Tired of bland tasting potato salad? Then this 5-star rated Old Fashioned Potato Salad deserves a spot at your table. It’s a simple, traditional dish made with simple, traditional ingredients and an extra “secret little something”, that has BIG flavor.
While there are hundreds of versions out there, this one is the kind you’ll typically find in the South.
Easy Potato Salad Recipe
You’d be hard pressed to find a BBQ or any sort of family gathering down here in the South that doesn’t include potato salad. It is truly a staple side.
You can find it on every barbecue restaurant’s menu, cases of it in the local grocery store, and on the table of every get-together. It isn’t just a summer time dish around here. It’s a year round staple.
Potato salad is so commonplace here, it feels “off” when it isn’t there. You can quite literally buy it in gallon buckets from most barbecue restaurants. The potato salad + brisket combo just can’t be beat.
Why you’ll love this Southern Classic Potato Salad
While there are hundreds of versions out there, this one is the kind you’ll typically find here in the South. The key to a great potato salad that’ll have everyone asking for the recipe is cooking the potatoes to the right consistency (without overcooking them!) and getting the dressing right. If the taste and texture are off, it can make or break how much people enjoy it.
I learned to make potato salad by watching my grandma make it. She’s not the measuring type (and she rarely has any sort of timer set for baking), so she tested the potatoes by feel and made the dressing by just eyeing the ingredients and tasting them as she went. When it tasted right, it was done.
I’m passing that same classic version my grandmother made on to you. It’s complete with eggs, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, onion, and celery.
There is a reason it’s one of the most popular recipes on here. People have told me it’s in regular rotation at their house for nearly every holiday, even Thanksgiving!
Old Fashioned Potato Salad ingredients
I don’t toss the potatoes in vinegar because we’re going for a classic creamy version that doesn’t have any vinegar “bite” to it. You want more of a brine taste that you’ll get from the pickles.
- Yukon gold potatoes – Yukon Gold potatoes come out soft and smooth. I like to use Yukon instead of russet. Russet is better for a loaded style with bacon, cheese, and sour cream to give you that “baked potato” taste and texture. Yukon golds will give you a slightly sweeter taste that’s a classic part of a southern potato salad.
- eggs – you’re going to want to grab large eggs and we’ll be hard boiling them.
- mayonnaise – grab your favorite brand (the full fat version). You can even use Miracle Whip in this if you want.
- salt and pepper – Kosher salt or sea salt and freshly cracked pepper are my favorites.
- mustard – You can use any kind of mustard, including spicy or whole grain. I have even made it with dill mustard and that was delicious as well.
- sweet relish – I usually use a sweet relish, but a dill relish works too. You can also chop up your favorite pickles. Grab the sweet relish that’s in the large chunks if you can.
- onion – I typically buy a yellow onion or white onion for this recipe, but you can use red onion, green onion, or shallot instead. Be sure to chop it finely so that no one is biting a big huge chunk of raw onion.
- celery – If celery isn’t your thing, you can use green bell pepper instead.
- sugar – Sugar is necessary for this recipe, so don’t skip it or replace it with a sugar substitute.
What type of mayonnaise should I use for potato salad?
Where I grew up, it was split 50/50 on whether you were a mayo or Miracle Whip person. Both work really great. I was raised in a Miracle Whip house and do like that version, but I like the mayo version with Duke’s mayo the best.
Since mayonnaise is the biggest component of the dressing for southern potato salad, I always recommend going with the full fat version for the creamiest and most flavor packed option.
As far as brands go, if you have a favorite brand you can definitely use that. My favorite brand for potato salad is Duke’s mayo. It’s creamy, delicious, and the perfect consistency.
How to make Southern Potato Salad
The great thing about making this potato salad is that it’s simple. There’s no complicated steps or ingredients.
You’re going to start by making the potatoes and eggs.
Peel, rinse, and dice your potatoes. You’ll want to dice them into 1-2″ sized pieces. Place the cut potatoes into a large pot and cover them with water.
Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a rolling boil. Cook them until they’re cooked through. You want them to still be a bit firm (think al dente) so that they hold up in the salad.
While the potatoes are cooking, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer (to avoid cracking the eggs). Slowly and gently add the eggs to the water and then turn it back up to a boil.
Boil them for 10 minutes. Immediately remove them from the heat and add them to an ice bath to cool.
Drain the potatoes and set them aside to cool completely. You can also add them to an ice bath with the eggs if you’d like.
Once the eggs are cool, peel and dice them.
Next, you’ll start on the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayo, salt, pepper, mustard, relish, and sugar. Whisk it together until it’s nice and smooth.
Add the onion and celery to the dressing and mix. Make sure it’s all mixed together and coated.
Add in the cooled potatoes and eggs. Fold them into the dressing until everything is completely coated. Be gentle, you’re not looking to smash them. You still want nice bite sized chunks of potatoes.
Pop the potato salad in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. It’s best if you can refrigerate it overnight, but just until you’re ready to serve works too.
How long do you cook potatoes for potato salad?
If you’re using the stovetop method as shown in this recipe, you’ll need time for the water to boil and for the potatoes to cook. All in all, it takes around 15 minutes.
