The best potato salad recipe! This is our favorite potato salad with eggs, celery, onion, pickle relish and a creamy dressing.
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Are you on the search for the best potato salad recipe? Potato salad is one of my favorite picnic foods, especially for spring and summer holidays like Memorial Day and 4th of July. Serve me a good potato salad and I will eat seconds and thirds. I've researched and tested a few methods for making a classic potato salad recipe and this is best of the best!
Best Potato Salad Recipe
Every picnic and potluck needs potato salad, and I'm hugely disappointed if it's missing from the table. Many times I end up making it just so I know it will be part of the spread, and this recipe is hard to beat!
Ingredient List
(full printable recipe at end of this post)
We use gold potatoes with a delicious creamy mayonnaise and mustard dressing. Below are the rest of the ingredients you need to make this classic potato salad recipe.
Here's what you need:
- Gold potatoes (2 lb)
- Eggs (4 large boiled)
- Sweet onion (half)
- Celery (2 stalks)
- Dill pickle (2 spears)
- Mayonnaise (1 cup)
- Mustard (2 teaspoons)
- Apple cider vinegar (2 tablespoons)
- Celery seed (find in spice aisle)
- Salt & pepper
If you want to make the salad pretty in the bowl, grab some fresh dill and paprika for garnish. Totally optional.
Click here for full recipe ingredients and instructions.
Ingredient Substitutions
I love the recipe as written, but you can definitely make changes how you see fit for your own taste buds. Consider the following variations.
- Onion - I like sweet onions, but you can definitely use green onions or red onions instead.
- Vinegar - My heart belongs to cider vinegar, but red wine vinegar and white vinegar works, too!
- Mustard - For potato salad, yellow mustard is the classic American choice and lends to a prettier color, but if you are set on using Dijon mustard, go for it!
- Pickles - I prefer dill pickles, but you can use sweet. Some recipes call for relish, and you can use it here, but I like the crunch from the pickles.
- Mayonnaise - Some swear by mayo, others prefer Miracle Whip. I'm a mayo girl but you can definitely use Miracle Whip!
How to Make Potato Salad With Egg
There is a little bit of prep to making potato salad from scratch, like chopping ingredients and boiling potatoes, but even so this comes together very simply. I recommend preparing boiled eggs a day ahead so they are ready to be peeled and chopped. Maybe even go ahead and chop the celery, onions and pickles while the eggs are boiling so they're ready the day you make the potato salad, too!
Steps to make potato salad:
- Boil potatoes in large pot of water.
- Peel and cube potatoes.
- Mix warm potatoes with vinegar with salt and pepper.
- Chill 20 minutes.
- Combine mayonnaise, mustard, celery seed.
- Stir in celery, onions and pickles.
- Fold in potatoes and eggs.
- Serve immediately or chill several hours.
Click here for the full recipe ingredients and instructions.
Another time saver is to complete some of the steps while waiting for the potatoes to boil. Peel and chop the eggs at this time, and the other ingredients if you didn't previously.
Your Questions Answered
What kind of potatoes are best for potato salad?
The best potatoes are Yukon golds. Some will tell you red potatoes are best because they hold their shape better, but I like a little bit of "mash" in my potato salad. Do not use Russet potatoes unless that's your only choice, as they will be too mushy texture. New or baby potatoes don't do well in this recipe, either.
Should I boil potatoes whole or cut them up before boiling?
No. Do not peel or cut your potatoes before boiling or you may end up with waterlogged potatoes. You do not want watery potato salad, which is why I keep my potatoes sealed in their skins while boiling then peel and cut them after they've cooled a few minutes. The peel easily removes with just your fingers.
Marquette Castings Dutch Oven | Similar Kitchen Scale
How far in advance can I make potato salad?
This is best when it is made at least one day before -- and even better on day two! You can serve this potato salad right away, but I recommend allowing it to chill several hours first. It will last in the fridge for up to 1 week, but it tastes so good I doubt it'll last that long!
Tips for Making the Best Potato Salad
- Add vinegar mixture while potatoes are still warm. Instead of mixing the vinegar with the mayo dressing, I like to add the vinegar mixture to the potatoes while they are still warm and let it chill 20 minutes to enhance the zing. It's a noticeable difference that is worth the extra minor step.
- Rinse your knife periodically with warm water while cutting the boiled potatoes. This will reduce the amount of starch and be easier to continue cutting with less mashed taters.
- Let potatoes cool before adding the dressing. If you add the mayonnaise dressing to the potatoes while they are still warm, the mayo will become liquidy. This is yet another reason to not skip the 20 minute chilling step mentioned above!
- Make ahead. You can eat the potato salad right away, but the flavor is best the next day.
More Picnic Salad Recipes
If you love this classic potato salad then you should check out these other salad recipes!
