Why you’ll love this recipe:
These cheesy bacon ranch potatoes are a hit every time I serve them! They’re creamy, comforting, and oh-so-delicious.
Plus, they’re quick cooking, thanks to the Instant Pot. Regular baked cheesy ranch potatoes take at least an hour, and the slow cooker version requires advance planning. But this recipe is ready in about 30 minutes!
- Just 4 main ingredients, all of which are kitchen staples.
- Only about 10 minutes of hands-on prep time.
- Sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
And if you’re looking for similar flavors in a complete meal, try this chicken bacon ranch casserole!
Key Ingredient Notes:
- Red potatoes – With thin skin and a waxy texture, red potatoes are the best choice for cheesy bacon ranch potatoes. There’s no need to peel them, and they’ll retain their shape and texture after they’re cooked. Just give them a good scrub first!
- Bacon – Adds a savory, smoky, salty flavor to the potatoes. Uncooked bacon strips are best, but precooked is okay, too. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil or butter to compensate for bacon fat if you opt for precooked bacon. Reserved bacon grease works as well!
- Cheddar cheese – Makes the bacon ranch potatoes seriously creamy and addicting! I always recommend grating a block of cheese because it melts easier and has a smoother texture, compared to pre-shredded cheese from a bag.
- Ranch dressing – To add flavor and enhance the creamy texture!
How to make cheesy bacon ranch potatoes in Instant Pot:
1. Prepare the potatoes and bacon
- Chop the potatoes into cubes that are about 1 inch in size.
- Cut or dice the uncooked bacon strips into small pieces.
2. Set your Instant Pot to sauté
- Using the sauté function, add the bacon to your Instant Pot, and cook until crisp.
Tip: If you end up with too many brown bits stuck to the bottom of your Instant Pot, add ¼ cup of water to help scrape them up and deglaze the bottom.
- Stir in the potatoes, dried parsley, garlic powder, and salt.
- Add ⅓ cups of water. Note: I use a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you have an 8-quart IP, add ½ cups of water.
Tip: I don’t suggest adding more than the recommended amount of water because potatoes tend to overcook. If you overcook the potatoes, they’ll end up looking more like loaded mashed potatoes than chunks of potato.
3. Set your Instant Pot to “Manual”
- Cook the potatoes and bacon using your Instant Pot’s manual function, for 7 minutes at high pressure. Note: Your Instant Pot will need to come to pressure first. This took my IP about 12 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure, and carefully open the lid.
4. Add the remaining ingredients
- Stir in the ranch dressing and shredded cheddar cheese until well combined.
- Serve cheesy bacon ranch potatoes while they’re warm and fresh!
Time-Saving Tips:
- While freshly grated cheddar is best, a bag of store-bought shredded cheese is okay, too! Using store-bought will save you a few minutes of prep time and extra dirty dishes.
- If you’re new to pressure cooking, use my beginner’s guide to familiarize yourself with your Instant Pot. After learning a few easy tips and tricks, you’ll breeze through IP recipes!
Make-Ahead Tips:
- Fully cook the potatoes and bacon in your Instant Pot up to 1 day in advance.
- Let the cooked potatoes and bacon cool. Then, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- When you’re ready to serve, reheat the potatoes and bacon until they’re warmed through. Stir in the ranch dressing and cheddar cheese, and serve immediately.
Storing Tips:
- Store leftover cheesy bacon ranch potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- To reheat, transfer the potatoes to an oven-safe dish and cover them tightly with aluminum foil. Reheat in the oven at 350° until the potatoes are warmed through.
FAQs:
Cheesy bacon ranch potatoes pair well with scrambled, fried, or poached eggs when served at breakfast or brunch. They can be served alongside simple proteins at dinnertime, such as stovetop chicken thighs, seared steak, or grilled chicken breast.
