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Potato salad served in a styled dish.

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Potato salad

Yield
4 servings

The creamy, mustardy potato salad of cookouts and potlucks. It teaches two habits that make any potato salad better: season the potatoes while they're warm, and taste again once the salad is cold, because chilling mutes salt.

Ingredients
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Ingredients

Servings
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Batches and reset

4 servings · US measures · 1 batch

Batching

Cook one batch of potatoes in the 4-quart pot and one batch of eggs in the 2-quart saucepan. For 8 servings, cook a second batch of each. A half batch is not offered, because it would need half an egg. Cooking, cooling and chilling times do not multiply with the ingredient amounts.

Original recipe: 4 servings.

The to-taste salt and pickle brine are left out of the base nutrition scenario, and the salt in the potato cooking water is not counted as eaten because it drains away.

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Before you start

  • Read through the recipe before you start; the salad needs about an hour in the refrigerator. Gather the pot, saucepan, colander, sheet pan, bowls, whisk, spatula and the measured ingredients.

Directions

Even skin-on potato chunks, three eggs, measured salad ingredients and an ice bath ready.
1

Read and gather

For the whole recipe

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything, cutting the potato chunks as close to the same size as you can, and fill a bowl with ice water for the eggs. Everything is measured and the ice water is ready.

A paring knife checks a tender skin-on potato chunk while its edges remain intact.
2

Put the potatoes in cold salted water and simmer them

For each batch of salad

Put the potatoes in the 4-quart pot, cover them by 1 inch (2.5 cm) with cold water and stir in 1 1/2 tsp fine salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to medium heat and simmer until a paring knife slides into a chunk with no resistance while the edges still look sharp, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Drained skin-on potato chunks cooling in one layer after being sprinkled with cider vinegar.
3

Pour the potatoes into the colander and season them with vinegar

For each batch of salad

Pour the potatoes into the colander and let them steam until their surfaces look dry. Spread them in one layer on the sheet pan, sprinkle 2 tbsp cider vinegar evenly over them, and let them cool until they are barely warm and no longer steaming, about 20 minutes. Cook the eggs while they cool.

One halved egg shows a firm yolk and white while two other eggs chill in ice water.
4

Put the eggs in cold water, boil them and let them stand

For each batch of salad

Put 3 whole large eggs in the 2-quart saucepan, cover them by 1 inch (2.5 cm) with cold water and bring to a full boil over high heat. Cover the pan, take it off the heat and let the eggs stand until the yolks and whites are firm, about 11 minutes. Cool one egg under cold running water and cut it open to check that its yolk is firm all the way through, then move the other eggs into the ice water and chill them until they are cold enough to handle.

Smooth mustard-mayonnaise dressing with diced celery, onion and pickles beside chopped hard-boiled eggs.
5

Whisk the dressing and stir in the crunch

For each batch of salad

Whisk about 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tbsp dill pickle brine, 1/4 tsp fine salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper in the large bowl until smooth. Stir in the celery, red onion and about 1/3 cup dill pickles. Peel the eggs and chop them. The dressing is smooth and the eggs are chopped.

Cooled skin-on potato chunks and chopped eggs gently folded into the dressing.
6

Add the potatoes and eggs and fold

For each batch of salad

Add the cooled potatoes and the chopped eggs to the dressing and fold gently with the rubber spatula, lifting from the bottom and turning it over, until everything is coated.

A spoonful of potato, egg and crunchy vegetables ready to taste before chilling.
7

Taste and season the salad

For each batch of salad

Taste a spoonful with potato, egg and some crunch. Aim for creamy and tangy, with salt you can clearly taste. If it tastes flat, add fine salt to taste, seasoning a little more than you would for warm food, since the salad is headed for the refrigerator. The salad tastes creamy, tangy and well salted.

Potato salad covered for chilling, with salt, pickle brine and a spoon ready for the cold taste check.
8

Cover and chill, then taste again

For each batch of salad

Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad until it is cold all the way through, about 60 minutes. Taste it again cold; if it tastes flat, add fine salt to taste or dill pickle brine to taste.

Four servings of potato salad finished with chopped fresh dill and sweet paprika.
9

Sprinkle with dill and paprika and serve

For the whole recipe

Sprinkle the salad with 2 tbsp fresh dill and 1/4 tsp sweet paprika and divide it among plates to make 4 servings. Return leftovers to the refrigerator within two hours of setting the salad out, or within one hour when it is above 90°F (32°C) outside. The salad is topped and served.

About this recipe

Research preview: these details come from our sourced research and haven't been reviewed by our chef yet.

Why it works

Starting the potatoes in cold, salted water cooks them evenly, sprinkling vinegar over them while they are warm seasons them all the way through, and salting a little more than for warm food keeps the chilled salad from tasting flat.

