Loaded Potato Salad

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Loaded Potato Salad is an easy and delicious side dish that is absolutely mandatory for any summer party or get together. This potato salad recipe is easy to make and loaded with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and chopped green onions.

Loaded Potato Salad

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This recipe is simple and can be prepped completely ahead of time with basic ingredients like russet potatoes, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar cheese, mustard, seasonings, and green onions.

If you are looking for other delicious side dishes, check out my Creamy Italian Pasta Salad recipe! This one will disappear real quick at any summer gathering.

Another solid side dish to take to a BBQ or cookout are my Cheesy Funeral Potatoes. These are so good and super easy to make!

Ingredients

  • Russet potatoes, chopped into cubes
  • Mayo
  • Yellow mustard
  • Sour cream
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, ranch seasoning
  • Bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • Green onions, chopped
  • Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Potato Salad Ingredients

Make Loaded Potato Salad

To start making this easy potato salad, start by making some bacon.

If you don’t have any bacon leftover from breakfast cook a 12 oz package of bacon.

Cooking the Bacon

I prefer to bake mine in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes. Be sure to use parchment paper for easy clean up.

Next, get started on your potatoes. I like using 4 large russet potatoes (roughly 3 1/2 lbs of potatoes) for this recipe.

Peel, wash, and chop potatoes into larger bite sized cubes (about 1 inch cubes).

Add your potatoes to a large pot of water and turn the heat up to high.

Boil the potatoes until they are just fork tender. Once the water starts boiling they should cook for about 10-12 minutes depending on the size.

Cooked and cooled potatoes

When you poke a potato with the fork it should go through the potato pretty easily, but not fall apart. Drain water from the potatoes and set them aside.

In a large bowl, add mayo, mustard, and sour cream.

Mayo, mustard, seasonings in a bowl

Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and ranch seasoning.  Stir everything together well.

Add the drained potatoes to the bowl with the mayo mixture. Stir carefully.

You want to stir carefully, so your potatoes stay in bite-sized cubes.

Add most of the crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese. Save just a little bit of each for topping the bowl.

Stir everything together carefully. Top with the saved bacon, onions, and cheese to make it look fancy.

Loaded Potato Salad

Serve Loaded Potato Salad

Once the potato salad is all mixed together, it’s time to eat! This recipe can be served immediately or can chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

This recipe is perfect with some smoked BBQ chicken thighs, smoked baby back ribs, burgers, hot dogs, or even some grilled steaks.

Plated Loaded Potato Salad

You will love this recipe because it is easy to make, delicious, and is the ultimate summer side dish. This recipe is sure to be a hit at any Summer Potluck!

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

  • I like using russet potatoes for this recipe because I always have them on hand. Golden potatoes or red potatoes could also be used.
  • Cook the potatoes until they are just fork tender (about 10-12 minutes depending on size), but be sure not to overcook them to avoid them becoming mushy.
  • Be sure to let your potatoes slightly cool before mixing, so the mayo doesn’t separate or get oily.
  • To make the potato salad look fancy save some of the bacon, cheese, and chopped green onions to top the final dish.
  • You can eat the potato salad immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
  • If desired, you can even add a few chopped hard boiled eggs to this recipe.
Up close scoop up of Potato Salad recipe

Similar Recipes

If you try this Loaded Potato Salad I hope you love it! If you enjoy the recipe, please leave me a comment or save this recipe to your Pinterest account to save it for later.

Loaded Potato Salad

Loaded Potato Salad

This loaded potato salad is easy to make and perfect for all of the Summer BBQs and get-togethers! It's loaded with cheddar cheese, bacon, and chopped green onions.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Loaded Potato Salad
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

  • 12 oz package bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 4 large Russet potatoes (roughly 3 1/2 lbs)
  • 1 1/2 cups of mayo
  • 1 tbsp of yellow mustard
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp ranch seasoning
  • 1 cup green onions chopped
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

  • If you don't have any bacon leftover from breakfast, cook your bacon. I prefer to bake it on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked drain the grease and give it a rough chop. Set the bacon aside.
  • While you bacon is cooking, start working on the potatoes. Peel, wash, and chop potatoes into larger bite sized cubes (about 1 inch cubes).
  • Add the potatoes to a pot of water and turn the heat to high. Boil the potatoes until they are just fork tender. Once the water is boiling they should cook for about 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
  • Drain water from the potatoes and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, add mayo, mustard, and sour cream. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and ranch seasoning. Stir everything together well.
  • Add the drained potatoes to the bowl with the mayo mixture. Stir carefully.
  • Add most of the crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese. Save just a little bit of each for topping the bowl.
  • Stir everything together carefully. Top with the saved bacon, onions, and cheese.
  • Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Enjoy!

Notes

  • I like using russet potatoes for this recipe because I always have them on hand. Golden potatoes or red potatoes could also be used.
  • Cook the potatoes until they are just fork tender (about 10-12 minutes depending on size), but be sure not to overcook them to avoid them becoming mushy.
  • Be sure to let your potatoes slightly cool before mixing, so the mayo doesn’t separate or get oily.
  • To make the potato salad look fancy save some of the bacon, cheese, and chopped green onions to top the final dish.
  • You can eat the potato salad immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
  • If desired, you can even add a few chopped hard boiled eggs to this recipe.
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