Home ยป Recipes ยป Side Dish ยป Potatoes

Crock Pot Red Potatoes

Bite size cubes of potatoes with a sprinkling of ranch seasoning, cheese and bacon bits create our recipe for Red Potatoes in the Crock Pot.

We love using our slow cooker for easy potato side dishes like this.  While we often enjoy this as an easy side dish for casual family meals, it is great to take to big holiday meals as well!

Fork in a chunk of skin on red potato with melted cheddar cheese on top on a white plate full of tender potatoes on a red and white napkin.

Recipe For Red Potatoes in the Crock Pot

These crockpot loaded red potatoes use simple ingredients and are easy to make! We love how this recipe is the perfect easy potato dish to go with several meals like BBQ Kielbasa Sandwiches and Shredded Beef Sandwiches.

Topping potatoes with bacon and cheese is one of our favorite things to do. A light sprinkling adds so much to these skin-on red potatoes when cooked in the crock pot.

From our super basic Bacon & Cheese Loaded French Fries to our Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole and Crock Pot Twice Baked Potato Casserole potatoes need toppings!

Save this Recipe
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Enter your email and I’ll send this recipe right to your inbox! Plus, I’ll send you new recipes every week!

Cubes of red potatoes in a crock pot with a light ranch seasoning, bacon bits and melted cheddar cheese.

Just like our popular Twice Baked Potato Casserole, this recipe will be perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter dinner too!  It’s fairly easy to make and people always want the recipe because of the delicious blend of flavors!

Ingredients Needed:

  • Red Potatoes – A 3 pound bag works well for this recipe.
  • Cheddar Cheese – Sharp cheddar is my favorite cheese to melt on potatoes because it is more full of flavor which helps dress up the basic potato flavor.
  • Bacon – Baked and crumbled is our preference, but a bag of bacon bits works fine too.
  • Ranch Seasoning – A packet adds all the herbs we enjoy.
  • Salt & Pepper – Season to taste.
  • Green Onions or Chives – Make a great garnish and add a fresh flavor which is a wonder accent.
Ingredients to make crock pot red potatoes are shredded cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, slices of green onion, ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix and a row of red potatoes on a white counter top.

How to Make Slow Cooker Red Potatoes

Cut potatoes into equally sized pieces and add to a lined or greased crock pot.

Fresh red potatoes cut into chunks and sitting in a slow cooker.

Sprinkle about half of the cheese over the potatoes. I like to save the remainder of the cheese to add towards the end, but that’s a personal preference.

Shredded cheddar cheese layered on cubes of red potatoes in a crock pot.

Sprinkle some ranch seasoning on top.

I usually guess and probably end up with more than a tablespoon. This method hasn’t hurt the flavor yet!

Ranch seasoning sprinkled over cubes of raw red potatoes and cheese in a plastic lined crock pot.

Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

I try to stir once or twice to help the potatoes cook as evenly as possible and prevent sticking to the sides.

Take care to avoid turning all of the cheese and toppings to the very bottom of the crock if possible.

Crock pot full of partially cooked red potatoes with cheese starting to melt and crispy bacon bits, all sitting in a plastic liner.

Keep cooking for a total of 3 – 4 hours on high or 6 – 7 hours on low.

When the potatoes are fork tender the dish is ready to enjoy.

Close up of tender pieces of cooked red potatoes in a liner in a black slow cooker.

These crock pot loaded red potatoes taste best served warm.

Recipe Tips & Tricks:

  • The crock pot holds these potatoes very well on the keep warm setting for a couple hours if needed.
  • Small bite-sized pieces are easiest to eat.
  • We prefer crumbling whole slices of bacon, but pre-cooked bacon bits will work too.
  • If left on keep warm at a party stir occasionally to prevent the edges from burning
  • We made the full-size batch in our 5-quart slow cooker, but if we had a 6 quart I would’ve added more of each ingredient because the leftovers were great to go with lunches throughout the week!
  • All cooking appliances and conditions are different, so you should test these times and guidelines first in your own appliance to determine what adjustments may be needed!
Golden brown cheese and edges of warm and softened red potatoes stacked on a white plate with a fork in the background.

Other Tried and True Easy Potato Recipes:

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Close up of tender pieces of red potatoes with melted cheese, bacon bits and seasoning coating them and a fork in one piece on a white plate.

Crock Pot Loaded Red Potatoes

Servings 8 servings
Author: Jennifer
Bite size cubes of potatoes with a sprinkling of ranch seasoning, cheese and bacon bits create our recipe for Red Potatoes in the Crock Pot.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds red potatoes cubed
  • 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
  • 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning & salad dressing mix
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions
 

  • Line crock pot with foil or liner for easy clean up.  Coat with nonstick spray.  
  • Place layer of potatoes in crock, top with 1/3 cheese, 1/3 ranch and 1/3 bacon.  Repeat 2 times.
  • Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours.  Stir once or twice while cooking.
  • Sprinkle with cheese when done and garnish with chives.

Notes

  • Cut potatoes into equally sized pieces
  • Small bite-sized pieces are easiest to eat
  • We prefer crumbling whole slices of bacon, but pre-cooked bacon bits will work too
  • Stir once or twice during cooking to prevent sticking to the sides, just be careful not to turn the cheese and toppings to the very bottom of the crock
  • If left on keep warm at a party stir occasionally to prevent the edges from burning
  • All cooking appliances and conditions are different, so you should test these times and guidelines first in your own appliance to determine what adjustments may be needed!

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 11gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 412mgPotassium: 827mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 257IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 170mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Plowing Through Life” is not a dietitian or nutrition professional. Any nutritional information shared is an estimate and can vary greatly depending on specific products are used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator of your choice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @PlowingThroughLife or tag #PlowingThroughLife!

Originally published on June 28, 2018 with pictures updated on June 19, 2023.

simple red potatoes in crock pot loaded with bacon, ranch seasoning, cheese and chives

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating