Ultimate Baked Potato Bar Loaded with Toppings Ideas - Adventures of Mel (2025)

Set up the ultimate baked potato bar loaded with all the best toppings. Easy baked potato buffet ideas for a crowd, party, wedding, or special occasion. Complete with set up ideas and toppings list!

Wanna make it mashed instead? Check out the ultimate mashed potato bar loaded with crowd favorite potato toppings.

Baked potato bar ideas include so much deliciousness, they almost can't fit into just one recipe. With all the variety, there's truly something for everyone on this crowd pleasing buffet, and it will be the best part of everyone's day.

You can use this recipe as a main dish, side dish, or appetizer. Serve it up alongside these easy garlic parmesan chicken skewers!

When to Serve a Baked Potato Bar

• Whether you're getting together with friends for game night or hosting a large family dinner, a loaded potato bar with all kinds of wonderful potato toppings is a great way to feed and entertain your guests.
• Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, your New Year's Eve party, and Easter dinner… All are perfect occasions for setting up a potato buffet extravaganza.
• Church potluck coming up? Set up a small charcuterie board with lots of toppings, and keep baked potatoes warm in an Instant Pot or slow cooker.
• A baked potato bar wedding buffet will definitely be a fun way to feed everyone and a favorite with guests.
• What better occasion than game day? Your football party guests will love a loaded potato bar.
• Just for the heck of it, plan a baked potato bar night with just your family, and watch movies or play board games together.

If you build it, they will come… It's just a matter of cooking the potatoes and prepping all the toppings for your guests to choose from. Or better yet, with large gatherings, have each guest bring their favorite topping!

How to Make Baked Potatoes

You'll need to decide what kind of potatoes you want to use and how best to cook them before setting up a potato bar.

Ingredients and Substitutions Notes

Potatoes – I prefer to use yellow potatoes, as they make a good baked potato. You can also use russet potatoes. If you'd rather use sweet potatoes over regular potatoes, you can makeInstant Pot sweet potatoes.

How to Cook Baked Potatoes

There are a few ways you can bake potatoes. My favorite way is the microwave; however, if you're feeding a crowd, you may want to go with either the oven, the grill, CrockPot, or Instant Pot baked potatoes.

Microwave

Wash and scrub the potatoes. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Put them on a microwave-safe plate, and cook on high for 5 minutes; then flip and cook another 5 minutes. (Keep in mind, cook times may vary, depending on different microwaves.) Allow the potatoes to cool for a few minutes before handling.

Oven

Wash and scrub the potatoes. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; then on the sheet pan, rub potatoes down with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. Place on the baking sheet, and bake at 400° F for at least 1 hour, possibly a few minute longer. (You can also wrap the potatoes in foil and place them directly on the oven rack to bake.) You'll know the potatoes are done when they can easily be pierced with a fork or knife.

Grill

Wash and scrub the potatoes. Heat the grill to 350° F. Rub potatoes down with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. Then wrap each potato in aluminum foil, poke a few holes in the foil and potatoes, and place on the grill to cook for probably about an hour. You'll know the potatoes are done when they can easily be pierced with a fork or knife.

Air Fryer

Pre-heat the air fryer to 400° F. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Rub each potato down with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook the potatoes in the pre-heated air fryer for about 45 minutes, maybe a little more, 'til the potatoes are soft and tender when poked with a fork or knife.

CrockPot or Slow Cooker

Wash and scrub the potatoes. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Rub each potato down with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Then wrap each potato in aluminu foil, and place in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. Potatoes are done when they can easily be pierced with a fork or knife.

Instant Pot

Wash and scrub the potatoes. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Place all the potatoes in a steamer basket down in the Instant Pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, press Manual or Pressure Cook, and set to 8 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release when done.

Learn how to quickly use your Instant Pot with ourInstant Pot Quick Start Guide, filled withpractical tips, Instant Pot recipes, accessory ideas, and more!

How to Set up or Assemble the Ultimate Baked Potato Bar

Gather the ingredients for your potato bar… You’ll need baked potatoes and baked potato bar toppings. Your main work will be cooking the potatoes and prepping any toppings for your guests to choose from.

Baked Potato Bar Ideas and Expert Tips

• Prep the toppings, adding each topping to a separatedishor compartment for serving. Prepping may involve cooking, re-heating, or simply chopping.
• Set everything out buffet style, so your guests can create their very own delicious baked potato creations.
• If you're hosting a smaller gathering, try using a large charcuterie board with small bowls for a variety of toppings all around a large bowl full of baked potatoes.
• If you're wondering how to keep the baked potatoes warm without warmers, you can create a CrockPot baked potato bar or Instant Pot baked potato bar.

Loaded Baked Potato Bar Toppings List:

Here's a whole slew of different toppings you can add to your potato buffet…

• Butter
• SaltandPepper – Preferably sea salt or kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
• Sour Creamor Greek Yogurt
• Cheese Sauce
• Shredded Cheese – I recommendExtra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Smoked Cheddar, Mozzarella, goat cheese, etc.
• Onions – red onion, green onions, caramelized onions, etc.
• Chives
• Cooked Broccoli
• Cooked Cauliflower

See Also

Fajita Seasoning Recipe (Small & Big Batch Measurements) - Simple Joy10 Things to Make With LavenderHow to Make the Best BLT - Oh Sweet BasilFluffy Pumpkin Pancakes | If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen

• Chili
• Ground Beef or Meat forSloppy Joes or Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
• Steak
• Cubed Pepperoni
• Taco Meat –beef taco meat,taco chicken, etc. with black beans
• Crispy Bacon or Bacon Bits
• ChoppedBaked HamorPineapple Ham
• Pulled Pork
• Rotisserie Chicken
• Sausage

• Barbecue Sauce
• Ranch Dressing
• Pizza Sauce or Marinara Sauce
• Turkey Gravy
• Ham GravyorHam Gravy with Cornstarch
• Chicken Gravy from Bouillon

• Tomatoes
• Guacamole
• Basil Salsa or Pico de Gallo
• Jalapeños
• Fire roasted green chiles
• Corn
• Peas

The sky's the limit on ideas for a baked potato buffet because there are so many toppings you can add to this list. But this is a great start.

Recipe FAQ's

More Potato Recipes

• KFC Potato Bowl
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Funeral Potatoes
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Green Beans, Potatoes, and Sausages
• Loaded Chili Cheese Fries

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