Twice Baked Potatoes

This recipe for vegan twice baked potatoes was initially published in 2010, with an update in 2026 for clarity. I've made some changes to the text and recipe. For instance, I've omitted sherry, an ingredient with which I was inexplicably obsessed for a short time.

As a child, I was often subjected to the dubious experience of microwaved "baked" potatoes and it wasn't until I moved to the UK as a young adult that I realised it was possible to achieve restaurant style crispy skinned baked potatoes at home by simply swapping the microwave for an oven. Also, I apologise in advance for how contrived the following paragraphs sound. A love letter to learning how to put something in the oven sounds like I'm on some bullshit SEO train, trying to fluff out an otherwise empty post, but it's more that tiny victories mean something. Little learnings can be significant, no matter how silly they may sound.

Long time friends and readers may know how inadequate a cook I was up until my early twenties. The concept of "homemade" I grew up with referred to opening seasoning packets, cans, and other prepared foods to make a meal. Homemade green bean casserole included tinned green beans and a dried onion dip packet. Homemade mashed potatoes involved boiling water and dried potato flakes. Homemade potatoes au gratin came in a single shelf stable box. My beloved twice baked potatoes came out of a packet too, ready with the ding of a microwave.

I don't mean any of this pejoratively; time is valuable and extremely limited for many people, not to mention a lot of folks simply don't enjoy cooking and others view meals as little more a means to an end. For me, however, something as simple as learning how to bake a potato in adulthood felt revolutionary. I think this is why copycat recipes are so wildly popular, because when you've been taught to believe delicious food comes from restaurants and average food comes from home, it feels damned good to learn otherwise. Once I had that foundational understanding I started to wonder what else I didn't, but could, know with regards to food and cooking.

The small but meaningful victory of learning to bake a potato led me back to memories of those twice "baked" potatoes I enjoyed in the US. Now I could bake a potato all by myself, I could also learn how to make the double baked variety! Exciting! In the most boring of ways, I know.

If you're looking for an easy comfort food then twice baked potatoes should be an obvious maybe on your list of potential meals. Try this vegan version served with a nice salad or on their own (they are quite filling). The yoghurt (you can also use Oatly creme fraiche or a vegan sour cream substitute) adds a creamy richness to the potatoes while the miso imparts salt and umami. Should you omit the miso, go in with some extra salt.

Don't feel limited to the ingredients I've chosen for this recipe. Try vegan yoghurt and fresh chives (for a mock sour cream and chives flavour), or your favourite fake cheddar with facon bits.

Print Recipe

Vegan twice baked potatoes with spring onions

There's a lot of room for interpretation with this recipe. While I use Oatly brand Greek style yoghurt, you can also use their creme fraiche or another non dairy sour cream brand. You can also mix your favourite plant based cheese into the mash, or even use fermented tofu. Just avoid adding too many wet ingredients or the potatoes won't stay crispy.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized baking potatoes
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter preferably in solid block form, such as Naturli or Flora
• ½ tablespoon minced garlic
• ¼ cup chopped spring onions
• 3-4 tablespoons Oatly Greek yoghurt make sure whatever yoghurt you use doesn't contain sugar or flavourings like vanilla
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon dark miso
• ¼-½ teaspoon salt
• vegan cheese, plant based bacon, extra spring onions, for topping all optional

Instructions

• Pierce the skin of the potatoes about a dozen times with a fork or sharp knife and bake the potatoes at 200℃ for about an hour, or until a knife slides in without resistance. Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut each one in half. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
• While the potatoes are cooling, melt the butter in a pan and fry the garlic for 3-5 minutes on medium-low, stirring regularly, until golden but not burnt. Scrape into a large bowl with a silicone spatula.
• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, carefully spoon the fluffy interior into the bowl with the butter. Leave around half a centimetre, or ¼ inch of the potato still stuck to the skin. Mash the potato.
• Add the spring onions, yoghurt, nutritional yeast, miso, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix through and taste for salt. You can add more to suit your taste.
• Fill the potato skin shells with the mash, return to the oven, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until crispy and browned.

  If you want additional toppings such as cheese, top your stuffed potato halves before the second bake.
• Serve immediately for best texture.