If you opt for the Instant Pot Potato Salad (details below the recipe card), it’ll need to come to pressure, which usually takes about 5-10 minutes, then pressure cook for 10 minutes.
Both methods will result in a total time of about 15-20 minutes.
Top Tip
Try to prepare the potato salad the day before serving. If you have a chance to refrigerate it overnight, it’ll have a really great taste and texture from soaking in the dressing.
Traditional Potato Salad Recipe tips and tricks
Try not to overcook the potatoes. You don’t want them to be super soft. They need to hold up and still have a little bite (think al dente).
Be sure the potatoes and eggs are fully cooled before adding them to the salad.
How to serve this Easy Potato Salad Recipe
If I’m being honest, here in Texas potato salad is a side dish for pretty much anything. It’s a staple for barbecue like smoked ribs, grilled chicken, and burgers.
It’s also great as a side dish for hearty main dishes like hamburger steaks, panko chicken, and pulled pork.
It truly goes hand-in-hand with other classic southern side dishes like macaroni salad, baked beans, and coleslaw.
How to store this Classic Potato Salad Recipe
Potato salad will taste best the day after it’s made when it’s had a chance to soak in the dressing.
Because it’s mayo based, it needs to be refrigerated. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Give it a quick stir before serving once you’ve taken it out of the fridge.
Can you freeze potato salad?
I wouldn’t recommend it. The great thing about potato salad is that it actually tastes better if you make it the day before serving and refrigerate it overnight.
With that said, I would just plan to make it the day before and don’t try freezing it. Freezing would completely change the taste and texture.
Tools I used to make potato salad
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mixing bowls – stainless steel
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Buy Now → Old Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe FAQs
Most people eat about ½ cup of potato salad. So for 2 people, you’d need 1 cup. For 4 people, you’d need 2 cups. For 6 people, you’d need 3 cups, and so forth.
This recipe makes 5 cups, so it should feed 10 people.
Potatoes need to be cooled at least to room temperature before adding them to potato salad. This helps prevent the mayo in the dressing from becoming too runny when they mix together.
To keep potatoes from falling apart when making potato salad, it’s important not to overcook them and stop the cooking process before they become to soft. You also want to be sure to gently fold them in to the dressing.
More southern side dishes you might like
- Macaroni Salad
- Smoked Baked Beans
- Crack Green Beans
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Southern Style Mashed Potatoes
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Classic Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds yukon gold potatoes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup mayo
- ½ cup sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
- ½ whole onion chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
Instructions
- Start by cooking the potatoes and eggs. I prefer to cook them in the Instant Pot, but you can also cook them on the stove.
Instant Pot
- To cook the potatoes and eggs in the Instant Pot, start by adding the trivet to the bottom of the pot. Pour in 1½ cups of water.
- Stack the uncut potatoes in the Instant Pot (you can peel them before or after cooking). Stack the eggs on top of the potatoes and close the lid.
- Set the Instant Pot to SEALING and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.
- QUICK RELEASE the pressure and open the lid. Immediately transfer the potatoes and eggs to an ice bath and allow them to cool.
- Once cooled, peel both and cut into bite sized pieces.
Stove Top
- To cook the potatoes and eggs on the stove top, start by peeling and dicing your potatoes into 1-2” sized pieces.
- Place the cut potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Put the pot on the stove and bring to a rolling boil until potatoes are cooked. You want them to still be a bit firm (think al dente) so that they hold up in the salad.
- Drain them and set them aside to cool completely.
- Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and add them to an ice bath to cool. Once cooled, peel and dice them.
Potato Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayo, salt, pepper, mustard, relish, and sugar. Whisk together to combine until smooth.
- Add the onion and celery to the dressing and mix.
- Last, add in the cooled potatoes and eggs and fold them into the dressing until everything is fully coated in dressing.
- Place the potato salad in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it. It's best when refrigerated for 24 hours, but any time you can place it in there before serving is great.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to cook potatoes with eggs in the Instant Pot for Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Add the metal trivet to the bottom of the pot. Pour in 1/2 cup of water.
- Stack the uncut potatoes in the pot on top of the trivet. Stack the eggs on top of the potatoes and close the lid.
- Set the Instant Pot to SEALING and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.
- QUICK RELEASE the pressure and open the lid. Immediately transfer the potatoes and eggs to an ice bath and allow them to cool.
- Once the eggs and potatoes have cooled, peel them both and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Set them aside.
Easily my go-to dish in the summer season! The sweet relish whisked in gives it such a comforting flavor. Everyone always grabs second helpings!
The potatoes were perfectly cooked, and the dressing was creamy and flavorful. I skipped the eggs and added some chopped green onions for freshness, and it was delicious!
This brought me back to the potato salad from my childhood. The flavors were perfectly balanced! This will become a staple of ours for sure!
This recipe took me to so many homey, comforting memories of my grandmother as we made it. It was absolutely delicious. And, it took me to back to happy childhood moments in the kitchen. Thanks for the recipe!
My family loved it. Perfect for picnics, BBQs, or as a side dish for any meal. Adding this to my collection. Thank you
My recipe is basically the same except for the pepper and sugar. Also, I add pimento and paprika to mine.
I use green onions when in sesson, and add equal amount of sour cream to the mayo.