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Loaded Baked Potato Salad Recipe

If you’re looking for the perfect potluck side dish, choose this Loaded Baked Potato Salad recipe. It’s basically the inside of a baked potato, but in potato salad form.

This recipe won’t use an entire bag of potatoes. So, if you’re looking for ways to finish that bag, check out our list of Budget Potato Recipes for more ideas.

Potato salad with cheese, bacon, and chives in a bowl with the words "Loaded Potato Salad" digitally written on top.

It’s summer. And summer means backyard barbecues and all the sides to go with it. For most people, that means potato salad.

But, you know, traditional potato salad can get pretty boring.

So, if I’m in charge of a side, I make sure to make this Loaded Baked Potato Salad. It has bacon, cheese, sour cream, and green onions — all the baked potato toppings, but it’s served in a large bowl as a potato salad.

It’s always a big hit.

Loaded potato salad in a metal bowl with the words "Easy Potato Salad Recipes" digitally written on top.

If you like this potato salad recipe, but you’re looking for something a little different for next time, you’re in luck. We have a list of Easy Potato Salad Recipes with some more ideas.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad Recipe

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Loaded Baked Potato Salad Ingredients:

How To Make Loaded Baked Potato Salad:

Salt being added to a pot that has water being poured into it.

Add a tablespoon of salt to a large pot of cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat.

Quick note: Don’t skip the salt here. The salted water is the only way to get any flavor into your potatoes. If you skip the salt here, you’ll end up with really bland potatoes, and, in turn, a really bland potato salad.

Diced potatoes.

While you’re waiting for that to boil, peel and dice your potatoes.

Quick note: If you chop the potatoes into large cubes, you’ll have a longer cooking time. You’ll also have a potato salad that’s not really easy to eat. But, if you cut them too small, you’ll risk them dissolving into the water. So, just be mindful that you’re cutting them bite-sized and uniform. 

Diced potatoes in a white bowl being poured into a pot of water.

Add the diced potatoes to the water, turn it down to medium heat, and boil for 15 minutes. They’ll be ready when they’re fork tender.

Cooked diced potatoes in a colander.

Drain them in a strainer, then put them into a large bowl.

Chopped pieces of raw bacon in a pan.

While the potatoes are boiling, cook your bacon until it’s crispy.

Quick note: It’s easiest to chop the bacon into small pieces before cooking it. This will make it cook faster and will mean you don’t have to crumble it later.

Shredded cheese.

Shred the cheese.

Shredded cheese on top of potato cubes.

Add the most of the cheese to the warm potatoes. Gently stir until the cheese starts to melt slightly.

Crispy bacon pieces, green onions, and shredded cheese on top of potato cubes.

Add most of the crispy bacon bits (reserving some of the bacon crumbles for garnish), the rest of the salt, the garlic powder, and most of the chopped green onions (reserving some for garnish).

Sour cream on top of loaded potato cubes.

Add the sour cream and stir gently until everything is combined.

Loaded potato salad.

Let the potatoes cool to room temperature, the put the entire bowl into the fridge. If you have time and can make this the night before, put a lid on the potatoes and chill them in the fridge overnight (or at least for a couple of hours). If you don’t have time, leave them uncovered and chill for at least 20 minutes.

The great thing about potato and pasta salads is that the longer they sit, the more flavor that gets into the potato or pasta, so it’s not bland. If you only have 20 minutes to let it chill and the flavors to meld, that’s fine. But, if you can let them sit overnight, you’ll get the best flavor.

Before you serve, top with the remaining cheese, green onions, and bacon.

A spoon holding a scoop of loaded baked potato salad above a bowl of loaded baked potato salad.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad: Frequently Asked Questions

What types of potatoes are best for potato salad?

Personally, I think Russet potatoes are the best for potato salad. Starchy potatoes, like Russet, as compared to waxy potatoes, like Yukon golds, makes a creamier potato salad.

Do you rinse potatoes in cold water after cooking for potato salad?

Don’t do this, especially when you’re making this loaded potato salad recipe. That will start to cool the potatoes down, so when you add the cheese, it won’t melt. And you really want that melty cheese to coat the potatoes to get the baked potato taste.

Do you have to peel the potatoes before boiling?

For potato salad, I always recommend peeling the potatoes. When you’re boiling potatoes, especially with Russet potatoes, some of the skin can come off into the water, but the majority of it will stay on the potato. So when you’re eating the potato salad, you end up with this weird chewy skin that doesn’t taste good.

​Potatoes with a thinner skin, like red potatoes, don’t need to be peeled because the skin sort of melts away when they’re being boiled. However, we don’t use red potatoes in this recipe, so go ahead and peel your potatoes.

Can you use bagged shredded cheese in this recipe?

Bagged shredded cheese has a preservative in it that prevents it from clumping in the bag. That’s helpful … except when you want cheese to melt. Those preservatives that prevent clumping also prevent melting.

So, anytime you want a melty cheese, like you do in this potato salad recipe, you’re gonna get the best results from shredding your own cheese. If you have a good cheese grater, it only takes a couple minutes to do.

How do you store leftover Loaded Baked Potato Salad?

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last up to five days that way.

Do you use mayonnaise in this Loaded Potato Salad recipe?

There isn’t any mayo or Miracle Whip in this potato salad recipe. You’ll find that in a classic potato salad, but this version uses sour cream instead. So, don’t feel like I missed an ingredient. There isn’t mayonnaise.

Can you use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?

One of my favorite hacks for life is using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It’s really good in a pinch on regular baked potatoes. But, in this recipe, it just doesn’t work.

​You really need that tangy sour cream flavor to bring this recipe together. Plus, the thickness of sour cream coats the potatoes better than Greek yogurt does, so your potato salad feels dressed, not dry.

Yield: 10 Servings

Loaded Potato Salad

If you're looking for the perfect potluck side dish, choose this Loaded Baked Potato Salad recipe. It's filled with bacon, cheese, green onions, and more.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 6 slices of bacon
  • 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 fresh green onions

Instructions

  1. Add a tablespoon of salt to a large pot of cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
  2. While you’re waiting for that to boil, peel and dice your potatoes.
  3. Add the diced potatoes to the water, turn it down to medium heat, and boil for 15 minutes. They'll be ready when they're fork tender.
  4. Drain them in a strainer, then put them into a large bowl.
  5. While the potatoes are boiling, cook your bacon until it’s crispy.
  6. Shred the cheese.
  7. Add the most of the crispy bacon bits, most of the cheese, the rest of the salt, and the garlic powder, to the warm potatoes.
  8. Reserve a little of the bacon crumbles and cheese for garnish.
  9. Gently stir until the cheese starts to melt slightly.
  10. Add the sour cream and most of the chopped green onions (reserving some for garnish) and stir gently until everything is combined.
  11. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature, the put the entire bowl into the fridge to cool. 

Notes

It's best to chill overnight. If not, chill for at least 20 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 225Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 33mgSodium 1483mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 8g

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