Loaded Potato Salad
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Loaded potato salad is a flavorful spin potato salad with potatoes, Ranch seasoning, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and scallions!
This loaded potato salad recipe will have you coming back for more with its amazing flavor combinations! This is the perfect potato salad to serve with Dr. Pepper pulled pork, Mississippi chicken, or slow cooker Philly cheesesteaks!
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Loaded Potato Salad
Loaded Potato Salad
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Why you’ll love this recipe!
📌 The perfectly cooked potatoes!
📌 A flavorful burst from the Ranch seasoning packet and crumbled bacon.
📌 Easy to throw together and perfect for any BBQ or get together.
Loaded Potato Salad Ingredients
- Potatoes – Tri-colored baby potatoes.
- Mayonnaise – Regular mayo works best for this recipe.
- Sour cream – Full fat or fat free will work.
- Seasoning – Ranch seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.
- Bacon – Cooked and crumbled.
- Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese.
- Scallions – Chopped.
How do you make a loaded potato salad? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, wash and quarter the potatoes and place them in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water and place on the stove. Bring the pot to a boil and let the potatoes cook until just fork tender. Carefully drain the potatoes and set aside to cool.
⭐ Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and ranch seasoning. Stir in the bacon, cheese and scallions.
⭐ Then, gently stir in the cooled potatoes to the sauce mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
⭐ Finally, cover and chill the potato salad in the refrigerator before serving. Garnish with more bacon, cheese and scallions if desired.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Preparation
How far in advance can you make loaded potato salad?
You can prepare the dish up to 2 days ahead of time and keep it stored in the refrigerator. I actually like it better the second day after all the flavors have had time to combine!
What kind of potatoes to use for loaded potato salad?
We used tri-color baby potatoes but you can use any variety of baby potato for this recipe. Baby reds or baby yellow potatoes will also work well. The tri-color just gives the dish a bit more flair!
You can also use full sized potatoes peeled and chopped into uniform sizes. The baby potatoes just save you the peeling step!
Can I use bacon bits?
Yes, you could. Fresh bacon cooked and crumbled is what we recommend but if you’re short on time, throw in some real bacon bits and you’ll still get that great bacon flavor.
Storage and leftovers
How long can loaded potato salad sit out?
Potato salad should not sit out at room temperature for longer than two hours, as this is when it will reach a temperature that grows dangerous bacteria.
If yours has been out in excess of 2 hours, it should be disposed of. We like to set our bowl of salad into a larger bowl with ice water to keep it at a safe temperature longer.
Can you freeze loaded potato salad?
We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Tips and tricks
✅ Properly cook the potatoes: To ensure even cooking, cut the potatoes into evenly sized chunks before boiling. Start with cold water and add the potatoes, then bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender but still firm.
✅ Chill the potatoes: After boiling, drain the potatoes and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
✅ More flavor: Add in sliced hard boiled eggs or chopped celery for added texture and flavor.
✅ Make a swap: Use plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream for a lighter potato salad with added protein.
What to enjoy with our loaded potato salad recipe (serving suggestions)
This is the perfect dish for a get together or BBQ. This dish serves up perfectly with instant pot BBQ chicken, BBQ pulled pork, cowboy sloppy joes, or buffalo chicken burgers.
More great summer side dishes
- Deviled egg potato salad
- Fruit salad
- Cookie salad
- Caprese pasta salad
- Orange fluff salad
- 7 layer salad
- Amish macaroni salad
- Tortellini salad
- Italian pasta salad
- Dill cucumber salad
- See all our side dish ideas
Other awesome BBQ recipes
- BBQ chicken nachos
- Smoked chicken legs
- Air fryer bbq chicken tacos
- Baked bbq chicken
- Smoked pork tenderloin
- BBQ chicken pizza
- BBQ chicken taquitos
- Smoked chicken thighs
- See all our easy BBQ recipes!
Tools we love
- Stainless steel mixing bowls – Classic, basic, mixing bowls that everyone should have in your kitchen. You’ve seen me use them on the cooking show at least seventy bajillion times. Ish.
- Stainless Steel Tongs – I’m a huge fan of having a good sturdy set of stainless steel tongs for serving food. Or six. I actually have six. But let’s start with one. These tongs are affordable and work great.
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How to Make Loaded Potato Salad
Loaded Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds potatoes (we used tri-colored baby potatoes)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream*
- 1 envelope ranch dressing mix (1 ounce)
- 12 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 scallions** chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional garnish: extra shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped scallions
Instructions
- Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces and add to a pot of salted boiling water. Cook 10 - 15 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
- While potatoes are cooling, add mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch seasoning, crumbled bacon, cheese, and scallions to a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Gently fold in potatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Garnish with additional bacon, scallions, and cheese before serving, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Loaded Potato Salad
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I feel like you should have named this fully loaded potato salad, because it is! I made this with steaks last night, and it was absolutely perfect.
The best potato salad recipe I’ve ever tried! I make this every summer for BBQs and picnics.
This salad was so easy to make and turned out so good! Such a perfect side or a quick lunch!
This was sooooo darn tasty. Really easy to make and the kids loved it. Thanks!
This is one of the best ways to make a potato salad! So much flavor
This loaded potato salad is a game-changer! Creamy with just the right amount of crunch and flavor. It’s now a staple at all our family gatherings.