This Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Bake has tender layers of potatoes, sharp cheddar, smoky bacon, and tangy ranch-and-sour-cream goodness. You’re going to love how easy it is: layer everything in the slow cooker and let it cook while your kitchen fills with the smell of potatoes and bacon. It is rich, comforting, and perfect with a little green salad alongside it.
Why You’ll Love It
- Easy slow cooker recipe — layer everything in the slow cooker and let it do the work.
- Loaded baked potato flavor — tender potatoes, sharp cheddar, smoky bacon, sour cream, and ranch in every bite.
- Feeds a crowd — makes enough for eight to ten people as a side dish.
- Great leftovers — the casserole reheats beautifully the next day.
Ingredient Notes
Yellow potatoes are what I use here. Yukon Golds are especially nice because they’re creamy without falling completely apart, and the skins are thin enough that you can leave them on. Please scrub them well, though. Potato skins are lovely; grit is not. Try our Bacon Egg and Hash Brown Casserole for a Lazy Weekend Breakfast next.
Sharp cheddar gives this real flavor. Mild cheddar will melt, sure, but it can get a little lost under the sour cream and ranch. I buy the block and shred it myself when I’m feeling energetic. Pre-shredded cheese works perfectly fine here. Life is short and cheese graters are oddly dangerous when you’re distracted.
For bacon, cook it crisp before it goes into the slow cooker. It needs that head start. I like a smoky, thick-cut bacon, but use what your family likes. And the ranch seasoning is the regular little one-ounce packet—not a dip tub, not a homemade blend unless you know exactly what’s in it. The packet has the salt and herbs figured out already, bless it. If you like this, you'll love our Irish Bacon, Cabbage, and Potato Soup.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, divided — I chop mine after it cools a bit, because hot bacon has a way of launching itself off the cutting board
- A little butter or nonstick cooking spray for greasing the slow cooker
- 3 pounds yellow potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick — skins left on, because I like the color and frankly I don’t enjoy peeling potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 packet (1 ounce) ranch seasoning mix
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it is crisp, then transfer it to paper towels to drain. Let it cool enough that you can handle it without doing that little finger-shaking dance over the sink, then crumble or chop it into small pieces. Set it aside, but try not to snack away half of it. I have failed at this more than once.
Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with butter or nonstick spray. Get up the sides a little, too. Cheese has a stubborn streak, and while a few crusty bits are delicious, you do want to be able to lift out actual servings later.
Scrub the yellow potatoes thoroughly, pat them dry, and slice them into thin, fairly even rounds—somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. A mandoline makes quick work of this, but I use a sharp knife most of the time because my mandoline and I have a complicated history. Slow and steady is fine; just try not to make some slices paper-thin and others thick as poker chips.
In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream and the ranch seasoning mix until it is smooth and no dry seasoning pockets remain. It will look a little thick and almost too simple. That’s okay. It melts and settles down through the potato layers while it cooks. For another easy option, see our Beef Bourguignon.
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Arrange a snug, overlapping layer of potato slices in the bottom of the greased slow cooker, like shingles on a roof. Sprinkle some of the cheddar over the potatoes, then some of the bacon. Dollop spoonfuls of the sour cream mixture over everything and gently spread it around with the back of the spoon. It does not need to cover every single potato slice perfectly—this is dinner, not a craft project.
Repeat the layers in the same order: potatoes, cheddar, bacon, and sour cream mixture. Keep going until everything is used, finishing with a generous layer of cheese and a lighter sprinkle of bacon on top. Press down gently with a spatula or clean hand to settle the layers into a compact stack. Don’t mash it hard; you’re just helping everybody get acquainted.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a knife and the edges are bubbly. Resist opening the lid every twenty minutes. I know it’s tempting, especially when the bacon smell starts drifting through the house, but lifting the lid lets out heat and makes the potatoes take longer. Slow cookers are patient; apparently I am not.
When the potatoes are tender and the cheese is fully melted, turn the slow cooker to WARM or switch it off. Leave the casserole covered for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. This part matters more than I used to think. The resting time lets the layers set up, so you get neat squares or wedges instead of a glorious cheesy landslide.