Associated with

American home cooking, with German roots

American potato salads date from the mid-19th century and grew out of German cooking brought by immigrants. The cold North German style with mayonnaise, hard-cooked egg and pickles is the likely ancestor of this creamy American version, while southern Germany and Austria dress theirs warm with vinegar and broth.

Taste

  • Sweet
  • Sour
  • Salty
  • Bitter
  • Savory
  • Heat

Creamy and tangy from mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar and pickle brine., Salt you can clearly taste, with fresh dill and a dusting of paprika. · tender potato chunks, creamy dressing, crunchy celery, onion and pickle · cold

Skill level

Easy

Simple stovetop steps; the care points are not overcooking the potatoes and seasoning again once the salad is cold.

You'll practice: Start potatoes in cold, salted water, Season warm potatoes with vinegar, Hard-cook eggs, Fold a creamy dressing gently, Season cold food after chilling

Allergens

Contains: egg.

Check the mayonnaise (soybean oil), and the pickles, pickle brine and cider vinegar for sulfites. Mustard is not a US major allergen but is in the dressing.

Diets

Vegetarian: Fits as listed Vegan: Doesn't fit as written Pescatarian: Fits as listed Dairy: See the allergen lines Egg: See the allergen lines Gluten: See the allergen lines

Occasions

  • Independence Day (US) cookouts · Associated

    Potato salad ranks among the most-searched Fourth of July side dishes; that shows interest, not how often it is eaten.

    July 4 each year

    Next: July 4, 2027 (expected)

  • Lenten Fridays (Catholic) · Fits as written

    No meat is listed; eggs and mayonnaise are allowed on days of abstinence.

    Ash Wednesday (Western Easter minus 46 days), Good Friday and every Friday of Lent

    Next: February 10, 2027 (expected)

    Next: March 26, 2027 (expected)

Course: side-dish · Technique: boil, chill · Time: 1-to-2-hours, make-ahead

Serving and keeping

Best served: Cold, after at least an hour in the refrigerator and a final taste for salt Topped with fresh dill and a dusting of paprika

Make ahead: Taste again after chilling and add salt or a splash of pickle brine if it tastes flat.

Storage: Refrigerate covered at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. This follows the federal row for egg and macaroni salads, the closest match for a potato salad with egg and mayonnaise. It does not freeze well.

Leftovers: Return the salad to the refrigerator within 2 hours of setting it out, or 1 hour when it is above 90 °F (32 °C) outside; keep it on ice at a picnic.

Food safety

  • Cook the eggs until the yolks and whites are firm; check by cutting one open.
  • Return the salad to the refrigerator within 2 hours of setting it out, or within 1 hour above 90 °F (32 °C).
  • Chill the salad until it is cold all the way through before serving.

We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients. Check the mayonnaise, mustard and pickle labels.

Nutrition notes

Potatoes supply most of the carbohydrate and fiber; the skins stay on.

Mayonnaise supplies most of the fat.

Pickles, pickle brine, mayonnaise and the added salt carry most of the sodium.

We don't show nutrition claims (like “good source of”) until our legal review is done.

Swap notes

  • large eggs · vegan

    Works with changes

    What changes: Leave the eggs out and skip hard-cooking them; fold in a little more celery for bulk.; Use a vegan mayonnaise (read the label) in the same amount.; Less rich and slightly thinner; taste for salt.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • mayonnaise

    Works with changes

    Use: a Passover-certified mayonnaise made without kitniyot oil

    What changes: Leave out the mustard (kitniyot) and add a little more vinegar for tang.; Use certified vinegar, pickles and spices.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • mayonnaise · halal

    Works with changes

    Use: a halal-certified mayonnaise

    What changes: Use certified or label-checked mustard and pickles too.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • small red onion

    Works with changes

    Use: green tops of spring onions or chives

    What changes: Leave out the celery and add diced cucumber just before serving for crunch.; Use cider vinegar instead of pickle brine, and pickles whose label shows no garlic or onion.; Keep cider vinegar modest per serving.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • Yukon Gold potatoes · jain

    Not recommended

    Not a swap: No supported swap: potatoes are root vegetables and the body of the salad.

These notes don't change the amounts, allergens or nutrition shown for this recipe.

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Recipe url
https://isthebestrecipe.com/salads/potato-salad
Name
Potato salad
Servings
4
Recipe yield
4 servings
Recipe ingredient
about 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes scrubbed, skin on, cut into even 3/4-inch (2 cm) chunks, 1 1/2 tsp fine salt for the cooking water, 2 tbsp cider vinegar, 3 whole large eggs, about 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tbsp dill pickle brine from the jar, 1/4 tsp fine salt for the dressing, 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground, 2 stalks celery finely diced, 1/2 whole small red onion finely diced, about 1/3 cup dill pickles finely chopped, 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped, 1/4 tsp sweet paprika for the top
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Potato salad