What happens when a baked potato meets a creamy garlic mash? These twice-baked potatoes are what happens, and they are something to behold. A baked potato is great. It’s warm and satisfying, and easy to pair with just about anything. Mashed potatoes really bring something to the party though. In this recipe, the two combine to make one epic potato creation, also known as the twice-baked potato.
To ensure that these beauties can be enjoyed by everyone, these twice-baked potatoes are completely WFPB, vegan, oil-free and gluten-free. I’ve also included an option to make them nut-free if needed.
Inspiration
Have you ever gone out for a meal at a non-vegan restaurant and been sorely disappointed at the options? Some restaurants have put some effort into offering really great veggie options, but a lot of the more popular chains here have not. I mean come on now, something a little more creative than a pasta marinara or a sad-looking salad would be greatly appreciated. The meals come, and you’re just trying to enjoy the company because let’s face it, your meal is boring AF! I often find myself wishing that some of the other options on the menu were offered in a vegan version. So, the only thing to do is to veganize it yourself!
That’s where the idea for these beauties came from. A nice, fluffy twice baked potato is not something I’ve been able to enjoy since before going WFPB. So naturally, I had to fix that. If we consider how quickly these disappeared from my kitchen, I’d say we nailed it pretty hard on these. The mashed filling is soft, creamy and full of delicious herb and garlic flavours. Your family will definitely be coming back for more.
Ingredients
These twice-baked potatoes are made from simple ingredients that you may already have in your pantry. If not, they should be easily found in any grocery store.
Potatoes – I used russets, but Yukon gold will also work well
Cashews – Or sub in sunflower seeds to make this recipe nut-free
Apple cider vinegar – ‘With the mother’ if you can find it
Nutritional yeast – Adds some depth of flavour
Hemp hearts – For some added protein and omega 3’s
Garlic cloves – Because garlic makes everything better
Garlic powder – If you don’t love garlic you can go either/or between the powder or fresh cloves
Chives – I used freeze-dried chives, feel free to sub in fresh 1:1
Dried parsley – Feel free to use fresh, just double the amount
Salt
Pepper
Preparation
Now I’ll warn you here, the cooking time is likely to make some people squirm. Please don’t sweat it, most of that is idle time while your spuds bake up in the oven.
To start off, you’re going to give your spuds a good scrub. I chose russet potatoes for this recipe, but Yukon gold would work well too. Once scrubbed, poke your potatoes on all sides with a fork. Then, line them up on a baking sheet and pop them into a 425-degree oven to bake. Depending on the size, this will take 45 minutes to an hour. This is a great time to make the sauce that you’ll use in the mash.
To make the sauce, first, you’ll want to soak your cashews. Some people choose to soak them overnight, but I often forget. So, I boil my kettle and soak my cashews in the hot water for 10-15 minutes. This works well to soften them enough for my blender to make them smooth and creamy. If you don’t use a high-speed blender (like a Blendtec or Vitamix) you may want to soak them a little longer.
Beyond that, this is a pretty low maintenance sauce. Everything goes into the blender and gets blended until smooth and creamy. Easy peasy. You may taste the sauce right out of the blender and think the flavours are strong. Don’t panic! Just remember you’ll be mashing this into potatoes, which will dull the flavours quite a bit.
Making Twice Baked Potatoes
Once your potatoes are baked through, pull them out of the oven and let them cool a little. Just long enough that you can handle them without burning your fingers. While you’re at it, lower the temp on the oven to 400 degrees.
Depending on the size, you can either cut them in half, lengthwise, leaving you with two little potato boats. Or, if they aren’t as thick as you’d like, just cut off the top ¼ of the potato. Scrape any potato flesh from that skin before you discard it, and put it into a bowl.
Then, you’re going to spoon the potato flesh from your potatoes into that bowl, leaving just enough to allow the skin to hold its shape. Like so:
Then, add your sauce to the bowl of potato you spooned out and mash those spuds until well mixed and fluffy.
Next up, you’re going to carefully spoon the mashed potatoes back into the potato shells. They’ll look something like this:
Then place them back on the baking sheet, and pop them back in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Just until the tops begin to brown a little.
Dig in and Enjoy!
These work well as a side to just about anything. They pair well with soup or salad, or even a nice lentil loaf. I’ve also enjoyed them as a main with some steamed or roasted veggies on the side. The sky is the limit here, let your imagination soar.
Herb & Garlic Twice Baked Potatoes
Baked potato and delicious garlicky mash collide in these twice baked potatoes. They are WFPB, vegan, oil-free, gluten-free and oh so yummy! I've also included an easy substitute to make this recipe nut-free if needed.
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes, or Yukon gold
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chives , (freeze-dried or fresh)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, may omit if you're avoiding salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup almond milk, or plant milk of your choice
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.
- While the oven is warming, scrub your potatoes and poke a few times on each side with a fork.
- Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they are cooked through.
- While the potatoes are baking, start making the sauce.
- Soak the raw cashews in hot water for 10-15 minutes
- Drain and rinse the cashews, and add them to your blender.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Then set aside until you're ready to assemble your potatoes.
- Once the potatoes are baked through, remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- Once they are cool enough to handle, you can either cut them in half lengthwise or cut the upper 1/4 off if the potatoes aren't thick enough to slice in half.
- Scoop out the cooked potato into a bowl, leaving just enough to allow the skin to maintain its shape.
- Add the prepared sauce mix to the bowl and mash until well mixed and fluffy.
- Spoon the mashed mix back into the potato shells
- Place on a cookie sheet and pop back into the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the tops begin to brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Notes
To make nut-free, substitute 1 cup of raw sunflower seeds in place of the raw cashews.
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