Recipe Summary
Easy to make, baked potatoes! Make in the oven or the slow cooker for best results, then eat them with classic topping combinations or try my favorite twist on heartier combinations to create a tasty baked potato bar.
This Baked Potato Bar Ideas post is sponsored by Idaho Potatoes. All Opinions are my own.
How to: Create your own Baked Potato Bar, ideas that go way beyond sour cream and chives.
Celebrating the Big Game? We do love watching the Big Game, or really any game for that matter around our house.
My biggest issue is which delicious foods to make. That’s when I pull out a create-your-own baked potato bar!
With a great baked potato bar, all you have to do is prep the ingredients, making sure there’s a few great combo options, then pop those baked potatoes in the oven or slow cooker. If using the slow cooker, get started with the potatoes in the morning and it’ll be ready by dinner.
How to Set Up a Baked Potato Bar
A baked potato bar is one of the easiest ways to feed a crowd without spending the whole day in the kitchen. A little prep work up front and your guests do the rest.
How many potatoes per person. Plan for one large potato per person as a main, or one medium potato per person if it’s a side. For a crowd of hungry people watching a game, err on the side of one and a half and have a few extras in reserve. Russets are the classic choice — the skin crisps up beautifully and the flesh stays fluffy.
Best baking method. For a small group, the oven is your friend. Scrub the potatoes, rub with a little oil and salt, and bake at 400°F for about an hour until the skin is crispy and a fork slides in without resistance. For a larger crowd or an easy hands-off approach, the slow cooker is the move. Get them started in the morning on low and they’ll be perfectly tender by dinner.
Timing. Oven baked potatoes need about 45 minutes to an hour depending on size. Slow cooker potatoes need 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high. Either way, they hold well once done so there’s no pressure to time them perfectly with everything else.
Keeping them warm. Once baked, wrap each potato in foil to keep them warm while guests help themselves. If you’re using the slow cooker, just switch it to the warm setting and leave the lid on. They’ll stay perfect for a couple of hours without drying out.
After that, it’s up to your guests to pile on what they prefer. Done. That way, everyone can get a taste of different flavors and then sit back and enjoy the game!
This tasty baked potato bar is super tasty and can be made to suit even the pickiest of eaters. Consider this an everyone for themselves kind of meal, and they should all be able to enjoy their own personalized baked potato.
For the best flavor, I love to use Idaho Potatoes, the ones with the official Grown In Idaho seal! You can use any of the varieties they grow, but for this DIY baked potato bar, you’ll need russet baking potatoes.
For more great Idaho recipe ideas or information, visit them at www.idahopotato.com.
Classic Baked Potato Bar Toppings
Start here. These are the non-negotiables that every baked potato bar needs on the table, and the ones your guests will reach for first.
Butter. Real butter, and plenty of it. A good quality salted butter melting into a freshly split potato is hard to improve on. Set it out in a dish at room temperature so it spreads easily.
Sour cream. The classic partner to butter. Cool, tangy, and creamy against the hot fluffy potato. A full fat sour cream makes a noticeable difference here over the reduced fat version.
Cheddar cheese. Sharp cheddar, freshly shredded if you can manage it. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating that prevents it from melting as smoothly. A minute or two back in the oven after loading melts it perfectly.
Bacon. Crispy, crumbled, and generously portioned. Cook it ahead, crumble it into a bowl, and let guests pile it on. If you want to get ahead, bacon keeps well in the fridge for a few days and reheats quickly.
Chives. Fresh chives snipped over the top add a mild onion flavor and a little color. Simple and exactly right.
Salt and pepper. Always on the table. Always.
Protein Toppings
If you want to turn a baked potato bar into a proper meal, this is where it happens. Set out one or two of these and nobody is walking away hungry.
Chili. The ultimate baked potato topping and the one that disappears fastest. A hearty beef chili ladled over a split potato with cheddar melted on top is a meal in itself. Make it the day before if you can — chili is always better on day two.
Pulled pork. Sweet, smoky, and tender pulled pork on a baked potato is one of those combinations that sounds indulgent and delivers every time. A little coleslaw alongside cuts through the richness nicely.
Ground beef. Seasoned ground beef is a quick and crowd-friendly option that works for guests of all ages. Season it simply with salt, pepper, and a little garlic and let the toppings do the rest.
Chicken. Shredded rotisserie chicken is the easiest protein to add to the lineup with almost no prep required. Toss it in a little buffalo sauce for a spicy option or keep it plain for a lighter choice.
Broccoli and cheese. Technically a topping combination rather than a standalone protein, but it earns its place on this list. Steamed broccoli florets with a generous pour of cheese sauce over the top is a classic for a reason, and a great option for guests skipping the meat.
Gourmet Toppings
Once the classics are covered, these are the toppings that make people stop and ask what’s in this. Set out one or two alongside the classics and watch them disappear first.
Truffle oil. A drizzle of truffle oil over butter and sea salt is a simple upgrade that tastes anything but simple. Earthy, rich, and genuinely impressive for very little effort. If you want to take it further, my truffle garlic aioli alongside is a combination worth trying.
