My Mom has been our go-to Potato Salad person for YEARS… it is perfect. Of course she never measures anything so she can’t pass a recipe down. So I set out to copy her Potato Salad and nailed it with this recipe! It is perfectly balanced in flavor, includes egg (a MUST in my book) and is super traditional and classic. This one is going to be just like your Grandma and Mom made!!! You will not be disappointed.
If you would rather make this recipe in your INSTANT POT, head over to this recipe for Instant Pot Potato Salad. Same great flavor, just made in your electric pressure cooker.
RELATED: Baked Bean Casserole
It was perfect! The vinegar is critical.
– Shellie, Mom’s Dinner Reader
Ingredient Details
Only simple ingredients go into this Classic Potato Salad recipe.
Potatoes – I prefer to use russet potatoes for this potato salad. They are starchy enough to hold up to the dressing.
Green Onions – Green Onions give your potato salad a nice onion flavor without over powering the whole dish! Use the white and light green parts for the most flavor.
Celery – Adds a nice crunch to balance the soft potatoes and eggs.
Vinegar – White vinegar is key here! The tang adds the perfect note to the dressing.
Mayonnaise – Make sure you use mayonnaise and not miracle whip… they are not the same. We love Hellmann’s mayo but have found that Aldi mayo is a great dupe for Hellmann’s.
Mustard – Just plain yellow mustard pairs perfectly with the mayo, adds a nice tang to the dressing for your potato salad.
Sugar- Just a smidge of sugar helps balance the tangy flavors in the potato salad sauce. It isn’t enough to make it sweet, just takes the bite out of the sauce.
Cooking Hard Boiled Eggs for Potato Salad
There are two great ways to cook hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel. The first is the 5-5-5 Instant Pot Method. So if you have an electric pressure cooker, I highly recommend this method. Even my husband can do it, and that’s saying something!!
The other method is boiling them on the stove top. Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water, covered, for 12 minutes.
Transfer the eggs to an ice water bath for 5 minutes. Then crack and peel!
How To Make The Best Potato Salad
Just a couple steps and a few simple ingredients and you will have THE BEST Potato Salad all ready:
You can also watch Susie make this Potato Salad Recipe in a 30 minute episode of Pin TV!
- Dressing: Simply mix the mayo, mustard, sugar, kosher salt, and white vinegar together. Let it sit while you prep the other ingredients. Or if it will be a while pop it in the fridge.
- Potatoes: Go ahead and peel and quarter your potatoes. Pop them in a pot of cool water and then place them over medium high heat and cook for 25 minutes, until they are fork tender but not falling apart.
Pro Tip: Starting your potatoes in cool water and then letting it come to a simmer ensures that they cook evenly all the way through.
- Drain the water off and let the potatoes cool for about 10 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle.
- Roughly chop them into about ½ inch pieces. You should have about 3 ½ cups of potatoes.
- For the eggs you can hard boil them using the 5-5-5 Instant Pot Egg Method, or hard boil them on the stove top:
Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water, covered, for 12 minutes.
Transfer the eggs to an ice water bath for 5 minutes. Then peel and chop the egg into about ½ inch pieces.
- Assembly – In a large mixing bowl add the potatoes, eggs, onions, and celery. Pour the dressing over top and then mix it all together so everything is coated.
- If you have time, definitely pop it in the fridge for 6 hours up to 24 hours. The flavors just get better with time, like chili! But if you are eating right away, go ahead and serve it!!
Storing
If you have any leftover Potato Salad, pop it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Variations
Potato Salad can be a very personal recipe! Add in some of these ingredients to personalize it for your family:
- whole grain mustard or stone ground mustard
- Dijon mustard
- horseradish
- black pepper
- more sugar
- more vinegar
Troubleshooting Your Potato Salad
Sometimes things go wrong in the kitchen… it happens!! If the Potato Salad went array, here are some fixes:
Too Salty? To combat saltiness add a little more mayo until it is to your liking. If that doesn’t do it you may need to boil an extra potato or egg to add in.
