This ultimate Potato Salad recipe is crafted with expert precision for the perfect balance of creamy, tangy, and savory flavors—no bland or dry bites here! It’s elevated by a sensational, flavor-packed dressing and a few secret ingredients to give it the right kick. With step-by-step photos, expert tips, and a carefully crafted technique, this recipe guarantees to be the most requested side at every cookout or potluck!
Potato Salad Recipe
This potato salad recipe is the culmination of many experiments to bring you the very best! Here’s why you’ll love it:
Where Does Potato Salad Come From?
From my understanding, potato salad was first introduced to Europe from the New World by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. The earliest written recipes for American potato salad date to the mid-19th century and typically involved potatoes dressed with oil, vinegar an herbs and were believed to be introduced by the German immigrants.
It’s unclear exactly when mayonnaise entered the picture but most early 20th century American recipes for potato salad typically were dressed in celery, herbs and creamy mayo dressing. Not much has changed, blessing us with today’s Classic Creamy Potato Salad. (Rethinking Potato Salad)
Creamy Potato Salad Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at how to make this recipe with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
Potato Salad
Creamy Dressing
What are the Best Potatoes for Potato Salad?
In order to make the BEST Potato Salad, you need to choose the right potatoes for the job. Potatoes based on texture can be categorized into three groups:
•Waxy: These thin-skinned potatoes have the least amount of starch and retain their shape well when boiled. Thin skins also mean that peeling is optional if you’re short on time or like a more rustic salad. Examples are red, new, or fingerling potatoes. The downside of waxy potatoes is they do not hold theflavor of dressings or vinaigrette well.
•In-Between: Also known as all-purpose potatoes, these potatoes have more starch than waxy potatoesbut will generally work well in most potato dishes, including potato salad. White and Yukon Golds are the most popular potatoes in this group and are reliable in-between potatoes to always have around. These potatoes hold their textures and flavors from dressings well.
•Starchy: For potato salad, avoid starchy, thick-skinned potatoes like russets, which will fall apart during the cooking process. Russet Potatoes are better for mashed potatoes.
For the Best Potato Salad recipe, use in-between potatoes. I prefer either white or Yukon gold potatoes. They boast a delicious buttery flavor, are a little sweet, hold their shape after cooking while still imparting a creaminess, and do not become mushy. They also absorb the dressing better than waxy potatoes, resulting in tastier potatoes.
How to make the Best Creamy Potato Salad Recipe
Let’s take a closer look at how to make this recipe with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
- Pot Potatoes: Add potatoes to a large pot and fill with water to about 1-inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil and season with 1 ½ tablespoons salt.
- Cook Potatoes: Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a sieve, drain, refrigerate in a large bowl for 30 minutes.
- Prep Potatoes: Peel and cube the potatoes.
- Make Dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl (the same bowl you will add your potatoes).
- Assemble: Stir in the relish, green onions, celery, and eggs. Once cool, stir in the cubed potatoes until evenly coated.
- Chill: Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving; best if chilled overnight.
- Add Bacon: When ready to serve, season with additional salt and pepper to taste and garnish with bacon.
Prep Potato Salad With Egg Ahead of Time
Yes, and PLEASE do, chilling your salad will only make it more flavorful! You can make the Potato salad 1 or 2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I often make my potato salad the night before serving for best results. Store the bacon separately or cook it up right before you serve to keep it crispy.
Alternatively, you can cook the potatoes ahead of time and keep them in the fridge, and then make the dressing. Potatoes, however, will turn brown and start to oxidize once cut, so add lemon juice or white wine vinegar to the boiling water before draining.
Best Creamy Potato Salad Recipe tips
While there isn’t a right or wrong way to make potato salad, there are a few tips and tricks that make it better.
HOW TO AVOID A “WATERY” POTATO SALAD
•Drain potatoes: Your boiled potatoes will be full of water, so ensure you sufficiently drain them in a colander to eliminate any excess moisture.
