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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I love this! Just threw it in the crockpot! I covered the potatoes with the foil but should I also put the slow cooker lid on as well or leave it off?
Thanks!
Nicole, as indicated in the recipe, the slow cooker should be covered the entire time.
Yes, I was in need of confirmation as well. The pictures only show the foil covering the potatoes. I would assume you would replace the lid, but the recipe you suggest we keep referring to doesn’t specify. I thought maybe the foil, and the leaving off of the lid, was some new technique. So, foil covered AND lid on entire cooking time. Right? Thx.
Tara, you assummed correctly. The recipe states both to cover the potatoes with aluminum foil and to cover the slow cooker.
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.
Do you have to use tinfoil? I don’t think it healthy to cook food in foil.
Dee, you can also use a slow cooker liner if you wish.
I will try this however the recipe is misleading with the “covered” issue. You state to cover after adding cheese for 1-2 minutes. You should update it more clearly. Thanks
Jane, I don’t think there’s any recipe out there in which a slow cooker is used without a lid so I am not sure where the confusion is. But thanks for your feedback!
I also feel it was a bit confusing. I scrolled though all these comments to find one addressing the lid.
I also was confused with the “covered issue” I would suggest implementing it more clearly 🙂
Thank You!
Hi,
I made these over the weekend and it did not come out like the pictures above. The potatoes were dark and the cheese that were layered ending up burning. Should have I cut the potatoes in larger chunks?
Oh no! That should not be happening. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written, lining the foil and leaving the slow cooker on as directed? I worry that you may have left it on high for 7-8 hrs, not low, causing everything to burn.
i made this last weekend but the red potatoes turned really dark and didnt look appetizing. They tasted ok though. What could i have done wrong??
Christina, please understand that it is very difficult for me to tell you what went wrong as I was not in the kitchen with you. But with a little more information, I am hoping we can troubleshoot the issue. Did you follow the recipe exactly as is without any substitutions?
I have a question do you cook the bacon before or add it Raw? I’m excited to try this looks yummy but need to know about the Bacon. Thank you
Ann, please refer to the first step of the recipe.
Tried this yesterday….after 6 hours in the slow cooker the potatoes were still hard….ended up putting them in the oven for a hour so they would be soft enough to eat…had good flavor when they were done…if I make them again I think I would cut the potatoes into smaller cubes so they will have a better chance of cooking all the way.
Oh no – I wonder if your potatoes were just too big! I would give them a good dicing next time. Hope that helps!
The recipe says 8 hrs on low. I think 2 more hrs. Prob. would’ve made a difference if they were cut in bite-sized pcs.?
Katerina, it really depends on the size of your potato pieces. The smaller they are, the faster they will cook through.
How do we prep the red potatoes. Just cut into small chunks n put into crock pot raw?
Yes.
Hey..saw your recipe and put it in the crockpot straight away..decided not to waste the bacon fat..so put it on my potatoes with a little bit of cracked black pepper…added a bit of chives in each layer too and used 1/3 marble, 1/3 jalepeno cheddar and 1/3 parmesan..blended to equal the cup and a half…always like to put my own spin on recipes…looks yummy!
I want to make this for a party and was wondering about doubling the recipe. Would the cook time be the same???? Will 6 lbs of potatoes fit in the crock pot or should I make it in two batches?? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This recipe looks amazing!!
The cook time may have to be adjusted, and you can certainly make this in one batch depending on the size of crockpot that you have.
I know you asked this question quite awhile ago, but I’m wondering how much time needs to be adjusted. I’m going to a celebration of life and could really use a quick answer.
Doubling the time seems way too much, but I’m planning on cooking low temp. My crockpot goes up to 10 hours. I figured I’d check then. The only problem is if I cook that far in advance and they’re done at 10hrs, should I just let them sit on low heat or refrigerate and reheat?
Any help would be wonderful. I just found out today that they’re doing this tomorrow. I hate last minute planning , but they mean a lot to me.
Off to the store now to get ingredients. I’m hoping for a miracle to get an answer that quick. Thank you. This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it.
Silly question, but how big a crockpot did you use.
I used a 3-qt round slow cooker, but any size will work.
looks awesome, can’t wait to try this!
Is the ranch seasoning in liquid form? I’m in Australia so just trying to understand ingredients. We have liquid ranch salad dressing, is that right? Or is it a powder seasoning?
This recipe calls for the powder seasoning, not the actual salad dressing.
Do you mix the powdered ranch dressing according to its package directions or only use the powder?
Jennifer, you are only using the seasoning mix for the recipe.
Thank you! So we use NO liquid dressing of any kind. Is it ok to make this without bacon?
Yes, there is no liquid dressing of any kind. And you can certainly omit the bacon if you’d like, although I personally think the more bacon the better!
These look so cheesy and delicious. Love that you made them in the slow cooker–genius!
I just came back from Prague and this reminds me of a potato dish I ordered there – looks delish and can’t wait to try it.
I love the simplicity of this dish! Wow. Perfection.
I totally have to try these! They look amazing!!
Love the idea of cooking potatoes in a slow cooker. Looks delicious!
Is the ranch seasoning a total of 1 Tbsp (a tsp per layer) or 1 Tbsp per layer?
It is 1 TBSP total, but feel free to add more to taste!
These potatoes are right up my alley. So smart to make them in the slow cooker using the foil for easy cleanup!
-Jamie
This looks delicious! A little salsa would be good with it! Thank you so much for all the recipes you post ! Really appreciate it!
These are in the crock pot now! I ran across this recipe too late in the day so I parboiled the taters a little first. Im hoping that they will be done in about 2 hours on high. Looks yummy though.
I am drooling here lol. I bet you could toss some chicken into it and it would be even better!!!
I actually just saw recipe with the chicken breast in the oven. It called for 4 cut up in cubes with almost the same ingredients a little oil drizzle back at 350, until chicken and potatoes are done then add the extra cheese. Yummy
I meant bake at 350
I haven’t had much time so I put this on high for 4 hours, how do you think it will do, thanks, Marie
That should be just fine!
This looks too darn good! Baked potato but with added awesomeness 😀 x