Bacon Ranch Loaded Potato Salad is a flavorful side dish that’s ideal for potlucks, cookouts, or game day gatherings. It combines classic baked potato toppings with a creamy ranch-style dressing for a crowd-pleasing dish everyone will ask about.
Potato salad is a summer favorite, and when you pair potatoes with bacon, cheddar, and green onions you get a combination that’s hard to beat. This Loaded Bacon Ranch Potato Salad builds on those familiar flavors, delivering a creamy, tangy, and satisfying side that works with burgers, ribs, or grilled chicken.
Loaded Potato Salad Recipe Ingredients
- Red potatoes
- Thick-cut bacon
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Yellow mustard
- Ranch dressing mix
- Salt and pepper
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onion
Think of all your favorite baked potato toppings combined into a creamy potato salad — deliciously simple. If you prefer to skip ranch, omit the ranch mix and you’ll have a loaded baked potato-style salad that is still excellent.
How to Make Loaded Potato Salad
This recipe is straightforward: cook the potatoes and bacon, make a creamy dressing, toss everything together, chill, and serve. Follow these steps for best results:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cubed potatoes and cook until fork-tender, about 8–10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside to cool slightly.
- While the potatoes cook, crisp the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat or bake until golden and crunchy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then chop and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream (or yogurt), yellow mustard, ranch dressing mix, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and paprika until smooth.
- Add the warm potatoes to the dressing and gently stir until the potatoes are evenly coated.
- Fold in most of the chopped bacon, shredded cheddar, and sliced green onions, reserving a little of each to garnish the top of the salad. Mix gently to combine.
- Transfer the salad to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld. You can serve it immediately if you prefer a warm version, but chilling enhances the flavor.
- Before serving, sprinkle the reserved bacon, cheese, and green onion over the top for a colorful presentation.
The tangy ranch seasonings complement the salty bacon and sharp cheddar, while the green onions add brightness. Feel free to adjust the amounts of bacon and cheese to taste — this salad is forgiving and easy to customize.
This potato salad pairs well with burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, ribs, and many other main dishes. It’s popular at parties, so you might want to double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd.
Recipe Card
Bacon Ranch Loaded Potato Salad
Julie Kotzbach
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
- 6 red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 pounds)
- 5 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 ounce (packet) ranch dressing mix
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 8–10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- While the potatoes cook, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels and chop.
- Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, ranch mix, salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika until smooth.
- Add the potatoes to the dressing and stir until coated.
- Fold in most of the cheese, bacon, and green onion, reserving a bit to garnish. Gently combine.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the reserved toppings, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve chilled or slightly warm.
Notes
- Chilling allows the flavors to meld and improves the overall taste, though the salad can be served immediately if desired.
- If you don’t have a ranch packet, substitute 3 tablespoons of a homemade ranch seasoning mix.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 464 kcal; Carbs: 28 g; Protein: 8 g; Fat: 35 g. Values are estimates and will vary by brands and portion size.
If you love potatoes, this recipe is a great addition to your rotation. It’s reliable, easy to make ahead, and always a hit at gatherings. Enjoy!
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