This easy ranch potato salad recipe is perfect chilled or warm! Ditch the mayo and add a little ranch dressing for this simple, but flavorful recipe.
This potato salad recipe couldn’t be easier. The hardest part is boiling the potatoes! You don’t even have to peel them. I love the flavor of creamy ranch dressing, and it pairs perfectly with the potatoes and crisp veggies. Use your favorite type of ranch dressing—a bottle of ranch dressing or a ranch seasoning packet made into dressing. However, if you use peppercorn ranch, I’d leave out the extra pepper so you don’t overwhelm your tastebuds!
I typically serve potato salad at barbecues or potluck meals, but lately I’ve been making it as a side for our suppers. It goes nicely with steak or chicken. It also tastes delicious served warm or chilled.
While some potato salad recipes can be time intensive, this one couldn’t be easier. It takes about 35 minutes from start to finish, but you’ll want to let it chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving, if you can. This is, hands down, the perfect side dish to take to your next barbecue. Everyone will be asking for the recipe!
And if you love easy potato salad recipes as much as I do, you’ll also like this Warm Caesar Potato Salad and Curried Potato Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Ranch Potato Salad
- It’s a delicious potato salad picky kids will eat.
- You don’t even have to peel the potatoes for this summer side dish!
- Mayonnaise-free for people who don’t care for mayo.
- Easy side dish that’s ready in just 35 minutes from start to finish.
- Tastes great warm or chilled.
- Favorite potato salad recipe for taking to barbecues.
- Tasty twist on classic potato salad.
- Great make-ahead potato salad for your next potluck—the flavors get better the longer they meld together.
Ingredients
- Red Potatoes: I used red potatoes because they’re firm and add a beautiful color to the salad. Plus, you don’t even have to peel them! They’re thin-skinned, so leaving it on keeps the most nutritious part of the potato and adds texture. However, you can use Yukon gold potatoes, Russet potatoes, or any waxy potatoes you prefer. Just peel them first if the skin is thick.
- Salt: Salt is so important for perfectly seasoned potatoes. You’ll add some to the water while the potatoes cook and then some when you mix all the ingredients together.
- Green Onions: Add green onions for color, crunch, and a fresh and light onion flavor.
- Red Onion: Red onions add beautiful purple color and plenty of crunch to salads. Slice them thin so you get just enough onion flavor in every bite without overpowering the other ingredients.
- Celery: While you can leave out the celery if you don’t like it, the chopped green stalks add crunch to help balance out the softer potatoes.
- Ranch Dressing: Make homemade ranch dressing or grab a bottle of your favorite Ranch dressing to mix in—buttermilk ranch, peppercorn ranch—you name it! You’ll need one cup of ranch for this recipe.
- Pepper: Fresh cracked black pepper offers the most flavor, but ground black pepper works, too. If you’re using peppercorn ranch, omit the ½ teaspoon of pepper.
How to Make Potato Salad With Ranch Dressing
- Step One: Add the red potatoes to a large pot on the stove. Cover with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes in the salted water for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from heat and drain. Chop potatoes into large chunks and set aside.
- Step Two: Combine the red onion, green onion, and celery in a large bowl. Add in cooked potatoes, creamy dressing, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper.
- Step Three: Chill covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Equipment Needed
This post contains affiliate links.
What to Serve with Ranch Potato Salad
This creamy potato salad will be great paired with this spicy Honey Sriracha Chicken. The ranch flavor of the potatoes will cool down the heat! You’ll also love it with any of these grilled chicken recipes.
If you’re planning a summer cookout, ranch potato salad works well with hot dogs and burgers of all kinds, like these Easy Stuffed Burgers, Taco Chicken Burgers, or Stuffed Jalapeno Burgers.
It’s one of the best potato salads to go with BBQ Pork Ribs, too!
Ranch Red Potato Salad Tips and Tricks
- Don’t over boil the potatoes. Cooking potatoes for too long will make them turn to mush. You want them to still have a little firmness so your potato salad has large chunks of potatoes.
- Drain excess water from the potatoes. Make sure you get all the extra water off to avoid a watery potato salad.
- Start potatoes cooking in cold water. This allows your potatoes to cook evenly throughout. If you start them in warm or hot water, the outsides of the potatoes will cook faster and get softer before the insides.
- Let it chill for at least two hours before serving. While you can definitely eat it warm if you’re hungry and need it right away, it tastes so much better once given enough time for the flavors meld together.
- Keep extra ranch dressing on hand to add later. The potatoes can soak up the ranch dressing as it sits in the fridge for a day or two, so if you know you’ll have leftovers, keep a little extra ranch dressing to mix in right before serving so it doesn’t taste dry.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add bacon. Want to add some salt and crunch to this ranch based potato salad to take it to the next level? Mix in half a cup (about 8 slices) of crumbled bacon to make bacon ranch potato salad. Omit the added salt if you’re mixing bacon in, though. You’ll also need a little more ranch dressing to coat all the ingredients, but is there anything better than crispy bacon and ranch flavors combined? Add bacon bits instead if you don’t want to fuss with cooking bacon.
- Mix in shredded cheese. Add about a cup to a cup and a half freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese (along with the smoky bacon) to make this a loaded potato salad.
- Lighten it up. If you want to save a little on calories and fat, use reduced fat ranch dressing instead of the full-fat versions.
Storage Instructions
Leftover red potato salad can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
Can I Freeze Ranch Potato Salad?
I do not recommend freezing ranch potato salad. It will not maintain the right consistency and taste although it would be safe to eat after thawing.
Ranch Potato Salad Recipe FAQ
How Do You Make Loaded Ranch Potato Salad?
Making loaded ranch potato salad from this recipe is really easy. Add about half a cup of bacon and a cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the other ingredients. That’s it! You may need to omit the red onion and celery if you do this to make it taste more like a loaded baked potato.
Is It Better To Boil Potatoes Whole or Cut Up for a Potato Salad?
It’s better to boil potatoes that are cut up so they cook faster and more evenly. For red potatoes, cutting them in half will do the job. However, if your potatoes are large, you may need to quarter them or cut them into 1-inch chunks.
Why Is My Potato Salad Watery?
If your potato salad is water, you probably didn’t adequately drain your potatoes. They tend to hold a lot of water, so instead of straining and then immediately transferring them, let them sit in the strainer for a few minutes to drain completely.
Potato Salad Recipes
- Cheese Potato Salad: Tender potatoes covered in a creamy, flavorful dressing—perfect for summer barbecues!
- Dutch Potato Salad: One of my favorites from my mom’s old church cookbooks. It’s well-loved by our family.
- German Sausage and Potato Salad: Smoky sausage is paired with chunky potatoes in this delish German-inspired potato salad recipe.
- Herb Potato Salad: This flavorful herb-filled potato salad is super simple, yet so delicious. The flavors pair well with everything from chicken to pork chops.
- Potato Salad Recipes to Try This Summer: A list of some of the yummiest potato salads for your potlucks and picnics.
You’ll also like this Hot Chicken Salad, Chicken Salad with Grapes and ranch seasoning mix.
Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.
If you make the recipe, rate it on the recipe card below and tag me on Instagram and use #simplystacie. I like sharing the photos on my Instagram stories!
Ranch Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 8 red potatoes unpeeled and halved
- 1 ½ tsp salt divided
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 red onion sliced thin
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a large pot on the stove. Cover with water and add the 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and drain. Chop potatoes into large chunks and set aside.
- Combine red onion, green onion and celery in a large bowl. Add in potatoes and ranch dressing, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Chill, covered, in the fridge until ready to serve.
Equipment
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see it! Make sure to share it on your favorite social platform.