Vegan Loaded Potato Skins
on Jan 31, 2024
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All of the pleasures of potato skins but entirely plant-based. Perfect for a substantial snack or a game day party!
This baked loaded potato skins recipe has everything going for it that the non-vegan version does — melted cheese (vegan cheese, of course) and the satisfying heft of simmered black beans with Tex-Mex seasonings. And then some vegan sour cream on top, the cool creaminess contrasting with the rich filling. Plus avocado, red onion, and cilantro to finish it all off. No one will have to miss out with these! Terrific for game days, movie nights, and any time you want to make your favorite bar food at home.
There are certain foods that I know can make some people feel really left out. The kind of bar food and appetizers you get at a certain kind of restaurant (think TGI Fridays!) hold such comfort food appeal but are almost always off-limits to vegans. I hate for anyone to miss out on the fun because of allergies or intolerances or dietary choices, so when I was making loaded potato skins, I knew I had to come up with a vegan version for all my vegan people (Hi, Lizzie! Granger! Charlotte!…To name but a few.)
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Vegan Loaded Potato Skins: All of the pleasures of potato skins, but all plant-based. Perfect for a substantial snack or a game day party!
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Vegan Loaded Potato Skins Ingredients
See the recipe variations for more options!
- Baking potatoes – Choose all-purpose or russet potatoes that are slightly smaller in size, so you have a nice balance of potato and filling.
- Black beans – If you want to use another seasoned black bean mixture, you definitely can. But I suggest you make this vegetarian black beans and rice recipe (rich with tomatoes) and store the rest of it in the freezer for another meal with rice next month. If you do want to buy pre-seasoned cooked beans, I like Fillo’s Cuban Black Beans.
- Shredded vegan cheese – Some readily available brands are Violife or Daiya.
To Serve
- Vegan sour cream – Some available brands are Tofutti’s Better Than Sour Cream and Only Plant Based.
- Diced avocado – You can also sub in guacamole.
- Sliced scallions – Or try diced red onion or minced chives.
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Recipe Variations
- This would also be great with any vegan bean-centric dish as a filling. You might try the filling for the Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna, the Mushroom, Tomato, and White Bean Ragout (leave out the optional cream), the Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili, or the Butternut Squash and White Bean Ragout.
- You can also use a smaller amount of refried beans and double the amount of cheese.
- Chopped or sliced crispy cooked vegan bacon would be a good addition.
- Sautéed spinach would also be a good add-on to the potato skins!
How to Make Vegan Loaded Potato Skins
- Bake the potatoes: Heat the oven and poke holes in the potatoes, then place them on the oven rack and bake until tender inside.
- Scoop out the potato and season the skins: Scoop out the potato halves, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of potato inside the skin. Brush the insides and the outsides of the skins with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake the potato skins for about 20 minutes until crispy.
- Fill the potato skins: Divide the black beans evenly between the potato skins. Top with the cheese, dividing it evenly.
- Bake and serve: Bake for about 5 more minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve with vegan sour cream, avocado, red onion, and cilantro.
Make Ahead
You can make the potato skin “boats” up to a day ahead of time. Cook them all the way to the point where they get filled and finished in the oven, and then store the potato skins in a container and a fridge. Take them out about 1 hour before you want to fill and bake them, then finish as directed, possibly adding a few more minutes to the final baking time.
You could also just bake the potatoes ahead of time and store the whole baked potatoes in the fridge. Then, scoop them out and do the second baking of the unfilled potato skins, followed by the final step of filling and baking.
I like to prepare them up to the point of adding the filling a few hours ahead of time and leave the skins in a container at room temp. Then, I fill and give them a final bake just before adding the final toppings and serving. Just make sure your beans and potatoes are nice and hot and the cheese has softened, if not melted (vegan cheese doesn’t always get totally melty).
What to Serve With Vegan Potato Skins
More Vegan Potato Recipes
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Potato Curry
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Potato Pancakes (Skip the butter or use a vegan butter.)
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Vegan Loaded Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 6 large baking (russet) potatoes (about 3 pounds; scrubbed)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup black beans
- 2 cups shredded vegan cheese (see Note)
To Serve
- ½ cup vegan sour cream (see Note)
- 1 avocado (diced)
- ½ cup sliced scallions
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Prick each potato with a fork several times (this prevents them from possibly exploding in the oven). Bake the potato directly on the oven rack for about 1 hour, until a small sharp knife slides into the potatoes easily. Remove the potatoes from the oven and raise the temperature to 425 F.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, halve them lengthwise. Scoop out most of the insides, reserving them for another use, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of potato inside the skin.
- Brush the insides and the outsides of the skins with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place them on a rimmed baking sheet, cut sides up. Bake the potato skins for about 20 minutes until crispy.
- Take the skins from the oven and divide the black beans evenly between the potato skins. Top with the cheese, dividing it evenly. Bake for about 5 more minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Serve them dolloped with vegan sour cream and sprinkled with the avocado, scallions, and cilantro.
