Low Sodium Potato Skins Recipe
Our low sodium potato skins recipe is cheesy, tasty, and so great for entertaining. A tailgating classic, these tasty appetizers are made with roasted potatoes and a variety of low sodium and salt-free toppings!
Perfect for your next tailgate backyard barbecue or just to enjoy while watching the game at home. See our step-by-step photos below and make these tasty low sodium potato skins along with us today.
Want more low sodium tailgate foods? Try our low sodium chicken wings, low sodium chili, and our favorite low sodium guacamole dip!
With football season starting again soon, I wanted to share this recipe for one of our favorite game day appetizers: low sodium potato skins! Potato skins are a classic American appetizer made with baked potato skins and loaded with cheese and delicious toppings.
This recipe was featured a few months ago in our newsletter: The Low Sodium Scoop! This one was an exclusive recipe for our paid members on the Double Scoop – get an additional weekly low sodium recipe, just like this!
Traditional potato skins are served with bacon bits… However, we make ours with some great meaty alternatives that you can easily make at home. They are the perfect appetizer to serve up to a group of family or friends and always go quick!
Notes from Our Kitchen
- These potatoes are hearty, filling, and a classic tailgating appetizer that you can make with no added salt!
- A great handheld appetizer for parties or gatherings.
- They are cheesy, delicious, and always a crowd pleaser recipe.
- You can customize the toppings to make your favorite. See our serving suggestions in additions below!
- Cooks of any skill level can successfully make these potato skins by following along with our step-by-step photos
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to visit the recipe card below to see the full ingredient amounts and directions!
The star of this recipe is russet potatoes! Russet potatoes are your classic baked potato, which have dark brown flesh and a creamy interior… perfect for baking.
Instead of bacon bits, we fill our baked potatoes with some seasoned ground beef to give that same meaty flavor and hearty texture.
We use Swiss cheese which is a lower sodium shredded cheese option. You still get that same sharp tangy flavor like you do with cheddar, but with much less added salt.
As for toppings, we love loading our low sodium baked potatoes with sour cream, green onions or chives and chili flakes for a spicier version.
Additions and Substitutions
Feel free to mix up your toppings or think of fun new combinations. Some great ideas are sauteed mushrooms, roasted peppers, chopped red onion, salsa, or diced tomatoes.
If you don’t have russet potatoes on hand, you can try making this with other varieties of potato. Yellow potatoes and white potatoes will work, but you might not get that same crispy skin that you get when you bake a recipe potato.
If you didn’t want to use the ground beef, you could try substituting it for ground turkey or ground chicken… or omit the meat altogether to make a vegetarian version.
If you wanted to make these higher in protein instead of sour cream, you can use a plain Greek yogurt instead! It has the same texture as sour cream, and you probably wouldn’t notice much of a difference.
Step-By-Step Photos & Directions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the potatoes and pierce each one with a fork a few times (this helps let the steam out as they bake). Place the potatoes on a sheet pan and rub the olive oil on the outside of the potatoes. Bake for 1 hour until cooked through.
Step 2: While the potatoes are cooking, brown the ground beef in a pan and add the smoked paprika.
Step 3: Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven and slice in half. With a spoon, hollow out the inside of the potatoes, scooping most of the inside flesh (save some potato around the skin for texture).
Step 4: Fill each potato with ~2 tablespoons of ground beef and ~1 tablespoon of Swiss cheese.
Step 5: Place the potato skins back in the oven for 10 minutes and bake at 400 degrees. Then place them under the broiler and broil on low for 4-5 minutes until the potato skins and cheese begin to brown.
Step 6: Remove from oven and top with sour cream, green onions, and an extra sprinkle of paprika, if desired. Enjoy hot!
Recipe FAQs
Our low sodium potato skins recipe has 25 mg sodium for each potato skin, as we use low sodium ingredients and no added salt. If you order loaded potato skins at a restaurant or get them from a store, they will likely have additional sodium from added salt or preservatives – always be sure to check with your server or nutrition labels before enjoying.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Please reheat well in the oven or in the air fryer.
You can add sour cream, chopped green onions or chives, a scoop of your favorite low sodium salsa, fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley, or even brush them with low sodium barbecue sauce for a tangy twist.
Serving Suggestions
These work great as an appetizer or even as a side dish along with your favorite protein like low sodium baked chicken or low sodium steak.
They are excellent to bring to a cookout. You can serve these alongside low sodium grilled chicken breast for a tasty app.
You can add extra ground beef and make these potato skins of full meal (like our low sodium stuffed baked potatoes)! You can serve them alongside a low sodium Caesar salad.
Expert Tips
- Rubbing the potato skins in olive oil before baking really helps the dark brown part of the skin crisp up!
- If you are making these for entertaining, you can make a lot of this recipe ahead of time by baking the potatoes up to 2 days before serving.
- If you are entertaining, feel free to make your own low sodium potato skins bar, full of toppings that everyone can add to their own potato skins to make them customizable.
More Easy Low Sodium Appetizer Recipes
- Low Sodium French Onion Dip
- Low Sodium Buffalo Sauce Recipe
- The best Low Sodium Jalapeno Poppers
- Low Sodium Cheese Ball
- Low Sodium Loaded Nachos
Let’s keep in touch – don’t forget to follow over on Instagram, Facebook, & my Youtube channel for more easy low sodium recipes.
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Low Sodium Potato Skins
Equipment
- sheet pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 lbs medium Russett potatoes about 8 potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika plus extra for garnish
- 1 cup low sodium Swiss cheese
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- ½ cup sour cream plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the potatoes and pierce each one with a fork a few times (this helps let the steam out as they bake). Place the potatoes on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper and rub the olive oil on the outside of the potatoes. Bake for 1 hour until cooked through.
- While the potatoes are cooking, brown the ground beef in a pan and add the smoked paprika.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven and slice in half. With a spoon, hollow out the inside of the potatoes, scooping most of the inside flesh (save some potato around the skin for texture).
- Fill each potato with ~2 tablespoon of ground beef and ~1 tablespoon of Swiss cheese.
- Place the potato skins back in the oven for 10 minutes and bake at 400 degrees. Then place them under the broiler and broil on low for 4-5 minutes until the potato skins and cheese begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and top with sour cream, green onions, and an extra sprinkle of paprika, if desired. Enjoy hot!
Notes
Nutrition estimate (for 1 serving)
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used in our kitchen. It will vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify your nutrition content and sodium amounts.
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