Run a spatula around the edges, then cut down through the potato layers into portions. Use a wide, flat spatula to lift each serving. Put out extra sour cream and black pepper if you like.
Variations
If you want a little zip, pepper Jack works nicely in place of the cheddar, with a small pinch of black pepper between a couple of the potato layers. Not too much—you want to taste potato, not feel like you made a dare.
Thinly sliced green onions are pretty tucked between the layers or scattered over the top before serving. They are optional, obviously, since this is already a five-main-ingredient situation, but they do brighten up all that creamy richness. I tried adding diced tomatoes once. Terrible idea. Not catastrophic, nobody called the authorities, but they released too much moisture and the casserole got watery around the edges. Some experiments belong in a notebook marked “nope.”
You can use light sour cream and turkey bacon if that suits your table. It will be less rich, naturally. I’m not going to tell you it tastes exactly the same because it doesn’t, but it is still a cozy, satisfying potato bake. You might also like our Smothered Chicken with Creamed Spinach, Bacon, and Mushrooms.
If you have mashed potatoes left over, Fried Potato Cakes turns them into golden, crisp-edged cakes.
Storage & Reheating
Get leftovers into shallow containers and into the refrigerator within two hours. If you’re keeping the slow cooker out for a family dinner, use the WARM setting and keep the food hot; don’t let it sit around all afternoon while people wander through for “just one bite.” That’s how food safety gets murky, and I have enough murky things in my life—mostly the bottom drawer of the refrigerator.
The potato bake keeps well in the fridge for a few days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave until steaming hot, or warm a larger portion in a covered baking dish. I usually add a small spoonful of sour cream on top after reheating because the potatoes can absorb some moisture overnight.
Final Notes
There’s something about potatoes layered with cheese and bacon that settles a house down. Maybe it’s the smell, maybe it’s the fact that nobody can eat a bowl of this while standing up and pretending they aren’t hungry. You sit. You get a fork. You loosen your belt a tiny bit and stop pretending kale was ever going to be dinner.
I make this when the weather turns chilly, but also in spring, and once during a heat wave because I wanted comfort food without heating the oven. So really, I make it whenever I have potatoes and a reason—or no reason at all. Those are usually the best reasons. Try our Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole next.
Let it rest before cutting. I cannot stress that enough. I mean, I’ve stressed it twice now, which is unlike me because I’m generally very laid-back about casseroles. But those twenty minutes are the difference between tidy layers and a soft, cheesy heap. Both are delicious, naturally. Still… sometimes a casserole needs to hold its shape. If you like this, you'll love our Smothered Green Beans with Potatoes.
Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Bake
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon Cooked crisp, cooled, and crumbled; divided
- as needed Butter or nonstick cooking spray For greasing the slow cooker
- 3 pounds Yellow potatoes Scrubbed and thinly sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick; skins left on
- 1 1/2 cups Sour cream For layering with the ranch seasoning
- 1 packet (1 ounce) Ranch seasoning mix Regular ranch seasoning packet
- 2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese Shredded and divided
- as desired Sour cream Optional, for serving
- as desired Black pepper Optional, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, then transfer it to paper towels to drain. Let it cool, then crumble or chop it into small pieces and set it aside.
- Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with butter or nonstick spray.
- Scrub the yellow potatoes thoroughly, pat them dry, and slice them into thin, fairly even rounds between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream and ranch seasoning mix until smooth and no dry seasoning pockets remain.
- Arrange an overlapping layer of potato slices in the bottom of the greased slow cooker. Sprinkle with some cheddar and bacon, then dollop and gently spread some of the sour cream mixture over the top.
- Repeat the layers of potatoes, cheddar, bacon, and sour cream mixture until everything is used, finishing with a generous layer of cheese and a lighter sprinkle of bacon. Press down gently to settle the layers.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a knife and the edges are bubbly.
- Turn the slow cooker to WARM or switch it off, and leave the casserole covered for 20 to 30 minutes so the layers can set.
- Run a spatula around the edges, cut through the potato layers into portions, and use a wide, flat spatula to lift each serving. Serve with extra sour cream and black pepper if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
