Name: Vegan Potato Skins with Tempeh Bacon and Cashew Sour Cream
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: 3 medium/large organic russet potatoes, scrubbed clean; Avocado or grapeseed oil for brushing on the potatoes; Salt and pepper, to taste; 1/2 batch tempeh bacon crumbles (recipe follows); 1 1/2 cups grated vegan cheese, such as Daiya Monterey Jack (or use goat havarti if you eat dairy); 1/2 cup cashew sour cream (recipe follows); 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions; 1 (250 gram) block of organic tempeh, crumbled; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp tamari; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp pure maple syrup; 1 tsp smoked paprika; Black pepper to taste; 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 45 minutes beforehand and drained; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp fine sea salt; 1/3 cup water, plus more as needed

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Vegan crispy potato skins topped with tempeh bacon crumbles, vegan cheese, and cashew sour cream. Can you say game day snacking perfection?

a photo of the finished crispy potato skins topped with tempeh bacon and vegan cheese plus cashew sour cream. A bottle of organic beer is in the background.

With a certain football championship game coming up in just a few days, it seemed an opportune time to share my vegan crispy potato skin recipe with you! While I’m not a huge fan of the game itself (I’ve always found that drone of fans and the screeching whistles to be rather distracting), I quite enjoy vegan comfort food. (In case you hadn’t noticed. 😉 ) And football viewing parties lend themselves quite well to large spreads of vegan comfort food, so here we are.

My recipe is inspired by the crispy potato skins on the menu at Earls restaurant. I’m a big fan of the atmosphere, to say nothing of the perfectly chilled beer, at Earls, but sadly, there’s still not a location where I live. I’ve been feeling deprived since I last got my Earls fix when I raced a half marathon in Toronto last May. Thankfully, my sister in law recently gifted us the Earls cookbook, and I’ve been having fun veganizing some of the recipes in it! If I can’t go to Earls, recreating some recipes in plant-powered fashion is the next best thing.

First on the agenda was to recreate their famous potato skins. Truthfully, I hadn’t ever made potato skins before, but my mom has always had a special place in her heart for them. Well, hint taken, Mom! The original recipe called for lots of bacon, cheese, and sour cream, so I swapped it out for my tempeh bacon crumbles, vegan cheese, and cashew sour cream. Easy as pie… or shall I say, easy as potato skins? Ha!

When we made these for the first time, we couldn’t get enough. We enjoyed them as an appetizer, and I’m definitely making them again on Sunday.

Four photos showing how to make vegan potato skins. Start with baked potatoes. Slice each one into quarters lengthwise. Sprinkle with tempeh bacon.

how to make these vegan crispy potato skins with tempeh bacon, cheese, and cashew sour cream:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Lightly brush 3 organic medium/large russet potatoes with a heat-tolerant oil. I recommend avocado oil or grapeseed oil. Pierce all over with a fork and sprinkle on some salt and pepper.
Bake until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 1 hour.
Cut each potato into halves lengthwise, then into quarters. Scoop out centers, making sure that you leave a ½-inch thick layer of baked potato on the skins.
Lightly oil a baking sheet and place potato quarters skin side down on the sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the tempeh bacon crumbles in a skillet over medium heat until nicely browned and crispy.
Prepare the cashew sour cream.
Top the potatoes with the tempeh bacon and cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
Garnish with cashew sour cream and green onion, and serve immediately.

An overhead shot of potato skins topped with crumbled tempeh bacon and grated vegan cheese.

Vegan potato skins fresh out of the oven with cheese that is golden and bubbly.

An overhead shot of baked potato skins topped with tempeh bacon, cheese, and cashew sour cream, plus green onion. Served with organic beer from Mill Street Organic Brewing.

You will need to allot just over an hour to prepare this recipe, but most of that time is hands-off while the potatoes bake.

more game day recipe ideas from Up Beet Kitchen:

I have plenty of tasty vegan game day recipes in the blog archives, including:

I hope that you love this recipe. If you make it, please leave a comment and rating below the post. And share a photo to Instagram with @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen, too!

Enjoy!