Cheesy ranch potatoes are my favorite potato recipe! These roasted potatoes are tender inside and crisp outside, tossed in zesty ranch seasoning and smothered with bacon and melty cheddar. You need just 4 ingredients and you’ll want them as a side with everything!
What Makes These Ranch Potatoes So Good
These savory, cheesy ranch potatoes are quite possibly my favorite way to enjoy potatoes. They beat out the likes of baked potatoes and even my cheesy mashed potatoes. Here’s why you’ll be hooked, too:
Bacon, ranch, cheese. These are crispy roasted potatoes tossed in zesty ranch seasoning and bacon. All that gets baked into a bed of ooey-gooey melted cheddar cheese. All the best flavors!
Easy. I can count the ingredients on one hand, and these cheesy ranch potatoes are very easy to make.
Extra crispy. I parboil the potatoes beforehand and by the time they’re out of the oven, the outsides are golden and crispy and the insides are meltingly tender.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The idea for this recipe came from my other love, which is all things loaded with bacon, cheese, and ranch. In other words, the “crack” combination. As in crack chicken, or cracked-out soft pretzels, or cheesy bacon ranch bombs. All equally addictive, hence the name. These roasted potatoes use the same combo of ingredients. Crack-tatoes, if you will.
Below are some notes on the ingredients you’ll need to make these delicious roasted cheesy ranch potatoes. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable list with amounts.
Potatoes – Yukon Gold or red potatoes are good for roasting. Leave the skins on an chop the potatoes into 1 ½” cubes.
Bacon – Thick cut, smoked, or any kind of bacon you’d like.
Ranch Seasoning – Pick up a packet of your favorite dry ranch seasoning from the store.
Cheddar Cheese – Or another melty cheese, freshly shredded from the block.
Olive Oil – Or another cooking oil, like canola oil, to get the potatoes nice and crispy in the oven.
Salt and Pepper
How to Make Cheesy Ranch Potatoes
Here’s how easy it is to make a big batch of cheesy bacon ranch potatoes! Follow along with the steps here, and scroll down to the recipe card for printable instructions.
Boil the potatoes.Cook the bacon.
Boil the potatoes. First, get your chopped potatoes simmering in boiling water for 8-10 minutes, until they’re just tender. Drain the potatoes well afterward.
Cook the bacon. Meanwhile, dice up the bacon and spread it out on a foil-lined jelly roll pan. Get that cooking in a 425ºF oven for 7 minutes.
Add the potatoes and toss with ranch seasoning.Roast!
Add the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the baking sheet and toss them with the bacon drippings. Next, give the potatoes a sprinkle with ranch seasoning and a drizzle of olive oil.
Roast. Return the baking sheet to the oven to roast for 45 minutes, stirring every so often.
Add cheese.Roast again.
Add cheese. Once the potatoes are crispy, top them with cheese and place them back into the oven. Let the cheese melt, then garnish with some fresh herbs, like chives, and dig in!
Recipe Tips
Don’t overcook the potatoes. You don’t want to boil the potatoes all the way through, you just want to par-boil them so that they soften a little. This extra step makes roasted potatoes even crispier. Set a timer so you don’t forget!
Stir often. Shake the pan or stir the potatoes every 10 minutes while they roast, so that they crisp up evenly on all sides.
Use freshly grated cheese. Pre-grated, packaged cheese contains additives that prevent the cheese from melting smoothly. For the best results, shred the cheese straight from the block.
Serving Suggestions
A mountain of cheesy ranch potatoes is the perfect side dish whether it’s game day or the holidays! I serve these potatoes with more easy sides like air fryer asparagus and roasted carrots. They go great with a saucy Mississippi pot roast or short ribs, or we’ll have them as a side to burgers or chicken tenders. Is there a meal that isn’t made better with a platter of ranch roasted potatoes? I think not.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Refrigerate. Store leftover ranch potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat. The best way to reheat these roasted potatoes and crisp them up again is to use the oven. Bake them at 350ºF until they’re warmed through.
Freeze. You can also freeze your leftovers for up to 2 months and thaw the potatoes in the fridge before reheating.
Cheesy ranch potatoes are an easy side dish with tender roasted potatoes tossed in ranch seasoning and smothered with bacon and melty cheddar. So addictive!
2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, or Red Potatoes, cut into 1 1/2- cubes – unpeeled
6 ounces bacon
1 (1-ounce) package of dry ranch seasoning
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped chives to garnish
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with sides (jelly roll pan) with foil. Set aside.
Place the cubed potatoes in a large pot. Fill the pot with water covering potatoes by one inch. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer the potatoes for 8 – 10 minutes until just tender.
While the potatoes are boiling, chop the bacon and evenly place on the prepared baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven for 7 minutes to begin cooking the bacon.
Drain the potatoes well and transfer them to the same baking sheet as the bacon, coating them evenly with the bacon drippings. Sprinkle potatoes with the ranch seasoning evenly and drizzle olive oil over potatoes.
Place the pan back in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to crisp on all sides.
When the potatoes are crisped, remove from the oven. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then sprinkle evenly with cheese. Place them back in the oven until the cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle with chives to garnish.
Notes
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
