Name: Ranch Potato Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2-3 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes, about 8-10 medium potatoes diced and boiled; 1 cup Mayonaise; 1 cup Sour Cream; 2 tablespoons Ranch Seasoning Mix; 2 tablespoons Chives, minced + more for garnishing before serving; 1/2 cup Red Onions, finely diced; 2-3 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded, reserve a handful for garnishing the top before serving; 6-8 strips Thick Cut Bacon, crisped (or bacon bits crisped), reserve some for garnishing the top before serving; Kosher Salt, as needed; Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, as needed

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When I want a perfect and quintessential side dish for a summer holiday, picnic, or barbecue, I immediately think of this Ranch Potato Salad!

It is the salad that dreams are made of and served next to a perfectly grilled burger, or ribs slathered in BBQ sauce, it'll have everyone raving. I sure know I can't stop eating it!

Ranch Potato Salad in a glass bowl topped with chives, bacon, and cheddar. Ready to serve.

I take this with me anytime I am invited to a backyard bash and I get so many compliments and requests for the recipe. It quickly becomes everyone's favorite Texas ranch potato salad.

This post was originally written on December 29, 2022, and updated on May 29, 2024.

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Ingredients
Method
Notes & Tips
Substitutions
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Every ingredient plays a precise role in making this recipe great. The tangy sour cream gives this a bit of a loaded baked potato salad feel but also helps the herby ranch seasoning shine.

My favorite part is the bite the red onion brings. One thing I also like to do, which is a bit optional, is to cut the red onions first and let them soak in some vinegar, white balsamic, or rosé vinegar, to give them a little tang and mellow them a bit.

Ingredients needed to make Ranch Potato Salad.

Everything gets balanced out with crispy bacon and my favorite Tillamook cheddar cheese. When tossed together with perfectly cooked buttery potatoes you have potato salad perfection! Well, it's perfect for me anyway.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.

Method

The beauty of this recipe is that it is SO simple to make. Start by chopping your potatoes so they are all about the same size.

Toss them in a pot, fill with water, boil for about 8-10 minutes or till fork tender, drain, and lay them out on a sheet pan. Let them cool completely to room temperature, then toss them in the fridge or freezer to get COLD!

Boiled potatoes cooling a bit before adding the sauce.

Now this is an optional step that you can take if you like. I love the balance of soaking my red onions in a bit of rosé or white balsamic vinegar. This takes the raw edge off, reduces acid reflux from the onion, and brings a really welcome balance to all the richness of this salad.

Onions soaking in rosé vinegar for a quick pickle to take the raw bite off of them.

Whether you choose to start by marinating your onions or not, follow the remaining directions the same way.

While the potatoes cool, make the dressing for the potato salad. Mix together the mayo, sour cream, ranch seasoning, chives, and red onion. Fold in some of the cheddar cheese and add the potatoes when they are cool.

Season with salt and pepper and add a little of the bacon. Reserve some bacon, cheese, and chives for the top so it looks as good as it tastes!

Mixing up the sauce for the potato salad.

Folding in some of the cheddar with the sauce for the potato salad.

Gently fold everything together until evenly combined then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Garnish the top of the ranch potato salad with the reserved bacon, cheese, and chives. Refrigerate the salad for at least an hour before serving to allow all of the flavors to marry together. I mean, you can eat it right away, just know it gets better with a little time.

Ranch Potato Salad in a glass bowl topped with chives, bacon, and cheddar.

Pack this salad for your next Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day party. It is great on the table next to burgers and dogs, and it is always a crowd-pleaser. Any warm summer holiday, barbecue, or pool party needs this salad.

Notes & Tips

When you bring the water to a boil, season the water before or after adding the potatoes. You just want to be sure to season the water at some point, it will help the potatoes have flavor and not taste plain or chalky.

When cutting the potatoes, it really doesn't matter the shape or size. Though I like to cut them into bite-size pieces. What's more important is that whatever size you cut, they are mostly all the same so they cook evenly.

For the best flavor, use freshly grated cheddar cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that will make your potato salad cakey and less enjoyable.

This potato salad holds up really well, it can be made a day or even 2 ahead of serving. It also holds for about 4-5 days in the fridge and still tastes fresh. Just be sure to place it in an air-tight container.

Substitutions

I like to use Yukon gold potatoes because they are nice and buttery soft when cooked. You could use russet or red potatoes, but gold potatoes are much better, in my opinion.

I like to use freshly cooked, thick-cut bacon and chop it up. But you could use bacon bits too. If you opt for them, saute them quickly in a skillet to freshen them up and make sure they are crispy. This also helps to remove some excess fat from them, just be sure you're using real bacon bits if you do this.

I like to use a really good sharp yellow cheddar cheese. However, white cheddar would be great too. Tillamook cheddar is my favorite to use.

Ranch Potato Salad in a bowl topped with chives, bacon, and cheddar, ready to eat!

More of my Favorite Salad Recipes

When I want a dinner salad on a hot summer day I love to make this BBQ Chicken Salad. Throw the chicken on the grill and chop a few veg, toss it all together and you have dinner.

For a quick and easy picnic star make this Simple Chicken Salad that can easily be customized to your liking.

If you love an Italian Grinder sandwich or have seen the viral chopped grinder, you will love this Italian Chopped Salad. It has all those classic flavors but in a stunning salad.

After I throw some steaks on the grill I whip up this Classic Caesar Salad. It takes no time to make and they are a perfect pairing any day!

This is another one of those big dinner salads I love to make. Taco Salad with Doritos is simple and delicious and just feels nostalgic.

Here is another great salad for grilling season. My Tomato Feta Salad goes with just about anything that comes off the grill, and the tomatoes are usually at their peak flavor during the grilling season.

My friend shares this Flank Steak Salad with Balsamic Dressing on her blog and it would make a wonderful supper on a warm summer day.

Ranch Potato Salad in a bowl topped with chives, bacon, and cheddar. Ready to serve.

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📖 Recipe

about 3 pounds

Ranch Potato Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

I really do think that I can call this Ranch Potato Salad perfect! I have never made a recipe that tasted more quintessential.

Ingredients

2-3 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes, about 8-10 medium potatoes diced and boiled
1 cup Mayonaise
1 cup Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Ranch Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons Chives, minced + more for garnishing before serving
½ cup Red Onions, finely diced
2-3 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded, reserve a handful for garnishing the top before serving
6-8 strips Thick Cut Bacon, crisped (or bacon bits crisped), reserve some for garnishing the top before serving
Kosher Salt, as needed
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, as needed

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat on the stove.
Dice the potatoes into even, bite-sized pieces.
Place the potatoes in the boiling water with a tablespoon of kosher salt, stir, and cook until fork tender, 10-12 minutes.
Drain the cooked potatoes out of the boiling water and spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. Allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes at room temp them place them in the fridge or freezer until COLD!
To make the dressing, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, ranch seasoning, chives, and red onion in the base of a large bowl.
Fold in the cheddar, then add the potatoes and fold everything together.
Season the mixture with some salt and pepper and in the bacon. Stir to combine then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding more salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.
Refrigerate the salad for 1-hour minimum for all the flavors to meld, up to overnight.
Before serving, top with the reserved bacon, cheddar, and chives.

Notes

Notes & Tips

When you bring the water to a boil, season the water before or after adding the potatoes. You just want to be sure to season the water at some point, it will help the potatoes have even more flavor.

For the best flavor, use freshly grated cheddar cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that will make your potato salad cakey and less enjoyable.

Substitutions

I like to use Yukon gold potatoes because they are nice and buttery soft when cooked. You could use russets, but gold potatoes are much better

I like to use freshly cooked, thick-cut bacon and chop it up. But you could use bacon bits too. If you opt for them, saute them quickly in a skillet to freshen them up and make sure they are crispy.

I like to use a really good sharp yellow cheddar cheese. However, white cheddar would be great too.

Ranch Potato Salad

Ingredients

Method

Notes & Tips