Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

These cheesy ranch potatoes come together with just four main ingredients and are always a crowd-pleaser! Well-seasoned tender bites of potatoes wrapped in a savory, melted cheese topping. Simple to whip up this side dish comes with a mouth-watering bite on every forkful.

Cheesy Ranch Potatoes, My Favorite Potato Recipe

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support to help keep this site running!

Hands down, these Cheesy Ranch Potatoes one of the best side dish recipes to pop onto the dinner table. Cheesy ranch potatoes have a comforting feel about them and have everyone coming back for more each time they’re served.

The best part about these potatoes though is that you can’t mess them up. No matter how you make them they come out with a delicious taste every single time.

They’re versatile enough that you can add some extra vegetables if you need to and they’re simple enough that it doesn’t overly matter how you chop the potatoes or what kind of potatoes you use. These cheesy ranch potatoes come together when you’re in a pinch and quickly become the star of the show.

Cheesy ranch potatoes, topped with chopped green onions, in a clear Pyrex 9x13 casserole dish - cooling on a wire rack

Ingredients You Need

  • Potatoes: the star of the dish you can actually use any potatoes you have on hand. All you need to do is chop them into bite-sized pieces so that they cook evenly and you’re good to go.
  • Shredded cheese: similar to the potatoes, use any blend of cheese you have on hand. Cheddar is used most commonly but these cheesy potatoes taste delicious with mozzarella or even a Tex-Mex blend also.
  • Ranch dressing: there’s almost always some of this in the fridge which is why this potato side dish is one you can whip up quickly enough. Any brand will work, and you can dress the dish to your own personal taste preference.
  • Butter: unsalted butter works best as you can add the salt yourself and tweak the recipe to suit your tastes.

Tips For Success

  • Potatoes – It doesn’t matter if you leave the skins on or not so long as you chop the potatoes so that they’re all similar in size. This way they’ll finish cooking around the same time and maintain a tender texture.
  • Baking – Bake the potatoes for roughly 50-60 minutes and then check them with a fork. You want the potatoes tender but not overdone. The fork should pierce lightly through the potatoes.
  • Broiling – Once you add the ranch dressing and shredded cheese you want to bake the potatoes for another few minutes to infuse the flavors and melt the cheese. Then, if you like a bit of a crispy texture, broil the dish for no longer than 60 seconds keeping an eye on it to ensure the cheese doesn’t burn.
  • Serving – The cheesy ranch potatoes are perfect as they are. However, sprinkling on some chopped green onions or fresh parsley is a great way to present them.
Cheesy Ranch Potatoes, my favorite potato recipe

Storing Leftovers

On the off chance you have leftovers, let them cool before either wrapping the serving dish in plastic wrap or placing them in an airtight container.

In the fridge, the cheesy potatoes will stay fresh for up to 3 days.

Reheat the cheesy ranch potatoes in the microwave in intervals or in the oven at 300F. In the oven, you may want to add a dash of water or broth to the dish when heating so that they don’t dry out.

Variations

These ranch potatoes are amazing because they’re so easily varied! This means that you can make them seem like a new side dish almost anytime you make them. Some fun variations to try are:

New cheeses: the kind of cheese you choose will affect the taste! Try new blends like Tex-Mex, Swiss cheese, or a mix of two kinds of cheese for a new flavor.

Vegetables: bulk up the dish by adding chopped cauliflower or broccoli to the potatoes. You’ll want to chop the vegetables finely so that they cook quickly, and you may need a dash of extra ranch dressing to coat them. This is a delicious way to get a full side dish out of one dish.

Protein – mix in some chopped cooked chicken in the last 15 minutes of bake time to make the meal more hearty. One of my favorite variations is adding cooked cubed chicken and broccoli florets. It makes a delicious one dish meal that the entire family loves!

Fajita seasoning:  adding in some new spices and seasonings creates a brand-new feel. If you have taco seasoning or a fajita seasoning mix on hand, add a dash of those to give the cheesy potatoes a Mexican flavor to them.

Add some heat: if you like a spicy kick to your meals, add a dash of hot sauce along with the ranch, some cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes. Use your discretion though as these ingredients add a big boost in small amounts.

Cheesy Ranch Potatoes, my favorite potato recipe
What goes with cheesy ranch potatoes?

Cheesy potatoes make a delicious side dish for any main course. Serve it alongside any chicken or pork dinner as you would mashed potatoes. It also pairs beautifully with larger Holiday meals. It adds a splash of flavor to any dinner menu.

Why won’t my potatoes cook in the oven?

When cooking potatoes especially potato casseroles in the oven, make sure that the potatoes are chopped into even pieces. This way, they cook at the same rate. You also want to cook the potatoes at a higher temperature (around 400F).

Print Pin
5 from 2 votes

Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

The best addition to any dinner menu. These cheesy ranch potatoes are a comforting blend of savory seasoned, tender potatoes, and gooey cheese in every bite. This is my FAVORITE potato recipe!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • potatoes diced (peeled, not peeled, russet, reds, whatever)
  • butter
  • salt & pepper or whatever other seasoning you like, taco seasoning, garlic herb, etc
  • ranch dressing to taste
  • shredded cheese of your choice to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Place the diced potatoes in a baking dish. Dot with a few pieces of butter. Season with salt & pepper, or whatever other seasoning you like. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 50-60 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
  • Add ranch dressing & shredded cheese to taste. Cook in the oven for another 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted & ranch is piping hot.
  • Serve immediately.
Cheesy Ranch Potatoes