Name: How To Reheat Twice Baked Potatoes
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 portion twice baked potatoes; 1 portion cheese (optional)

Table of Contents

Twice-baked potatoes are a delicious treat that always go down well with a crowd. But can you reheat them later?

The answer is a resounding yes – you can easily revive their fluffy fillings and crispy skins.

Psst. a little extra cheese works wonders.

I tested four reheating methods to see which ones left your twice-baked potatoes tasting as good as new and which ones weren’t so great.

A note on my experiment

Last weekend I made some twice-baked potatoes, following my favorite recipe.

After scoffing one down, I kept the rest aside to try out different reheating methods the next day.

The techniques I tried included:

In the oven (best method overall)
In the microwave (easy and convenient)
In a skillet (nice and crisp skins)
In an air fryer (similar to the oven method)

The oven method left my potatoes tasting freshly baked, especially after grilling them with a little extra cheese and adding fresh garnish.

I didn’t mind the results from the microwave, but there was no crisp.

In the skillet, I got delicious crispy bottoms from frying my potatoes in a bit of oil.

The results from the air fryer were similar to the oven but quicker and slightly more crispy.

Reheating twice-baked potatoes in the oven

Set your oven to 375°F (190°C). Allow your potatoes to come to room temperature while the oven warms up. Remove any salsa or sour cream and place your leftover potatoes on a baking sheet or a wire rack. Warm for 15-20 minutes. To crisp them up, switch on your broiler for 2 minutes at the end.

You can also top your potatoes with a little extra cheese for flavor before popping them in the oven.

How to reheat twice-baked potatoes in the oven:

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C), or 350°F (180°C) if you’re using a toaster oven*.
While the oven warms up, bring your potatoes to room temperature (you can skip this if you don’t have time, but colder potatoes will take longer to heat).
Remove any salsa or sour cream.
Optional: Add extra cheese on top of your potatoes.
Heat your potatoes for 15-20 minutes.
For added crispiness, switch on your broiler for 2 minutes at the end of this process.
Add fresh salsa or sour cream before serving.

*Toaster ovens are small so heat more efficiently, hence the lower temperature.

To test if your potatoes are warm all the way through, insert a knife or fork into the thickest part and feel the metal when you pull it out.

If it’s warm, the potatoes are ready.

Bigger potatoes may take a little longer than 20 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, you can microwave the potato for 30 seconds before popping it in the oven.

This will give it a head start on reheating.

My verdict

Reheating a dish the same way you initially cooked it usually delivers the best results.

My twice-baked potatoes were crispy and tasted (pretty much) the same as the day before.

The only downside of this method is that it’s quite slow, so not always convenient.

It is, however, great for reheating multiple twice-baked potatoes at once.

Reheating twice-baked potatoes in the microwave

Place your twice-baked potato on a microwave-safe dish. Remove any salsa or sour cream. Cover the potato with a damp paper towel. Warm for 1 minute and then in further 15-second intervals until heated through. Place your potato under your broiler for 2 minutes before serving for extra crisp.

The duration of this heating method will depend on the size of the potatoes you’re heating. Check their progress regularly to avoid drying out the filling.

How to reheat twice-baked potatoes in the microwave:

Place your leftover twice-baked potato on a microwave-safe plate.
Scrape off any salsa or sour cream.
Cover the potato with a piece of damp paper towel. This will prevent the potato from drying out.
Warm for 1 minute.
Check how warm your potato’s filling is, and then warm it in further 15-second intervals until hot.
Optional: Pop your warmed-up potato under your broiler for a minute or two for extra crispiness.

Using a damp paper towel will prevent the filling in your potato from drying out. Without it, the skin can also become very tough.

It’s best to heat one potato at a time to prevent cold spots caused by overcrowding.

My verdict

This method is convenient and very quick if you’re heating a portion just for yourself.

The filling stays moist and fluffy, but there isn’t much you can do to re-crisp the potato’s skin. In fact, it can turn a little chewy.

The added step of using the broiler at the end does help for a little bit of texture, but makes the method less convenient.

Reheating twice-baked potatoes in a skillet

Heat some butter or oil in a pan over medium heat. Remove any sour cream or salsa from your potatoes and press them down in the pan, as flat as possible without spilling the filling everywhere. Add extra cheese or toppings if you want. Cover the pan with a lid and warm for 4-5 minutes.

By flattening your potatoes in the pan, you allow more of the skin’s surface area to crisp up in the oil or butter.

How to reheat twice-baked potatoes in a skillet:

Remove any salsa or sour cream from your potatoes.
Heat oil or butter in a pan over medium heat.
Once hot, add your potatoes, pressing them down as flat as possible (but don’t let all the filling spill out).
Optional: Add extra cheese or toppings.
Cover the pan with a lid.
Warm your potatoes for 4-5 minutes, or until heated through.

The fat in your pan will crisp up the potatoes’ skin, making it delicious and crunchy.

Covering your potatoes with a lid traps in steam and ensures they warm evenly.

