Ranch Potato Salad

The easiest potato salad recipe ever! Ranch Potato Salad is loaded with tender red potatoes, sharp Cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and fresh green onions. This salad has a quick two-ingredient ranch and sour cream dressing.

This fun twist on a classic Potato Salad will be a hit anywhere it’s served. And there is nothing like this salad served alongside this favorite Burger Recipe!

Ranch Potato Salad

Ranch Potato Salad was one of my dad’s signature summer dishes and to this day we still make it just about every summer. It’s a fun flavor variation on a typical potato salad, reminiscent of a baked potato loaded with lots of sour cream and cheese. The ranch seasoning completely takes the flavor to the next level. This salad is creamy, savory, salty, and cheesy. We’re totally obsessed with it and I hope you love it too!

Let’s talk about boiling the potatoes

We cover the potatoes in cold water and then bring the water to the boiling point. At this point, we salt the water and then actually reduce the heat to low so that the water is just barely simmering. We don’t cover the pot. (Covering changes the environment in the pot and can cause mushy potatoes.)

Potatoes will cook in the same amount of time whether simmering or boiling, but simmering prevents the spuds from bouncing around– which helps them keep from becoming mushy. Nothing ruins potato salad like mushy or water-logged potatoes!

A few potato boiling tips

• Salt the water. Once the water comes to a boil, salt the water generously. This will flavor the potatoes, which in turn will make the salad that much more delicious. If the potato salad tastes flat or bland, the potatoes were probably under-seasoned. My rule of thumb: add 1 teaspoon salt to every 4 cups of water.
• Start the potatoes in cold water. When boiling potatoes, it’s important to start them in cold water because this allows the potatoes to cook evenly (otherwise the outsides will cook quicker than the insides!)
• Check the potatoes often. If the potatoes cook too long, they’ll end up mushy or waterlogged. Check them often for tenderness; as soon as you can pierce the potatoes with a fork, they’re ready.

Ranch Potato Salad notes

• I usually leave the skins on the potatoes. It adds color and a bit of texture. Plus, it’s not worth the trouble to peel them; with thin potato skins, there isn’t much of a difference.
• Make in advance. While Ranch Potato Salad isn’t a major time drain, it may take longer than you think. The potatoes take a good amount of time to prepare, cook, and cool. After the rest of the salad is put together, it also needs to chill for a bit.  As the salad chills, the flavors intensify and meld; everything tastes better cold instead of at room temperature, so don’t rush the chilling times.
• Make sure to thoroughly drain the potatoes. Thoroughly drain the potatoes after simmering. I highly recommend giving them enough time to drain and dry before using them in the salad–otherwise, you may end up with a watery, bland Ranch Potato Salad.
• Use a good ranch seasoning mix. While you can certainly make your own, the idea of this salad is quick and easy! We like Hidden Valley Ranch® seasoning mix best (not sponsored) and have found other brands to lack flavor or be overly salty.

Make ahead and storage suggestions

Make Ranch Potato Salad at least an hour before serving so it can be thoroughly chilled. It can be made up to 4 hours in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Leftover potato salad will stay fresh (properly stored) for 3-4 days. If you are making it in advance, I recommend adding the bacon right before serving if you’d like it to remain crispy.

More potluck favorites

• Broccoli Salad with a creamy dressing
• Greek Pasta Salad with a Greek-inspired vinaigrette
• Oreo Fluff creamy and sweet dessert salad
• Macaroni Coleslaw Salad potluck mash-up salad
• Fruit Salad Recipe with a citrus vinaigrette

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5 from 11 votes

Ranch Potato Salad

By Chelsea Lords

Ranch Potato Salad is as easy as it gets! Loaded with tender red potatoes, Cheddar, crispy bacon, and green onions, all tossed in a quick ranch and sour cream dressing.

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 sides

Equipment

• Large pot

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 pounds red potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 2 cups sour cream regular or low fat
• ▢ 1 (1-ounce) package ranch dressing mix dry, see note 1
• ▢ Pepper to taste
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• ▢ 14 to 16 slices bacon
• ▢ 1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Instructions 

• Leave the peel on the red potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Put potato cubes in a large pot and cover with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add salt. (I add 1 teaspoon per every 4 cups of water.) Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low (at a bare simmer), and cook uncovered for 8–15 minutes or until potatoes are tender (easily pierced with a fork). Check often to avoid overcooking the potatoes—that will cause a mushy salad.
• Drain potatoes and run under cold water. Let stand to dry completely before adding to the salad.
• Meanwhile, mix ranch dressing packet (see note 1) with the sour cream. Whisk until smooth.
• Cook and drain the bacon; chop coarsely.
• Place completely cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Add chopped bacon (see note 2), shredded Cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions. Pour dressing over everything and gently toss to combine. Add cracked pepper to taste.
• Covered, in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour) before serving.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: I like Hidden Valley Ranch® seasoning mix best (not sponsored) and have found other brands to lack flavor or be overly salty. If you are sensitive to salt or concerned, start with half the seasoning mix and add more gradually.

Note 2: If you’d like the bacon to stay crispy (instead of a softer/chewier texture), add the bacon to top individual servings. Mixing bacon into the salad softens it.

Storage: Leftover potato salad will stay fresh for 3–4 days. If you make it in advance, add the bacon right before serving if you’d like it to remain crispy.

Nutrition

Calories: 730kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 797mg | Potassium: 1043mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1507IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 544mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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