Too Sweet? Some people prefer potato salad pretty sweet, but if it got a little too sweet for your taste buds just add a pinch of salt, a squirt of yellow mustard, and a dash of mayo. It should dilute the sweetness just enough.
Too Dry? Sometimes the potatoes soak up more of the dressing than they should. I swear it depends on the weather. If it just needs a little more add a couple tablespoons of mayo. However if you need a lot more, whip up a half batch of the dressing and add as needed.
Too Much Dressing? Add more filling… boil a couple more potatoes and eggs.
Potatoes overcooked? You might have to start over or make mashed potatoes or twice baked potato casserole instead!
More Great Potato and/or Egg Recipes
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Did you make this recipe?
I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me
The Best Potato Salad Recipe with Egg
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups russet potatoes - peeled, boiled, cut (about 3 medium sized russet potatoes)
- 5 large eggs - hard boiled
- ½ cup celery - diced
- ½ cup green onions - white and light green parts chopped
Dressing
- 1 ⅔ cups mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- 4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside or pop in the fridge until it is needed.1 ⅔ cups mayonnaise, 1 ½ tablespoon yellow mustard, 4 teaspoon sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Cook the potatoes and eggs
- Peel and quarter each potato. Place them in a pot of cool water with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Place over medium high heat for about 25 minutes until they are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and let them cool for about 10 minutes or until they can be handled. Cut into approx. ½ inch pieces. Pro Tip: Don't cut into perfect squares, your potato salad will have better texture if the potatoes have craggy edges.3 ½ cups russet potatoes
- Meanwhile hard boil the eggs. I like to use the 5-5-5 Instant Pot Method Or place the eggs in a pot of cool water, making sure they are covered by an inch or two of water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils turn the heat off, but leave the pot covered on the hot burner for 10-12 minutes.Transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes.Once they are cool enough to handle crack and peel and chop the whites and yolks into approx. ½ inch pieces.5 large eggs
Assemble the Potato Salad
- In large bowl add the cut potatoes, cut eggs, chopped green onions, and diced celery. Pour the dressing over top and then stir to coat.½ cup celery, ½ cup green onions
- If you have time let the potato salad sit in the fridge, covered, for 6 hours up to 24 hours. The flavors will come together the longer you can let it sit. However, it is perfectly ok to eat the Potato Salad right away if you are short on time!
Storing
- Keep leftover potato salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe Tips and Notes:
POTATO SALAD FLAVOR AND TEXTURE TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS: Too Salty? To combat saltiness add a little more mayo until it is to your liking. If that doesn’t do it you may need to boil an extra potato or egg to add in. Too Sweet? Some people prefer potato salad pretty sweet, but if it got a little too sweet for your taste buds just add a pinch of salt, a squirt of yellow mustard, and a dash of mayo. It should dilute the sweetness just enough. Too Dry? Sometimes the potatoes soak up more of the dressing than they should. I swear it depends on the weather. If it just needs a little more add a ¼ cup of mayo. However if you need more, whip up a half batch of the dressing and add as needed. Too Much Dressing? Add more filling… boil a couple more potatoes and eggs. Potatoes overcooked? Make mashed potatoes instead!
Debbie says
I was given the task of making the “family” potato salad for Memorial Day and the stakes were SO high, with my mom’s picky standards. I wanted to copy the potato salad she had made for as long as I could remember (but had no written recipe), and your recipe was spot-on perfect! My folks and my brother were “sampling” the potato salad from the bowl before the grill was even lit! Fortunately I doubled the recipe, just in case it turned out, so everyone had leftovers to take home. Thank you for making me the hero of the family dinner!
Melissa Torres says
Thank you for sharing – I’m so glad it was enjoyed! Love it.
Susie Weinrich says
This is the best comment ever! It is EXACTLY why I developed this recipe – my moms potato salad has always been THE BEST, but she never wrote it down. I tested and tested and tested again until I nailed it. Now we can all make moms recipe. So glad you loved it.
Shellie says
It was perfect! The vinegar is critical.