If you’re looking for something different to put on the table this year, try this super delicious Loaded Baked Potato Salad! With bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions, it has all the fantastic flavor of a loaded baked potato in a cool and fresh potato salad. It’s the best of both worlds!
Potato Salad is one of my absolute favorite side dishes to serve in the summer, especially at those cookouts, bbq, and family gatherings. In fact, it is a staple every single year on July 4th.
And, if you’re looking for something a little different than a classic potato salad, try this super delicious Loaded Baked Potato Salad! It has all the amazing flavor of a loaded baked potato in a cool and fresh potato salad. It’s the best of both worlds!
I especially love how this baked potato salad recipe is one of those that takes minimal prep. I mean sure you have to bake the potatoes, but once you’ve got those babies cooked and cooled, all you have to do is dump it all in a large bowl, stir in the other ingredients, chill, and serve. The end result is a very filling, hearty, and delicious side dish everyone will love!
Should I boil or roast the potatoes for this recipe?
There are tons of recipes out there for something like this, but what makes this version different is the fact that we’re using roasted potatoes rather than boiled. Sure, you can boil the potatoes and make this, but roasting them adds another level of flavor that you’re going to love! I’ve gotten to where I almost always roast my potatoes for potato salad now. So yes, I highly recommend roasting the potatoes in this potato salad recipe.
And, don’t skip the cooling step after you roast or boil the potatoes! You want to keep this dish cool so you don’t end up with a mushy potato salad and melted cheddar cheese.
Do you peel the potatoes or leave the skin on?
With the skin on red potatoes being pretty thin, I usually leave it on. Other types of potatoes with thicker skin, such as russet potatoes, might need to be peeled first. And if I were using those kind, I’d peel them just to be safe. But these thin-skinned potatoes make the recipe even easier by eliminating that step.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs red-skinned potatoes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 (8-ounce) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 (3-ounce) package real bacon bits (about ¾ cup crumbled bacon)
- 5 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash and cut the potatoes into ¾-inch cubes.
- Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Stir to coat the potatoes in the oil then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and tender when pierced with a knife. Allow the potatoes to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, and apple cider vinegar. Mix well.
- In a large bowl, toss the cool potatoes with the dressing, cheese, bacon, and sliced onions. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Add additional salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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It’s so delicious. It’s become a fan favorite and requested at all potlucks. Love that i can finally bring something worthy of talking about 🤣
Ha! Love hearing that, Christie!
The best part of this recipe is the potato’s are baked! Gives such a different and great taste!
Definitely going to make again!
Next time I’m going to add a little more seasoning.
Gotta try this, great salad instead of the usual potato salad
Thanks so much, Laura!
Great recipe.
I subbed a little dijon mustard for the apple cider vinegar as the acid component, based on what was on hand, and added chopped hard boiled eggs. Obviously changed the entire profile but great taste because of this recipe
Ha! Thanks, Robert!
love the recipe … this time we have vegetarians coming for a party. Thoughts on “fake bacon bits?”
They’re certainly not my favorite, but to be able to satisfy everyone, I think they’ll work. Hope y’all enjoy!
Incredible recipe. Delicious and easy to create. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Stacey!
This is SO good! We did the dressing first with the green onions mixed in and set it in the fridge while we did the rest. We roasted our bacon first (400 degrees for @ 14 mins), then reused our foil with the sides flipped up to then toss and roast the seasoned potatoes with the remaining bacon grease along with a little olive oil. At 30 mins I decided they were not tender enough, so I tossed them around and put them back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Very tasty when we mixed all the ingredients together, so I know it will be even better tomorrow! Thank you for such a great recipe! It’s a keeper for sure!
That was GENIUS, Jamie! Sure hope y’all enjoy it!
Can you make the night before?
I did. I made it the night before, popped it into the fridge, and then stirred it really well before serving and it was a total hit at my church BBQ potluck. Perfectly delicious!