If you’re not adding additional cheese, you can carefully flip over your potatoes halfway through the warming process to crisp up their tops.

My verdict

My potato skins turned nice and crispy in the oil, adding a lovely texture.

I also added some extra cheese, which melted perfectly, although it didn’t crisp up.

I think this method will work better with smaller twice-baked potatoes (less filling). Bigger ones might take too long to heat through to the middle (although you could always microwave them first).

This is an excellent method for something a little different with your leftovers.

Reheating twice-baked potatoes in an air fryer

Take your twice-baked potatoes out of the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature. Set your air fryer to 350°F (180°C) and remove any cold toppings like sour cream. Place your potatoes in the fryer basket. Optionally add extra toppings (like cheese). Warm them up for 4-5 minutes.

If you’re heating more than one potato at a time, make sure there is room between them for air circulation in the fryer.

How to reheat twice-baked potatoes in an air fryer:

Allow your potatoes to reach room temperature.
Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (180°C).
Remove any salsa or sour cream.
Optional: Add extra cheese.
Warm your potatoes for 4-5 minutes or until heated through.

If you’re attempting to reheat a large potato, consider cutting it in half first.

This will prevent the outside from burning before the filling has a chance to warm up.

You can use a knife to test if your potatoes are ready.

If they’re still cool in the middle, warm them for longer, but keep a close eye as the skins can burn easily in an air fryer.

My verdict

This was the best of the methods I tried in terms of crisping up the potatoes’ skin.

The frying pan worked well but only crisped the skin that touched the pan. The air fryer crisped all the skin.

It’s also a quick and relatively fuss-free method.

Reheating twice-baked potatoes on the grill

To reheat twice-baked potatoes on the grill, first remove any salsa or sour cream. Add extra toppings if you want (I suggest extra cheese) before wrapping your potatoes tightly in foil. Place them on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Once warm to your satisfaction, serve immediately.

While this won’t necessarily make your potato skins crispy, it will render the fillings fluffy and moist and you can cook other things on the grill at the same time.

How to store twice-baked potatoes

Before storing your twice-baked potatoes, remove any salsa or sour cream, which may turn your potatoes soggy. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature, and then place them in an airtight container in the fridge. Alternatively, wrap them tightly in foil or plastic before refrigerating.

You can store twice-baked potatoes for up to 5 days in the fridge.

However, they will dry out and lose more texture the longer they stay in the fridge.

Toppings like yogurt or chicken may spoil faster than others, so be mindful of this when deciding whether to refrigerate or freeze your leftovers.

Can you freeze twice-baked potatoes?

You can freeze twice-baked potatoes in two different ways. You can prep them ahead of time and freeze them “once-baked,” but pre-stuffed with their fillings to finish baking later. Or you can freeze them completely prepared as you would with normal leftovers.

Twice-baked potatoes will last 3 months in the freezer.

In both cases, make sure there are no toppings like sour cream or salsa on your potatoes. These won’t freeze well.

When reheating, you can add extra toppings and cheese as you go.

How to freeze twice-baked potatoes:

Allow your potatoes to cool to room temperature.
If you’re freezing leftovers, remove any sour cream or salsa.
Wrap each individual potato tightly in foil.
Place them in an airtight freezer bag with the excess air removed.
Mark and date your bags clearly, use within 3 months.

If you’re meal prepping and freezing your potatoes before their second bake, you can choose whether or not to add your cheese topping at this stage or whether you’ll add it when reheating.

Allowing the potatoes to cool completely before wrapping them will prevent condensation buildup in the foil that can turn your potatoes soggy and limp.

To remove air from your freezer bag, use a vacuum sealer or submerge the bag partially in water while zipping it.

How to thaw and reheat frozen twice-baked potatoes

You can reheat twice-baked potatoes either straight from frozen or after thawing them first. Let’s look at how each method works.

Reheating from frozen

The best way to reheat frozen twice-baked potatoes is in the oven. Unwrap your frozen potatoes from their foil and place them in an oven-safe dish. Cover this dish with foil and pop your potatoes into a preheated 425°F (220°C) for about an hour.

Uncover the dish for 10 minutes at the end of heating to crisp the skin up.

Thawing and reheating

For quicker reheating, thaw your potatoes first.

Thaw your twice-baked potatoes overnight in the fridge. If you’re in a pinch, you can use your microwave defrost setting for 2-3 minutes until your potatoes are soft. Once they are defrosted, you can warm them up using any of the reheating methods detailed above.

How to reheat twice-baked potato casserole

You can reheat twice-baked potato casserole in the oven or microwave.

For the oven method, place your desired portion in an oven-safe dish. Set your oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover the dish with foil and warm your potato casserole for 20-25 minutes.

Timing will vary with portion size, so test the casserole with a knife at the halfway mark.

You can remove the foil and turn on your broiler for the last few minutes of this process to crisp up the top layer of the dish.

To use the microwave, put the casserole in a microwave-safe dish and heat it for 1 minute. Check the temperature and heat in 30-second intervals until heated through.