Loaded Vegan Baked Potatoes

You’re gonna love this vegan baked potatoes recipe! Not only is it easy and nutritious, but baked potatoes are also satisfying too. Make the perfect baked potato with a crispy, seasoned potato crust and fluffy, tender insides.

A vegan baked potato sits on a plate with steamed broccoli and loaded toppings. Another plate with a potato is behind it.

I learned after my sister did a DNA test that we are over 50% Scottish. This, I’ve decided, is the reason I’m so in love with potatoes. There’s no shortage of vegan potato recipes here, including Vegan Scalloped Potatoes.

But to me, there’s nothing like Vegan Baked Potato recipes. Before I met my husband, I used to make baked potatoes for dinner almost every day. Throw in some steamed broccoli and add some vegan cheese and sour cream and you’ve got yourself a feast!

I’m like Forrest Gump when it comes to potatoes. I can eat them fried, boiled, baked, scalloped, twice baked, and many other ways.

But loaded with all these great ingredients? This has to be my absolute favorite…at least for the moment.

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • Piercing the skin of a potato with a fork helps steam escape, helping to draw moisture out of the potato as it bakes
  • Coating potatoes with oil and baking at a higher temperature creates a crustier, undeniably delicious skin

Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Potatoes — You’ll need 4 large russet potatoes for this dish.
  • Vegetarian chili — You can use canned vegetable chili, but why not make this super easy vegan chili yourself!
  • Vegetable broth — Some vegetable broths are not very good. I recommend using Better than Bouillon Vegetarian combined with water to create a consistently high-quality broth.
  • Vegan butter — Use your favorite dairy-free butter or margarine for this recipe.
  • Green onion — You’ll need one or two green onion stalks.
  • Vegan cheese — There are a variety of vegan cheeses available these days. We use either Daiya or Follow Your Heart Cheddar Cheese on these vegan potatoes.
  • Vegan sour cream — You can find vegan sour cream at health food stores, most major grocery store chains and even places like Target and Walmart. You can substitute cashew cream or plain vegan yogurt (unsweetened).
  • Veggie bacon — You can use store-bought veggie bacon or substitute vegan bacon bits (most of them are accidentally vegan), tempeh bacon, or bacon-flavored almonds.
Russet potatoes sit on a cutting board, with several sliced potatoes sitting beside them.

What Potatoes Are Best for Baked Potatoes?

Russet potatoes are a preferred choice for baked potatoes because of their starchy, firm texture, and low moisture content. This means they’ll create baked potatoes that are light and fluffy with a crispy crust (when prepared correctly). Red potatoes and Yukon Gold have a higher moisture content that can yield dense potatoes. They may work in a pinch, but your go-to potato should be the russet. You can speed up the baking time of a russet by poking a metal skewer through the center. Use tongs to squeeze your potato to test whether they’re done. If they yield, your potatoes are done baking.

How to Make Loaded Vegan Baked Potatoes

The trick to this recipe is baking the potatoes to get a nice, crispy, flavorful crust. I’m providing a microwave option as well, but oven baked is by far the best. Of course, you’ll also want to use baked potato toppings vegan.

  1. Prepare the potatoes by washing and patting them dry. Then prick each with a fork.
  2. Place potatoes in the oven and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. 
  3. Heat vegan chili in the microwave or stovetop until warmed through
  4. Cut a vertical line on top of each slightly cooled potato.
  5. Gently mash vegan butter and vegetable broth into the potato flesh.
  6. Add heated chili, green onion, vegan sour cream, and shredded vegan cheese.
  7. Place potatoes on a plate and microwave them until the cheese is melted.

Step One: Bake the Potatoes

Wash and dry each potato, piercing it with a fork a few times.

I love this tip from America’s Test Kitchen on soaking potatoes in a salt brine before baking.

Four potatoes have been picked with a fork, covered with oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. They are sitting on a cutting board.

Here are two different ways to cook the potatoes:

Microwave Potatoes

To cook potatoes in a microwave,

  1. Place the prepared potatoes in the microwave and cook for 10 minutes.
  2. Use tongs to flip the potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Use a fork to see if the center is tender enough. If not, cook in two-to-three-minute increments until done.
  4. Allow cooked potatoes to sit in the microwave to cool or use oven mitts to remove them.
  5. Either way, the potatoes will need to sit for several minutes before they’re cool enough to touch.

Please note that the microwave method of cooking potatoes will not result in a crispy potato crust. But it will result in a quick baked potato!

