Loaded Baked Potato Salad
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With a sneaky shortcut, my quick and easy loaded baked potato salad recipe is so full of flavor, with crispy bacon, boiled egg, mayo, mustard, and sweet pickle relish.
I have my Mama to thank for inspiring this loaded baked potato salad recipe. You see, she asked me to come up with a quicker way to make potato salad because she was always having overnight guests show up last minute “needing potato salad with dinner.” This made me scratch my head because, you know, what guests show up demanding potato salad?! But I didn’t question my Mama and instead created this loaded baked potato salad… with a couple of sneaky shortcuts.
First, we’re not going to use boiled potatoes. Yes, really! Instead, my big shortcut is to use frozen Southern hash browns, which boil up so much faster. Then we mix these little cubed potatoes with so many deliciously flavorful ingredients and condiments, like crumbled bacon bits, chopped boiled egg, shredded cheddar cheese, sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, and mustard. How tasty does that sound? Quick and easy loaded baked potato salad – sound good?
And if you’re looking for other potato salad recipes, you must try my German potato salad and mashed potato salad. Alright, let’s get mixin’!
Recipe Ingredients
- Southern hash browns (or any cubed hash browns)
- Crisp cooked bacon
- Chopped boiled eggs
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sweet pickle relish
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Salt and black pepper to taste
How to Make Loaded Baked Potato Salad
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.
Drain potatoes in a colander.
Place cooked potatoes in a large bowl.
Dump your shredded cheese over your warm potatoes…
And give that a little stir.
Now add relish, mustard, and mayo to this …
And give another little stir.
Add in bacon and eggs…
And salt and pepper to taste.
Give another little stir.
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before serving.
Storage
Store leftover potato salad covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Now if you REALLY wanna make it in a hurry, leave out the bacon and boiled eggs or make them the day ahead of time. But this whole recipe is assuming you’re pressed for time so that kinda defeats the point. Bacon and boiled eggs are really good in it though!
- Here are some variations to make this loaded baked potato salad work for you:
- Add chopped green onion or freshly chopped chives.
- Use whatever mustard you have on hand. Yellow mustard, honey mustard, and Dijon mustard would all work.
- For extra creaminess, add 3/4 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
- Substitute the bacon for turkey bacon.
- Use sweet pickle relish, diced sweet pickles, or just diced dill pickles.
- Add extra tang with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice.
- Substitute the cheddar cheese for sharp cheddar cheese or something completely different like crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese.
- Add a touch of heat with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Add extra crunch with a cup of chopped celery.
Recipe FAQs
Can you make loaded baked potato salad ahead of time?
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.
What do you serve with loaded potato salad?
Homemade potato salad can easily be the start of the show as a side dish, so I recommend serving it with a more simple main meal, such as:
- Grilled Chicken Tenders (No Grill Needed)
- Chicken Planks (Like Chicken Fingers, Only Better)
- Crock Pot Beef Ribs
- Butter Roasted Chicken Recipe
- 3-Ingredient Ritz Cracker Chicken
- Maple Glazed Pork Chops
- Slow-Roasted Beef Brisket in the Oven
Check out these other potato recipes:
Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes (Freezer Friendly)
Sweet Potato Skins With Candied Bacon and a Spicy Basil Cream Sauce
Loaded Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows
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
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/3 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, hard-boiled and chopped, 5 bacon strips, cooked crispy and crumbled, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish or diced sweet pickles, salt and pepper to taste
- Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.
In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection.
Submitted by Kolene. Submit your quote here.
I am almost mad at myself for thinking about using frozen hash browns, of course!!! I actually made a potato salad last week from local farm fresh red potatoes & my hubby didn’t like them so next time I will surprise him with these and see if it makes a difference 😉
that looks yummy!
Just a thought…..what if you used those little packages of real bacon bits instead of having to fry bacon. Would save time and still have bacon!
hormel bacon bits going on the grocery list!
Whenever I want a bacon & egg sandwich..I put hormel bacon bits in my egg. Beats frying bacon for 1 sandwich.
Hormel real bacon bits
The microwaveable bags of potatoes (ostensibly for mashed potatoes) make a good tater salad, too! And you can boil the eggs while your potatoes are nuking.
Since I don’t put bacon in my tater salad, it does make it quicker; but I suppose you can fry bacon while the eggs are boiling.
I don’t even fry bacon any more. I buy the already cooked bacon. It’s also wonderful to use for BLT’s!
How funny!!! I have severe arthritis, especially in my hands, and just talked to my mom a couple months ago about trying this method. She, die-hard stand at the counter and chop til your hands go numb, didn’t think it would work. hehe
just saw this post….always think it is funny when so many people of “Aah ha!” moments. I have used frozen potato obrian’s for my casseroles, but never thought about salad. I use dehydrated potato dices, dehydrated celery, dehydrated onion, dehydrated roasted garlic, and always keep a bag of peppered real bacon pieces for my salad. It is my go to salad when I need a quick side.
What a great idea!!! I hate peeling and dicing potatoes! I’m going to have to try this out on Mr. Picky, a/k/a my husband, to see if he can detect my deception (he usually does).
A little tip for those, like me, who don’t like raw onion in potato salad, boil diced onions with the potatotes. You’ll have the flavor without the crunch.
I’m still laughing; I bought the tater tots because my Wally World did not sell Great Value Southern Hash Brown Taters. Remember the only thing you get to see is the white package (not see through). So got home started the water boiling and open package and threw taters in and started frying the bacon & boiling the eggs. I checked on the taters they were mush. It seems tater tots are NOT made with whole taters, was able to save the day with some real taters. LOL in Bama,
I’m moping the Tide lost to South Carolina. Just not my day. David