Perfect for entertaining, a baked potato bar is essentially a baked potato buffet loaded with toppings so guests can serve themselves! Fluffy baked potatoes and a spread of add-ons are a terrific, satisfying, and budget-friendly way to entertain!
Best Ever Baked Potato Bar Ideas!
Baked potato bars are one of the best ways to entertain, hands down! Nearly everyone loves baked potatoes and when you serve them up with a huge buffet of endless toppings, your family and friends will be amazed! My potato buffets have over twenty options for baked potato toppings, but you can add as many or as few as you want! I always recommend keeping the classics on hand: crispy bacon, fresh chopped green onions, tangy sour cream, rich sharp cheddar cheese, and if you’re like me, broccoli!
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❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
Endless Options! A baked potato bar has so many options for toppings! It’s the best way to serve a crowd!
So Tasty! A fluffy baked potato topped with all your favorites never fails to be delicious!
Easiest Way to Feed a Crowd! Serving potatoes with toppings you can prepare ahead of time makes this dinner just so easy!
🥘 Ingredients
Serve your hearty baked potato bar including as many or as few toppings as you want, all you have to have are the potatoes! The rest is 100% customizable.
- 8 medium Russet Potatoes – Make sure to scrub the russet potatoes clean of any dirt before seasoning and baking.
- 1 ½ tablespoon Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)or your favorite oil to coat the outside of the russet potatoes.
- Salt & Pepper – Add according to taste! The salt & pepper will be used to season the outside of the potatoes.
- ¼ cup Butter – Slice the butter into pats to top the potatoes before loading up with toppings!
- 1 cup Green Onions – Chop the green onions for a classic baked potato topping. You can also use chopped chives here.
- ½ pound Bacon – Cook the bacon according to package directions and crumble to top the potatoes.
- 12 ounces Sour Cream – A dollop of sour cream is perfect for a baked potato! Use your favorite brand of sour cream, even light sour cream is fine.
- 2 large Beefsteak Tomatoes – Chop fresh, ripe beefsteak tomatoes for another fantastic topping.
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar – I recommend freshly shredded cheddar, but you can also use pre-shredded cheddar to keep it easy!
- 2 cups Broccoli – Steam fresh broccoli florets for a great broccoli cheddar style baked potato!
Optional Toppings
- Pulled Pork – Make my easy, amazing pulled pork recipe or use your favorite recipe or store-bought brand!
- BBQ Sauce – Your favorite BBQ sauce goes perfectly with a pulled pork topping!
- Grilled Chicken – Diced grilled chicken is a great way to round out a baked potato.
- Taco Meat – Turn your baked potato into a taco with a delicious topping of your favorite taco meat.
- Cheese Sauce/Queso – Slather your baked potato in gooey, melty queso!
- Guacamole – I love to top a Tex-Mex style baked potato with a scoop of creamy guacamole!
- 1 can Black Beans – Make sure to rinse the black beans before adding them to your buffet, if using.
- Corn – Use fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed corn for your baked potato bar.
- Pico de Gallo/Salsa – If making Tex-Mex style baked potatoes, add your favorite salsa or pico de gallo!
- Cilantro – Fresh, chopped cilantro is a fantastic way to add bright flavor and a pop of color to the baked potatoes.
- Chili – Make your favorite chili recipe or try out mine to top the potatoes!
- Bell Peppers & Onions – Sauté the peppers and onions for a great veggie topping.
- Ranch Dressing – Ranch is a surprisingly delicious (and kid friendly)topping option!
- Cooked Ham – Dice up some cooked ham to go on your potato! I especially recommend using ham, cheddar, and green onions.
- Alfredo Sauce – Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! Warmed alfredo sauce and diced grilled chicken are a fabulous topping to try!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🔪 Instructions
The only special equipment you may need for this baked potato bar are chafing dishes or a crockpot if you decide to include toppings that should be kept warm! Otherwise, just keep the toppings warm on your stove.
- Prepare potatoes. First, preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Then, use a fork to poke a few sets of holes in 8 medium, cleaned russet potatoes. Next, drizzle the potatoes with 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.
