Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes

These Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes start with crispy baked potatoes that we stuff to the brim with a creamy, cheesy, broccoli-spiked sauce.

If you love Broccoli Cheddar Soup you’re going to go crazy for this recipe! Next, give some of our other cheesy broccoli recipes a try: Broccoli Cheddar Quiche or this puff-pastry topped Broccoli Cheddar Pot Pie.

Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes

It’s a fun challenge to convert a favorite dinner recipe into an equally delicious soup recipe. Like channeling all my favorite lasagna flavors into this Lasagna Soup, converting my favorite baked potatoes into this loaded Potato Soup, or using this delicious Chicken Pot Pie as inspiration for creating this Chicken Pot Pie Soup. 

Well, today I’m reversing the process and converting one of my favorite soup recipes–Broccoli-Cheddar Soup–into this delicious and comforting weeknight dinner recipe. And these Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes do not disappoint. Crisp potatoes are loaded up with an ultra-cheesy, super savory, and ridiculously creamy broccoli sauce.

To make a baked potato with broccoli and cheese, we’ve got to start by preparing the potatoes.

How To Prepare the Potatoes

If you’ve tried my baked potato recipe, you know the “secret” we use is to cut the potato in half BEFORE baking. This greatly cuts down the baking time of the potatoes and ensures an amazingly crisp exterior. We love baking potatoes that way!

That said, prepare the potatoes however you like. If you have a way you love preparing baked potatoes in the pressure cooker, slow cooker, oven, air fryer, or even the microwave, it’ll be just fine for this recipe!

We recently made the potatoes for these Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes in the air fryer and they were amazing. The only drawback to air frying is there is a limit on how many potatoes can fit in the air fryer basket. So if you have an air fryer and are only cooking for a couple people, give this recipe a try!

If you’re in a time crunch, use the microwave to cook a potato in under 10 minutes. Yes, it’s not as crispy, but this cheesy broccoli sauce is so incredible, you may not even notice! 🙂 

The Sauce In Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes

• Broccoli. We like to use frozen broccoli in the cheese sauce. Pull it out from the freezer before starting and by the time you’re ready to use it, it will have thawed enough to chop easily. Finely chop the broccoli to ensure it flavors and integrates in every bite instead of just having large chunks of broccoli swimming in a sauce.
• Cheese. This is the most important ingredient in this sauce! We’re looking for a block of sharp (or extra-sharp) Cheddar cheese to use in this recipe. For the best melt and flavor, grate cheese fresh off the block (pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as nicely). Why sharp Cheddar? This indicates a more aged cheese that will deliver a richer and more pungent flavor. If you’ve ever noticed your cheese sauces to be lacking flavor, it’s likely because the cheese wasn’t aged (or the sauce needed more salt to bring the cheesiness alive!). 
• Use real milk. We prefer this sauce with whole milk, but 2% and 1% also work (the sauce is not as thick and creamy). We don’t recommend using skim milk or milk alternatives (like soy, almond, rice, etc.), as those milks will affect the flavor and consistency. 

Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potato Tips

• Add in cheese off heat and gradually. To avoid a grainy texture, only add a handful of the cheese to the sauce at a time. Gently stir in the cheese until it’s melted before adding more.
• Don’t underestimate the power of salt. If you find the sauce to be less flavorful than you’d like, try adding an extra pinch of salt!
• For more nuance in the flavor and a hint of heat, don’t skip the cayenne pepper!

More Broccoli and Cheese Combos:

• Broccoli Pasta 20-minute dinner recipe
• Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice one ONE sheet pan
• Broccoli Potato Soup with a delicious seasoning blend
• Broccoli Salad with a creamy dressing
• Cheesy Broccoli and Chicken made in foil packs!

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5 from 3 votes

Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes

By Chelsea Lords

With a crispy baked potato and creamy, cheesy broccoli sauce, these Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes are simple and delicious!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Medium pot

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4–6 large russet potatoes
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup flour
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 cups whole milk
• ▢ 2 cups finely diced frozen broccoli see note 1
• ▢ 2 cups freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese see note 2

Instructions 

• Prepare potatoes however you like, but make sure they're fork tender. You can also see note 3 for specific potato preparation instructions. Remove broccoli from the freezer to begin thawing. Once broccoli has thawed a bit, dice it very finely and measure to get 2 full cups.
• Heat a medium pot on medium-low heat, add the butter. Once melted, sprinkle the flour, paprika, garlic powder, ground mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt on top. Whisk continuously for 1–2 minutes or until very fragrant smelling. Be careful not to brown or burn the flour here.
• Very gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Once all the milk is added and smooth, increase the heat to medium-high. While whisking and scraping the bottom of the pot frequently, bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute or until nicely thickened (see note 4).
• Off heat, gently stir in the shredded cheese a small handful at a time, making sure it's fully melted in the sauce before adding more. Once all the cheese is incorporated, stir in the finely diced broccoli. Stir through and give the sauce a taste test—adjust seasoning to personal preference.
• When the potatoes are finished baking, cut in half and use a fork to slightly mash the inside of the potatoes. When ready to serve, place each potato on a plate or in a bowl and use a ladle to spoon the sauce over. Enjoy immediately!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: I like to use frozen broccoli in the cheese sauce. Remove it from the freezer before starting and by the time you're ready to use it, it will have thawed enough to chop easily. 

Note 2: Grab a block of sharp Cheddar cheese and shred it fresh off the block. Gently pack the cheese into measuring cups to get 2 full cups. I love to use sharp Cheddar because it's an aged cheese that will deliver a richer flavor. If your cheese sauce is lacking flavor, it’s likely because the cheese wasn’t aged. 

Note 3: Follow the directions below to prepare your potatoes.

• Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a large, dark sheet pan with parchment paper. Don't skip the parchment paper; it really helps the potatoes cook evenly.
• Thoroughly scrub the potatoes using cold water to remove all the dirt and any debris. Completely dry the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise.
• Place potatoes, flesh side down, on sheet pan. Pierce skin 3–4 times with the tines of a fork. Flip potatoes flesh side up. Drizzle olive oil over all the potatoes and take your time to rub the oil into both sides of the potatoes until sufficiently covered. Evenly sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper over all the potatoes (not each). Now flip again, so the potatoes are flesh side down. Sprinkle another 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper on the skins.
• Bake flesh side down for 35–45 minutes, checking at 35 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a fork into the biggest potato. If it goes in easily, the potatoes are ready! If not, add an additional 5 minutes. Cook until fork tender, checking every 5 minutes.

Note 4: The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Lift the spoon out of the sauce and immediately trace a line across the back of it with your fingertip. If the line retains a clear track, the sauce is thick enough. If not, the sauce needs to be cooked a bit longer.

Nutrition: The nutrition information is calculated based on 6-ounce potatoes. Potato size varies greatly, so use this as a guide.

Storage: Store leftover Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the potatoes and broccoli cheese sauce separate, to prevent the potatoes from getting soggy. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 464mg | Potassium: 1197mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1740IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 673mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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