Our easy Potato Salad recipe is creamy, delicious, and the best side dish at any BBQ! I make it with Yukon Gold Potatoes, hard boiled eggs, pickles, celery, and a creamy homemade dressing.
Want more side dishes? I love this Corn Salad, Cucumber Salad, Baked Beans, and Street Corn Pasta Salad.
Our Classic Potato Salad is the Real Star of the BBQ
Our Classic Potato Salad is the Real Star of the BBQThere are so many reasons to love a good ol’ classic potato salad, and our recipe has the yummiest sauce, and flavor combo, making it deserving of its position as a summer BBQ staple. (It’s always so hard to choose between this traditional potato salad recipe, and our baked potato salad recipe. They are different, and both fantastic!) I love that I can potato salad ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
How to make Potato Salad:
Boil Potatoes: Place whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of water. When it comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain water from pot, leaving potatoes inside, then cover with a lid so they can steam for 5-10 more minutes. Peel potatoes, if desired, then cut into 1-inch chunks.
Make Potato Salad Dressing: Combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
Combine: Pour dressing over the potatoes. Add chopped egg whites, celery, onion, and pickles. Stir well then cover and refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions:
To Make Ahead: potato salad can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. It tastes best if refrigerated for at least a few hours before serving. Store leftover potato salad in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Recipe
Classic Potato Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard (or half dijon)
- 2 dill pickles , finely chopped, + splash of pickle juice
- salt and pepper
- 2 ribs celery , chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion , chopped
Instructions
- Boil and Chop Potatoes: Place the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the water completely from the pot and then cover the pot with a lid to allow the potatoes to steam for 5-10 minutes. Peel potatoes, if desired, and cut them into ½ inch chunks.
- Make Dressing: Separate egg yolks from the whites of the hard boiled eggs and place the yolks in a bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and then stir in the mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Assemble: Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes. Chop the egg whites and add them to the potatoes along with the celery, onion, and pickles. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I first shared this recipe in May 2013. Updated May 2019, May 2023 and July 2024.
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This the first time I followed a recipe for potato salad. I usually just make it from how my Mom made it, a little of this and that. Well I have to say the this recipe was really good. I will use this recipe again when making potato salad.
Just finished making and the test taste bite was delicious! Can’t wait to serve it after it marinates all night. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Lauren, thank you for your recipe. Could you advise on how many dill pickle spears to use? Or suggest a measured amount of cut up pickles? I understand 4 spears make a whole pickle, but that would have yielded about a cup, and that seems like too much.?
Hi there! Thanks for reaching out. For this recipe, I’d recommend using about 2 to 3 dill pickle spears, which should yield around 1/4 to 1/3 cup when finely chopped. You can always start with that and adjust to taste. Hope that helps, and enjoy your potato salad! 😊
Made this for potluck and it seemed to be a hit! I’ve never made potato salad from scratch and was pleased with the result. I used russet potatoes. No issues with that. Peel and dice them into 1/2 inch chunks, add salt to the water, and cook for 10-13 mins once they reach a boiling point. Keep checking because russets will fall apart if overcooked. My only feedback is, please post dill pickle amount in tbsp/cups. I used spears but they seemed quite large..I used 4 spears, not sure if that was too much. Whole pickles greatly vary in size. If anyone can comment and share their measured amount, that would be very helpful. Thank you.
First time I tried this recipe for a summer BBQ and it was delicious. It’s now a fan-favorite. Thanks for the recipe. (I bet it’d be delicious with bacon too — everything is better with bacon.)