- Bake potatoes. Once you’ve prepared the potatoes, bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are soft all the way through and can be pierced easily with a fork. Then, remove the potatoes from the oven and slice each potato down the middle.
- Set up buffet station. After the potatoes are cooked, wrap them in foil to keep them warm until ready to serve. Next, set up a buffet station with plates, silverware, napkins, serving utensils, and toppings arranged in a way that is easily accessible for guests. Include any toppings you like, but I recommend keeping the classics: ¼ cup of butter, 1 cup of chopped green onions, ½ pound of crisped, crumbled bacon, 12 ounces of sour cream, 2 large, chopped beefsteak tomatoes, 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar, and 2 cups of steamed broccoli florets.
- Serve baked potato bar. Once you have the buffet station ready for guests, use hot plates, chafing dishes, or a crockpot to keep hot toppings warmed. Keep chilled toppings in the fridge until ready to serve. Label the toppings, if desired, then let guests build their own potatoes to their liking.
This amazing baked potato bar will have your guests talking for weeks to come! Serve with your favorite toppings and watch the magic happen! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Include topping combination cards! If desired, you can set up some suggestion cards of topping combinations for anyone who isn’t sure what to put in their baked potato.
- Set up your buffet station for success! Start by offering cutlery and plates first, then the potatoes, then the large volume toppings (like meat), then the remaining toppings. That way guests can follow the natural order of how they would load their potato and it prevents crowding.
- Make clean up easy as possible! Use containers that have lids to help make post-party clean up a breeze!
- Nutritional info depends on the toppings you use! The included nutritional values for the baked potatoes are estimated and don’t include the optional toppings listed.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Leftovers can be refrigerated and kept for up to 3 to 5 days. Store any leftovers in airtight containers or storage bags.
If desired, you can freeze certain items from the baked potato bars, like the baked potatoes themselves and meat toppings for up to 1 month. Other toppings should just be refrigerated and consumed within a few days.
Reheating Baked Potatoes
To reheat the baked potatoes, start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) and place the potatoes in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until they’re warmed through.
Toppings that must be warmed like meat or chili can be warmed through on the stove or microwave.
🥔 More Of Our Favorite Recipes!
- Pinwheel Sandwiches
- Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket
- Charcuterie Board
- Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs
- French Onion Dip
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📖 Recipe Card
Baked Potato Bar
Ingredients
- 8 medium russet potatoes (washed)
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup green onions (or chives, chopped)
- ½ lb bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 12 oz sour cream
- 2 large beefsteak tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar (shredded)
- 2 cups broccoli (steamed)
Optional
- pulled pork
- BBQ sauce
- grilled chicken (diced)
- taco meat
- cheese sauce (or queso)
- guacamole
- canned black beans (rinsed)
- corn (canned, or frozen and thawed)
- pico de gallo
- salsa
- cilantro (fresh, chopped)
- chili
- bell peppers & onions (sauteed)
- ranch dressing
- cooked ham (diced)
- alfredo sauce
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Use a fork to poke a few sets of holes in each washed potato and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.
- Bake potatoes in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are soft all the way through and a fork can pierce them easily. Remove them from the oven and slice each potato down the middle.
- Wrap potatoes in foil to keep them warm until ready to serve. Set up a buffet station with plates, silverware, napkins, serving utensils, and toppings neatly arranged in a way that is easily accessible for guests.
- Use hot plates or a crockpot to keep hot toppings hot. Keep chilled toppings in the fridge until ready to serve. Label toppings, if desired, and let guests build their own potatoes to their liking.
Notes
- If desired, you can set up some suggestion cards of topping combinations for anyone who isn't sure what they should put in their baked potato.
- Offer cutlery and plates first on the buffet table, then the potatoes, then the large volume toppings (like meat), then the remaining toppings. That way guests can follow the natural order of how they would load their potato and it prevents crowding.
- Serving the toppings from containers with lids will help with easy clean-up.
- Nutritional values are estimated and do not include optional toppings.
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