This recipe for easy homemade potato salad is the perfect compliment to a barbecue or picnic. Potato salad is a great side dish for smoked chicken, grilled beef, or fish dishes and can also be served along side grilled veggies or coleslaw. This recipe is kosher, vegetarian, non-dairy, and gluten free. Read on to find out how to make the best easy homemade potato salad.
What to like about potato salad
Potato salad is one of those foods that have become a standard for summertime cooking. I don't think that you will find a bbq or a picnic that does not have a big bowl of potato salad or Salata Orientala (Romanian Potato Salad) sitting in the middle of the table and there are several reasons for that:
- Portability. Toss it into a bowl, cover, go!
- Flavors. There are so many great flavors to pack into a potato salad and you should be able to taste all of them in every bite.
- Versatility. There are tons of varieties of potato salad (standard, no mayo, German, with mustard, without...etc.) Make the right potato salad to compliment the right dish.
- Easy. Potato salad is easy to make. Just a few ingredients and it's ready!
Ingredients used
This easy homemade potato salad only uses a few ingredients:
- potatoes - you can't have a traditional potato salad without potatoes.
- mayonnaise - the ingredient that makes this potato salad creamy
- pickles - for flavor
- hard boiled eggs - for texture and flavor
- celery - for flavor and a small crunch
- yellow mustard - gives this dish a tang
- apple cider vinegar - adds to the tangy flavor of the dish
- salt/pepper - to taste
A Step by step guide to making this recipe
Time needed: 45 minutes
Easy homemade potato salad step by step
- Slice the potatoes
If you are using red potatoes (like we are) they can be small to medium sized when you get them from the grocery store. Depending on their size you may need to cut them a few times. For really small potatoes you can just slice them in ½ before boiling. A little bit larger and you will need to cut them into ¼ths. For the biggest potatoes, you should slice them into ⅛ths. We used a variety of sizes for this post and in general we tried to keep the pieces to no larger than 2 inches. After you slice the potatoes, set them to boil for about 20 minutes or until just soft.
- Dice the veggies
While the potatoes are boiling, it is time to prepare the flavor for the potato salad. Dice the onions and celery. For the pickles, you can do one of two things: either dice those too or you can crack open a jar of pickle relish. Either will work.
- Make the dressing
In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, and apple cider vinegar. You don't have to stir it forever, just long enough that the ingredients are incorporated together and the whole thing takes on a creamy yellow color.
- Mix in the veggies
Mix in the pickles (or relish), celery, and onion.
- Pour on the dressing
When the potatoes are done boiling, strain them and mix in the the dressing while the potatoes are still warm.
- Add the hard boiled eggs
Prepare 5 hard boiled eggs. When they are ready, dice them and gently stir them into the potato salad. Add salt and pepper to taste.
FAQ
We love using red potatoes. They are a little bit sweeter and stay firm throughout the boiling process. They are also just the right size so that we can slice them and get just the right amount of skin on each potato piece.
A few suggestions for this. First, make sure that the potatoes are completely strained before adding the dressing. Excess water in the potatoes can lead to runny potato salad. Second, you may be using too much mayonnaise which can make your potato salad more watery than you would like it.
We do not. The skin of the red potato that we use is part of the flavor of the dish. Yukon gold potato skins also give a great flavor to potato salad. The skins also add a ton of nutrients such as fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C.
Unless you are using really small potatoes or making a "smashed" potato salad, you will usually slice the potatoes before boiling. If you are using a larger potato, like a russet, then you should cut them into 2 inch slices before boiling (this could mean up to 8 slices to get the pieces small enough. When slicing, do so before boiling. This is because the potato will start to break down when boiling and it will be a mess to try and cut it after it is cooked.
Tips and Suggestions
- We like to use red potatoes. They have a subtle sweetness to them that works perfectly against the mustard, pickles, and vinegar. That being said, feel free to try golden potatoes, russet, or any other potato that you like.
- Experiment with different mustards. The standard yellow mustard works well but don't be afraid to try spicy brown or horseradish mustard in its place.
- Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar in while the potatoes are still warm. Trust me, this makes everything start to mush together slightly. The potatoes will still stay intact, but a little bit of the starch will come off into the dressing to give it extra body.
More recipes like this one
📖 Recipe
Homemade Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 5 lbs red potatoes chopped
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup pickles diced
- 5 hard boiled eggs chopped
- ½ small onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 3 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Place potatoes into a large pot, cover with salted water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until tender. Do not overcook!
- Drain and return to pot to dry.
- Place eggs medium pot and cover with cold salted water, bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 11 minutes, then drain and immediately rinse with cold water. Crack and peel under cold running water.
- Allow eggs to cool and chop.
- Dice pickles, onion, and celery.
- In a bowl mix together mayonnaise, pickles, hard boiled eggs, onion, celery, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Pour sauce over potatoes and gently turn over potatoes to coat.
- Chill in refrigerator for several hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
- We like to use red potatoes. They have a subtle sweetness to them that works perfectly against the mustard, pickles, and vinegar. That being said, feel free to try golden potatoes, russet, or any other potato that you like.
- Experiment with different mustards. The standard yellow mustard works well but don't be afraid to try spicy brown or horseradish mustard in its place.
- Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar in while the potatoes are still warm. Trust me, this makes everything start to mush together slightly. The potatoes will still stay intact, but a little bit of the starch will come off into the dressing to give it extra body.
Nutrition
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