•Cool potatoes: ALWAYS let the potatoes cool completely before adding the creamy dressing. Potatoes will continue to sweat if you mix them while they are hot, and this can make the mayonnaise watery.
•Chill salad: Let the potato salad chill and set up before serving.
•Prep celery ahead: Fresh-cut celery can drip water into the salad so I recommend cutting the celery at least an hour ahead of time and laying it on a paper towel to dry out.
•Drain pickle relish: We want some of the liquid that comes with relish because it adds to the flavor of the potato salad, but take care that your relish isn’t overly watery, or you might need to drain some of the liquid off.
Potato Salad With Egg Variations
While classic potato salad sticks with the tried and true cast of characters, I’ve also seen potato salad recipes with red onions, bell peppers, artichokes, 4 oz. jar of Kalamata olives, peas, avocados, dill, celery seed, even curry powder.
Every homemade potato salad recipe boasting these ingredients claims to be the “best” potato salad – so it comes down to personal preference. If you keep the basic technique and ratios I’ve outlined in the recipe, you can have fun experimenting with all sorts of add-ins. Please let me know what other ingredients and topping you love!
Flavor Twists:
Ingredient Additions:
Dietary variations:
How To Store Creamy Potato Salad:
MHOW LONG CAN I STORE POTATO SALAD IN THE FRIDGE?
USDA recommends discarding “if the potato salad was held in excess of 41°F for over two hours.” To keep potato salad cold while serving for an extended period of time, you can fill a large bowl with ice and place the Potato Salad bowl in the ice.
Potato salad should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When properly stored, it should easily last 3-4 days in the fridge. If you made it and stored it for 2 days before serving, make sure to discard it after 2 days.
CAN I FREEZE POTATO SALAD?
Sadly no. Potatoes do not freeze well, and the mayo and sour cream do not tolerate the cold either. The dressing will separate and the potatoes will break apart and become mushy when defrosted. So, I guess you have to consume your potato salad fresh – or share it with a friend!
Looking for More Potato Recipes?
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes Au Gratin with Bacon
- Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Parmesan
- Baked Parmesan Fingerling Potato Fries
- Mexican French Fries with Salsa Ketchup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes
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Best Creamy Potato Salad Recipe
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Ingredients
Potato Salad
- 3 pounds white or Yukon gold potatoes, quartered (about 6 medium potatoes)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1/4 cup Famous Dave’s Signature Spicy Pickle Relish (may sub dill pickle relish) *
- 6 green onions, diced
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 6 thick-cut bacon strips cooked and crumbled
Creamy Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Hidden Valley salad dressing mix
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional for a kick)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a large pot and fill with water to about 1-inch above potatoes. Bring to a boil and season with 1 ½ tablespoons salt. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork but DO NOT OVERCOOK. Drain potatoes and refrigerate in a large bowl for 30 minutes then peel and cube.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all of the Creamy Dressing ingredients together in a large bowl (the same bowl you will add your potatoes). Stir in relish, green onions, celery and eggs. Stir in cubed potatoes once cool until evenly coated.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving; best if chilled overnight.
- When ready to serve, season with additional salt and pepper to taste and garnish with bacon.
Notes
HOW TO MAKE POTATO SALAD RECIPE TIPS
While there isn’t a right or wrong way to make potato salads, I think there are few tips and tricks that make a way better potato salad.- Right potatoes: You want to avoid using starchy potatoes like Russets that can turn dry, mealy, mushy and crumbly. Instead, both white and Yukon gold potatoes are best. They boast a delicious buttery flavor, are a little sweet, hold their shape after cooking while still imparting a creaminess all without becoming mushy. They also absorb the dressing better than waxy potatoes resulting in tastier potatoes through and through.
- Use cold Water: Next, you want to add your potatoes to cold water. By bringing the potatoes to a boil with the water, they cook more evenly and you aren’t left with overcooked mushy outsides and under cooked insides, but instead have the perfect melt in your mouth consistency.
- Add Salt to water: By adding salt to the boiling water, you are instantly infusing your potatoes with flavor from the inside out that simply isn’t achievable any other way.
