Our very best Old Fashioned Potato Salad recipe is made with simple and classic ingredients. It’s the perfect side dish for potlucks, picnics, backyard BBQ’s and game day menus.
Table of Contents
This Classic Potato Salad is a crowd pleaser
I honestly can’t imagine summertime gatherings without a good homemade potato salad side dish. While everyone has their own take on it, this classic recipe proves you just don’t need fancy ingredients or complicated directions to make the best tasting potato salad. It’s loaded with tender cooked potatoes, relish, eggs and a perfectly seasoned creamy, dreamy dressing.
This easy old fashioned potato salad recipe is always a crowd pleaser, not only because it tastes absolutely amazing but also because it’s the perfect companion to just about any main dish. You can serve it with anything from Hot Dogs and Hamburgers to Pulled Pork or Ham and Cheese Sliders, you just can’t go wrong!
Why we love this Simple Potato Salad Recipe
- Easy recipe for classic southern potato salad with simple ingredients.
- It’s a fantastic make ahead recipe because the flavors are even better the next day.
- Always a family favorite and the perfect side dish for summer cookouts, Fourth of July or any other holiday.
Old Fashioned Potato Salad ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet potatoes, peeled
- Mayonnaise
- White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Yellow mustard
- Sweet pickle relish (for finely diced sweet pickles)
- Celery – chopped
- Onions – chopped
- Hard boiled eggs – chopped
- Salt, black pepper, and paprika
Recommended tools for Old Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe
- Large pot
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large kitchen spoon
How to make Old Fashioned Southern Potato Salad
Hard boil your eggs, chop them up and set them aside.
Step One: Prepare the Potatoes
- Clean potatoes with water and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Place in a large pot with a teaspoon salt and cold water so that water covers all potatoes by 1 inch. Add a 1½ teaspoon of salt to the water. Heat on high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat. Cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Step Two: Make the Dressing
- While potatoes are cooking, make the creamy mayonnaise dressing ingredients. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, paprika, relish, pinch of salt, and pepper. Stir until combined and smooth. Set aside.
Step Three: Combine the Salad Ingredients and Serve
- Drain and let the warm potatoes cool so they hold their shape longer.
- In large bowl, add the tender potatoes, celery, and diced onion to the mayonnaise mixture. Using a large spoon, fold in the chopped eggs.
- Transfer the potato mixture to a salad bowl and sprinkle paprika on top.
- Cover and refrigerate a couple hours.
Simple Potato Salad Recipe variations
- Celery: If you’re not a fan of the crunch from the chopped celery, you can use celery seed or celery salt instead to give it the flavor without the crunchy texture
- Seasonings: Have fun and change up the flavor of the dressing by using different seasonings. A little bit of garlic powder, onion powder, fresh dill or even cayenne pepper are an excellent choice.
- Potatoes: The best classic potato salad recipes center around the type of potatoes you use. There are many choices of potatoes to choose from at the grocery store, but waxy potatoes like Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes or new potatoes are the best option because they cook tender but hold their shape while mixing with the rest of the ingredients. You can also use starchy potatoes like russet or other white potatoes, but they will be a good bit softer.
- Dressing: Mayo or Miracle Whip makes the creamy texture for the dressing. But if you want a bit of a tangy dressing, you can mix together one cup mayonnaise and one cup sour cream or Greek yogurt in a separate bowl before adding it to the potatoes.
- Mustard: If you prefer, you can substitute the yellow mustard with Dijon mustard or dry mustard powder.
- Onions: We use yellow or white onion. But you can use diced red onions or even a chopped green onion.
- Relish: The original recipe uses sweet relish, but bread and butter pickles or dill pickles relish works great too. We even like to add a little pickle juice to the dressing to give it even more relish flavor.
- Amish potato salad: A fun take on this traditional potato salad is to make it Amish potato style by making the dressing sweeter. Add about 2 tablespoons white sugar to the dressing.
- Other add-ins: Add some crispy cooked bacon and extra apple cider vinegar to give it a German potato salad flair. You can also add some grated cheddar cheese to make it loaded potato salad.
How to Serve this Recipe for Old Fashioned Potato Salad
When serving Old Fashioned Potato Salad, it’s best to chill it in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together and gives the salad a better taste and texture. You can also make it a day in advance and store it overnight for even better flavor development.
How to store Old Fashioned Potato Salad
A lot of people wonder how long is potato salad good for. If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
How long can this Classic Potato Salad sit out?
Because homemade potato salad contains mayonnaise, it should not be left out for more than a couple of hours at the very most. If it needs to sit out longer than that, you can place the salad bowl in a larger bowl with ice in the bottom to keep it cool.
More like this Recipe for Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Old Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe FAQs
Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet potatoes are the best potatoes to use in this recipe. They are hearty and will get soft when cooked, but won’t fall apart.
Make sure you don’t overcook the potatoes. You want them to be tender but still able to hold their shape as your mixing in the rest of the ingredients.
Another tip to keep your potato salad from being to loose it to make sure you drain the potatoes really well.
Yes, making potato salad the night before can be beneficial. Allowing the salad to sit in the refrigerator overnight allows the flavors to mingle and intensify, resulting in a more delicious and well-balanced dish. Additionally, it can save you time on the day you plan to serve it, making it a convenient choice for gatherings or picnics.
Avoid adding ingredients that can make your potato salad overly watery or negatively impact its texture. Steer clear of excessive amounts of mayonnaise or dressing, as it can make the salad too soggy. Also, refrain from adding ingredients like cucumber or tomatoes, as their high water content can lead to a watery salad. Lastly, be cautious with strong-flavored ingredients like garlic or onions; adding too much can overpower the salad’s delicate flavors.
A bland potato salad can result from under-seasoning or not using the right balance of ingredients. To avoid this, make sure to season your salad with salt and pepper adequately. Additionally, incorporate ingredients like mustard, vinegar, or pickle relish for a tangy kick, and fresh herbs such as parsley or dill for added flavor depth. Taste your potato salad as you go and adjust the seasonings until it reaches the desired taste profile.
Best Recipe for Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet potatoes peeled
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon white or cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 4 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 1 cup chopped celery about 2 stalks
- ½ cup chopped onion about 1 medium onion
- 5 hard boiled eggs chopped
Instructions
- Clean potatoes with water and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large pot and will with cold water so that water covers all potatoes by 1 inch. Add a 1½ teaspoon of salt to the water. Heat on high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat. Cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- While potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, paprika, relish, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir until combined and smooth. Set aside.
- Drain and let the potatoes cool so they hold their shape longer.
- In large mixing bowl, add potatoes, celery, and onion to the mayonnaise mixture. Fold in the chopped eggs. Sprinkle paprika on top.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Don’t forget to share it with me on @thebalancingmom and follow on Tiktok @balancingmotherhood and Pinterest @thebalancingmom for more!
Leave a Review!