Instant Pot twice-baked potatoes good and they can also be a great way to get a serving of vegetables.
We have been struggling to find filling and healthy dinner side dishes to fill up the whole family (holy smokes, growing kids can eat!). Recently, twice baked potatoes have become really popular.
We’ve started mixing in chopped spinach to our twice-baked potato mixture. Adding the spinach is the perfect way to fill everyone up with vegetables and it eliminates huge after-dinner snacking (not completely, these kids eat every 2 hours).
How do you pick the potatoes?
I use russet potatoes. The larger russet potatoes that are about a half a pound each (8 ounces) are what we used in this recipe and are a perfect size. They usually take 15 to 16 minutes to pressure cook and then we do a 10 minutes natural release.
I have used the monster-sized russet potatoes as well (closer to one pound) and cooked for 18 minutes with a 10 minutes natural pressure release. The smaller potatoes that come in a 5 lb bag are usually 5-6 ounces and only take 13-14 minutes. Basically, pick a uniform size and judge its size accordingly.
For Baked Potatoes
Once you have picked your potatoes, scrub them and poke them with a fork. Place a trivet and a cup of water at the bottom of your Instant Pot. Place your potatoes inside, close and seal the lid, and cook for 16 minutes if using the 8 ounce size potato.
Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, carefully release any remaining pressure, open your lid, and carefully remove the potatoes with tongs. If you just want baked potatoes, let cool slightly and serve with your favorite toppings.
For twice-baked potatoes
Once you have cooked the potatoes, allow them to cool slightly (10 minutes). Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the middle.
If you want overstuffed potatoes, peel one completely to be used in the stuffing. Mash the scooped out potatoes and add butter and milk (we used cashew milk and cultured coconut cashew butter), salt, and pepper until closer to mashed potato consistency.
Mix in any desired add ins–we mixed in sauteed spinach. Top with cheese if desired and broil to melt the cheese. Or keep it vegan and skip the cheese altogether. If you are not serving right away, reheat in the oven (or microwave) later. We sometimes freeze and serve later.
For this recipe, we used a little sauteed spinach and kept it on the healthier side (and vegan if you don’t use any dairy cheese on top) by skipping cream and butter.
Of course, you could also go the other way and make these overstuffed twice-baked potatoes (with 4 ounces of bacon) from Emeril Lagasse. I’ll hate you a little bit if you do because I can no longer have bacon with my alpha-gal allergy. But, I’ll understand. I miss bacon! : (
In other words, feel free to substitute in your favorite potato toppings. Or leave out the spinach and try with steamed broccoli.
Or try one of our other potato side dishes:
Instant Pot Twice Baked Potatoes
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- 6 russet potatoes (8 ounce size)
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 cup cashew milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Scrub potatoes and poke with a fork.
- Place potatoes in Instant Pot on a trivet and pour in 1 cup of water.
- Close lid and seal vent. Pressure cook for 16 minutes (see notes if using a different size potato).
- While potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a pan. Sautee shallots for 2-3 minutes.Add spinach and sautee for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once pressure cycle is complete, let naturally release for 10 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure and open lid. Carefully remove potatoes and let cool on a plate or wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Carefully cut potatoes in half lengthwise (if still too hot, let cool more) and scoop out the inside of the potatoes.
- Mash potato insides with butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Then stir in spinach mixture.
- Stuff the potato skins with the mashed potatoes and broil (top with cheese optional) until heated and serve. If you are serving at a later date, freeze or refrigerate the potatoes and reheat at 350 for 15-20 minutes (longer for frozen potatoes).
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