Slow Cooker Loaded Potatoes

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This easy recipe for slow cooker loaded potatoes is family-friendly, simple to make, and perfect for even busy weeknights. A Crockpot side dish you don’t want to miss!

These potatoes are such a great side dish. They’re flavorful, fun, and super easy to make. The whole family flips when I make these potatoes. Everyone can top theirs how they like and I know something they don’t…there’s no extra work involved for me!

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On those extra busy weeknights I’ll throw a liner in the Crockpot first to be sure that cleanup is truly one step and done as well! It means I can clean up dinner as easily as I made it!

Do you ever find yourself in a side dish rut? We are creatures of habit and occasionally I’ll look down at my plate and realize that we’ve been eating the same combination of meats and potatoes for weeks. It gets boring!

Instead of trying to get too crazy or complicated with it I put together recipes like these slow cooker loaded potatoes. They are hearty enough that everyone is satisfied but they’re also flavorful and fun, something different and out of the ordinary!

Thanks to the slow cooker the potatoes come out perfectly tender and I don’t have to spend an hour in the kitchen hovering over the oven or or a sauce pan to get them that way.

Why use a slow cooker to make potatoes?

Most potatoes take awhile to cook. If you don’t mind spending all that extra time in the kitchen you can definitely make these potatoes in a pot or a pan but I like cooking potatoes in the slow cooker because once it’s loaded up I don’t have to monitor the progress.

Slow cookers are great because they free me up to do other things, there’s always something else I could be doing. This way I can have a great dinner cooking, no fears of me getting distracted and something burning, and all my other tasks get accomplished as well.

Another reason to use the Crockpot is the cleanup. Everything gets done in one bowl and then I can either throw away the liner or pop one pot and lid into the dishwasher. Cleanup is a breeze!

What do I need to make these Crockpot loaded potatoes?

This recipe uses pretty standard ingredients. There’s nothing funky that you should have to hunt down! You’ll need red potatoes and I recommend sticking with the red potatoes because the cooking times will vary with other varieties. If you swap them out be sure to keep an eye on the cooking times as red potatoes are a bit softer than russets and other similarly hard potatoes!

You will also need salt and pepper, some shredded cheddar cheese, real bacon bits, sliced green onions, and sour cream to top your potatoes!

Chives are great to sprinkle on top as well. You can garnish with whatever you like. Some extra cheese, crispy fried onions, fresh chopped onions, really…anything you like on a baked potato!

Here’s how I make these slow cooker loaded baked potatoes:

For best results, line the slow cooker with aluminum foil and cook the potatoes inside the foil like a packet.

Blend the seasonings together.

Inside the slow cooker, toss together the potatoes and seasoning blend. Then add in 2 ½ cups cheese, the bacon bits, and green onion or chives, and toss to combine.

Fold the aluminum foil over the potatoes. Cover with the slow cooker lid.

Cook on low for 3 hours. Just before the potatoes are ready, preheat the broiler.

Transfer the loaded potatoes to a broiler-safe baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese has melted and the edges begin to crisp.

Garnish with sour cream and additional green onions or chives.

Keep in mind that you can always throw a Crockpot liner in first, then add your aluminum foil so that anything that escapes the foil is caught in the liner and then you can just pull it out and discard…zero cleanup!

Can I skip baking these potatoes at the end?

You can definitely skip the baking step if you’d like. You can always just serve the extra cheese with the potatoes for toppings!

The final step of baking the slow cooker loaded potatoes in the oven just makes the cheese extra melty and the edges crisp, it’s not going to impact the finished potatoes all that much and if you don’t care about the crispy edges you can dive right in and eat these straight out of the Crockpot!

Looking for more side dish recipes to try?

If you aren’t using your Crockpots to make your side dishes as well as your main dishes you are missing out on a big opportunity to free up your time for other things!

Check out all of these amazing recipes and see just how versatile your slow cooker can be in the kitchen.

We love Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes, Crockpot Green Bean Casserole, Crockpot Corn Casserole, Crock Pot Cowboy Beans, Ultimate Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, and even Crockpot Rice! The possibilities are endless, they make for great meal prep options too.

If you’d like more delicious recipe ideas be sure to check out these best summer potluck recipes for lots of ideas to make and take to your next gathering.

Printable Slow Cooker Loaded Potatoes Recipe: