Name: Healthy Twice-Baked Potatoes (Vegan)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 4 large baking potatoes (such as Russets); 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed (about 1 3/4 cups)); 4 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed); 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon); 3/4 cup plain non-dairy milk; 1 1/2 cup Easy Cheezy Sauce; 2 green onions (diced); 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (plus more for garnish); Sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

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This vegan Healthy Twice-Baked Potatoes recipe is so much healthier that traditional twice-baked potatoes. It's dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free—and includes high-fiber cannellini beans.

One thing I enjoy the most about this blog is the challenge of creating healthy, vegan versions of dishes we all love. You know, the ones that are yummy and comforting—but not even remotely healthy. When everything goes right, I end up with a dish no one would ever guess was vegan or good for them. Healthy Twice-Baked Potatoes—made smooth and creamy with Easy Cheese Sauce and cannellini beans—is that kind of recipe.

What makes this healthy twice-baked potato recipe so much healthier?

The classic, non-vegan version of this side dish typically contains LOADS of butter, cheese, sour cream and usually, bacon. Sure, there’s plenty of flavor, but it comes with about a metric ton of highly saturated animal fat. What a rotten thing to do to something as nutritious as a potato!

So what makes this healthy vegan twice-baked potato recipe SO dang healthy? First, it has no processed ingredients like ‘fake cheese.’ It’s fine with me if you enjoy processed, store-bought vegan cheese, but I personally don’t care for it. For this recipe, I use a ½ recipe of my 10-minute Vegan Easy Cheezy Sauce.

Second, since it’s vegan, it’s completely dairy-free, of course. (You’re welcome, Elsie.) This makes it a great option for anyone who wants or needs to avoid dairy.

Third, for an extra boost of nutrition, I incorporate high-fiber cannellini beans into the mix. (No worries—no one will ever know unless you tell them.) The beans are pureed together with garlic and lemon to create sort of a tangy, creamy stand-in for sour cream.

Fourth, smoked paprika is a healthy way to mimic the smokiness of bacon. Some goes into the potato mixture, and a little more gets sprinkled on top for a pretty garnish. Nice smoky flavor, and nobody dies.

The result is smooth, creamy, cheesy, smoky, garlicky, vegan—and much healthier twiced-baked potatoes! (Note: a diet heavy in potatoes is not recommended, and some people should probably choose other veggies. Read this article to learn about why potatoes may or may not be a good option for you and your family.)

How to Make Vegan Twice-Baked Potatoes

Twice-baked potatoes are pretty much like making a really yummy mashed potato recipe, then stuffing those potatoes back into their shells. Except we don't boil our potatoes, we bake them. And we hang on to those potato skins.

The first--and longest--step is baking the potatoes. You want them well done, with nice crispy skins. Even though baking potatoes takes a long time, about an hour, I don't recommend doing this step ahead. Potato skins can get soft and too moist in the fridge, so better to bake them the day of.

While your potatoes are baking, you can start on the creamy sauce you're going to blend into those potatoes. In a traditional recipe, this would be your cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, etc. In this healthy vegan recipe we're going to use plant milk, some cannellini beans, and a homemade cashew cheese sauce. Or substitute my Chickpea Cheese Sauce for a nut free/low fat alternative, or my Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce if desired.

Once the potatoes have baked and cooled, it's time to carefully scoop out those shells. You don't want to tear them! The key is to leave enough potato in the bottom so you don't pierce the skin and so that they remain in nice, firm bowl shape.

You can mash your potatoes by hand with a potato masher or a large fork; however you usually do your mashed potatoes. But I like to use my potato ricer. Nothing compares to the smooth, creamy texture you get with this handy little extruder. For me, it's an essential tool in the kitchen.

Then, we simply mix our our creamy, cheesy sauce into our mashed potatoes and give it a good stir. But not too much, or the potatoes will get gooey, just like with mashed potatoes.

Finally, you fill your shells until heaping with potato and sauce mixture, and bake just long enough to heat through.

Why I Love this Baked Potato Recipe

I can’t say these healthy twice-baked potatoes are fast and easy. They take about the same time and effort as the traditional dish. Sure, in this recipe we have to whip up our own cheese sauce and puree beans in a food processor. But at least vegans don’t have any messy bacon to cook and clean up after, so I think it’s about a wash.

But when you take the first bite, I think you’ll agree they’re SO worth the effort! These healthy twice-baked potatoes freeze well too, so you can make a batch ahead, then re-heat and serve when you have company or on busy weeknights. In fact, we love to eat them with a side of Easy Vegan Collard Greens and call it dinner.

This dish is delicious enough to please everyone at the table, and it won't give you that awful, why-the-heck-did-I-eat-that feeling!

If you like this healthy vegan recipe, you might also like my Wisconsin Vegan Beer Cheese Soup, Creamy Potato Salad, Chickpea Cheese Sauce, Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Spinach Cheese Pizza Rolls, Whiskey Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Oil Free Sweet Potato Fries, Quick & Easy Vegan Collard Greens, and Kale Mushroom Bread Pudding.

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Thanks and happy, whole-food cooking!