Dill Pickle and Ham Twice Baked Potatoes are packed with diced ham, mozzarella cheese, and a ranch-seasoned sour cream and cream cheese mixture. I would serve these as the main course, they are so generously filled with deliciousness! If you love a tasty twist on classic twice baked potatoes, my favorite is my Pot Roast Twice Baked Potato!
Customize Your Twice Baked Potatoes: Ingredients & Smart Substitutions
- Potatoes: It’s important to choose a starchy potato like Russet or Idaho potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes would also work. Wash and poke holes into the potatoes before coating them with oil and sprinkling salt. For the initial bake, you could also use my Air Fryer Baked Potato recipe or bake them in the microwave.
- Butter: I like using unsalted butter for the filling–then I can control the amount of salt added. (It’s easier to add salt than take it away!) If using salted butter, you may want to lessen the amount of salt in the filling.
- Ham: I cut up thick-cut deli ham to add to the filling. This recipe would be great for leftover brown sugar-glazed ham or honey-glazed ham (which would add a touch of sweetness).
- Cheese: Mozzarella cheese is added to the filling and the tops of the potatoes. For a little different flavor, you could try Swiss or provolone. Or, use a blend of your favorite cheeses!
- Cream Cheese: Ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing it into the filling. Neufchâtel cheese or Greek yogurt can be used as lighter alternatives.
- Sour Cream: For more tanginess to the filling, I used sour cream. Have some extra for the topping, too!
- Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix: For the most flavor, make homemade ranch seasoning mix! Or, you will need a 1-ounce packet of the mix.
- Pickles: We can’t forget about the dill pickles in these twice baked potatoes! If you want to get creative and add a little kick to the potatoes, mix in a few pickled jalapenos with the dill pickles!
What To Do With Leftover Potato Tops
Do not let the leftover potato tops go to waste! My favorite way to enjoy them is simple–brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt and your favorite seasonings, and bake until crispy! Or, dice them up to add to a recipe like my Kielbasa Hash.
Make Ahead Dill Pickle and Ham Twice Baked Potatoes
It’s easy to get parts of this recipe made in advance. Then, all you have to do is assemble and bake to have it ready in less than half an hour! Here is how to prepare the twice baked potatoes in advance:
- Prepare the Potatoes: Bake and scoop out the potatoes up to 2 days in advance. Store the potato skins and flesh separately in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the Filling: You can mix the ham, cheese, ranch-seasoned sour cream, and cream cheese mixture up to 2 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Assemble and Bake: When ready to serve, refill the potato skins with the prepped filling, top with additional cheese, and bake until heated through and the cheese is melted. Add the dill pickles just before serving.
Storing & Reheating Dill Pickle and Ham Twice Baked Potatoes
To store these twice baked potatoes, first, let them cool completely. Next, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Reheat the potatoes in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
Dill Pickle and Ham Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 8 baking potatoes, washed
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Filling
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (135 g) thick-cut deli ham, diced
- 1 ½ cups (169.5 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (115 g) sour cream
- ¼ cup fresh chives, minced
- 2 tablespoons dry ranch seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup (143 g) dill pickles, finely diced
- sour cream, for garnish
Instructions
Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Wash each potato and pierce a couple of holes on each side with a sharp knife or fork.
- Coat each potato with canola oil and salt and bake for 1 hour. Potatoes should be fork-tender when done. (Depending on the size of the potatoes, cooking times may vary.)
- Using a sharp knife, slice the top off (horizontally) of each potato.
- Using a spoon, remove the center of the potato and place it into a large mixing bowl. Be very careful not to tear the potato skin. Lay the hollowed-out potato shells on a baking sheet.
Filling
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
- To the bowl of potatoes, add butter, ham, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, chives, dry ranch seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mash until everything is well combined.
- Fill the hollowed-out potato skins with an equal amount of the potato mixture.
- Evenly top each potato with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the potato is warmed through.
- Top the potatoes with diced pickles. Serve with sour cream for garnish (optional).
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
I really like these twice baked potatoes. They could be the main dish, for sure!
Elizabeth
Wow, these are impressive! I love them but would add even more dill pickles to mine!
Annabelle
I thought these potatoes were good! They reminded me of our ham and pickle potato skins.
Bella
I really enjoyed these twice-baked potatoes. The creaminess from the cheese and sour cream makes the filling super indulgent.
Selena
I was pleasantly surprised by these dill pickle ham twice-baked potatoes. The pickle flavor is really interesting and pairs well with the ham and cheese. The filling is creamy and satisfying, and the chives give a nice fresh touch.
