This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This loaded ramen baked potato is Buldak Carbonara ramen tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce made from the scooped out potato, piled back into crispy skins, and topped with bacon, sour cream, and chives. It took me a few tries and some help from a friend to get it right.
I’ve made ramen loaded baked potatoes before, but the noodles just sat on top, so you had to dig around to get everything in one bite. During my 2024 ramen challenge, I tried to fix that. My first try didn’t get there, and the second was a fail. I rushed it in the microwave, the skin peeled right off, and I scrapped it and promised a redo.
For the redo, I asked my friend, Jon Kung, to help me make it better. It was his idea to blend the scooped out potato into the sauce instead of setting it aside, and it worked.
Why the loaded ramen baked potato works
Instant ramen sauce works fine on noodles, especially Buldak, because it coats everything in a glossy layer. The problem starts when you have to bake it. Once the noodles go into the potato skins and back into the heat, that thin layer of sauce dries out and you’re left with dry noodles.
Blending the scooped out potato into the sauce gives it more body, so there’s enough to keep the noodles saucy even after they come out of the oven. The potato also tones down the heat a little.
I went with Buldak Carbonara because spicy and creamy goes so well with potato. Both packets go into the blender with the potato, so you get the spice and cheese in every bite.
One pack is enough for all eight halves. The potato makes up most of the filling, so the noodles are there for flavor and texture.
Putting the scooped out skins back in the oven dries them out so they get crispy and hold their shape. That’s what lets you pick one up and get the potato, noodles, and toppings all in one bite.
For toppings, I used bacon, sour cream, and chives. When I filmed this at Jon’s, we used crème fraîche because that’s what he had in his fridge, but sour cream is what most people already have. The toppings are simple. Most of the work is in the sauce.
How to make it
Bake the potatoes whole first. Poke them a few times with a fork, oil the skins, salt them, and bake them at 400 until a fork slides straight through. Start checking at 35 minutes. Bigger ones can take closer to an hour. While they bake, cook the bacon in a pan and save the fat. You’ll brush it on the skins later.
I used four small russets, which gives you eight halves. If yours are medium, three will give you six halves. If you’ve never scooped a potato skin before, bake an extra one. Some of them tear, and the spare flesh goes into the sauce anyway, so nothing is wasted.
Halve them lengthwise and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Leave a wall about a quarter inch thick so the skin holds its shape. Don’t throw out the scooped potato. You’ll use it for the sauce.
Brush the hollow skins with the bacon fat, salt them, and put them back into the oven, cut side up, at 400 for 10 minutes to firm up. While they’re in there, cook your noodles for 3 minutes, save 1/4 cup of the noodle water, then drain them and drop them straight into ice water. The ice bath stops them from cooking, so they don’t get mushy when they go back in the oven.
The noodle water is starchy, so it makes the sauce thicker than plain water would.
Put both packets, the noodle water, and the scooped potato in one bowl and blend it with an immersion blender. It’ll go from thin and watery to something like a thick tomato soup. If you don’t have one, mash the potato smooth with a fork first, then whisk it into the sauce a little at a time. Taste it and add salt before the noodles go in, then toss the noodles through it until every strand is orange.
Fill the skins, grate parmesan over the top, and put them back in the oven at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the cheese melts. Top them with bacon, a spoonful of sour cream, and chives. Eat it with your hands. One half is pretty filling on its own, or you can serve them as an appetizer or small bites.
FAQ
Yes, as long as it’s a stir-fried ramen and not a soup. All the seasoning goes into the blender with the potato, so it doesn’t matter if it comes as a liquid packet, a powder, or both. Soup ramen is too thin for this, and you’ll end up with wet noodles in the skins.
One pack is enough. The filling is mostly potato, so the noodles go a lot further than they would in a bowl.
You can use a fork. Mash the potato smooth in its own bowl first, then whisk it into the sauce a little at a time so it doesn’t get lumpy. The sauce is supposed to be a little gritty anyway, so it’ll still come out right.
Skip the food processor or regular blender, though. Potato turns gluey if you overwork it.
The noodles cook twice, once in the pot and again in the oven. The ice bath stops them from cooking in between, so they still have some chew at the end. Without it, the filling turns mushy.
If it only split on one side, you can still fill it. Just prop it up against another half so it holds together. If the bottom tore out, that one’s a snack. Letting the potatoes cool for a few minutes before you scoop and leaving a thicker wall both help, and baking an extra potato gives you a backup.
Loaded Ramen Baked Potato
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 4 small russet potatoes, or 3 medium (6 halves)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
Noodles and sauce
- 1 pack Samyang Buldak Carbonara, noodles, sauce packet, and powder packet
- 1/4 cup reserved noodle water, still warm
- scooped potato, all of it, from the potatoes above
- 1/3 cup parmesan, finely grated
Toppings
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp chives, finely sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400F. Wash and dry the potatoes, poke them a few times with a fork, then rub them with 1 tbsp of the oil and half the salt. Bake until a fork slides through easily. Start checking at 35 minutes. Bigger potatoes can take closer to an hour.
- While the potatoes bake, cook the bacon and drain it on a paper towel. Save the bacon fat. Slice the chives, grate the parmesan, and get a bowl of ice water ready.
- Let the potatoes cool for about 5 minutes so they’re easier to handle. Cut them in half lengthwise and scoop the insides into a bowl, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato in the skin so it holds its shape. Save the scooped potato for the sauce.
- Brush the insides of the skins with the bacon fat (or the rest of the oil) and sprinkle with the rest of the salt. Put them cut side up on a sheet pan and bake at 400F for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Cook the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes. Save 1/4 cup of the noodle water, then drain the noodles and put them in the ice water. Drain again once they’re cold.
- Put both packets, 1/4 cup of the noodle water, and all of the scooped potato in a tall container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. No blender? Mash the potato with a fork and whisk it in a little at a time. Taste it and add salt. The packets are meant for one pack of noodles, so with all the potato it’ll probably need more salt than you think.
- Toss the drained noodles in the sauce until they’re all coated.
- Fill the skins with the noodles and grate parmesan over the top. Bake at 400F for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the cheese melts. Don’t leave them in too long, or the noodles on top will dry out.
- Chop the bacon and top each half with bacon, a spoonful of sour cream, and chives. Serve right away.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make these, let me know what you put on top! I stuck with bacon, sour cream, and chives, but I think these could handle a lot more. What would you add?
