Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
The easiest potatoes you can make right in the crockpot – perfectly tender, flavorful and cheesy!
Potatoes. Cheese. And bacon. With these 3, you can’t go wrong.
And when you can throw these in a slow cooker, well that’s a double win right there.
Now the hardest part about these is not the prep.
It’s the part where you have to hold yourself back before you eat every single perfectly-textured potato chunk smothered in cheesy goodness and crisp bacon bits.
And I really don’t even know how to classify this. It could be an appetizer, side dish, snack or an entree.
I actually had it as all of the above, and devoured every last potato. And don’t think that Jason and I weren’t fighting for that last bacon bit at the bottom of the plate!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 pounds red potatoes, chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 tablespoon Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix, or more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Spread bacon in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until brown and crispy, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool before crumbling; set aside.
- Line a slow cooker with aluminum foil, leaving enough to overhang to wrap the potatoes on top, and coat with nonstick spray. Place a layer of potatoes evenly into the slow cooker. Top with cheese, Ranch Seasoning and bacon, repeating 2 more times and reserving 1/2 cup cheese.
- Cover potatoes with aluminum foil. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover and cook until melted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives.
Notes
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Could you tell me what size slow cooker you used for this recipe.
I used a 3-qt round slow cooker.
I am doing a layered dinner with these. I put , onions , mushrooms and round steak pieces in the bottom of my crock pot lined with a liner for easy clean up. Added 1 cup water and two packets of brown gravy mix. Topped that with foil added this potato recipe and sealed the foil tight. Let’s hope it turns out , I will be working but my tribe will let me know for sure!
Hi how wld u convert the 1 +1/2 cups of cheese into grams or ounces? Sounds like a dumb question but have searched and come up with so many alternatives! Thanks x
Kelly, it seems that 4 ounces of cheese is equivalent to 1 cup grated.
Hi love the look of this dish I live in Adelaide SA we don’t have ranch dressing what else could I use thanks
If it is not available in your area, you can easily make it at home – there are many DIY recipes available online.
Of course I read it wrong and put actual salad dressing in it . 🙁 it’s almost done now … Let’s see how it comes out !
I have this in the crockpot now. Can’t wait! Also have a meatloaf in my other crockpot. Thank you for sharing!
We make a Dutch oven version of this when my family camps. We add diced broccoli and lots more cheese. lol. Thanks for the inside version.
Does it make any difference in flavor or texture if you use the high setting and time…I usually use the low setting and long time but don’t always have the 10 hours!
Dianna, you can choose to use either the low or high setting:
Cover potatoes with aluminum foil and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover and cook until melted, about 1-2 minutes.
Just wondering, do you ever get tired of answering the same questions over and over and over again from people who apparently haven’t even read the recipe!?! Recipe sounds and looks amazing, but even more amazing is your patience. Thanks for posting this recipe, pictures of the process and for doing everything possible short coming to our homes and assembling it for us.
I ran across this on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought it looked interesting. I used my 7 qt oval slow cooker (cross-crossed the foil to make sure all was covered) wound up adding another half tablespoon of dry ranch dressing/seasoning mix. For those who wondered about adding chicken…yes, you can, you don’t have to precook it (unless you want to to be crispy on the outside, then you would want to at least brown it). I cut my red potatoes into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes and the chicken about 1 inch cubes. Didn’t have the chives (sad face) and had to add the bacon after cooking due to my schedule. But. At the 8 hour mark, it was cooked to perfection. Not too watery, no gray potatoes. Thank you sooo much for another winning dinner idea!
I appreciate, as a potential user of this recipe, your clear and concise, and sane review!!! Now, I will make it.
hi. You have had this question a few times but I am in Australia and u cannot find the ranch seasoning is there something else I could use???
As mentioned in the previous comments, it may be best to make the Ranch Seasoning from scratch. There are a lot of easy DIY recipes available online.
I live in Australia, and I’m wondering what the equivalent of Ranch seasoning would be. Also the Salad Dressing mix. Is there anyone out there that could help me please, because this recipe looks just so yummeee! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanking you for allowing me to comment and ask some questions.
The Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix is a single item, not two. And if it is not available in your area, you can easily make it at home – there are many DIY recipes available online.
Chungah, you have the patience of Job. I would’ve told most of these chuckleheads to just order “to go” and give up cooking forever.
I was thinking the SAME thing!
Oh my gosh, the same questions over and over..lol. I keep looking to see if anyone asked about adding cooked ground beef to this! I guess I will just try it and see, my husband is NOT a potatoes fan and will be looking for the meat. I thank all of them for the entertainment though!
Hi, I am in Australia and here we have ranch dressing but not ranch seasoning. Is ranch dressing ok to use?
Unfortunately, I just don’t think the Ranch dressing is going to work here as it is really best to use the seasoning mix. If it is not available in your area, you can easily make it at home – there are many DIY recipes available online.
Actually the recipe I have uses the ranch dressing (liquid), not the seasoning. I have made it that way for years and have to give out the recipe every time I make it. It is so simple. I make a huge batch in my roaster for holidays with the family. For just a smaller batch in the crock pot I probably use half a bottle.
Hi. Wondering if you could share your recipe?
Thanks.
I use Mrs Dash since I have to watch the salt. There is plenty of salt in the cheddar cheese and bacon. For this I think the Garlic and herb blend will be yummy.
I don’t understand the part of preheat oven 400
The oven is needed to cook the bacon.
Can I use any type of potatoes or does it have to be red potoes?
Feel free to use any kind of potatoes you prefer or have on hand.
Can this be made with russet potatoes as well?
Russet potatoes will work just fine.
I made these potatoes for dinner tonight..after a few hours in the crock pot I checked them and thought they were dry, so I cut up some butter and added to the potatoes and that helped a little. Not my favorite potato recipe.
Bummer! Did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
Yes, however, since making them, my husband has commented on how much he enjoyed them. 🙂
I don’t have any chives, any suggestions on what else to use as a substitute?
Green onions would be a great substitute.
i used the green onions and it was delicious. I did boil the potatoes for about 15 min and then put them in the crock pot on high for an hour and then on low for 2 hours. Everyone loved them!
Hi.
I have doubled the recipe and hoping 8 hours will be enough time. Can I peek at the potaties during cooking to see how the are coming along in case I have to turn them to
High? Also how many servings did 3lbs serve?
This should yield about 6-8 servings.