Loaded Baked Potato Salad
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!
Complete the meal with some juicy grilled pork chops or grilled chicken breast and a big green salad. And if you love potato salad recipes, also check out our grilled smashed potato salad!
What is a loaded baked potato salad?
This baked potato salad is a versatile recipe that you can pack to a picnic, serve at a hot summer backyard bbq, or dish up alongside a pan-seared steak when the weather is cool. This recipe is all the best parts of a baked potato or twice baked potato mixed together into one delicious potato salad.
Baked potato salad ingredients
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.
How to make this baked potato salad recipe?
This recipe is made in just four easy steps.
- Cook the potatoes. Put them in a pot of water and boil them until soft. Wait a few minutes for them to cool down then peel and chop them.
- Cook the bacon over low heat for a little longer than you typically would. You want the bacon nice and crispy – think bacon bits!
- Mix the dressing. This is simply some sour cream, mayonnaise, and apple cider vinegar seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Bring it all together. Put the cooked potatoes into a large bowl and mix with the crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, chives, and sour cream dressing. So easy!
Full recipe instructions in the recipe card below.
Wait … aren't the potatoes baked?
Nope! While technically you could baked the potatoes, turning your oven to high heat for an hour in the summer is not something most people want to do – us included.
So rather than heat our homes over a simple summer salad recipe, we've opted to boil the potatoes instead, and the result tastes exactly the same. Because as we all know, baked potatoes are all about the toppings anyway.
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.
How long does this recipe last?
This recipe will keep well for 4-5 days in your fridge. We prefer to eat it when it is room temperature rather than cold straight out of the fridge, but it's tasty both ways.
Can potato salad be frozen?
No, potato salad doesn't freeze well. Potatoes will turn a gritty, mushy texture when frozen.
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:
- Juiciest Baked Pork Tenderloin
- Bourbon Chipotle Steak
- Blackened Ribs with Caramelized Carrots
- Baked BBQ Chicken
- Lemon Salmon Burgers with Lemon Dill
- Best Grilled Chicken Breast
Popular potato recipes
- Grilled Potato Salad with Scallion Pesto
- Grilled Smashed Potato Salad with Chive Lemon Yogurt
- Smoky Roast Potatoes
- Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
- Crispy Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes
Loaded Baked Potato Salad
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 3 lb Russet potatoes
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 Ā½ cups sour cream, can be light
- Ā¾ cup mayonnaise, can be light
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Ā¼ 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.Ā3 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.Ā8 slices bacon
- In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper.Ā1 Ā½ cups sour cream, Ā¾ 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.Ā1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, Ā¼ cup chopped chives
Pin this baked potato salad recipe to save it for later!
Even though I don’t enjoy traditional potato salad, I still really appreciate this. I tweaked the flavor a little by adding chopped pickled jalapeƱos.
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!