Classic Potato Salad

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Updated Aug 29, 2024

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Potato salad is the ultimate summer salad recipe. It’s simultaneously creamy, crunchy, and fresh — and the perfect side dish for barbecues, picnics, potlucks, and parties. This is my mom’s classic recipe that I’ve lovingly adopted and have been making for over 20 years. I think you’ll love it as well!

A big bowl of classic potato salad. — *Photo: Gayle McLeod*

Why You’ll Love This Potato Salad

Many people have a family favorite potato salad recipe passed down from generation to generation, like German potato salad. But let me tell you why I think my mom’s recipe is the best for a classic American summer salad.

First, it’s not mushy. I’ve come across many potato salads that resemble mashed potatoes. But that’s a little too soft for my liking. Potato salads should have texture, crunch, and a chunky consistency.
Second, it’s not watery. It’s creamy without being soupy. And that’s because there’s just the right amount of dressing for the type of potatoes used.
Lastly, it’s not a bowl of monochromatic beige and yellow. This potato salad is a delicious combination of red potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, celery, radishes, spring onions, dill, and mayonnaise — loads of color and tons of fabulous flavor.

Potato Salad Ingredients

Small Potatoes: You can use red potatoes, white new potatoes, or Yukon Gold potatoes. I’m using red potatoes because I love the reddish color that comes through in the mixture. Plus, they’re creamy, lower in starch, hold together well after cooking, and the skin is so soft that you don’t have to peel them.
Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs add protein to this salad, making it a more filling side dish.
Crisp Vegetables: Celery, spring onions, and radishes add a fresh crispiness with every bite.
Mayonnaise: I love my homemade mayonnaise recipe, but you can use a store-bought version as well.
Fresh Herbs: A bit of freshly chopped dill is all you need for an herbaceous touch. But you could also use other tender herbs, which I’ll talk about more below.

How To Make Potato Salad

Boil the potatoes. Fill a large pot with water, add the potatoes, and bring to a boil. Salt the water, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
Make hard-boiled eggs. Fill another pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low (so that no bubbles break the surface) and gently add the eggs with a skimmer. Cook the eggs for 12 to 14 minutes, then place them in an ice water bath to stop their cooking.

Cool and chill. Once the potatoes have finished cooking, drain the water. Fill the pot with cold water to cool the potatoes down, then drain again. Place both the eggs and potatoes in the refrigerator to cool completely. Pro tip: Ensure your potatoes and hard-boiled eggs are fully cooled before making potato salad. Any residual heat will melt the mayonnaise if you mix everything too quickly. And nobody wants a hot melted potato salad!

Dice the potatoes, and eggs, and stir everything together. Once cooled, peel the eggs, and then dice both the potatoes and eggs into 1-inch-sized pieces. Then, add the diced potatoes and eggs to a large mixing bowl with the mayonnaise, celery, radishes, green onion, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir gently until well combined. Serve the potato salad immediately or refrigerate for up to three days. I’ve got a few storage tips below.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

Yes, you can make potato salad a day ahead! Or what I do, at a minimum, is prepare the potatoes and hard-boiled eggs the day before. That way it’s ready to be mixed the day of the party. And as long as your potato salad isn’t sitting out during a party or BBQ for hours, it should last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Ingredient Alternatives

Swap any of the vegetables for chopped carrots, red bell pepper, cucumber, water chestnuts, or even sweet or dill pickles.
Swap mayonnaise for yogurt instead. It will taste a bit creamier, but still delicious! You could also do a mix of half yogurt and half mayo.
If you don’t like dill, you can use thyme, parsley, or another tender herb.
If you don’t like the skin on your potatoes, peel the skin off after they’ve cooled, and before you chop them up.

Common Questions

Can you use russet potatoes?

I do not recommend using russet potatoes for potato salad. They’re more starchy and will fall apart as soon as you start stirring. Save those russet potatoes for my carne asada fries!

Should you cut the potatoes before or after boiling?

I prefer to boil my potatoes whole, then chill them in the fridge and cut them after they’ve cooled. It’s easy to slice through the potatoes this way, and I feel they’re slightly less waterlogged and mushy. But if you prefer to slice and cube your potatoes first, just remember to reduce the boil time to about 12 to 15 minutes.

Can I make this dairy-free?

Yes, you sure can. Just swap in a vegan mayo. My favorite brand is this Primal Kitchen vegan mayonnaise made with avocado oil! It’s just as creamy as the real thing and will be the perfect substitute.

More Summer Side Dishes

Coleslaw: An essential summer side!
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad: Creamy summer classics.
Watermelon and Feta Salad: A no-brainer for watermelon season.
Easy Cucumber Salad: Such a simple, refreshing side.
Greek Salad: Perfect to serve with Mediterranean grilled meats!
Best Baked Beans: This one will get rave reviews.
Or complete your spread with these July 4th recipes!

I can’t wait for you to try this potato salad recipe! If you make it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the recipe in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community as well.

The BEST Potato Salad Recipe

5 from 26 votes

Prep: 30

Cook: 45

Total: 1 15

Servings: 10 servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

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Description

This classic potato salad recipe inherited from my mom is easy, flavorful, and loaded with texture. That's what makes it the perfect summer side dish for BBQs, picnics, and dinner parties! Watch the video below to see how I make this in my kitchen!

Video

Equipment

Zwilling Chef's Knife My favorite chef's knife!
Glass Mixing Bowls They come in all different sizes, making them such a versatile tool in the kitchen.
Kuhn Rikon Skimmer I've had this stainless steel skimmer for ages now!

Ingredients

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Fill a large pot with water. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Salt the water, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until a fork inserts easily with a little resistance.
Make hard boiled eggs. Fill another pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low (so that there's no bubbles breaking the surface) and use a skimmer to gently add the eggs. Cook the eggs for 12 to 14 minutes, then place in an ice water bath to immediately stop their cooking.
Cool and chill. Once the potatoes have finished cooking, drain the water. Fill the pot with cold water to cool the potatoes down, then drain again. Place both the eggs and potatoes in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Dice the potatoes and eggs. Once your potatoes and eggs are fully cooled, peel the eggs, and then dice both the potatoes and eggs into 1-inch sized pieces.
Stir it all together. Add the diced potatoes and eggs to a large mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, celery, radishes, green onion, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir gently until well combined. Serve the potato salad immediately or refrigerate for up to three days.

Lisa’s Tips

To make ahead and store: You can cook the eggs and potatoes a day before, then make the rest of the salad the day of. Alternatively, make the salad ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To make this salad even healthier: I use my homemade mayonnaise recipe (as I can control the quality of oil and make sure there are no unnecessary ingredients).
For getting the boiled eggs out of the pot: This is my favorite skimmer for making hard-boiled eggs as it’s large and wide.

Nutrition

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Best Potato Salad, How to Make Potato Salad, Potato Salad, potato salad recipe

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Recipe originally posted May 2015, but updated to include new information, photos and video for your benefit!

About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.