Stick with waxy varieties with a low starch content and thin skin, because they’ll retain their shape and texture when cooked. These include red potatoes, fingerlings, and baby potatoes. Avoid starchy varieties, such as Russet and Idaho potatoes, which are better for mashing and baking.
Ranch dressing provides flavor and a creamy texture and really pulls the entire dish together. Ranch seasoning would add similar flavors but won’t result in the same smooth and creamy mouthfeel as ranch dressing. For this reason, I don’t recommend making the substitution.
Instant Pot Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lb red potatoes, scrubbed
- 3 bacon strips
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup Ranch dressing
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into about 1-inch pieces.
- Cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté” and add bacon. Cook until nice and crisp. (TIP: If you have too much stuff stuck on the bottom of the pot, add 1/4 cup of water and scrape it to deglaze the bottom.)
- Stir in potatoes, dried parsley, garlic powder and salt.
- Add 1/3 cup of water. (If you have 8qt Instant Pot, add 1/2 cup of water.)
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual for 7 minutes at high pressure. (NOTE: It took about 12 minutes for my Instant Pot to come to pressure.)
- Do quick release the pressure and carefully open the lid.
- Add ranch dressing and cheese and stir to combine. Serve immediately.If you tried this recipe, I'd love to read your feedback.
- Please leave your comment and rating below, or share on Instagram with #busycooks and tag us @busy_cooks. Thank you!!
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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Reader's Reviews
MK Lucky says
I made this recipe with a few slight changes. I had a small amount of chopped onion left over so I added it when the bacon was almost done. I made my own ranch mix because I didn’t have dressing or mix on hand. It was delicious! Love this one!
Shinee says
Yay, so glad you tried and loved the recipe, MK. Thank you for sharing your feedback and tweaks!
Alyssa says
I just made these and they are delicious!! I added some more seasoning but overall they were amazinggg!!
Shinee says
Awesome. So glad you enjoyed it, Alyssa!! Thank you for your feedback.
Jess says
So good!!! Definitely making again! I added 5 slices of bacon just because that’s what was left in the package, but other than that I followed exactly. Very delicious!
Shinee says
Hi, Jess. Thank you SO much for your feedback. I’m happy you all loved it!
susan bragdon says
Excellent salad. Even the grandkids ate it’
Shinee says
That’s awesome! Thank you for your feedback, Susan!!
Ashley says
These potatoes are to die for!! They are so simple to make and full of flavor.
Shinee says
Hi, Ashley! So happy you loved these potatoes! Thank you for your feedback.
Mimic G. says
I absolutely love these potatoes. …the only issue I’ve ever had making these it’s getting the size of the potatoes cut right in combination with the right amount of IP cooking time. There’s been times that I either end up with potatoes that are too hard and not cooked enough or I have to cook them again, adding more time and running my IP again. I’ve also have had them come out cooked too long and they end up more like mashed potatoes (though sometimes I don’t mind that too much). Even with all that I still make them all the time. ..they’re like a weekly make for me…I seriously, totally and absolutely love this recipe and these potatoes.
Shinee says
Yay, so glad you’re loving it, Mimic!! I truly appreciate your feedback!!
Johanna says
This became one of our regular dinner side dishes and a family favorite. Doubled the bacon ;). Thank you for the recipe!
Shinee says
That’s great to hear that, Johanna. Thank you for your feedback!
Jennifer says
How could i add chicken to this?
Shinee says
Hi, Jennifer. I’d stir in leftover rotisserie chicken, or shredded chicken at the end, or serve it on the side. Because we’re releasing pressure right away, I don’t recommend cooking chicken with the potatoes. Quick pressure release dries out the meat.
Katrina H says
These are fantastic! I added 3 ribs of celery with the bacon and skipped the ranch because it was already so tasty! Thanks for sharing this!
Shinee says
Hi, Katrina. So happy you tried and loved my recipe. Thank you for sharing your version, it sounds delicious!
