Vegan Potato Skins

Potato skins are a classic American appetizer that are loved by almost everyone. But with cheddar, bacon, and sour cream, they're not exactly vegan-friendly. In this recipe, I'm using store-bought vegan cheddar and sour cream along with sun-dried tomatoes so you can enjoy cheesy potato skins right at home.

I love making these potato skins for parties, Super Bowl gatherings, or casual everyday snacks. They're the perfect appetizer for groups of people because they're a finger food that doesn't require utensils. If you need more ideas for vegan appetizers and party snacks, try my spinach and artichoke dip, fried oyster mushrooms, jalapeño poppers, mozzarella sticks, or cashew queso dip.

After researching the best vegan cheddars, I decided to test out Miyoko's and Violife for this recipe. When I tasted them right out of the bag, the Miyoko's tasted too strong and the Violife tasted just right. However, when I put them on top of these potato skins, the Miyoko's had the perfect amount of flavor and the Violife was barely noticeable. Both cheeses melt and stretch nicely. I actually got the best flavor when I used a 50-50 blend of both cheeses; however if you need to choose just one, I'd go with the Miyoko's.

Neither of the cheeses melt particularly well in the oven, so to overcome that obstacle, I melted the cheese in a small saute pan on the stove over medium heat. You should stir constantly while you're doing this to keep the cheese from burning. It will go from solid to stretchy liquid pretty quickly, and you'll want to drizzle it over the potatoes immediately after that happens.

I also needed to test out vegan sour cream, and I tried both Kite Hill and Forager. While Forager was an acceptable sour cream alternative, it had a bit of a clumpy texture, and the taste wasn't quite right. The Kite Hill sour cream is pretty close to the real thing, so I'd definitely recommend that one if you're able to get it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do with the potato flesh that I scoop out from the potato skins? You can save it to use in another recipe, like mashed potatoes or potato soup.

What kind of potatoes should I use? You should use potatoes with a thicker skin, like Russet potatoes. Avoid waxy varieties like Yukon gold.

What size potatoes should I use? It's really up to you, depending on the size of the potato skins you want to make. I used 4 half-pound potatoes for this recipe to make 8 medium-sized potato skins. Just keep in mind that if you use larger or smaller potatoes, you may need slightly more or less of the toppings.

What can I use in place of sun-dried tomatoes? If you're looking for something that tastes more like bacon, many bacon bits sold in stores are actually accidentally vegan. You may also prefer to make tempeh bacon bits or coconut bacon bits (I don't have recipes for these, but you can find them online). And of course, you can just leave it out entirely if you prefer!

What other toppings can I use on these potato skins? The possibilities are endless. Try diced green peppers, tomatoes, corn, fresh cilantro, vegan chili, smoked paprika, or guacamole. For more ideas, check out the list of toppings in the post of my loaded vegan baked potato recipe.

What if I can't get vegan butter in my area? If vegan butter is unavailable in your area, or unreasonably priced, try my homemade vegan butter recipe.