Loaded Potato Salad Recipe

Southern Living Loaded Potato Salad in a serving bowl ready to serve — Photo:
Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 15 mins

Servings:

This crowd-pleasing loaded potato salad combines all the savory, cheesy flavors of a stuffed potato with the portable and easy-to-serve nature of potato salad. And what's better than a fully loaded potato salad served alongside other colorful sides and hearty proteins at a spring or summer barbecue or potluck? Not too terribly much, that's what.

The flavors of the loaded potato salad play nicely with the robust onion and savory bacon pieces. It’s just the right level of creaminess and thickness—not too watery or too chunky. And it’s even better when you prepare it ahead of time: The flavors bloom the longer they set.

Learn how to make loaded potato salad, and turn to it the next time you need a stellar potluck food.

Ingredients for Loaded Potato Salad

Consider all your favorite toppings for a loaded baked potato. Now, turn them into toppings for a potato salad. That's this recipe in a nutshell.

To make this loaded potato salad recipe, you'll need:

Russet potatoes: We like this potato's natural starchiness. It absorbs more of the dressing, resulting in a creamy potato salad.
Mayonnaise and sour cream: For extra creaminess, use both. Sour cream also adds a great tang, reminiscent of a stuffed potato.
White vinegar: This adds a bit of zip to the dressing and helps make it thinner for mixing.
Kosher salt and black pepper: For seasoning.
Granulated sugar: A pinch of sugar will help balance all the flavors.
Celery seed: Celery seed adds a lot of the flavors of celery (which is in this dish, too), but is a bit more earthy.
Red onion: For great crunch and an oniony bite.
Celery: Adds crunch and a mild, slightly herbal flavor.
Bacon: Keep this off if you don't want it in your salad or are serving a vegetarian crowd, but it adds great savory depth.
Cheddar cheese: Swap with any cheese you like, but the classic Cheddar is used on stuffed potatoes and manages to stand out amid all the other ingredients.
Scallions: A final burst of grassy freshness to finish off the potato salad.

How To Make Loaded Potato Salad

This is a fairly classic potato salad recipe, just with a few extra flavorful ingredients. Here's a brief outline of the process:

Step 1. Cook the potatoes: Boil in salted water until tender. Then drain them and spread them on a baking sheet to cool slightly. Chill the potatoes in a fridge until they're completely cooled.
Step 2. Make dressing: In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, salt and pepper, sugar, and celery seed.
Step 3. Finish potato salad: Add to the dressing the cooled potatoes and red onion, plus some of the bacon, cheese, and scallions. Chill the potato salad about 30 minutes.
Step 4. Garnish and serve: Once chilled, finish the potato salad with the remaining bacon, cheese, and scallions. Serve immediately.

What Are the Best Potatoes for Loaded Potato Salad?

As a category, potatoes range from waxy to starchy, so choose potatoes for potato salad depending on the type of potato salad you like.

Potatoes on the waxy end of the spectrum (like fingerlings and red potatoes) hold their shape even after they're cooked. On the other end, starchy potatoes, like russets and Idahos, can fall apart after being cooked, but they easily absorb other flavors and ingredients like mayonnaise.

How Long Should You Boil Potatoes for Loaded Potato Salad?

In general, potatoes for potato salad are done when they are fork tender but not mushy.

For this recipe, that's about 10 minutes. You'll bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Then, add the potatoes, and cook them uncovered for about 10 minutes before draining.

How To Store Loaded Potato Salad

When it is stored in the refrigerator, fresh potato salad should keep for up to five days. But if you doubt its safety, just throw it out; it’s better safe than sorry with perishables.

Ways To Serve Loaded Potato Salad?

Loaded potato salad goes great with a grilled steak or, more casually, with hot dogs. But any time you'd welcome a bowl of potato salad at a get-together or dinner, bring this recipe instead for a welcomed change of scenery. It delivery the creamy, tender side everyone knows and loves but with bigger, more savory flavors.

More Classic Side Dish Ideas

If you're filling out a dinner menu with potato salad, don't miss these great sides:

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.

Southern Living Loaded Potato Salad in a bowl to serve — Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Ingredients

3 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces (about 7 cups)
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion (from 1 small [4 oz.] onion)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery (from 3 large stalks)
10 thick-cut bacon slices, cooked and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup), divided
9 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
1/2 cup sliced scallions (from 2 large scallions), divided

Directions

Cook the potatoes:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Stir in potatoes, and cook over high, uncovered, until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well. Spread potatoes evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; cool 5 minutes. Place in refrigerator, and chill until completely cool, about 15 minutes.

Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Make dressing:

Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, and celery seed in a large bowl until smooth.

Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Mix potato salad and chill:

Stir in cooled potatoes, red onion, celery, 1/2 cup of the bacon, 1 1/4 cups of the Cheddar, and 1/4 cup of the scallions. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Garnish and serve:

Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup bacon, 1/4 cup Cheddar, and 1/4 cup scallions. Serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much potato salad per person?

As a rule of thumb, allow about a half cup of potato salad per person. For more generous portion sizes, allow about three-quarters cup per person.
Can potato salad be frozen?

Potato salads made with mayonnaise don’t tend to fare well in the freezer. That's because the freezing and thawing changes the texture of the dairy ingredients, so the consistency of the salad changes, too.
How long can potato salad sit out?

Potato salad is perishable and cannot sit out for more than two hours. If the temperatures are hot and you're outside, it can only sit out for closer to one hour.