Cheesy Potato Cups
Cheesy Potato Cups were a hit with my spud-loving family. The individual portions are ideal for dinner parties, holidays, or even weeknights!
This Cheesy Potato Recipe got these rave reviews at a recent family dinner. “How many can we have?” and “These are really good!” were some of their unsolicited reactions.

Why You Must Make
- I left my Cook’s Country magazine on the counter folded open to the photo of this recipe for Cheesy Potato Cups. Bill walked by and said, “I’d eat those.” Yeah, this I knew.
- Baked in muffin tins, these are like individual portions of cheesy scalloped potatoes. I served these for Christmas Eve, and they were definitely a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Cornstarch
- Panko Bread Crumbs (affiliate links in blue) – Grind in your food processor. AKA Japanese Bread Crumbs
- Butter – At room temperature
- Russet Potatoes – Peeled. Russets work better than waxy potatoes.
- Half and Half – A mixture of equal parts of milk and cream; 10-12% milk fat.
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar – Yellow or White Cheddar work well. You can shred your own or buy shredded cheese.
- Grated Parmesan – Look for real Parmesano Reggiano, never the green can that you can find on the store shelves.

How to Make
Like many Cook’s Illustrated or Cook’s Country recipes, there is a little more work put into making the recipe. There is the pan prep, the microwaving step, then the filling of the tin and baking. But the pan can be prepped ahead of time, the potatoes peeled and left in water so they don’t brown, and the cheese mixture can be combined and parked in the fridge.
- First, Prep the pan. Grease the muffin tin and dust it with ground Panko (Japanese) bread crumbs. Set aside.
- Microwave the sliced potato pieces with the half and half and seasonings.
- Mix together the cheeses and cornstarch and mix most of it into the potatoes.
- Divide the potatoes between the muffin tin openings. Level out the tops as best as possible.
- Top each with some of the reserved cheese mixture.
- Bake, cool for 5 minutes, then Remove cups from the tin.
- Cool for a few more minutes and serve.

Recipe Tips
- Use Russet Potatoes for the best results.
- Prep your pan ahead of time. It can sit on the counter all day if you like!
- Remove each of the cheesy potato bakes from the tin after 5 minutes of cooling time. From experience, I know they’ll sweat and be harder to remove if you forget!!
- Check out these Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Russet potatoes are the classic baking potatoes. The flesh is drier and almost mealy compared with waxy potatoes like fingerlings and red-skinned potatoes.
First, everyone loves individual servings. These are especially nice for company or holidays. Plus, more surface area touching each potato cup as it cooks allows the edges to get nice and crispy.
You May Also Like:
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes from Shugary Sweets
- Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Plus, more tasty Side Dishes.
Cheesy Potato Cups Recipe
Cheesy potato cups baked in a muffin tin. Perfect for dinner parties!
Ingredients
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs, ground in a food processor
- 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
- 1 ¼ cups half and half
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ⅓ cups shredded sharp cheddar
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, then dust each cup with panko crumbs. Set aside.
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then each half into 3 spears. Slice the spears into ¼ inch slices. Place in large microwave safe bowl and add half and half, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 12-15 minutes, stirring once, till tender.
- Toss cheddar, Parmesan and cornstarch in bowl. Add all except ⅓ cup to hot potatoes, and stir till well mixed. Divide mixture between muffin cups and smooth tops. Sprinkle with reserved cheese mixture.
- Bake, covered, for 10 minutes, then remove cover and continue baking 13-15 minutes, till lightly browned. Remove to cooling rack and run knife around perimeter of each cup. Cool 5 minutes then invert onto baking sheet, tapping if necessary to release. Cool 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Cook's Country
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 potato cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 259Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 549mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 11g

88 Comments on “Cheesy Potato Cups”
Those look great, I wouldn’t mind a few on my plate thise evening.
Love Cook’s Country…and these potatoes! I love that they’re portion controlled, which is perfect for the post-holiday scale-back…
My Bill would eat those too! so would I . . . easily! Potatoes are such a weakness for me! So cute too! Great party appetizer idea, Lizzy!
I’m with Bill I’d eat these lol. 🙂 I love potatoes!!!
Liz, these look soooo good!
leef
These look totally YUM! My problem here would be convincing my husband that no, he really DOESN’T need to eat all of them :-p
Hey Lizzy,
This is such a fabulous idea – sort of ‘spicy’ muffins:)We love cheese and we love potatoes and this would be an awesome comfort food that my husband will enjoy lots!Thanks for sharing the brilliant idea and lovely presentation too.
Liz, this is so yummy looking and sounding, wish I had this right now!
My Hubby is a big fan of scalloped potatoes. I think he will like this dish! Thank you for sharing, Lizzy!
I think I need to make these soon. Yummy! My guys would love them.
Cheese and potatoes…two of our favorite food groups. I like the individual serving size portions and think they are so pretty on the plate. This is great game day food.
Wow! They look nice. Even though potatoes are not welcomed in our house but I cook them with different looks every time. this I am sure I can make my family eat it in breakfast. Can I use plain breadcrumbs?
wow..this looks awesome..would love to have some..YUMMY YUMMY..
Bill’s comment was funny! My eldest son loves potatoes, so I’ll think I’ll squirrel this recipe away.
Ooohh these look delicious! My boyfriend would inhale these. I’ll have to try them out! Yum!
Yummm, bet these are great for snacks or sides…
what is half and half, Lizzy?
I do adore cheese, and will eat anything with it 🙂
I have a husband who points out items in cooking magazines and books that he will eat (that would be almost everything). I love this idea of the potatoes in a tin. Definitely saving this. How often do you find cheesy potatoes that are finger food?
I love these snacks. Potatoes, cheese and panco must taste excellent.
Love these! I’m sure this cheesy potato cups are gonna make great snacks at my home! 😉