Instant Pot Volcano Potatoes–hollowed out baked potatoes are filled with sour cream, hot sauce (if desired), bacon and cheese.

Volcano Potatoes (Instant Pot version)
These potatoes are a fun explosion! They are a unique and interesting way to eat a baked potato. The middle is filled with sour cream and if you like a little lava (heat) try stirring in some hot sauce with the sour cream. Don’t forget the cheese and bacon on top to finish off the loaded baked potato experience. When you use the Instant Pot to cook potatoes it only takes a 20 minute pressure cooking time but you can also use your oven for this recipe if you’d like.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Large Russet potatoes–it is helpful to have larger potatoes so that you can hollow them out without breaking them
- Olive oil–or butter
- Kosher salt–or garlic salt
- Sour cream–or plain yogurt
- Frank’s hot sauce–optional
- Shredded cheddar–or another type of cheese like monterey jack or colby jack
- Bacon crumbles–or cubes of ham
Steps
Wash potatoes well and dry. Rub olive oil over potatoes and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Pour 1 ½ cups of water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet or steamer basket in the bottom of the pot. Place potatoes into the steamer basket/trivet. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid.

Use tongs to move potatoes to a cutting board. Let them cool down for about 10 minutes.
In a bowl stir together the sour cream and hot sauce. Spoon it into a baggie and snip the corner off the baggie to be able to pipe the filling into the potatoes.
Use a knife to cup off the ends of each of the potatoes so that they can stand upright.
Using a melon baller or a spoon, carve out the center of each potato, being careful not to make the walls too thin, and to leave a bit of thickness at the bottom as well.

Fill the potatoes with the sour cream mixture by piping it in.
Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of cheese and 1 Tbsp of bacon on top of each potato. Place the potatoes on a pan and put under oven’s broiler (or you can use air fryer lid and Instant Pot) until cheese is melty.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes/Tips
- You can get creative with toppings. Use whatever you like on baked potatoes (chives, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, butter, salt and pepper, etc. )
- This recipe is gluten free.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- You can also make this recipe in the oven. Bake potatoes in foil at 425 degrees for 45-60 minutes (depending on size of potato).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Other recipes you can make with bacon crumbles are loaded overnight breakfast casserole and Instant Pot Loaded Chicken and Potatoes.
More Instant Pot Potato Recipes…
Natalie’s Potatoes
An easy Instant Pot recipe of cubed red potatoes in a sour cream sauce with cheese.
Skyler’s Perfect Potatoes
Cubed potatoes in a cheesy sour cream and onion sauce made fast in your Instant Pot. With only 5 ingredients this recipe comes together in a snap.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.


Volcano Potatoes
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Description
Hollowed out baked potatoes are filled with sour cream, hot sauce (if desired), bacon and cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 large Russet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp Frank’s hot sauce
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
- 1/4 cup bacon crumbles
Instructions
- Wash potatoes well and dry. Rub olive oil over potatoes and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Pour 1 ½ cups of water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet or steamer basket in the bottom of the pot. Place potatoes into the steamer basket/trivet. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Use tongs to move potatoes to a cutting board. Let them cool down for about 10 minutes.
- In a bowl stir together the sour cream and hot sauce. Spoon it into a baggie and snip the corner off the baggie to be able to pipe the filling into the potatoes.
- Use a knife to cup off the ends of each of the potatoes so that they can stand upright.
- Using a melon baller or a spoon, carve out the center of each potato, being careful not to make the walls too thin, and to leave a bit of thickness at the bottom as well.
- Fill the potatoes with the sour cream mixture by piping it in.
- Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of cheese and 1 Tbsp of bacon on top of each potato. Place the potatoes on a pan and put under oven’s broiler (or you can use air fryer lid and Instant Pot) until cheese is melty.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Method: Instant Pot or Oven
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Really love the name of these ‘taters & they look so yummy! They don’t look anything like the ‘Volcano Potato’ I made once when I put a big tater in the microwave, forgot to stab it first with a fork & cooked it too long. Now, THAT was a real ‘Volcano Potato’…..what a mess….redecorated the whole inside of my microwave, but not in a good way.
Oh man I hate when something explodes in the microwave…such a pain to clean up!
Curious as to what you do with the potato parts you carve out. Could you not add it in with the sour cream mixture and pipe it back in to the center of the potato as well? Similar to 2x baked potato?
I thought the same thing. Would want to use the potato that was removed. As you said similar to a twice baked potato.
yep for sure you could do that! will be amazing.