This traditional potato salad is as vintage as it gets, and this recipe has all the classic components: soft but not mushy potato pieces (I have the best tips), a creamy dressing with a kick and crunch from the celery and onion. It's ready in 90 minutes, is easy to customize to your liking and will never disappoint.
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Easy and old-fashioned
A great potato salad recipe is a must for a potluck, picnic, BBQ and many other outdoor gatherings and celebrations. And this one delivers.
The key is cooking the potatoes so they're soft with a good bite but not mushy.
It's a mayo-based recipe: creamy, rich, classic American diner-style, as opposed to the vinegar/oil-based ones (like this German potato salad) that are lighter and tangier, and hold up longer at room temperature.
The crunchy celery and sweet pickle relish complement the tender potatoes really well. All classic potato salad ingredients.
The mayo-based dressing is creamy and sharp from the addition of pickles and onion. They add character and make an otherwise bland mixture of ingredients pop and become amazing!
This is one of my favorite salads during grilling season, when I make jars of chimichurri and chorizo sandwiches. For me, a family barbecue is not complete without a mayo-based potato salad to accompany them.
- Judy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the BEST potato salad I have ever tasted! I appreciate the detailed instructions on how to cook the potatoes correctly, as I am not a good cook. This turned out so good, not mushy, and with the perfect tang. Thank you so much!!
- Janis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This recipe is delicious! It is now my favorite potato salad.
Two questions I get asked the most
If you add enough salt to the boiling water, you can mostly avoid both issues. Flavor and texture get help from salted water. Drain the potatoes well and let them rest before mixing in the dressing. And don't add extra liquid, like pickle juice.
A creamy potato salad can be kept for 3 to 5 days in the fridge, well covered. Use plastic wrap if you store leftovers in the bowl it was served in, or transfer them to an airtight container. Always check for a bad smell or runny texture before eating.
Testing notes
Paula's tips that make a difference.
Salt the potato cooking water generously. This is one of the secrets to a great potato salad. It adds a lot of flavor that can never be achieved by adding salt after the potatoes are cooked.
Add a splash of vinegar to the cooking water to prevent potato pieces from disintegrating. This is one of the best tips from my family. Very old-fashioned, it works really well and adds flavor.
After draining the potatoes, let them cool to slightly warm or room temperature before handling. This is key for achieving a good texture! Transfer them to a shallow dish and drizzle with a little vinegar and oil while they cool; this helps them absorb flavor without turning mushy from too much handling. Save the rest of the dressing for later; adding it all while the potatoes are hot dulls the final flavor.
Type of vinegar: I always use red wine vinegar, but apple or white wine vinegar also work. It's a matter of personal preference.
Serving potato salad: I like it barely cool or at room temperature. If it's too cold, the flavors will not shine.
Make ahead: This salad recipe benefits from being assembled and refrigerated a few hours before serving. This will meld the flavors and make it more flavorful.
I don't recommend freezing potato salad. At all. The texture of the potatoes is not the same when you thaw it, and the dressing doesn't hold up very well either.
Best potatoes for potato salad
The best potatoes to use are waxy or all-purpose varieties. They hold their shape well when cooked and are less likely to turn mushy, which is important for maintaining the texture of the salad.
- Yukon Gold potatoes: this variety has a creamy texture and a slightly buttery flavor. They're wonderful for potato salad.
- Russets: the most popular type and a good option. Though I generally peel them, I also leave the skin on sometimes and peel after cooking when I'm lazy or very short on time.
- Fingerling potatoes: they come in various colors and have a firm, waxy texture that holds up well in salads. Their unique flavor and longer shape can add interest to your dish.
- New or baby potatoes: these are one of my favorites and are eaten with the skin on. They are young potatoes harvested before they reach maturity. They have thin skins and a firm and waxy texture. I use them when I have guests, as they can dress up a serving platter.
- Red potatoes: they have a firm texture and a slightly sweet flavor. Plus, their red skin adds color to the salad. You can use them together with new or baby potatoes for contrast.
How to make a classic potato salad
Potatoes
A tip for baking potatoes that hold their shape is to add vinegar to the cooking salted water. I also like to use small or new potatoes as they're creamy and don't fall apart much.
Dressing for potato salad
All components are necessary to achieve a good balance between creamy, sharp, salty and crunchy. That said, you can substitute some of them and increase or decrease quantities depending on your taste.
Variations
To make it spicier, add a dash of Tabasco sauce, chili pepper flakes, ground cayenne pepper or hot smoked paprika.
Gourmet-style, add chopped cucumbers, diced avocado or greens like arugula, spinach or kale.
As a main dish, add hard-boiled eggs, grilled steak or chicken pieces or baked, smoked or cured salmon on top before serving it on a shallow platter.
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Old-Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe (creamy dressing)
Ingredients
The potatoes:
- 2 pounds baby potatoes, or other waxy potatoes
- coarse salt, for the boiling water
- splash of vinegar, for the boiling water
To assemble the potato salad:
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ⅓ cup chopped dill pickles or relish
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion, I use red for color, but yellow works just fine
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives or fresh parsley
- black pepper, to taste
Creamy potato salad dressing:
- 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk, or natural yogurt
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice, optional
Instructions
Prepare the potatoes:
- Boil 2 pounds baby potatoes with their skins in a large pot of water with coarse salt, adding a splash of vinegar. This helps the potatoes hold their shape better. Cook for 7-8 minutes after the water boils, or until they are fork-tender (they can easily be pierced with a knife or fork).
- Drain well. You can run them under cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking process. If you want to peel them, do so while hot. Or leave them with the skin on.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a shallow platter or dish. Handle them as little as possible; the more you move them around while hot, the mushier they turn. Leave them untouched until they're barely warm or at room temperature. This can take from 45 minutes to 1 hour; potatoes in a single layer will cool down faster. The key is to handle them as little as possible while hot, so they hold their shape and texture.
Make the salad dressing:
- In a medium bowl or jar, mix 5 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons buttermilk, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon pickle juice, if using. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- If making ahead, keep it refrigerated in an airtight container or covered jar.
Assemble the salad:
- Place the cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Add the ½ cup chopped celery, ⅓ cup chopped dill pickles or relish, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 1 tablespoon chopped chives or fresh parsley and some black pepper.
- Drizzle over some of the salad dressing; stir lightly to mix. You don't need to overcoat the potatoes, as the dressing will keep mixing as it's served and eaten. Taste and add more if needed. Adjust for salt or other ingredients if necessary.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a few hours. Stir lightly again before serving, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped chives or fresh parsley.
- Refrigerate leftovers, covered.
Val says
anytime I see a recipe that uses greek yogurt with mayo, I know it’ll be a winner. Learned some new things with this recipe ( like how to avoid mushy potatoes). Of course added lots of eggs and used red onions with shallots too. Very very tasty winner! Potato salad is not for the impatient cook as it takes quite awhile from start to finish.
Janis says
This recipe is delicious! It is now my favourite potato salad
Joules C says
Made this potato salad for a BBQ yesterday. Went down very well. Will use this recipe again.
Brenda sipher says
This is a great recipe. My only change was to snip a few pieces of dill weed from herb garden.
Mercy Cameron says
Made this and it has turned out so lovely.
It was an impromptu addition to our dinner and turned out I had all the ingredients.
Definitely be an addition to my summer meals .
Janice Salita says
Perfect much for steak
Judy says
This is the BEST potato salad I have ever tasted! I appreciate the detailed instructions on how to cook the potatoes correctly, as I am not a good cook (haha). This turned out so good, not mushy, and with the perfect tang. Thank you so much!!