Quick Fix Tip

Many microwaves include a potato setting. This can be a great way of cooking potatoes in a microwave. You can also cook potatoes half-way in the microwave and then transfer them to the heated oven to finish baking and get a crispy crust.

Oven Baked Potatoes

To cook potatoes in the oven,

  • Place the prepared potatoes in the heated oven directly on the racks.
  • Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until tender.
  • Use tongs to remove potatoes and allow them to set until cool enough to handle.

Vegan Baked Potato Toppings

Here are the vegan toppings for baked potatoes that I’m recommending: veggie chili, vegan sour cream, and vegan cheese.

  1. Prepare the Chili — While the potatoes are cooking, get the veggie chili ready. If you haven’t already prepared it, my Vegan Chili recipe is easy and comes together in minutes. Whatever veggie chili you’re using, transfer it to a microwave-safe bowl and cook for one to two minutes, until heated through.
  2. Set out some vegan butter and vegan cheddar shreds so that they come to room temperature.
  3. Once the potatoes are done and cool enough to handle, cut them down the middle.
  4. Put a little bit of vegan butter and pour a little vegetable broth inside each potato. Use a fork to gently “mash” the broth and potato into the potato flesh. 
  5. Top each potato with vegetarian chili, green onion, and shredded vegan cheese.
  6. Place potatoes in the microwave and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is melted. For a nice change of pace, sometimes I’ll add some vegan cream cheese, too.
  7. Finish by topping with vegan sour cream and, if desired, vegetarian bacon bits.

Vegan Add-ins

Look, it’s easy to make your baked potato vegan. It all comes down to have the best vegan add-ins. Here are some other great vegan stuffed baked potatoes toppings you will want to consider either as add-ins or in place of the other toppings suggested here:

Having a party? Make a vegan baked potato bar and have several of these toppings available for your guests to customize their own potatoes. Whatever toppings you use, these vegan stuffed potatoes are delicious!

More Vegan Potato Recipes

Looking down on a plate with a vegan baked potato with lots of toppings and steamed broccoli on the side.
A loaded vegan baked potato sits on a plate with steamed broccoli all around it.

Loaded Vegan Baked Potatoes

These Loaded Vegan Baked Potatoes are comfort food at its very best! This filing potato recipe will satisfy your best cravings!
5 from 2 votes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 388kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 large russet potatoes washed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups vegan chili
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds
  • 1 cup vegan sour cream
  • 4 teaspoons vegan bacon bits

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Wash and dry potatoes, then prick each with a fork several times (around 6 pricks per potato)
  • Microwave Baked Potatoes: Place prepared potatoes in a microwave and either use the baked potato setting on your microwave or cook for 10 minutes. Use tongs to turn potatoes and cook for 5 additional minutes. Use a fork to see if the center is tender enough. If not, cook in two-to-three-minute increments until done. Leave potatoes in the microwave to cool or use oven mitts to remove the hot potatoes. They will need to cool for several minutes before they are cool enough to touch.
  • Oven-Baked Potatoes: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place prepared potatoes in the oven and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
  • Use oven mitts to remove potatoes from the oven. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Pour the vegan chili in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for a minute or two until warmed through
  • Once the potatoes are done and have cooled enough to handle, use a fork to make a dotted vertical line on top of each potato. Press in the sides together to open the potatoes. Use the fork to push the potato flesh up and out.
  • Place a little bit of vegan butter and some vegetable broth on the inside of each cut potato. Use a fork to gently "mash" the broth and butter into the potato flesh a bit. This step makes the potato flesh fluffier and moist. 
  • Top each potato with warmed vegetarian chili, green onion, vegan sour cream, and shredded vegan cheese. Place potatoes on a plate and microwave them in 30-second to 1-minute increments until the cheese has melted.
  • Finish by topping with vegetarian bacon bits, if desired.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 596mg | Potassium: 797mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 11.3mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2.5mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2013 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

6 Responses to Loaded Vegan Baked Potatoes

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAli | Gimme Some Oven Reply

    I fall right down the middle of Myers-Briggs too!!! (Although my favorite test now is the Enneagram.) 😉

    But I always love loaded potatoes. These sound fantastic!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyBrenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles Reply

    That looks so tasty and fabulous – love all the toppings!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySommer@ASpicyPerspective Reply

    So satisfying!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyPaula - bell'alimento Reply

    Loaded is the only way to go : )

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyCassie | Bake Your Day Reply

    5 stars
    This looks fabulous. I don’t think I’d miss the real cheese!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMiss @ Miss in the Kitchen Reply

    Wow, what a potato!

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