Loaded Baked Potato Salad
This Loaded Baked Potato Salad ain’t your regular potato salad. It’s creamy, cheesy, and full of all the favorite toppings that make a loaded baked potato so good. We’re talking crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, boiled eggs, sweet pickle relish, and a creamy dressing that pulls it all together. Oh, and I’ve got a little shortcut to make it even easier!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Main Ingredients: 32-ounce package frozen Southern hash browns, eggs, hard-boiled and chopped, bacon strips, cooked crispy and crumbled, shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish or diced sweet pickles, salt and pepper to taste
- Why You'll Love It: This Loaded Baked Potato Salad recipe is creamy, tangy, and packed with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, eggs, and sweet relish. Made with a shortcut, it delivers all the flavor of a classic potato salad recipe with a whole lot less work.
The Easy, Cheesy Potato Salad You’ll Want to Make All Summer
If you ask me, no backyard BBQ or church potluck is complete without a good potato salad on the table. From my German potato salad to my mashed potato salad, you could say I enjoy veering away from the traditional every once in a while. This loaded baked potato salad is another fun twist on a classic, and it’s always a hit wherever I take it.
But the really great thing about this version? Instead of peeling and chopping pounds of potatoes, I take a little shortcut with frozen hash browns. It cuts the cooking time way down, but the end result tastes every bit as comforting as a batch made from scratch. It’s hearty, it’s easy, and if it’s your first time trying it this way, I think you’ll be hooked.
Recipe Ingredients
- Frozen Southern hash browns
- Eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
- Bacon strips, cooked crispy and crumbled
- Shredded cheddar cheese (or sharp cheddar cheese for more bite)
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard (honey mustard and Dijon mustard would all work)
- Sweet pickle relish (or diced sweet pickles)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Variations to Try
- Garnish: Add chopped green onion or freshly chopped chives.
- Make it creamy: For extra creaminess, add ¾ cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
- Add crunch: Add a cup of chopped celery for extra crunch.
- Extra tang: A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice will do the trick.
- Add heat: Spice it up with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
How to Make Loaded Baked Potato Salad
1. Cook the Potatoes
Start by placing your potatoes in a large pot and covering them with cold water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and cook for just 2–3 minutes, until you can easily poke them with a fork.
Tip: Don’t boil the potatoes too long! 2 to 3 minutes is plenty. You want them tender but not falling apart, since they’ll soak up dressing as they chill.
Once they’re done, drain them well in a colander.
2. Mix the Base
Now transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Stir in the cheddar cheese until it melts slightly into the potato mixture.
Then add your mayonnaise, mustard, and relish, stirring until combined.
3. Add the Good Stuff
Go ahead and stir in the eggs, crispy bacon, salt, and black pepper. Give it a taste and add more seasoning if needed – this is your salad, after all!
4. Chill
Pop it in the fridge, covered, for a few hours or overnight.
Trust me, the wait is worth it. The flavors meld together beautifully, and it tastes even better the next day!
My Top Tips for this Potato Salad
- Don’t overcook. Boil the hash browns for just 2–3 minutes. You’re looking for tender potatoes, not mush.
- Mix while warm. Adding cheese to the warm potatoes helps it melt slightly into the potato mixture, making the whole salad extra creamy.
- Chill before serving. Like any good potato salad, this one needs a couple of hours in the fridge for the flavors to come together. Cold potato salad always tastes better the next day.
- Personal preference. Feel free to add favorite toppings like green onions, fresh chives, or even a little creamy sour cream if that’s your style.
Storage
Store leftover potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that potato salad doesn’t freeze well, as the creamy dressing tends to separate, so fridge storage is your best bet.
Loaded Baked Potato Salad FAQs
Yes, frozen hash browns are my shortcut here, but you can swap in red potatoes, russet potatoes, Yukon Golds, or even baby potatoes if you’d rather boil your own. Just cut into bite-sized pieces and cook until fork-tender. The frozen hash browns are simply a time-saver.
Absolutely! This potato salad will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can make it multiple days in advance and let those flavors marry together in the fridge.
Homemade potato salad can easily be the start of the show as a side dish, so I recommend serving it with a simpler main meal, such as grilled chicken tenders, Crockpot beef ribs, maple-glazed pork chops, or slow-roasted beef brisket.
Made this recipe? You’re my kind of people! Leave a star rating and a comment below, so I know how it went. I read every single one!
Ingredients
- 1 32-ounce package frozen Southern hash browns
- 3 eggs hard-boiled and chopped
- 5 bacon strips cooked crispy and crumbled
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- ⅓ cup sweet pickle relish or diced sweet pickles
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cubed hash browns in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once potatoes reach a boil, boil them for two to three minutes and then drain in a colander.1 32-ounce package frozen Southern hash browns
- Place in a large bowl and stir in the cheese. Add mayo, mustard, and relish, and stir again. Add in bacon, eggs, salt, and pepper. Stir.3 eggs, 5 bacon strips, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, ⅓ cup sweet pickle relish, salt and pepper
- Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.
I just tried this and I don’t know what I done wrong but I basically had mashed potatoes..They were already getting smushy before they even started to boil and they taste kinda gritty, these were alright but I don’t think I will make them again and its a bummer cause they were so fast.
Try with canned potatoes. Just drain and proceed.
my Mother canned potatoes when they come in fresh just for the occasion for quick tater salad and she always mashed the taters for mashed tater salad, my Daddy ate it as often as he could get her to make it…. good times
I’ve used the frozen hash browns to make potato salad for years. It does save time! You can just add whatever you like for your version of potato salad and no one will be the wiser! 😉
well i like the idea of the bacon and eggs and cheese with this, but if you have to refridgerate it a few hours or overnight you might as well use up your taters from the bin…oh i know …with the frozen ones you dont have to scrub and peel…i might try it since all the slicing and dicing is eliminated…but i am still going to put in my olives and celery! ~chuckles & giggles~
Yum…..Thanks! Everything is better with Bacon & Cheese in it…… ;D
Just add onions to the list and you’ve made me happy.
A great time saver, but I would ALWAYS have to add chopped onions to any potato salad I make.
Oh I was thinking I couldn’t make it without onions, Jerry! You are so right!
Isn’t this a great idea, even w/o the onions, though?
I like to save time by mixing everything together except the taters and storing it sealed tightly in the fridge. Lasts for days and its ready when I am. Imagine if you did this and combined your hash browns, super simple. Gonna give it a try.
Hi Christy……I know it’s been a while since you posted this recipe. I made my potato salad with the frozen diced potatoes and I used the add ins that my family likes…..diced green and red pepper, celery, radishes and onions. The only problem I have is that my dressing gets runny. Wondering if I am doing something wrong. I use Miracle Whip, garlic and onion powder, celery seed, mustard and celery seed. Any suggestions? I made this Friday for my grandson’s graduation open house on Saturday….disappointed that it was runny. Everybody ate it. but it wasn’t something I was proud to serve!
Hey Helen!
I would try draining your potatoes and letting them sit in the colander for ten minutes. You might even want to sprinkle them with a little salt and toss them while they sit there to help further draw water out. That should fix you right up. 🙂
I did drain them for about 30 minutes and set them in the fridge in the colande over a bowl to catch any drips. I will add salt to them and see if that helps. Thanks Christy, you’re the best!
Try using Real mayonnaise it holds up better than salad dressing which is what miriacle whip is.
Made this today with your slow cooker pulled pork BBQ. I used dill salad cubes instead of the relish and added some of the juice. Family loved it!
I am so glad that the family liked it Mercedith!!!