Perfect recipe with so much delicious flavor! I wouldn’t change a thing, except for maybe adding a bit of bacon grease in with the potatoes like another commenter suggested. I think it would be wonderful either way. Thanks for the recipe that’s going to become a staple at potlucks and BBQ’s for me.
You’re so welcome! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
I’ve had several readers mention they’ve made this in advance with great success.
Since I was roasting the bacon anyway, I left some of the bacon grease in the sheet pan and tossed the potatoes in it to add just a little bit more flavor in the background. Love this recipe
What a smart way to add flavor! I’m totally doing that next time! Thanks for sharing!
Why bake the potatoes? I usually boil mine in salted water until fork tender. Just curious what the difference would be.
I talk about this up in the post: There are tons of recipes out there for something like this, but what makes this version different is the fact that we’re using roasted potatoes rather than boiled. Sure, you can boil the potatoes and make this, but roasting them adds another level of flavor–more like the loaded baked potato that this salad was inspired by. I’ve gotten to where I almost always roast my potatoes for this potato salad now. So yes, I highly recommend roasting the potatoes in this potato salad recipe.
Excellent potato salad
..almost like my Polish mom used to make..Excellent recipe..I only added celery to it..savory
Thanks, Richard!
I am making this now! I hate waiting, I’ve got fingerling potatoes size of large cherry tomatoes! How long should it take to roast the taters? I’ve been testing at different times during the cooking and still hard to cut. Thank you!
I totally get the impatience! For fingerling potatoes that size, they might take around 30 to 40 minutes at 400°F. Just make sure they’re evenly spread out on the baking sheet for even cooking. You can test them with a fork; they should be tender when done. Hope that helps!
loved your summer salad
Thanks, David!
Would like to know if you could use a thick ranch dressing instead of mayo
I don’t see why not! Enjoy!
This is the only way I will be making potato salad from now on.
I wanted to try the recipe out a couple weeks back, so printed it out. Showed it to my hubby and he said it sounded good too. Made it up last Sunday to go with our little bbq party. I only had 1 uh-oh! while making the dressing, I was out of apple cider vinegar and subbed it with rice wine vinegar. The salad was truly a huge success!
Hearing that you loved the recipe is the best compliment. Thanks for sharing!
Can I use white vinegar instead of the apple cider vinegar?
Sure!
I made this for our church BBQ on Sunday, not a bite was left. It was a hit for sure. I left the skin on the potatoes and served the spring onions in a dish on the side. I added French’s dried onions too. Delish, I’ll be making this again!!
Sounds great, Alva! So happy to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Just a Q: What’s your take on Mayo vs Miracle Whip? We appreciate all of your honest explanations. Thank you.
May is mayo (Duke’s is my personal preference) and Miracle Whip is a salad dressing. In most cases, and the case with all of my recipes, Miracle Whip is not an equal swap for mayo because of the consistency and sweetness. Miracle Whip has its place, but I don’t find it as a suitable replacement for mayo. Hope that helps!
Love your recipes, I seldom comment on any recipes but I print or save a lot of yours. Been following you a long time.
Thanks so much, Jeanette! Happy to hear from you!
Hi! Do you peel the potatoes or leave skin on?
With the thin skin on red potatoes, I usually leave it on.
Making your loaded potatoe/salad now for a family pool party tomorrow ????Looks great !
Hope everyone enjoyed it!!
This sounds amazing!! I will be trying it for a pool party tomorrow. I also cut down my cooking time on potatoes by putting them in the microwave until “not quite” done, then slice them. When oven or stovetop roasting them they get nice a crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. Try it, the smoother “inside” texture gets lots of raves.
Sure hope y’all enjoy!!
I made this for the 4th and it was a BIG hit!! Everyone was asking me for the recipe and my hubby who is not a fan of potato salad had two helpings!! Thank You so much! My daughter said is this Stacey Little’s recipe… 🙂
Love hearing that! So glad everyone enjoyed it!!
Looks so good – will definitely be making this!
Thanks!
WOW! That looks good. I cant wait to try it.
Hope you enjoy!