Loaded Baked Potato Salad with Bacon, Cheddar, and Chives
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If you like baked potatoes, then you will LOVE this loaded baked potato salad! Soft potatoes are all wrapped up in a sour cream dressing and loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives … all of our favorite baked potato toppings!
This baked potato salad is everything I love about a classic baked potato, turned into a creamy, comforting salad. Tender potatoes are tossed in a tangy sour cream dressing and loaded with all the good stuff—crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and plenty of fresh chives. It tastes just like a fully loaded baked potato, only in scoopable, shareable form.
It’s also one of those recipes that fits in just about anywhere. I’ll pack it for a picnic, serve it at a summer backyard BBQ, or serve it alongside a pan-seared steak when the weather turns cooler. It’s just as welcome at a casual cookout as at a cozy dinner table, making it a recipe I reach for again and again.
And before you ask… nope, the potatoes aren’t actually baked. While you could bake them, cranking the oven for an hour in the middle of summer isn’t exactly appealing (at least not to me). Instead, I boil the potatoes, which keeps the kitchen cool and tastes just as good. After all, baked potatoes are really all about the toppings anyway.
Key ingredients you’ll need
Soft potatoes – We love russet potatoes in this recipe. They’re perfectly starchy and will give you that perfect baked potato taste.
Crispy bacon – Regular cut bacon works best in this recipe as thick-cut doesn’t get as crispy. Don’t rush cooking the bacon; it will get crispier if you cook it on lower heat for longer.
Tangy sour cream – Light sour cream works just as well as regular. And if you wanted to lighten things up even more, Greek-style yogurt could also be used. Just know that it won’t be quite the same as using sour cream.
Aged cheddar cheese – Aged cheddar has the best flavor and texture, which is why we always reach for it. Both white and orange cheddar can be used in this potato salad.
And a generous sprinkle of chives – We love little chives, but green onions work here, too. If you don’t have chives on hand, mince some red onion and use that instead.
Variations to try
- Make it a warm potato salad. Instead of letting the potatoes cool, serve the salad right away. When it’s warm, it tastes EXACTLY like a fully loaded baked potato.
- Switch up the cheese. Get a little fancy and use aged white cheddar. Or goat cheese gives it a nice little tangy flavor.
- Lighten it up with some crispy turkey bacon.
- Use green onions instead of chives.
What to serve with this loaded baked potato salad
Anything that goes well with baked potatoes or mashed potatoes will go well with this salad. Here are a few ideas:
Loaded Baked Potato Salad with Bacon, Cheddar, and Chives
Ingredients
- 3 lb Russet potatoes
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 ½ cups sour cream (can be light)
- ¾ cup mayonnaise (can be light)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Instructions
- Place the whole, unpeeled potatoes into a large pot and cover them with water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Drain the pot and set the potatoes aside to cool. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into chunks.3 lb Russet potatoes
- While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon. Add the bacon to a large pan over medium heat. Once some of the bacon fat starts to render, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the bacon is crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan and let it cool for a few minutes before crumbling it into smaller pieces.8 slices bacon
- In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper.1 ½ cups sour cream, ¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Add the chopped potatoes, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives to a large bowl. Pour the sour cream dressing over the top then gently mix the potato salad. NOTE: this salad tastes best if you let it rest in your fridge for 2 hours.1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, ¼ cup chopped chives
Notes
Nutrition
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I added 1/2 cup chopped green onions. Love this salad!
Can you leave the potato peels on instead of peeling them?
Absolutely! It will give you a more rustic texture, but I often make it that way.
Outstanding and everyone loved it !
Even though I don’t enjoy traditional potato salad, I still really appreciate this. I tweaked the flavor a little by adding chopped pickled jalapeños.
I made this to serve with steak instead of the usual baked potatoes and it was wonderful! Not sure if I’ll ever go back to regular potatoes – they’re so much better made this way!