Print this recipe or PIN it to save for later. Made this recipe? Leave a star rating and tag me on social media @seededtable so I can see. I love hearing from you!
This recipe was originally published May 2020 and updated with optimized photos in March 2021.
Recipe Card
Best Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb gold potatoes , scrubbed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt , more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper , more to taste
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- ½ sweet onion , diced
- 2 spears dill pickle , finely chopped
- 4 large hard-boiled eggs , peeled and chopped
Optional garnish:
- fresh chopped dill
- paprika
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, continue to cook until just fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; slightly cool about 5-10 minutes. Using your fingers, gently remove the peel from the potatoes and discard. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Place into a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over the warm cubed potatoes and gently mix. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard and celery seed. Stir in the celery, onions, and pickles until evenly coated. Add the cooled potatoes and the eggs; gently mix. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. For best results, chill before serving. Optional: Garnish with dill and paprika.
Video
Notes
- Peeling the potatoes is optional, but my preference. You may choose to keep the peels on the potatoes.
- This potato salad can be eaten right away, but for best results, cover and refrigerate one day before serving. Keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Nutritional values are an estimate only based on the ingredients and brands I use.
Lori says
Best Potato Salad I ever had! My daughter agrees.
Letha says
Delicious potato salad but like some I made a couple of personal changes. Didn't use celery seed just the fresh celery. I also put about a 1/2 c. of chopped salad olives with pimentos and a small jar of pimentos. I also use half sweet relish & half dill relish.
Judy Brooks says
I like the addition of pimentos, I also add chopped sweet gherkins instead of relish
Marie says
Your recipe says it serves 8, what is the serving size? I'm doing food for a large group (150 people) and I am curious what the serving size is so I have the right size spoons to serve with, and the right amount of ingredients. Thank you!
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Marie,
That is a really good question. I'm trying to be better at paying attention to serving size, rather than just how many servings. For this potato salad, my best assumption is 1 cup serving size. You can really stretch this to probably 10 servings. During the summer, I serve it at gatherings all the time, but never for as many as 150 people! 🙂 How fun!
I hope this helps some. I'm sorry I don't have an absolute answer for you, but the next time I make it I'll measure! I would love to see a photo of your huge portion of this if you have social media!
Marie says
Thank you! Most of the serving size on potato salad bought at Sam's Club or somewhere say 2/3 cup serving size. If your groups are big eaters like my group is, 1 cup is probably a more accurate serving size. Thank you!
Anonymous says
Yummy best ever potato salad!!
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you!
Lindley says
Hi There,
I made your fabulous potato salad for our Memorial Day BBQ tonight. It was a huge hitOnly difference was I used red potatoes, sautéed the onions (because I can’t handle raw onions), and I eliminated the celery seed because I don’t like it. Finished with paprika and dill. Soooo Yummy!!! Thank You
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you for your feedback, Lindley! Very glad to hear you all enjoyed it. Fun idea to sautée the onions! 🙂
Lore says
Very good potato salad. I appreciate your tips (gold potatoes give slight mash, boiling in skins to prevent waterlog and adding vinegar mixture to warm potatoes). Thank you for sharing.
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you for your feedback, Lore! I'm glad the tips helped. It keeps me happy to continue sharing. 🙂
Abby says
Can you use Primal Kitchen avocado oil mayo?
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Abby,
Yes, you can use any mayo you're used to! It will change the taste, but if you're already used to the taste of primal kitchen's mayo then you should like it just fine! 🙂
Gail Fitzpatrick says
Why does my dressing get running
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Gail, did you make sure to chill the potatoes before adding the dressing?
Claudia Mize says
Excellent potatoe salad recipe! I used dill seed, that was all I had on hand, but it turned out fine. Thanks
Nikki Gladd says
Oh yes, the dill seed should be delicious as well! Thank you for the review, Claudia!
Anonymous says
That's not creamy potato salad
Dori says
I totally disagree.. it’s creamy and delicious. All ingredients need to be cold, and if you sub low fat mayo or Miracle Whip, you may not get the same thickness.. As an old PA Deutch home cook, this was a hit…
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you, Dori!
Donna says
I just made this potato salad today and it tastes delicious! Followed the recipe, exactly, except I had to half the recipe -since I only had 1 pound. But, the flavor is fabulous! I love it! It is chilling, until we eat it for dinner. Definitely a keeper recipe-just in time for summer and cook-outs! Thank you so much!
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you for this feedback, Donna! Yes, halving the recipe works just great. So glad you love it as much as we do!
Chris says
Just made this potato salad, it turned out fabulous. I would recommend that you use the regular miracle whip instead of the light (which is the only kind I could find at the store). Will differently keep this one on hand for summer time BBQ.... love it.....
Chris
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you, Chris! I always use mayonnaise, but glad to know it tastes great with miracle whip, too. Hope you enjoy the Memorial Day weekend!