Perfectly baked fluffy potatoes are filled with broccoli florets and the most delicious vegan cheese sauce! This oil-free and gluten-free recipe can be enjoyed as a main course or side dish, and it's ready to eat in one hour!
When I was a kid, potatoes stuffed with broccoli and cheese was one of my favorite meals! I'm so happy now that I can eat it again because of this veganized version! There is nothing more filling and satisfying than fluffy baked potatoes filled with a creamy cheesy sauce and broccoli. This is healthy comfort food that can be enjoyed as a main course or side dish. The cheese sauce is really easy to make and everything is ready to eat in about one hour!
Substitutions & Ingredients
To make this stuffed potato recipe, you'll need all of the ingredients below + russet potatoes and broccoli. Let's go over the most important ingredients and substitutions if you need them.
- Potatoes - I like to use a starchy potato, like russet or Yukon gold, but you can use any potatoes you like or have on hand.
- Broccoli - You can use fresh or frozen broccoli, either will work just fine. If you don't have broccoli, you can substitute any veggies you like covered in cheese. Cauliflower florets, asparagus tips, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, or zucchini would all be tasty.
- Sunflower Seeds & Cauliflower - Sunflower seeds and cauliflower are what gives the cheese its creamy texture. If you need a substitute, raw cashews are the best option.
- Red Bell Pepper & Turmeric - These ingredients give the cheese its vibrant yellow color! You can substitute a yellow or orange bell pepper, but don't use green because it will muddy the color.
How To Make Vegan Stuffed Potatoes
First, scrub the potatoes and pierce them with a knife. Bake them for 1 hour or until they're tender (Photo 1). While the potatoes are baking, make the vegan cheese sauce (Photo 2) and steam the broccoli (Photo 3).
Cut each potato in half and push both sides together to make an opening in the middle. Add a spoonful of the cheese sauce in the cavity you just made so you get cheese in every bite! Fill it with broccoli and then generously drizzle more cheese sauce over the top. Garnish with chives.
Serving Suggestions
These vegan stuffed potatoes can be a side dish or the main course! If you choose to serve them as the main course, I like to serve it with a salad on the side like this avocado arugula salad or this lemon tahini zucchini salad. If you want to serve it as a side dish, all of the following main course recipes are delicious with a side of potatoes.
- Lentil Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Smoky Chickpea Wraps
- Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Lentil Meatball Marinara Subs
How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator?
It's best to store the cheese separately from the baked potatoes and broccoli so you can reheat everything easily when you're ready to eat. Put everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge and it should stay fresh for up to 4-5 days.
Can I Freeze It?
The cheese sauce freezes and defrosts perfectly, but it's best to make the baked potatoes fresh.
How To Reheat It
Take the container of cheese sauce out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. Then you can warm it up in a covered bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through.
Notes & FAQ
- Can I use frozen vegetables? You can use fresh or frozen vegetables to make this recipe. I often use frozen cauliflower and red peppers to make the cheese sauce and I use frozen broccoli because I buy the big bag from Costco.
- I don't like the flavor of turmeric, can I omit it? The turmeric powder is not for flavor, it gives the cheesy sauce its vibrant yellow color. You can omit if you really need to, but you really can't taste it and the color of the sauce will be much paler.
- What other potatoes can I use? Any kind of potato would be delicious, even sweet potatoes. You could use small new potatoes, or you could cut the potatoes into wedges and make loaded cheese fries!
Success Tips
- It's important to soak the sunflower seeds before adding them to the blender so they're softer and easier to blend into a creamy sauce.
- Pierce the potatoes with a fork or knife before baking to keep them from bursting.
- After you cut the potatoes, I like to add a dollop of cheese to the inside of the potato before I add the broccoli so every bite is cheesy.
- Everything will be ready to eat in one hour if you stagger the cooking times. First, get the potatoes in the oven because they take the longest to cook. As soon as you get the potatoes in, you can start making the cheese. When the potatoes have about 20 minutes left to bake, make the broccoli. If you follow these steps, everything will be done around the same time.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze the cheese for a future meal.
Want More Vegan Potato Recipes?
Vegan Scalloped Potatoes Florentine
Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Medium Saucepan
- Large Pan
- Blender
Ingredients
- 6 medium russet potatoes
- 1 lb broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ⅛ tsp salt (add more to taste)
- ⅛ tsp black pepper (add more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Scrub each potato and then pierce it with a knife. Arrange the potatoes on a parchment-lined tray and bake for 45-60 minutes or until tender when stuck with a knife.
- While the potatoes are baking, make the vegan cheese sauce.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, bring ½-inch of water to a simmer, add the broccoli and cover it. Reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for 5-8 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green and tender.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli from the pan. Drain the water and then put the broccoli back into the pan. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper over the broccoli and toss to coat evenly.
- When the potatoes are done baking, slice each one halfway through and squeeze the sides together to make an opening in the center. Put a couple of spoonfuls of the cheese sauce into the center of each potato along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fill each potato with broccoli and then drizzle the cheese sauce over the top. Garnish with chives.
Notes
- It's important to soak the sunflower seeds before adding them to the blender so they're softer and easier to blend into a creamy sauce.
- Pierce the potatoes with a fork or knife before baking to keep them from bursting.
- Everything will be ready to eat in one hour if you stagger the cooking times. First, get the potatoes in the oven because they take the longest to cook. As soon as you get the potatoes in, you can start making the cheese. When the potatoes have about 20 minutes left to bake, make the broccoli. If you follow these steps, everything will be done around the same time.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze the cheese for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 3/28/17 but I updated it on 12/9/20.
