A good loaded baked potato salad should taste like the best parts of a steakhouse baked potato. Smoky Bacon, creamy dressing, sharp cheddar and tender potatoes that still hold their shape. My version of potato salad with bacon stays rich and creamy, without being over dressed, so the potatoes shine as the star of the show. Classic American Comfort Food never tasted so good.
I’m pretty picky about my potato salads. I have my long time family recipe that I refer to as my Classic Potato Salad that I can make it in my sleep. But we love potato salads so much it’s fun to test other versions. And after several test batches of this Potato Salad with Bacon, this recipe has won a place in our potato salad loving hearts. Once I got it just right my husband said “Wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you made it like this all the time.”
You simply can’t lose with sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese and crumbled bacon combined with America’s favorite comfort food; potatoes.
What Is Loaded Baked Potato Salad?
Loaded baked potato salad is a creamy potato salad inspired by a classic loaded baked potato. It's made with potatoes, bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and chives. Or green onions if you’d like. Unlike traditional mustard and mayo potato salad, this version is richer, creamier, and often served chilled at summer cookouts, BBQs, and potlucks.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe, Why It Works
- It’s creamy without being too heavy .
- Bacon stays crisp.
- My recipe uses a good balance of sour cream and mayo for better flavor.
- Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape beautifully.
- You know me and Southwestern flavors. You can easily spice this one up.
- Ideal make-ahead comfort food recipe that perfect for BBQs, burgers, steaks, and smoked meats. Example, I served this with grilled jalapeno cheddar brats last night and it was a great combo.
Testing Notes From My Kitchen
After several rounds of testing, here's what made the biggest difference:
- Starting potatoes in cold water and gently bringing them to a simmer, cooked them more evenly.
- Overcooked potatoes absorbed too much dressing.
- I’ve found that the biggest mistake people make is overdressing hot potatoes or using the wrong potato variety altogether. Stick with low starch Yukon Gold or red potatoes. High starch Russet potatoes can become soggy.
- Pre-shredded cheese became grainy after chilling. Buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself.
- Bacon added during the mixing process, didn’t soften after sitting. As long as it’s cooked just to crispy stage.
- For one batch, I added a little smoked paprika, which gave the salad a subtle Colorado cookout flavor.
The best version came after chilling for 2 hours, then folding in extra bacon and green onions just before serving.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potatoes: I like to use petite Yukon gold or red potatoes. Once cut in half, they’re pretty much bite sized and you don’t have to peel the skin. Or use regular sized Yukon Gold Potatoes.
- Sour Cream and Mayonnaise: Make up the creamy sauce.
- Cheese: I like medium or sharp cheddar here. Either of these would be traditional for loaded baked potatoes.
- Bacon: Bacon, good quality, thick cut, and cut into “bits”.
Step By Step Instructions
Prepping Potatoes For Potato Salad
- Step 1: Rinse the potatoes and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Step 2: Add the potatoes to a large Dutch Oven. Cover with water, add about a tablespoon of salt and gently bring to a simmer. Cook about 15 – 20 minutes or until tender.
Boiling Potatoes For Potato Salad, How Do You Know When They’re Done? The fork test: Insert a for into one of the potato chunks. It should easily release without the potato breaking apart.
Mixing It All Together
- Step 3: Drain the potatoes well in a colander. Let them cool for about 10 minutes. Then add them to a large bowl. Add the mayo, sour cream, most of the grated cheese and and most of the cooked bacon bits.
- Step 4: While the potatoes are still warm, use a large spoon to gently stir until ingredients are combined.
- Step 5: For best results, chill a couple of hours before serving. Top with more shredded cheese and the remaining bacon. Garnish with chopped chives.
Colorado Cookout Twist
Living in Colorado, potato salad shows up at nearly every summer gathering, especially alongside Grilled T-bone Steaks, burgers, smoked brisket, and green chile dishes, like these Green Chile Cheeseburgers.
For a Southwestern spin, I sometimes add:
- Roasted Pueblo or Hatch chiles
- Pepper jack cheese in place of cheddar.
- A healthy pinch of smoked paprika of New Mexico Chimayo Red Chile Powder.
The smoky heat pairs especially well with grilled beef recipes and BBQ comfort food.
Tips For Success
- Using The Wrong Potatoes: Use low starch waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes. They’ll hold their shape better, and are less likely to become mushy like russet potatoes.
- Don’t Overmix: When adding ingredients to any potato salad, while the potatoes are warm, gently stir until ingredients are combined. Too much stirring may break apart the potatoes and ruin it’s chunky texture.