Blue cheese. Crumbled over a hot potato with a little butter it melts just enough to get creamy without losing its sharpness. Not for everyone, but the blue cheese people at the table will be very happy.
Bacon jam. Sweet, smoky, and deeply savory, a spoonful of bacon onion jam on a baked potato is one of those combinations that sounds unexpected and tastes completely inevitable. Make a batch ahead and keep it in the fridge.
Pimiento cheese. A Southern staple that melts beautifully into a hot potato. Creamy, slightly tangy, with a little kick. If you’ve never put pimiento cheese on a baked potato, consider this your nudge.
Caramelized onions. Low and slow cooked until sweet and jammy, caramelized onions elevate everything they touch. They take time to make properly but can be done well ahead and reheated easily on the day.
More simple baked potato bar topping ideas:
- Other seasonings, such as lemon pepper, everything bagel seasoning, etc.
- Broccoli
- Corn
- Avocado slices or guacamole
- Shredded cheese selection, such as cheddar, mozzarella, Gouda, pepper jack, etc.
- My homemade blue cheese dressing makes a surprisingly brilliant potato topping, creamy, tangy, and a little bit fancy for something that takes almost no effort to pull together
- Shredded chicken
- A variety of hot sauces
- Crumbled crispy bacon (a must for any baked potato bar!)
- Green onions, diced
- Diced onions (red, yellow, or white onions)
- Diced tomatoes
- Chili
- A generous spoonful of my pimiento cheese melting into a hot baked potato is one of those toppings that sounds simple and tastes completely over the top. Make a batch on the weekend and thank yourself later
Flavor Topping Combination Ideas:
- Taco Tuesday: Salsa, queso, fresh cilantro, optional tortilla chips
- BBQ Spud: pulled barbecue pork, aged gouda cheese, crumbled crispy bacon, diced red onion, sour cream, and barbecue sauce (this is my favorite baked potato bar flavor combo!)
- Classic Sour Cream and Chives: sour cream, diced chives, grated cheddar cheese, salt and pepper
- Classic Chilli Cheese: your favorite chili, cheddar cheese, sour cream
- “Meat and Potatoes”: sliced beef steaks such as filet mignon, butter, arugula or a baby lettuce mix, blue cheese or ranch dressing, sour cream, and crumbled blue cheese or cheddar
- Tex-Mex Chicken Nachos: shredded rotisserie chicken, grated Mexican cheese mix, jalapenos slices (fresh or pickled), fresh cilantro, salsa, black beans, and coarsely crushed tortilla chips (optional)
- Spring Veggies: sliced cooked yellow summer squash, sliced cooked zucchini, diced green onions, ranch or blue cheese salad dressing, salt, and pepper
- My bacon onion jam is one of my absolute favorite things to spoon over a baked potato, sweet, savory, and smokey all at once. It always disappears first
Other Tasty Potato Recipes to Try:
What you’ll need for basic baked potatoes:
- Depending on the number of people you’re serving, aim for 1 – 2 russet baking potatoes per person.
- Canola or olive oil to coat potatoes.
- Sea salt or kosher salt
It’s that simple. Potatoes are great as a side dish, and with the topping ideas above, can become a full-fledged meal on their own.
Baked Potato Bar for a Crowd
A baked potato bar is one of the best party formats there is precisely because it scales so easily. Here’s how to pull it off without stress.
How to scale. Multiply one large potato per person and round up. For a group of 20 or more, mix oven baking and slow cooker batches to manage the volume. A standard slow cooker holds 6 to 8 medium potatoes comfortably. Run two if you have them.
The slow cooker method. Scrub the potatoes, prick them a few times with a fork, rub with oil and salt, and stack them in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. No foil needed. They come out perfectly tender with a softer skin than oven baked, which some people actually prefer. Switch to warm once done and they’ll hold for a couple of hours without drying out.
Make ahead prep. Almost everything on the topping table can be done the day before. Cook and crumble the bacon, shred the cheese, slice the chives, make the chili, prep the bacon jam, and caramelize the onions. Refrigerate everything separately and bring to room temperature or reheat before serving. On the day itself, all you’re managing is the potatoes.
Setting up the table. Small bowls and ramekins for each topping keep things organized and make it easy for guests to see what’s on offer. Label anything that might need identifying, blue cheese and pimiento cheese especially. Tongs and spoons for each topping, a stack of plates, and you’re done.
How to Make Baked Potatoes:
How to: Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with racks positioned in the middle of the oven and one rack in the bottom thirds.
- Clean the potatoes with a stiff brush and cold running water. Dry, then poke potatoes randomly with a fork about 8 to 10 holes all over to help release steam during cooking.
- Place potatoes in a dish and coat lightly with oil. Sprinkle with salt. For crispy skins, and the inside soft, place potato directly on the top rack in the middle of the oven. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings. For softer skins, wrap each potato in a piece of aluminum foil.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the flesh feels soft when a knife or fork is inserted.
- To serve, slice across the top and push ends inward to open. Top with your favorite toppings.
- Wrap each oil rubbed and salted potato tightly with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the 6 qt. slow cooker and add the foil-wrapped potatoes.
- Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are fork-tender.
Nutrition
Notes
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