vegan baked potato (loaded and delicious)

otal Time: 45 minutes  Yield: 4 Diet: Vegan

Making a Vegan Baked Potato has never been so easy. This post is loaded with tons of ideas on vegan baked potato toppings.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large Russet potatoes (see note 1)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, optional
• Sea salt to taste, optional
• 1 cup vegan sour cream (see note 2)
• 1 cup vegan shredded cheese (see note 3)
• 1 cup vegan bacon bits (see note 4)
• ½ cup green onions or chives, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prep: Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius) and lining a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. You don’t have to line it, but if you’re going to oil and salt your potatoes, it saves on pan cleanup. I find the baking mat easier to clean than the tray.
2. Pierce potatoes: Pierce cleaned potatoes with a fork a few times–I don’t know for sure that the potato won’t blow up, but I do think it helps it cook more evenly. 
3. Optional step: Rub potatoes with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle on a bit of sea salt. Rub the salt around so it doesn’t concentrate in one spot. You don’t need to go crazy with it–we’ll be adding more flavor later.
4. Bake: Bake potatoes for 40-70 minutes–this entirely depends on just how big your potatoes are. The way to tell if they’re done is to pierce them with a fork–if the fork easily goes through, they’re done. Mine took about 42 minutes. That’s kinda precise, but it was a guess and I was right, lol.
5. Rest: Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them rest a few minutes–they’re pretty hot right now anyway, obviously.
6. Turn up oven heat: Turn up the oven heat to 475 degrees Fahrenheit (246 degrees Celsius) or so. I find this heat is good for melting the vegan cheese.
7. Cut open the potatoes: If you want, use a fork to gently mash up some of the inside. I just drag the fork back and forth a few times on each inner side of the potato to kind of fluff up the innards a bit.
8. Stuff the potatoes: You can add a little vegan butter right now if you want, but I didn’t find it necessary with all the other stuff I added. Add the vegan sour cream and a generous layer of vegan cheese. Since I precooked my homemade vegan bacon bits, it worked better to add them after the second baking. I also wait till the end to add the green onions or chives since they’ll burn at this temperature.
9. Bake again: Place the potatoes back in the oven and cook just until the cheese is melted. I find 5-10 minutes is sufficient. You can use the broiler if you prefer.
10. Add more toppings: Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, sprinkle with vegan bacon bits and green onions or chives and enjoy!
11. Store: Refrigerate leftover baked potatoes in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I recommend reheating in the oven but the microwave will also work. I just think the texture is best when reheated in the oven, but I don’t always have that option if taking leftovers to work.

NOTES

• Note 1: I recommend using large Russet potatoes, as when they are baked they retain a nice skin that can get crispy, the insides get fluffy, and it has a good hearty taste which is perfect to add a bunch of toppings to. Red potatoes or gold potatoes will work if that’s what you have, but they tend to be a little waxier, making them better for roasting or mashing. Oh, and you could definitely use sweet potatoes instead, which may have a somewhat different flavor, but they have similar texture to a Russet potato.
• Note 2: I love my homemade tofu sour cream recipe for a delicious but low fat sour cream substitute. However, you can also use store-bought vegan sour cream. I really like the Kite Hill brand.
• Note 3: If you want to go homemade, try my vegan nut-free cheddar block and shred it against a box grater. For store-bought, I love Violife cheddar or Follow Your Heart Cheddar but anything should work. You can also just drizzle on a cheese sauce, like my nut-free vegan cheese sauce which is crazy delicious.
• Note 4:  I like to use my homemade vegan bacon bits because they’re super easy and crazy good. But you could also chop up store-bought vegan bacon (I recommend pre-cooking it before adding it to potatoes) if you prefer.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Entree
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 potato

Serves 4