- Under Seasoning: Potatoes need a lot of salt. Don’t skimp on salt during the cooking process.
- Dry Potato Salad: It the potato salad seems dry once it’s sat for awhile, add a little milk and gently stir. Adding more mayo or sour cream may be too heavy. Use your own judgement here.
What To Serve It With
Potato salad is one of those sides that will go with about any main course.
- Burgers
- Steaks
- Ribs
- or Grilled Chicken
So, want to feel just a little more welcome at your next back yard BBQ, pot luck, roof top gathering party? Offer to bring this unique Loaded Baked Potato Salad version.
Storage
- Store any leftover potato salad in the refrigerator in a well sealed container for up to 4 days. Note: Since this is a mayonnaise based dish, don’t let it sit at room temperature for over two hours.
FAQ’s
Yes, please do. Any type of dish like this improves in flavor over time. Loaded potato salad actually tastes better after several hours in the refrigerator because the dressing has time to absorb into the potatoes.
Short Answer, no. With ingredients like sour cream and mayonnaise, freezing potato salad would compromise the texture of the dish.
Yukon Gold and red potatoes hold their shape best and stay creamy without becoming mushy.
The best loaded baked potato salad uses both. Mayo adds richness while sour cream adds tang and classic baked potato flavor.
About 3 to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
Overcooked potatoes or dressing warm potatoes too heavily can release excess moisture.
Loaded baked potato salad sits somewhere between backyard BBQ food and steakhouse comfort food. It's rich, creamy, and familiar and the kind of side dish people quietly go back for twice.
After testing multiple versions, this method consistently delivered the best texture and flavor balance. The warm-seasoned potatoes, shredded cheese and crispy bacon finish make it feel homemade in the best possible way.
Explore More Comfort Food Side Dishes
And if you’re looking for even more side dishes for picnic style gatherings, don’t miss this line-up of Summer cook-out sides. I’m positive you’ll find something you love. And check out my category for side dishes, you’ll find lots of great recipes including the most popular Summer cookout side dish on my site for Fleming’s Steakhouse Chipotle Mac and Cheese.
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Potato Salad with Bacon (Loaded Baked Potato Salad)
Ingredients
- 8 slices Bacon thick cut cooked and crumbled
- 2 pounds Petite potatoes red skinned or Yukon gold
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- ¼ Cup Mayonnaise heaping
- 1 Cup Cheddar cheese shredded
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly grated Black Pepper
- ⅛ Cup Chives Chopped
Instructions
- Cook bacon until crispy and then cut into bacon bits. Set aside.
- Wash and cut the potatoes into oversized bite-sized pieces. Cover with cold water and gently bring to a simmer. Cook about 15-20 minutes or until for tender. Do not overcook or the potato salad will be mushy.
- Drain potatoes in a colander and let sit for 10 more minutes. This is to let the potatoes cool down a bit before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Place the cooked potatoes into a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, most of the cheese, and most of the bacon (reserve some cheese and bacon for topping) Use a large spoon to gently mix.
- For best results, refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. Garnish with more shredded cheese and the remaining bacon. Top with chopped chives.
Notes
- Using The Wrong Potatoes: Use low starch waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes. They’ll hold their shape better, and are less likely to become mushy like russet potatoes.
- Grate Your Own Cheese: Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Bags of pre-grated cheese contain chemicals to keep them from clumping. Which can also cause the cheese to become grainy when used in salads like this.
- Don’t Overmix: When adding ingredients to any potato salad, while the potatoes are warm, gently stir until ingredients are combined. Too much stirring may break apart the potatoes and ruin it’s chunky texture.
- Under Seasoning: Potatoes need a lot of salt. Don’t skimp on salt during the cooking process.
Nutrition
Loaded Baked Potato Potato Salad …It’s what’s for a Back Yard BBQ
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Nice. Such yummy ingredients. Potato salad is one of the great dishes of summer!
Hey, Lea Ann, this does look like a great traditional potato salad alternative. (Was just in your neck of the woods visiting the nieces. We found a great little park for a picnic close to a rec center there. As we were trying to find their favorite fast food restaurant for our “to-go” picnic, I told The Hubs, “I know a blogger who lives here.” )
Were you in Highlands Ranch??? You are so darn sneaky!!! 🙂
We have a party with fellow competition BBQrs this weekend and we’re supposed to bring a side. I’m thinking something along these lines would be great.
We really liked this potato salad Chris. It’s a crowd pleaser.
Loaded Potato anything is just pure love on my part!! Perfect for a picnic!!!
Thank you Kim!