black beans for pinto as that’s what we had in the pantry. Looking forward to trying some of the other variations.