Loaded Baked Potato Salad is a classic potato salad recipe with a spin! All of your favorite baked potato flavors like bacon, cheddar cheese and chives make this a perfect BBQ side dish!
I have a confession to make: Potato Salad is one of my most favorite foods. I know it’s weird. Certainly give me a chocolate chip cookie any day of the week and I won’t argue, but when I am presented with a gorgeous bowl of homemade potato salad, I’ll dive first into that bowl of carb heaven.
Loaded Potato Salad Is the Perfect BBQ Side Dish
I’m not sure what it is about potato salad that has me smitten, but if I don’t control myself I will eat myself into a coma. And turns out knowing this about myself, I never tried to make potato salad until very recently. I was too scared that armed with that knowledge I would quickly be weighing in at 400 pounds, give or take.
I will say, that in my attempt at avoiding preparing potato salad, I became an expert at OTHER summer BBQ side dishes like these:
How To Make Loaded Potato Salad
When it comes time for your next BBQ, offer to bring potato salad and surprise them with this fun twist on the classic! No one will be upset when you show up with a recipe full of bacon and cheese…trust me on this. And luckily this recipe is extra easy to throw together, and is even better if it sits in the fridge overnight, so it’s a great make-ahead dish!
Make sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the full ingredient list and instructions.
What You’ll Need / Ingredients
- Potatoes. I use russet potatoes in my potato salad. They have the perfect texture for potato salad when cooked.
- Bacon. This is actually optional, and if you don’t prefer bacon on your baked potato feel free to leave it out! The great thing about this recipe is how adaptable it is!
- Cheese. I use cheddar cheese in my recipe, but again, whatever cheese you like in your potato!
- Sour Cream & Mayonnaise. You need a “sauce” to hold together your potato salad, and in traditional potato salads it’s usually just mayonnaise, but since this is Baked Potato Salad you have to get sour cream in there! You could even do all sour cream if you prefer!
- Vinegar. Just a little vinegar goes into potato salad to give it a slight tang. You could even use lemon juice if you would like, OR you could omit it.
- Chives. Chives or green onions are really nice in this recipe for a slight crunch, flavor, and color!
- Seasonings. I use salt and pepper in this recipe, which is a great place to start. Feel free to get creative with your spices!
What Else Can You Add To Potato Salad
There are so many flavor possibilities for potato salad. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Hot Sauce
- Celery
- Onions
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Blue Cheese Crumbles
- Corn
Type Of Potatoes To Use
Any kind! I like to use russet potatoes because their texture is great, slightly creamy, and the most like a baked potato, which is the whole idea of this salad. Just don’t OVER cook them! But you can absolutely use other varieties of potatoes too.
- Red Potatoes. Red Potatoes are universal in my opinion. They work well in most potato recipes because they hold their shape well and are fairly foolproof!
- Yellow Potatoes. Yukon Gold are great because they have a great balance of starchy and waxy!
- White Potatoes. I don’t use white potatoes very often, but they would work in this recipe too!
What To Pair Potato Salad With
Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Side DIsh
Description
A fun twist on classic potato salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red potatoes, washed and cut into 1 1/2- inch pieces
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 10 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, chopped
- 2 – 3 tablespoons chopped green onions or chives
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and simmer potatoes for 9-10 minutes, until fork tender.
- Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water. Allow them to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- When the potatoes are cooled, place them in a large bowl. Pour the sour cream mixture on top and stir to coat. Mix in the cheese, bacon and green onions, stirring to combine.
- Chill for 3 hours, or overnight.
- Garnish with more cheese, bacon, and onions, if desired.
Notes
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 354
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 594.3 mg
- Fat: 24.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.4 g
- Protein: 9.6 g
- Cholesterol: 38.3 mg
Have you ever used Hormel Bacon Pieces? I’m sure real bacon is more flavorful but looking for a way to use up what I have on hand.
That would work just fine!
Made this last night for a party today. It is a little dry. Should I add more mayo and sour cream?
You can definitely add more mayo and sour cream if you prefer a creamier salad!