15 Recipes to Use Up Those Leftover Baked Potatoes in Your Fridge
Maybe you overestimated how many potatoes you would need for last night’s baked spud bar, and now you’re staring down an epic surplus in the refrigerator. Or maybe you bought too many and they’re about to go bad (it happens). Wondering what to do with leftover baked potatoes, beyond just nuking them in the microwave? You’re in luck, because they’re actually pretty versatile (and can often eliminate a few time-consuming steps in a recipe). From pillowy homemade gnocchi to spicy potato tacos, here are 15 leftover baked potato recipes that are—dare we say?—even better than the first time around.
RELATED: 21 Leftover Mashed Potato Recipes That Taste Just as Good on the Second Day
1. Cheese and Bacon Baked Potatoes
Since you’re working with pre-baked potatoes, you can skip steps one through four and cut almost 30 minutes from the cooking time. These cheesy, gluten-free stunners only require five ingredients to boot.
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
2. Grown-Up Baked Potatoes
Refresh those leftover baked potatoes in the oven, then gussy them up with a few easy, inventive toppings, all of them vegetarian and gluten-free. (Balsamic caramelized onions? So fancy.)
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
3. Baked Eggs and Potatoes
If you only have one or two leftover baked potatoes, no worries—this simple, gluten-free, six-ingredient recipe can easily be halved. (Just scoop the potato out of its skin and quickly mash it with a little melted butter before using.)
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
4. Loaded Baked Potato and Cauliflower Soup
You can add the potato at the end of the cooking time, just before pureeing, since it’s already tender. Skip the bacon to make this one-pot dish vegetarian.
Time Commitment: 1 hour
5. Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
You can pass go, collect $200 and skip straight to step four, since you won’t need to boil the potatoes in advance. Just ditch the skins first and this gluten-free, seven-ingredient side will be ready to devour.
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
6. Twice-Baked Potatoes
Topped with blue cheese and bacon, no one will believe these easy, cheesy, gluten-free spuds started as leftover baked potatoes.
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
7. Ultra-Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
This irresistible vegan, kid-friendly side dish starts with raw potatoes, but you can easily swap in your leftovers. Slice the baked potatoes while they’re still cold for the cleanest wedge cuts.
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
8. 20-Minute Potato Fried Rice
Two carbs, one lightning-fast dinner, zero complaints. Of all the leftover baked potato recipes out there, this one is high on our list, since it's vegan, gluten-free and Mediterranean diet-friendly.
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
9. Nacho Loaded Potato Skins
Forget the tortilla chips; this crowd-pleaser is all about the potatoes. The recipe calls for minis, but any leftover baked potato will work. And thanks to refried beans, bacon and cheese, it's positively packed with protein.
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
10. Twice-Baked Breakfast Potatoes
Last night’s dinner is this morning’s gluten-free breakfast—like a bacon, egg and cheese minus the roll. Did we mention you’re only eight ingredients away?
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
11. Homemade Gnocchi
Leftover baked potatoes have never looked (or tasted) as good as these drool-worthy vegetarian gnocchi. In fact, we’re making extra spuds from now on, just so we can have six-ingredient homemade pasta the next day.
Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
12. Shepherd’s Pie
Instead of peeling and boiling the potatoes for the topping on this protein-rich Irish classic, save some time by using up your leftover baked potatoes. Just remove the flesh from the skins before mixing in the goat cheese and sour cream. (Oh yeah, there’s *goat cheese.*)
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
13. Cheesy Bacon and Kale Potato Skins
You had us at “cheesy” and “bacon,” but the gorgeous green kale pesto is what’s really bringing us back for seconds. This gluten-free party dish (which is loaded with plant-based protein, BTW) is all about balance, no?
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
14. Potato Tacos
Slice your leftover baked potatoes into cubes, fry them in lots of cumin and paprika and voilà: You’re halfway there. All that’s left to make for these dairy-free tacos is the homemade chipotle crema (which starts with store-bought mayonnaise, but shhh).
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
15. Easy Home Fries
FYI, your potato cubes probably won’t be as clean-cut as starting with raw russets, but they’ll taste just as good. Besides, home fries are supposed to be rustic (and these are gluten-free to boot).
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