- Cook potatoes just until tender: And of course, you need perfectly cooked potatoes. This is huge. Potatoes are the main ingredient, so its important that they aren’t undercooked for firm, crunchy potato salad or overcooked for mushy potato salad. Potatoes are done as soon as they are tender enough to be pierced through with a fork. No fancy tips on getting this right, especially as cooking times will vary. The best thing you can do is test your potatoes often.
- Cool Potatoes before dressing: Lastly, you want to let your potatoes completely cool before dressing them with this mayo-based dressing otherwise the dressing will melt and you are left with potatoes swimming in oil. Not so yum. You will want to refrigerate your cooked potatoes for at least 30 minutes, then you are free to peel them and douse them in dressing.
MAKE AHEAD POTATO SALAD
You can make the Potato salad 1 or 2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I often make my potato salad the night before serving for best results. Store the bacon separately or cook it up right before you serve to keep it crispy.STORAGE
Store Potato Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Potato Salad does not freeze well.Want To Make This Recipe?
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Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! I love potato salads and I am always on the lookout for a new one to try! I’ve never seen Famous Dave’s relish, but I’ve had Famous Dave’s ribs. I make and can zucchini relish so will use that. I am of the opinion that bacon makes everything better!
Jen says
Hi Dorothy, I love that you are always willing to try new potato salads! You should be able to find Famous Dave’s spicy relish at any grocery store – I’ve even seen it at Wal-Mart, but if not, your zucchini relish sounds delicious either way. And yes, bacon makes everything better :)!
Vickie says
Is this the sweet and spicy or the spicy dill relish?
Jen says
It is the Signature Spicy Pickle Relish, but feel free to use any dill relish you like. Hope you enjoy!
Lynn says
Hi Jen,
Wow! Just love all of your recipes! I was wondering, though, if you could recommend a substitute for the 1 Tbsp. of Hidden Valley Ranch in this recipe. I would really like to make this but Hubbie can’t stand “ranch” flavoring of any kind, or could I just leave it out? Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes!
Jen says
Hi Lynn, I remembering reading your comment and thought I responded but I am not seeing my response, so I am SO sorry!! I would just leave out the ranch seasoning – it will still be delicious! Thank you for following along and trying my recipes!
Jennifer Fulk says
Hi! They did not have Dave’s pickle relish at my local Wal Mart but it was available online at Wal Mart – 3 jars for 7 dollars which is a totally reasonable price. I knew Dave’s would be good because we buy Dave’s Devil’s Spit pickle chips , but wow this relish does not disappoint! It’s worth getting. We put some on hot dogs and they were delicious! I can’t wait to make this potato salad recipe this weekend, using the relish! Thanks Jen!
Jen says
You’re so welcome Jennifer, I’m so glad you splurged for them! I hope you loved the potato salad!
Stephanie says
Wow, what a great side dish this was for our Memorial Day bbq with cheeseburgers! I made this the night before, even though I’ve had problems with other recipes, soaking all the dressing up and being dry the next day. This stayed creamy, dreamy and a perfect classic potato salad taste, only better! Not too tangy, not too sweet, just a perfectly balanced dressing. I’ve made potato salads using ranch dressing, but this is better using the ranch as a seasoning to compliment the other ingredients. Another great recipe, thank you.
Jen says
Thank YOU Stephanie for taking the time to comment and for your awesome review of this “creamy, dreamy and a perfect classic potato salad.” I so appreciate it, Happy Memorial Day!
Stephanie says
I love all your potato salads & I used this one to make a low carb option, substituting with lightly steamed cauliflower florets. Trying to keep carbs under 20 for several months has helped husband and I drop 50 lbs each! This potato salad base is so delicious & using cauliflower made this the best fake potato salad ever. LOL.
Jen says
Wow! I am impressed by your creativity and dedication! So glad you and your husband enjoyed this and that it was good with cauliflower. 🙂 Thanks, Stephanie!