These Breakfast Baked Potato Boats are crispy baked potatoes scooped out and filled with cheddar cheese, bacon, colorful veggies, and a perfectly baked egg. They are hearty, customizable, and basically brunch in an edible little potato canoe.
The best part? You can use almost anything you already have in the fridge. Bacon, ham, sausage, spinach, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, leftover roasted vegetables. If it tastes good with eggs and cheese, it probably belongs in a breakfast potato boat.
Why You’ll Love These Breakfast Potatoes
- Easy to customize with your favorite breakfast fillings
- Great for leftovers like baked potatoes, cooked bacon, veggies, ham or sausage
- Perfect for brunch holidays, weekends or meal prep
- Naturally portioned for serving a crowd
- Loaded with flavor from eggs, cheese, bacon and fresh veggies
What are Breakfast Potato Boats?
Breakfast potato boats are baked potatoes that are halved, scooped slightly, and filled with breakfast ingredients like eggs, cheese, bacon, and vegetables. Think loaded baked potato meets breakfast casserole.
The potato shell gets crisp around the edges, the cheese melts into the filling, and the egg bakes right in the center. You can eat them with a fork and knife, or pick them up like a loaded potato skin if you are feeling brave and wearing a shirt you do not care about.
Ingredients for Breakfast Baked Potatoes
This is a great weekend breakfast recipe because you can use up all of the odds and ends in the fridge
- Baked Potatoes– Russet potatoes work best because they have sturdy skins and fluffy centers. Medium potatoes are ideal; giant steakhouse potatoes are delicious, but they can need more than 1 egg and additional cooking time.
- Eggs– Each potato half gets one egg. If your potatoes are smaller, use small eggs or remove a little extra potato from the center so the egg has room.
- Cheddar Cheese– Sharp cheddar adds the best flavor, but Monterey Jack, pepper jack, Swiss, gouda, or a Mexican cheese blend all work beautifully and are super melty.
- Bacon– Cooked and crumbled bacon adds salty crunch. You can also use diced ham, breakfast sausage, turkey bacon, or leave it out for a vegetarian version.
- Vegetables– Green bell pepper, tomato, and chives add color, freshness, and texture. This is also a great place to use leftover sautéed mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, roasted peppers, or caramelized onions or anything else you have leftover in the crisper.
- Seasoning– A little salt and pepper goes a long way. You can also add smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, or everything bagel seasoning.
How to Make Breakfast Baked Potato Boats
- Bake and Cool the Potatoes. Start with fully baked potatoes. For the best texture, bake them the night before and refrigerate until chilled. Cold potatoes are easier to cut and scoop without falling apart.
- Slice and Scoop. Cut each baked potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out some of the fluffy center, leaving enough potato around the skin to keep the shell sturdy. Save the scooped potato for another use. Stir it into scrambled eggs, make potato pancakes, add it to soup, or mash it with butter and sour cream for a dinner side dish.
- Add Cheese, Fillings & Egg. Sprinkle half the cheese into the bottom of each potato half. Add the fillings you love. Crack one egg into each potato boat. Top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake. Bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your liking. For runnier yolks, pull them earlier. For fully set yolks, bake a few minutes longer.
- Garnish and Serve. Finish with extra chives, cheese, bacon, hot sauce, sour cream, salsa, or avocado.
More Filling Ideas
One of the best things about these breakfast baked potatoes is how flexible they are. Here are a few easy variations:
- Classic Bacon, Egg, and Cheese: Cheddar, bacon, egg, chives, and a little black pepper.
- Southwest Style: Pepper jack cheese, black beans, bell peppers, onions, salsa, avocado, and cilantro.
- Sausage and Gravy Style: Crumbled breakfast sausage, cheddar, egg, and a spoonful of warm country gravy after baking.
- Veggie Breakfast Potato Boats: Spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and Swiss or feta cheese.
- Ham and Cheese (Western/Denver): Diced ham, cheddar or Swiss, egg, and green onions.
- Mediterranean Style: Spinach, tomato, feta, oregano, and a drizzle of tzatziki or Greek yogurt after baking.
Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
Make Ahead- These are a great make-ahead breakfast option, especially if you are hosting brunch. Bake the potatoes up to 2 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator. You can also cook the bacon and chop the vegetables ahead of time. When ready to serve, slice, scoop, fill, and bake.
Storage & Reheating- Store leftover breakfast potato boats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them in a 350°F oven until warmed through. The microwave works too, but the potato skin will be softer. Still tasty, just less crispy. Life is full of trade-offs.
Freezing- Yes, but with one note: eggs can change texture after freezing. If you plan to freeze them, the best option is to assemble the potato boats without the egg, freeze them, then add a fresh egg before baking. To freeze, wrap the filled potato halves tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding the egg and baking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these breakfast baked potato boats with fresh fruit, a simple green salad, toast or English muffins, homemade breakfast sausage, yogurt parfaits, or even Bloody Marys and mimosas for brunch. They are hearty enough to stand on their own, but a few fresh and simple sides make the meal feel complete.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes! Leftover baked potatoes are perfect for this recipe. In fact, chilled baked potatoes are easier to slice and scoop, making them ideal for breakfast potato boats.
Absolutely. Skip the bacon and use sautéed mushrooms, spinach, peppers, onions, tomatoes, black beans, or vegetarian sausage.
Use medium or large russet potatoes and scoop out enough of the center to create a deep well. You can also crack the egg into a small bowl first and add only as much as will fit.
Yes. Line the filled potatoes on a sheet pan and bake them all at once. This makes them a great brunch recipe because every serving is already portioned.
More Breakfast Recipe Ideas
Breakfast Baked Potato Boats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes , baked and cooled
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 slices bacon , cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives , plus more for garnish
- Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, avocado, extra cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat it with cooking spray.
- Slice each 4 medium russet potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, gently scoop out some of the center of each potato, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato around the skin so the potato keeps its shape.
- Place the potato halves cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet.
- Evenly divide half of the shredded 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese into each potato half. Add the cooked and crumbled 6 slices bacon, diced 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper seeded and diced 1/2 cup diced tomato.
- Carefully crack one egg into each potato half. If the potato is smaller, crack the egg into a bowl first and spoon it into the potato to prevent overflow. Season each potato with the salt and pepper.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your liking. Add a few extra minutes for firm yolks.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with the chives and other optional toppings.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
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Wow. That’s all. I would order this on a menu in a minute! Cooking is tough for me in the mornings, but the sunny side up inside the potato looks amazing to me!
What a unique concept! This would be a filling breakfast!
Okay, now this is a VERY cool idea that I am going to try out. I love it when people come up with cool food ideas like this. Makes picky eaters WANT to eat! Thanks!
Oh my! I must try this. I always wondered if it was hard to make these but your pictures look great!
I haven’t made anything like this for my boys, but I think they would like them. They look delicious!
I love you. This is pure genius and definitely one that I need to try soon.
I need to just bake extra when I cook potatoes to have for things like this. Your readers named it perfectly. Yum!
My husband would be into this recipe. I don’t normally eat eggs for breakfast. (I love this concept, though!)
I love it! This is be a good thing to try for breakfast we been running out of ideas to do for recipes.
I love the idea behind the potato boat. The egg, however, I will pass on unless it’s scrambled. Hard boiled ones make me gag!