Cheesy Ranch Potatoes Cookies Cups

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:

What Makes These Ranch Potatoes So GoodIngredients You’ll NeedHow to Make Cheesy Ranch PotatoesRecipe TipsServing SuggestionsHow to Store and Reheat LeftoversMore Potato RecipesGet the Recipe

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. 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. 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. 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.