Kortney says
Made tonight with a little extra bacon and it was a hit! Thank you for the recipe! Even my picky toddler loved it 🙌
Shinee says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Kortney. Thank you for your review!
Melinda Berry says
Used precooked bacon with a little oil and they turned out perfect.
Shinee says
Awesome. So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your feedback, Melinda.
Roxy says
Is the ranch dressing powder or liquid? Can I use powder?
Shinee says
Hi, Roxy. This recipe calls for liquid ranch dressing.
Glenda McCarthy says
One of my favorite recipes! I’ve also made into more of a casserole by adding a can or two of chicken breast. Really yummy! I’ve used red potatoes, russet potatoes, and yellow potatoes, all of which worked well.
Shinee says
So happy you’re enjoying the recipe so many ways. Thank you so much for your feedback, Glenda!
Debbie says
I tried this tonight with Idaho potatoes since I never have red, otherwise made it exactly and let me just say it was absolutely the best! Everyone loved it, and we will definitely be making it over and over. Not to mention how super easy this recipe was.
Shinee says
So happy you loved the recipe, Debbie. Thank you for your feedback!
Gwyn Magaditsch says
Only 1/4 cup water worries me. I’d hate to get the Burn notice and ruin a perfectly good piece of roast plus all the potatoes and carrots! Is this a typo?
Shinee says
Hi, Gwyn. This recipe does NOT include a roast! I believe you left a comment on a wrong recipe, because this recipe calls for 1/3 cup of water (yes, less water as typically advised). But after cooking bacon, I advise to deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup water if needed. Hope this helps.
Linda McKinney says
Yummy, yummy. I will definitely make these again. I love jalapeños so I added some chopped pickled jalapeños.
Shinee says
Hi, Linda. So happy to hear you loved it. Now pickled jalapenos sound amazing, and I have an open jar right now in my fridge. I’ll try that tomorrow. Thanks for the idea!
Lori Wells says
This recipe was fantastic! so easy to make, we loved it.
Shinee says
Awesome, so glad you loved the recipe, Lori! Thank you for your feedback.
Sally says
Just came across this and oh my so good!
Shinee says
Thank you, Sally!
Georgia says
you say to add 1/4 if needed to deglaze and then the 1/3 water in the recipe – both? Thank You.
Shinee says
Hi, Georgia. 1/4 cup of water is optional, and is not part of 1//3 cup of water that’s listed in the ingredient list. Does that make sense?
Jean says
I just printed this. It print 11 pages. Not just the recipe. 😥
Shinee says
Oh no, Jean! It looks like you used print button from your browser, which prints the whole web-page instead of the recipe card. Next time, please use the print button right above the ingredient list (next to social buttons). This will open the recipe card and it’ll be just one page. Hope this helps, and I hope you give those potatoes a try. 🙂
Kelly says
Can this be easily doubled?
Shinee says
Hi, Kelly. We haven’t tried doubling the recipe, so we can’t give a definitive advice. But let us know if you tried it. Thank you!
Pat says
My Daughter-in-law made these and we liked them so much she gave me the recipe. They are quick, easy and delicious!
Shinee says
Awesome! So glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you for your feedback.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
I definitely need to try this with my instant pot!
Shinee says
It’s a must-try for sure, Toni. Hope you’ll love it.
Donna says
Hi, I’m not certain how I found this recipe, but I want to thank you. It was the VERY first dish I made in my brand new Ultra 10-in-1 IP. It turned out perfect! It was so yummy, and so convenient to put together. Please tell me you have more IP recipes up your sleeve. It definitely gives me confidence to continue trying more dishes. 🙂
Shinee says
Donna, so happy you loved your very first Instant Pot meal! I do have a few delicious Instant Pot recipes here and more coming in the future too. Let me know if you try any of those recipes. And thank you for your feedback!
Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake says
These potatoes look like the perfect cookout side dish!
Shinee says
Absolutely! It’s easy to make and such a crowd-pleaser too. Thanks, Rebecca!