This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This bacon ranch potato salad is packed with bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and green onions tossed in a tangy Ranch dressing. Perfect for summer cookouts!
We all know I have a thing for summer side dish salads, especially if they contain bacon or my one true love, potatoes. Have you seen my broccoli salad recipe or my honey mustard potato salad?
I think both of them are the perfect window into my flavor-loving heart.
This bacon ranch potato gives you both creamy soft potatoes and loads of crispy bacon but also throws in sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, and a creamy Ranch dressing.
Yeah, it’s pretty much the best potato salad on planet Earth.
I like to use thick sliced bacon for this recipe because it makes super crispy bacon nuggets. However, you can use precooked bacon or even packed real bacon bits if you’re short on time.
I made the homemade potato salad dressing by mixing mayonnaise, sour cream, Ranch seasoning, and garlic powder. It’s tangy, salty, and packed with Ranch flavor. It pairs perfectly with pillowy potatoes, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and green onions.
This ranch potato salad is a real Midwest treat!
Ingredients needed
- Baby potatoes
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Ranch seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Crispy bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions
How to make bacon ranch potato salad
This salad is simple but still packed with delicious flavor. It’s a great addition to your family potluck or weeknight dinner.
- Bring your potato to a boil. Drain and set aside when soft.
- Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, Ranch seasoning, and garlic powder.
- Cook your bacon until crispy and crumble.
- Add cooked potatoes, Ranch mixture, bacon, shredded cheese, and green onion in a mixing bowl.
- Stir until thoroughly combined, cover, and let sit in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Don’t use starchy potatoes like Russet, as they crumble and become soft when boiled.
- You can use larger red or yellow potatoes, but you’ll want to cut them into bite-size pieces.
- Replace pork bacon with turkey or beef bacon if you do not eat pork.
- Add up to 1/2 cup more sour cream if you want a heavily dressed potato salad.
- Hard-boiled eggs make a protein-packed addition.
- If you’re short on time, use packaged bacon bits.
- Replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt to cut down on fat.
FAQ’s
More potato salad recipes
Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 (1 ounce) packet Ranch seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound bacon, thick sliced
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water until the potatoes are covered.
- Set over high heat, boil, and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Drain and let cool in a colander while you prepare the filling.
- Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, Ranch seasoning, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Place in the fridge while you cook your bacon.
- Place a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add your bacon and fry until crispy.
- Once cooked, place on a paper towel lined plate.
- Chop your bacon into small pieces.
- Add your cooled potatoes to a large mixing bowl along with your crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, green onion, and Ranch mixture.
- Stir to combine until evenly coated. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have a magical Monday!
Nom! I must try this recipe out, today! Shoot! I’m a fan, an addict, I’ve never eaten this much bacon in my entire life.
From veggie to bacon fetishist. Wheeeeheeee!
This potato salad sounds awesome and I can’t wait to try it. However, I could never send an animal I raised to the hell that awaits at the slaughter house, let alone eat the poor creature that gave love and trust. How can you be so blasé about that?
Hi Susan – I don’t feel like I’m being blasé about butchering of animals. I grew up knowing why we had pigs. We had them for food. I was taught at a young age what why we were raising animals. I think there are a lot of issues with “big business slaughterhouses” but I can guarantee you that was not an issue for our animals. When I say we took them to the slaughterhouse it was a small operation farmer who butchered animals. Animals were treated with respect. I know it’s hard for people to think about people eating their “pets” but it’s just part of living on a farm.
{I just found this}. Raises hand and jumps up and down to be called on! I raised animals for 4-H! We raised rabbits–Champagne D’argents, to be exact. We also had a meat pen, but then when it came time to butcher them, Momma couldn’t cook them. Daddy was not pleased, so he traded them for some squirrel. Yeah. I’m pretty midwestern, huh? Also, I had a guinea pig named Petunia, who sadly died right after I went to college. I’m pretty sure it was from a broken heart. I loved her dearly (also loved my rabbits a lot, too).