Best Potato Salad
Here’s how to make our best potato salad recipe! Our version of the American classic is creamy, crunchy, and tangy. It has just the right pop from pickles, and the creamy dressing is a burst of flavor. It’s a keeper: it’s become our family favorite for picnic tables and cookouts!
There are so many ways to make potato salad: German or French style with a tangy vinaigrette, loaded with fresh herbs, or even tossed with green beans. I love them all, but the one I end up craving every summer is that classic American potato salad recipe!
Our spin on the classic is creamy and tangy sweet, loaded with crunchy veggies and just the right amount of savory dressing and soft potatoes. I think it’s destined for stardom at your next cookout or picnic, because it’s become the family favorite all our friends and family ask for!
5 Star Reader Reviews
“It came out great! I used chopped dill pickles and I added 1 TBSP of sugar, which gave the potato salad just a slightly sweet note. Delicious!” -Lisa
“Awesome recipe!!! I used apple cider vinegar and fresh dill. My culinary critic (wife) thought it superb. A keeper! -Bob
Ingredients You’ll Need
Gather up your bottles of mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle relish: here’s how to make potato salad, the American way! This is my spin on the classic that my Grandma used to make, with a few tweaks like adding fresh dill. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Yukon gold potatoes: The variety of potato is important! Yukon gold potatoes have a lightly sweet flavor and keep their shape when boiled. Don’t substitute red skinned or russet potatoes.
- White wine vinegar, yellow mustard, and Dijon mustard: Yellow mustard is key to this classic recipe, but we love it with a little Dijon mustard to add complexity. If you don’t have it, using 100% yellow mustard works too.
- Celery, green onions, and red onion: These veggies add the crunch. You can omit the red onion if desired, but we like it because it adds a pop of color.
- Sweet pickle relish (or dill pickles): Sweet pickle relish adds just the right sweetness to the overall mixture. But chopped dill pickles work too, and they intensify the savory notes.
- Mayonnaise and sour cream: A combination of the two makes a silky, creamy dressing. Swapping in Greek yogurt for sour cream lightens the flavor, adding a slight tang.
- Fresh dill and celery seed: These two seasoning add a big dose of flavor.
How to Make Potato Salad (Basic Steps)
The trickiest part of how to make potato salad is boiling the potatoes: other than that, it’s a chopping and stirring. Here are the basic steps or jump to the recipe below:
- Quarter the potatoes, then place them in a pot of cold water. Leave the skins on: they’ll come off easily later.
- Boil for 8 to 12 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and rinse them under cold water. Pop off the skins with your fingers, then dice. When they’re cool enough to touch, the skins come off easily after boiling.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with vinegar and salt. This trick from Julia Child is part of my French Potato Salad recipe: it infuses the potatoes with tangy flavor before mixing them into the salad.
- Mix all salad ingredients together, then chill 2 hours. This salad tastes great right away, but it’s best when it’s cold.
My Tips for Perfect Potato Salad
- Taste after chilling, not before. A perfectly seasoned salad that’s warm will taste bland from the fridge. Season, chill, then adjust the seasoning.
- Fix bland potato salad with acid, not more mayo. A splash more vinegar or pickle brine makes it taste brighter.
- Can’t decide between sweet relish and dill pickles? One reader Lisa used chopped dill pickles plus a tablespoon of sugar in the dressing for that slightly sweet note. It works!
- Add hard boiled eggs for a Southern potato salad. Fold in 2 to 3 roughly chopped hard boiled eggs, then slice a few more over the top and add a hint of paprika.
What to Serve Alongside
This is the perfect summer side dish for cookouts and BBQs. A few pairings I love:
- Grilled chicken or grilled chicken thighs
- Grilled corn on the cob
- A black bean burger, chicken burger, or grilled veggie burger
- Easy coleslaw, for a crunchy contrast
- Easy deviled eggs and other picnic food ideas
How to Store Potato Salad
This potato salad recipe just gets better over time! You can make a batch and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor gets even better over time. I don’t recommend freezing potato salad, because mayo doesn’t freeze well and can separate after freezing, and the potatoes can become discolored.
How long does potato salad last at room temperature? Up to 2 hours, but try to minimize the time sitting at room temperature if possible.
How long does potato salad last outside? Up to 1 hour. If you’re serving outdoors, you can leave it unrefrigerated up to 1 hour, then return it to an ice-packed cooler.
Potato Salad Variations to Try
- Vegan Potato Salad: Tastes just like classic potato salad, but uses cashews to make a creamy sauce.
- French Potato Salad: It’s sophisticated and flavor-packed, featuring a zingy vinaigrette, red potatoes, capers, and parsley.
- Dill Potato Salad: This one is classic and bursting with fresh herbs and flavored with olive oil and vinegar.
- Red Potato Salad: My favorite salad starring red potatoes instead of Yukon golds.
Dietary Notes
This potato salad recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, potato salad can be made ahead of time. In fact, the flavors tend to meld and improve the longer it sits in the refrigerator. It stores up to 5 days refrigerated.
Two things: use Yukon gold potatoes, and season them with vinegar and salt while they’re still warm (warm potatoes absorb acid).
Vinegar seasons the potatoes themselves instead of just the dressing, and the acidity cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise.
Starting potatoes in boiling water instead of cold water, overcooking the potatoes so they become mushy, adding dressing to hot potatoes so the mayo breaks, and under-seasoning the salad.
Plan on about ½ cup per person, or about ⅓ pound of potatoes per serving. This recipe makes 8 servings. At a potluck with several other sides, it should stretch a little further.
Start with a splash of vinegar or pickle brine. From there, try chopped dill pickles instead of relish, more fresh dill, a spoonful of whole grain mustard, or hard boiled eggs folded in.
Best Potato Salad
Pin RecipeHere’s how to make our best potato salad recipe! Our version of the American classic is creamy, crunchy, and tangy. It has just the right pop from pickles, and the creamy dressing is a burst of flavor. It’s a keeper: it’s become our family favorite for picnic tables and cookouts!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: Salad
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes*
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 3 large celery stalks
- 5 green onions, thinly sliced (both white and green portions)
- ¼ cup red onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- ½ cup sweet pickle relish (or chopped dill pickles)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard (or 2 yellow and 1 tablespoon Dijon)
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes: Quarter the potatoes, keeping the skins on. Place them in a large saucepan filled with cold water. Bring it to a boil and cook for 8 to 12 minutes until tender when pricked with a fork. Drain and rinse the potatoes under cold water. Allow to cool slightly, then peel the skins off with your fingers and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place the potatoes into a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the white wine vinegar and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt. Mix and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep the salad: Slice the celery stalks in half lengthwise, then thinly slice them. Thinly slice the green onions. Mince the red onion. Chop the dill.
- In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt or sour cream, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, celery seed, 1 tablespoon of the white wine vinegar, ¾ of the teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of fresh ground pepper. Add the potatoes, celery, green onion, red onion, dill, and sweet pickle relish and stir until fully combined. For best results, chill 2 hours before serving. Stores 5 days refrigerated.
Notes
*The variety here is important: use Yukon gold or gold potatoes for best results.
from A Couple Cooks
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Sonja Overhiser
July 2, 2026 at 10:48AM
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