These easy Crockpot Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes are made with tender baby red potatoes tossed in buttery ranch seasoning and topped with melted cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and fresh chives. This simple slow cooker potato side dish is packed with flavor and perfect for weeknight dinners, potlucks, BBQs, and holidays.
"I just made this with the following substitutions: Instead of regular ranch dressing mix, I used the spicy ranch dressing mix, and since I am not a fan of chives but adore garlic, I used 2 good-sized cloves of garlic sprinkled over each layer of potatoes (4 total), followed by the dressing mix, cheese, and bacon bits, respectively. I was also running low on shredded cheddar (only ~1.5 oz left over), but had a whole bag of a shredded Mexican style mix of four cheeses that I supplemented for the rest, mixing in half the remaining cheddar with each layer. It turned out DIVINE!"
★★★★★- Jeremey
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🔍 Quick Look: Crockpot Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
♨️ Cook Time: 3-4 hours
🍽️ Servings: 8
🔥 Calories: 358 per serving
🥔 Main Ingredients: Baby red potatoes, ranch seasoning, cheddar cheese, bacon
🥘 Cooking Method: Crockpot
⭐ Difficulty: Easy
❤️ You'll Love It Because: Tender ranch-seasoned potatoes are topped with melty cheddar, crispy bacon, and fresh chives.
These cheesy ranch potatoes are one of those easy slow cooker sides that go with just about anything. I love serving them with steak, chicken, pork chops, ribs, or pork tenderloin. With plenty of ranch flavor, melty cheese, and crispy bacon, they are always a hit at my table. I hope you love them as much as we do. Enjoy! Xoxo -Katie.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to make this:
- Baby red potatoes- Baby red potatoes have a slightly sweet, buttery flavor that pairs perfectly with the salty bacon, ranch seasoning, and cheddar cheese. Their thin skins also mean there's no need to peel them. However, you can substitute larger red potatoes, Yukon Gold, new potatoes, or fingerlings. Just cut them into evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.
- Butter- Adds richness and helps the ranch seasoning evenly coat and cling to the potatoes.
- Dry ranch seasoning mix- To keep things easy, you can use store bought dry ranch salad dressing mix. However, this is a homemade dry ranch dressing mix if you want to make your own.
- Water- Helps steam cook the potatoes until tender. You can use chicken broth for a little extra flavor.
- Cheddar cheese- Use freshly shredded cheese for the best flavor and melt. Sharp cheddar gives these potatoes a little more cheesy flavor, but mild or medium cheddar will also work.
- Cooked bacon- It is best to use real cooked bacon and not imitation bacon bits for full flavor.
- Fresh chives- Fresh chives add a mild onion flavor without being overwhelming. You can substitute with green onions.
Simple Variation: For a simpler version and more casual side, skip the cheese, bacon, and chives. The ranch-seasoned potatoes are perfectly fork-tender and flavorful on their own.
Steps to Make Crockpot Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
Follow these steps to make crockpot cheesy bacon ranch potatoes.
- Melt the butter and stir in the ranch seasoning mix until combined.
- Cut baby red potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size. If you are using larger red potatoes, cut them into smaller, evenly sized pieces so they can cook evenly. Add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and toss with the ranch butter mixture until evenly coated.
- Lightly grease the Crockpot and pour water into the bottom.
- Add the seasoned potatoes to the Crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove the lid and add half of the cheddar cheese, bacon, and chives. Gently stir to combine, then top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Cover and cook for 10 additional minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the lid and top with remaining bacon and chives. Serve warm.
Watch how to Make Crockpot Ranch Potatoes
Why I don't use Foil in the Crockpot
Originally, I cooked the potatoes in foil for easy clean up. However, I found that sometimes they took longer to become tender and didn't always cook evenly. The solution is simple. Lightly grease the Crockpot and cook the potatoes directly in it. I found that the potatoes cook more evenly and turn out perfectly tender every time.
Please leave me a comment below if you make these loaded crockpot potatoes and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your slow cooker ranch potatoes on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Easy Crockpot Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
Equipment
- crockpot
Ingredients
- 3 pounds baby red potatoes chopped into quarters
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh chives chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter and stir in the ranch seasoning mix until combined.4 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix
- Cut baby red potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size. If you are using larger red potatoes, cut them into smaller, evenly sized pieces so they can cook evenly. Add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and toss with the ranch butter mixture until evenly coated.3 pounds baby red potatoes
- Lightly grease the Crockpot and pour water into the bottom.2 tablespoons water
- Add the seasoned potatoes to the Crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove the lid and add half of the cheddar cheese, bacon, and chives. Gently stir to combine, then top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Cover and cook for 10 additional minutes, or until the cheese is melted.1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, 8 slices cooked bacon, ¼ cup fresh chives
- Remove the lid and top with remaining bacon and chives. Serve warm.
Betty says
Hi Katie, I made this recipe the other day and it was delicious!I cooked it in my crock pot for 4 hours and it came out perfect. I placed the foil in the crockpot first, then I placed parchment paper on top of the foil, then added the ingredients. Covered & closed the foil and it came out perfect! Thank you for sharing a delicious & easy recipe
Jeremey says
I just made this with the following substitutions: Instead of regular ranch dressing mix, I used the spicy ranch dressing mix, and since I am not a fan of chives but adore garlic, I used 2 good-sized cloves of garlic sprinkled over each layer of potatoes (4 total), followed by the dressing mix, cheese, and bacon bits, respectively. I was also running low on shredded cheddar (only ~1.5 oz left over), but had a whole bag of a shredded Mexican style mix of four cheeses that I supplemented for the rest, mixing in half the remaining cheddar with each layer. It turned out DIVINE!
Amber says
Can’t wait to make this for Father’s Day tomorrow! Going I try a little less cheese than called for and a dash of garlic powder....you can never go wrong with garlic!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Yum! Love easy, tasty recipes like this! Bet these would be yummy for a special weekend brunch too 🙂