I love this Loaded Potato Salad because it takes everything I enjoy about a loaded baked potato and turns it into a creamy, crowd-friendly side dish.
It combines soft potatoes with creamy dressing and all the familiar flavors of bacon, cheese, and green onions. It’s perfect for cookouts, potlucks, or family dinners.
Table of Contents
Loaded Potato Salad Recipe
Key Ingredients
Russet potatoes are the perfect potato type here. They have a starchy, tender texture that holds together in cubes while soaking up plenty of the creamy dressing.
Bacon makes this salad taste like a loaded baked potato instead of a plain potato salad. I always cook a few extra slices because some inevitably disappear before the salad is finished.
Sharp cheddar brings a tangy bite that mild cheddar just doesn’t have. It’s the flavor that ties the bacon and green onion together.
Sour cream and mayonnaise give the dressing tang and richness, so it’s neither too sharp nor too heavy. If you use all mayo, the dressing will taste flat, and all sour cream turns thin and sour.
Tips to Make It Perfect
Don’t overcook the potatoes: Cook the potatoes just until they’re fork-tender. If you cook them too long, they can fall apart when mixed and make the salad mushy.
Let the potatoes cool slightly before adding the dressing: This helps the potatoes absorb flavor without making the sour cream or mayonnaise dressing thin.
Chill before serving: I often refrigerate the salad for at least an hour before serving. This gives the dressing time to settle into the potatoes and helps all the flavors come together.
Here’s how to make the loaded potato salad:
Loaded Potato Salad
A hearty potato salad loaded with bacon, cheddar, and green onion in a creamy sour cream and mayo dressing. Tastes like a loaded baked potato in salad form.
Ingredients
- 3 lbsrusset potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 8 slicesbacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 1 cupshredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cupsour cream
- ½ cupmayonnaise
- 4green onions (sliced)
- 1 teaspoongarlic powder
- ¾ teaspoonsalt
- ½ teaspoonblack pepper
Instructions
- 1Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until fork-tender. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes.
- 2In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- 3Add the warm potatoes, most of the bacon, most of the cheddar, and most of the green onions to the bowl, reserving some of each for topping. Gently fold together until evenly coated.
- 4Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- 5Top with the reserved bacon, cheddar, and green onions before serving.
Nutrition per serving
📌 Notes
- Dress the potatoes while they're still warm so they soak up the flavor instead of just getting coated on the outside.
- Don't overcook the potatoes or they'll turn to mush when you fold in the dressing.
- Save some bacon, cheese, and green onion for the top. It makes the salad look as loaded as it tastes.
- Tastes even better the next day once everything has had time to chill together.
How to Pair
Loaded potato salad tastes creamy, smoky, tangy, and savory. Its rich dressing and hearty toppings go best with grilled foods, crisp vegetables, and refreshing drinks.
- Serve it with grilled burgers, barbecue chicken, or smoky pulled pork for a satisfying cookout meal.
- Pair it with corn on the cob, crisp coleslaw, or a simple tomato salad to balance the creamy texture.
- Enjoy it alongside hot dogs, bratwurst, or grilled steak at picnics and backyard gatherings.
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