Crack Potatoes

Name: Crack Potato Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 26 ounces cream of chicken soup (undiluted); 2 cups sour cream; 2 ounces dry ranch dressing mix; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 30 ounces frozen hash browns; 1½ cups bacon (cooked and crumbled (divided into 1 cup and ½ cup)); 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded (divided into 3 cups and 1 cup)); 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional garnish)

These crack potatoes are loaded with so much cheesy and bacon goodness that you will want to add it as a side dish to all your meals.

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Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Servings

Table of Contents

Crack Potatoes Recipe Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Crack Potato Recipe
How To Serve
Storing These Loaded Crack Potatoes
Why We Love These Crack Potatoes
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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I don’t think a potato dish could get any richer or decadent than these crack potatoes. Hash browns are combined with all kinds of tasty ingredients, including creamy soup, ranch flavors, crispy bacon, and melty cheese, for this addictive and irresistible dish.

close up shot of Crack Potatoes garnished with parsley in a baking dish

Crack Potatoes Recipe Ingredients

Crack Potatoes raw ingredients that are labeled

The recipe features a creamy base made from cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and ranch seasoning, while the hash brown potatoes provide a comforting texture.

The star ingredient is crumbled bacon, adding smoky and savory notes, along with generous amounts of sharp cheddar cheese for richness.

You’ll need:

1 (26-ounce) can of cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 cups of sour cream
2 (1-ounce) packages of dry ranch dressing mix
2 teaspoons of onion powder
1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
30-ounce bag of frozen hash brown potatoes
1½ cups cooked, crumbled bacon (divided into 1 cup and ½ cup)
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided into 3 cups and 1 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional garnish)

PRO TIP:

It is best to shred the cheese yourself, as pre-shredded cheese tends to come coated with a preservative that affects how well it melts.

Substitutions And Additions

CHEESE: You can substitute Colby Jack cheese for the shredded cheddar in these cheesy potatoes.

SOUR CREAM: You can substitute unflavored Greek yogurt for the sour cream in this loaded crack potatoes recipe.

TOPPING: You can also top the potatoes with buttered bread crumbs before baking for a crunchy topping.

Green onions would also be yummy as a garnish on top of these potatoes.

BACON: It is best to cook your own bacon, but you can also use real bacon bits if it makes it easier to get this dish together quickly.

How To Make This Crack Potato Recipe

To make this tasty recipe, you’ll combine all the ingredients for the sauce, which you will then use to coat the potatoes.

Everything goes into a baking dish and cooked until melty and bubbling.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

If you are feeding a crowd, this would be an easy recipe to double.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Generously spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set it aside.

STEP TWO: Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup and sour cream.

Then add the dry ranch mix, onion powder, cracked black pepper, and kosher salt.

Mix until smooth.

cream of chicken soup, sour cream, ranch dressing mix, onion powder, pepper, and salt whisked together in a bowl

STEP THREE: Using a large wooden spoon, stir in the hashbrowns, one cup of crumbled bacon, and three cups of shredded cheese.

Stir well until completely combined.

hash-brown, bacon, shredded cheese stirred together

STEP FOUR: Pour into the prepared baking dish.

STEP FIVE: Evenly sprinkle the remaining one cup of cheddar cheese and a half cup of bacon crumbles.

PRO TIP:

You can put this together the night before, cover it well, and put it in the fridge. Before baking, uncover and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking.

potato mixture placed into a baking dish and topped with shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon

STEP SIX: Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Evenly sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve while hot.

How To Serve

This easy side dish recipe will be a winner and an often requested dish once your family has a taste of it.

Add it to the side of our Italian chicken recipe, parmesan pork chops, or steak bites.

A Caesar salad or roasted vegetables would round your meal out nicely.

Take your breakfast or brunch to the next level by serving crack potatoes alongside fluffy scrambled eggs and crisp, smoky bacon.

We have plenty of other side dish recipes to help you out. Have a look at our recipes for our twice baked potatoes and corn pudding.

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Homemade Scalloped Potatoes

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Grilled Potatoes

Storing These Loaded Crack Potatoes

Whether you’re planning to make it ahead or have leftovers to preserve, here’s what you need to know:

IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers of these loaded bacon, cheddar, and ranch potatoes in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator, for up to three days.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze the unbaked crack potatoes for up to two months. Allow the crack potatoes to completely thaw before baking as directed above.

MAKE-AHEAD: This would be a fantastic freezer meal. Make several batches and freeze them in disposable foil pans covered in aluminum foil.

Thaw in the fridge overnight, and then you have a yummy side dish to pop in the oven when you need it.

REHEATING: You can reheat crack potatoes in the microwave or in the oven on low until warmed through.

Why We Love These Crack Potatoes

There are plenty of reasons to love these creamy potatoes, including:

IRRESISTIBLE CREAMINESS: These crack potatoes are a celebration of creamy goodness. The combination of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and cheddar cheese creates a luscious, velvety texture that’s simply irresistible.

SAVORY FLAVOR EXPLOSION: The addition of dry ranch dressing mix, onion powder, black pepper, and bacon infuses these potatoes with layers of savory flavors.

This addictive potato recipe is loaded with bacon, melty cheese, and ranch flavor and baked until golden brown and bubbling. These crack potatoes would make for the perfect side dish to any family dinner and may very well become one of your favorites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this dish ahead of time?

This fantastic potato casserole can be made ahead of time and kept in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw overnight and pop in the oven when you are ready to bake.

Can I use a different type of potatoes?

If you wanted to use diced potatoes, tater tots, or other types of potatoes for this yummy recipe, you sure can!

My cheese is not melting the way I would like it to.

It is best to shred your own cheese rather than using pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with a preservative, and it tends to prevent it from melting well.

Can I make this dish creamier? If so, how?

Adding cream cheese to your potato mixture will make this already creamy dish even creamier.

How do I know when my crack potatoes are done?

You’ll know the dish is finished cooking when the cheese is melted, and the dish is bubbling and hot throughout.

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Crack Potato Recipe

5 from 3 votes

These crack potatoes are loaded with so much cheesy and bacon goodness that you will want to add it as a side dish to all your meals.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings

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Ingredients

26 ounces cream of chicken soup undiluted
2 cups sour cream
2 ounces dry ranch dressing mix
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
30 ounces frozen hash browns
1½ cups bacon cooked and crumbled (divided into 1 cup and ½ cup)
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded (divided into 3 cups and 1 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Generously spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set it aside.
Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, dry ranch dressing mix, onion powder, cracked black pepper, and kosher salt until smooth.
Using a large wooden spoon, stir in the hashbrowns, 1 cup crumbled bacon, and 3 cups of shredded cheese. Stir well until completely combined.
Pour into the prepared baking dish.
Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese and ½ cup crumbled bacon.
Bake for 50 minutes. Evenly sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve while hot.

Video

Notes

It is best to shred the cheese yourself, as pre-shredded cheese tends to come coated in a preservative that affects how well it melts.
If you are feeding a crowd, this would be an easy recipe to double.
You can put this together the night before, cover it well, and put it in the fridge. Before baking, uncover and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant
Teresia Shrum Recipe Developer

Loaded Crack Potatoes