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creamy potato salad with cheddar bacon cucumber in ranch dressing in a white bowl

Easy Creamy Potato Salad With Bacon And Cheese

This Creamy Potato Salad With Bacon and Cheese is about to become your favorite potato salad! Serve it warm or cold, doesn't matter. Everyone loves it as there are usually no leftovers, but if there are, they don't last long!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks, see notes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8-10 slices thick-cut bacon or pancetta, diced into ½ inch squares
  • ½ small red onion, diced
  • 1 cup diced cucumber, skin peeled off and seeded (optional), ½ inch dice
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon ranch seasoning
  • 2 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
  • 4 oz cheddar cheese, cubed
  • More parsley and green onions for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Arrange the diced potatoes on the tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Bake for 45-50 minutes until potatoes are turning golden brown and fork-tender. Flip the potatoes twice during cooking to prevent burning and help them to cook evenly. Let the potatoes cool until stirring into the salad. They can still be slightly warm (but there's a risk of potatoes becoming mushy) when serving in the salad but for beautiful presentation allow to cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch dressing, parsley. Cover and let the flavors blend in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Cook bacon on a dry nonstick pan over medium heat until crispy (or to the desired liking). Set aside paper towels to drain the excess fat.
  • Once ready to serve, add all remaining ingredients (potatoes, red onion, bacon, cheese, cucumbers go last) to the bowl with salad dressing. Gently toss to combine and let chill and flavors blend in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Serve with freshly chopped parsley, green onions, and more crispy bacon on top.

Notes

  • Potatoes - red potatoes, purple potatoes, baby potatoes, fingerling potatoes, new potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes (all-purpose potatoes with medium starch content which makes them a safe option here!) are all great choices for the potato salad. These potatoes are called ''Waxy potatoes'' and are good for boiling because they hold their shape well, and their firm yet creamy texture makes perfect potato salads!
  • Creamy dressing - I always use a combination of both Mayonnaise and sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) - in salads as this gives the best flavor. For a thicker and heavier creamy sauce swap the amounts and use more mayonnaise than sour cream instead. Alternatively, you can use store-bought ranch dressing instead. You may need to add more sour cream in this case if it feels too salty or simply overpowering.
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