Look no further for the best potato salad recipe. This is my favorite homemade potato salad with eggs, celery, onion, pickles and a creamy potato salad dressing. You will love this classic recipe!
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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 homemade potato salad and this is best of the best!
Potato Salad Ingredients
This potato salad recipe uses gold potatoes with a creamy mayonnaise and mustard dressing. Gather these ingredients:
Grocery List for Potato Salad Recipe
- 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 potato salad pretty in the bowl, grab some fresh dill and paprika for garnish. Totally optional.
Ingredient substitutions
- 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.
How to Make Potato Salad from Scratch
There is a little bit of prep to this recipe, like chopping ingredients and boiling potatoes, but even with these steps 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!
- 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 potato salad recipe ingredients and instructions.
Another time saver for making potato salad 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.
Potato salad FAQ
What kind of potatoes are best for potato salad?
The best potatoes for potato salad are gold potatoes. 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. New or baby potatoes don’t do well in this recipe, either.
Should I cut potatoes before boiling for potato salad?
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.
How far in advance can you make potato salad?
Homemade potato salad 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. This potato salad 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 potato salad 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.
Other yummy picnic salad recipes
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Best Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb gold potatoes , scrubbed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt , more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper , more to taste
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- 1/2 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. Peel the potatoes (optional) and cut into 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. Optional: Garnish with dill and paprika.
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
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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
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!