Cheddar Ranch Instant Pot Potato Salad

Make Instant Pot Potato Salad for your next BBQ! This no mayo potato salad recipe is easy to make and incredibly flavorful. The addition of sharp cheddar cheese and ranch seasoning take this classic potato salad to a whole new level!

Thank you to my friends at Cabot for sponsoring today’s post!

This is not a normal potato salad. This is a potato salad that your friends and family will rave about at BBQ’s for years to come! It’s classic, with a twist!

Made with red potatoes, diced celery and a creamy dressing, it will remind you of a classic potato salad. But we’re adding Cabot Sharp Cheddar Cheese and ranch seasoning, which gives this potato salad recipe an extra layer of creaminess and flavor!

This potato salad features hard boiled eggs, which is why we’re using the Instant Pot to make this recipe. You can easily cook the potatoes and eggs in the Instant Pot at the same time! Yes, it really is a miracle machine!

While the Instant Pot cooks the potatoes and eggs, you can quickly chop the celery and mix up the dressing. In no time, you’ll be digging in to your new favorite potato salad recipe!

What you’ll need

• Red potatoes – you can also use yukon gold potatoes, but I do not recommend using russet potatoes. Because they are more starchy and have a thicker skin, you won’t get the same texture from a russet, as you will red or yukon gold potatoes.
• Eggs – these are optional. I love the addition of hard boiled eggs in a potato salad, but if you’re not a fan, you can leave them out.
• Sour cream – instead of mayo, we’re using sour cream in this recipe. It pairs perfectly with the sharp cheddar cheese and diced green onions to make a creamy sauce for the potato salad.
• Ranch seasoning – I like to use my homemade ranch seasoning mix whenever I can! It’s easy to mix together in 5 minutes and great for seasoning potatoes, chicken or making your own ranch dressing. You can whip it up to use in this recipe, or purchase a package of pre-made ranch dip mix at the grocery store. One package generally contains one ounce of mix, or two tablespoons, which is what is needed for this recipe.
• Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese – now this is where the recipe gets really good! The sharp cheddar cheese adds an extra creamy texture to the potato salad and a sharp, buttery flavor that really sets this potato salad apart from the rest!
• Green onions – these onions add a nice crunch, flavor and burst of color to the salad.
• Celery – all good potato salads need a bit of crunch to add texture to the salad. Celery is the perfect vegetable to give this potato salad that fresh little crunch that we all know and love!
• Salt and pepper – finish the potato salad off by seasoning it to taste with salt and pepper.

Step by step instructions

1. Cook the potatoes and eggs in the Instant Pot.
   • Pour one cup of water into the bottom of an Instant Pot.
   • Place the trivet that came with the Instant Pot in the pot, then top with cubed red potatoes, cut into approximately 1 inch cubes.
   • Add the eggs on top of the potatoes.
   • Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to the sealing position.
   • Select the “manual” button on front of the Instant Pot, set it to high pressure and set the timer for 4 minutes.
   • When the timer beeps, quick release the pressure by using the end of a spoon or spatula to move the valve from sealing to venting.
   • Once all of the pressure has released from the Instant Pot, remove the lid and use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the Instant Pot.
   • Transfer the eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes.
   • Drain the potatoes from the Instant Pot and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
   • Place the potatoes in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Prepare the creamy sauce.
   • In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, ranch seasoning, shredded cheddar cheese and diced green onions.
3. Assemble the potato salad.
   • Peel and chop the hard boiled eggs, then add them to the bowl of potatoes.
   • Add the chopped celery to the bowl with the creamy sauce.
   • Use a spatula to gently fold all of the ingredients together.
   • Salt and pepper to taste.
   • Place the salad in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Tips and tricks

• This potato salad recipe can be made up to 2 days in advance. The longer that the potatoes sit in the creamy sauce, the better they soak in the flavor!
• The potato salad will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing potato salad.
• You do not need to peel the potatoes. Of course you can, if you prefer, but the skin is very thin on red potatoes and will cook perfectly in the Instant Pot.
• This recipe makes approximately 10 cups of potato salad. If you’re serving more than 2 side dishes at a BBQ, I recommend 1/2 cup potato salad per person. If you’re serving 2 side dishes or less, I recommend 1 cup of potato salad per person.
• This recipe can easily be doubled or cut in half, depending on the number of people you’re serving. To adjust the serving size, simply hover over the “servings” in the recipe card below and adjust it from 10, to 5, or up to 20. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to the new serving size. The cook time on the Instant Pot will stay the same.

Optional additions

This salad is delicious just the way it is, but if you’d like to mix it up a bit, try one or two of these optional additions to the salad!

1. Jalapenos – for a spicy, crunchy addition to the salad, mince one jalapeno and toss it into the salad at the same time you add the celery.
2. Parsley – for even more fresh herb flavor, add 2-4 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley in at the end.
3. Bacon – nothing pairs better with potatoes and cheddar cheese than a sprinkling of crispy bacon! Stir in 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon at the end to add a salty protein crunch to the salad.
4. Ham – another great protein addition to the salad is ham. Because ham + cheddar = a match made in foodie heaven! Ask your butcher to slice the ham thick, then dice it into cubes and add it to the salad at the end.
5. Red onion – most potato salad’s include raw red onion for a nice crunch, in addition to the celery. Since we added green onions to this recipe, I left the red onions out, but if you’re an onion lover like me, feel free to toss in 1/2 cup diced red onion at the same time as the celery.
6. Lemon juice – for a touch of zest in the dressing, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

What to serve with it

Potato salad is the quintessential side dish for a summer bbq! Try serving it with any of these delicious main dishes.

• Sous Vide BBQ Chicken
• Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
• Grilled Ribeye Steak Kabobs
• Rosemary Sage Pork Skewers
• Buffalo Chicken Burgers
• Juicy Lucy Burger
• Grilled Peach Balsamic BBQ Chicken

More delicious side dishes to try

• Broccoli Cheese Casserole
• Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint
• 10 Minute Broccoli Salad
• Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower
• Crock Pot Creamed Corn
• Dad’s Famous BBQ Baked Beans
• Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Visit CabotCheese.coop for even more cheesy recipe ideas!

Cabot is a co-operative owned by family farms throughout New England and New York, with 100% of the profits going back to the farmers. Support a farmer & eat delicious cheese, sounds like a win-win to me!

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