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.

bowl of loaded baked potato salad

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’!

ingredients for loaded baked potato salad.

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.

Place cubed hash browns in a large pot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Once potatoes reach a boil, boil them for two to three minutes.

Drain in a colander.

Drain potatoes in a colander.

Place cooked potatoes in a large bowl.

Place cooked potatoes in a large bowl.

Add cheese to bowl.

Dump your shredded cheese over your warm potatoes…

Mix together cheese and potatoes.

And give that a little stir.

Add condiments to bowl.

Now add relish, mustard, and mayo to this potato mixture

Mix ingredients together again.

And give another little stir.

Add in bacon and eggs.

Add in bacon and eggs…

And salt and pepper to taste.

And salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together loaded baked potato salad.

Give another little stir.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

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:

Check out these other potato recipes:

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes (Freezer Friendly)

2 Ways With Broasted Potatoes

Sweet Potato Skins With Candied Bacon and a Spicy Basil Cream Sauce

Fried Potatoes Recipe

Loaded Potato Soup Recipe

Loaded Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

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.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: potatoes, salad
Servings: 0

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.
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection.

Submitted by Kolene. Submit your quote here.

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218 Comments

  1. Hey this sounds great, I wonder though to make it even quicker if you could used canned potatoes? I see at our Walmart they now have their brand of potatoes in diced. Do you think they would turn mushy when mixing? Just a thought….

  2. Yay for potato salad without celery (blech) and WITH cheese (mmm). Everything is better with cheese. I’ve never liked potato salad, you might just win me over with this one too =0)

    ~My ma in law is famous for her tater salad…so I always have to put a dab on my plate to be polite ~grin~

  3. I’m sure I could find those frozen hash browns at a Super Walmart, but what exactly makes them Southern? I live in NJ lol. This recipe sounds great, and I think I may sneak it to my dear boyfriend who says, “Potato salad has to melt in your mouth”. Can you tell me (for Mr. Fussbudge’s sake) what the consistency ends up being? i.e. thicker or thinner? I’d leave the bacon in for me, but would make it without for him. And the cheese? Yeah!

  4. I wouldn’t have ever thought to use has browns either for potato salad. Thinking outside the box is genious! I would add celery and onions also.

  5. Gosh, can ya make supper any easier than this, just get a rotisserie chicken, make a batch of this, and BOOM!! Happy family! Of course I would have to put some onion in mine (it aint tater salad without the onion)

    1. Now Robert … since everything else in it is cooked, do you think you’d sautee those onions first? Or put ’em in raw? I can’t decide, but I AM gonna make this recipe for a quick dinner with a rotisserie chicken this weekend! Thanks for the suggestion!

      1. I like my onions in my tater salad raw, the crunch and that fresh twang of the onions is what makes it

      1. Dear Christy-

        Your Mama doesn’t even like Vidalia’s or Maui’s, or Texas 1015s?
        (Mild onions like these are perfect for potato salads, and I usually use these varieties of onion, instead of the standard brown ones in the red mesh bags.)

        Another winner of a recipe! I have a potluck this coming Saturday, and was wondering what to take.

        Thank you for all you do for us!

      2. Try adding chopped green onions, blades and all! They’re great and the color’s pretty. (Oh, and speaking of color, a small jar of pimentoes tossed in is tasty, too!).

        Thanks, Christy, gotta make this one soon. I can eat tater salad for breakfast!

  6. What a great idea!! I don’t like potato salad with big chunks of potato and I’m too lazy to cut up the potatoes this small so this is the perfect solution. I’m heading to the grocery store in a few minutes and am going to pick up the ingredients and make it tonight for dinner tomorrow.

    I love your site and all of your yummy, good old fashioned southern recipes. Can’t wait to get your book

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