Traditional Potato Salad Recipe for Potlucks, Cookouts, and Family Dinners

This traditional potato salad is the kind of simple, creamy side dish that fits in very well at a cookout, potluck, picnic, or family dinner. It is made with tender potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, onion, and a classic mayonnaise dressing for that old-fashioned flavor everyone recognizes.

There is nothing fancy or complicated about it, and that is exactly what makes it so good. Make it ahead, let it chill, and serve it with your favorite summer-themed dishes like burgers and BBQ. I also like to take this along to potlucks. The folks who expect this to come from a grocery store are usually pleasantly surprised that it’s homemade!

Why This Version of Potato Salad?

I like this traditional potato salad because it’s easy to “sneak into” a variety of family or community events. Take it to a potluck, picnic, BBQ, or family gathering. Sure, some people might be skeptical at first, but it can be customized enough to surprise them!

It is made with familiar ingredients like potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, onion, and a creamy mayonnaise dressing, so there are no complicated steps or hard-to-find ingredients. It can also be customized with flavorful add-ins that complement the potato and mayonnaise flavors. The flavor is old-fashioned, comforting, and easy to pair with everything from burgers and BBQ to sandwiches and baked ham.

It is also a great make-ahead recipe, which makes it especially helpful for potlucks. You can prepare it ahead of time, let it chill in the fridge, and bring a cold, creamy side dish that is ready to serve when you arrive.

What You’ll Need for Traditional Potato Salad

I like to start by making sure we have everything we need! If you need to run to the grocery store for a few things, be sure to print or pin the recipe card for easy reference.

Equipment for Traditional Potato Salad

You probably already have most of these things somewhere in your kitchen if many of your at-home meals feature potatoes in some fashion!

• Vegetable (Potato) Scrubber
• Colander
• Large Pot
• Fork
• Kitchen Knife
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Sturdy Mixing Spoon

Ingredients for Potato Salad

• Russet Potatoes
• Onion
• Boiled Eggs
• Mayonnaise (I like Hellman’s mayonnaise. You may notice that Hellman’s has quite a few selections, including plant based mayo!)
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• White Vinegar
• Paprika (for garnish)
• Optional Add-Ins (chopped bacon bits, green onions, diced jalapeño peppers, shredded cheese, celery)

Key Ingredient Roles

We do sometimes get questions about the ingredients, like why do we include eggs in potato salad? That’s completely fair! Here’s what each ingredient brings to traditional potato salad!

Russet Potatoes

5 pounds russet potatoes

Of course, it wouldn’t be potato salad without potatoes! They provide the base for this salad, with a flavor and texture that makes it distinguishable from egg salad.

Although Yukon Gold and red potatoes will work too, I’ll use russet potatoes most often when making this potato salad. When properly boiled, russets are soft enough to be easily cut into bite-sized chunks.

You can choose whether to peel them before or after you boil them. I just prefer to do it after boiling because that makes the skin easier to remove.

Onion

1 large white or yellow onion

Finely dice the onion to add the mild, sweet flavor that perfectly complements the potato in most potato dishes.

Boiled Eggs

3 hard-boiled eggs

Eggs add creaminess, texture variety, and a flavor that balances the potatoes and onion. The trick is to hard-boil the eggs without overcooking them, which can make the yolks too rubbery and dry for my taste. Overcooking can also turn the outsides of the yolks a weird greenish color, which can wind up making the potato salad look “off”.

Mayonnaise

3/4 cup mayonnaise

Mayonnaise adds creaminess, richness, and a mild tangy flavor to the potato salad. It also provides a valuable binder that holds the other ingredients together. The secret? It’s usually made with eggs. As mentioned, you’ll usually have several options, including an “extra heavy” mayonnaise with extra egg yolk for a richer and smoother texture in your potato salad.

Granulated Sugar

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

The sweetness of granulated sugar helps cut the richer ingredients in this recipe. I like to go with granulated sugar because it dissolves more easily than powdered sugar, which means a less grainy texture.

Salt

1 teaspoon salt

Salt’s flavor perfectly complements the potatoes. The exact amount can be tweaked to your liking. I just like to stick to a teaspoon because it adds the right amount of saltiness without overpowering the potato salad.

Just make sure you don’t get tablespoons mixed up with teaspoons! That really will make your potato salad too salty.

White Vinegar

1 teaspoon white vinegar

White vinegar adds a mild acidic, tangy flavor that balances the salty and savory flavors in the potato salad. Like the salt, it’s best not to add too much vinegar or a vinegar that’s too strong, because that can overwhelm the flavor of the potato salad and turn people off the entire dish.

Paprika

Dash paprika, as much or as little as you like

Paprika makes a nice, colorful garnish that can add a slight earthy, peppery flavor to the potato salad. Be sure to check the label to make sure you’re not using smoked paprika. Smoked paprika adds a stronger smoky flavor.

Optional Add-Ins

1/4 to 1/2 cup mixed optional add-ins (chopped bacon bits, diced jalapeño peppers, green onions, shredded cheese, celery)

These are very much optional but can add flavor for anyone who has previously complained that potato salad is too bland!

Go lightly on the diced jalapeño peppers in case they’re a bit spicier than expected, since they can range from 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units (a common measurement of “spicy level” for hot peppers). Also, I prefer to use fresh instead of pickled jalapeño peppers for a recipe like this to avoid ruining the texture with too much pickling brine.

For everything else, feel free to mix, match, and add as much or as little as you like.

Method for Making Classic Potato Salad

Let’s jump right into making this potato salad so it’s ready to get out of the fridge when you’re ready to head out the door!

Step One: Scrub The Potatoes

Scrub the potatoes with the vegetable brush.

Step Two: Cook Potatoes

Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover them with water. Bring the water to a rapid simmer. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are fork-tender. For large potatoes, this should take about 20 minutes.

Step Three: Drain Water and Cool Potatoes

Use the colander to drain the water off the potatoes. Allow the potatoes to cool until they are cool enough to handle.

Step Four: Peel and Cube Potatoes

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes.

Step Five: Mix Potatoes, Onions, Mayonnaise, Sugar, Salt, and Vinegar in Large Bowl

Mix the potatoes, onions, mayonnaise, sugar, salt, and vinegar in a large mixing bowl.

Step Six: Add Eggs and Desired Add-Ins

Fold in the chopped boiled eggs and desired add-ins.

Step Seven: Chill for At Least One Hour

Cover the potato salad with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate it for at least one hour. (Some people will make this potato salad the night before if they plan to take it with them for an event first thing in the morning.)

Step Eight: Serve With Favorite Potluck or Picnic Dishes

Serve this potato salad with your favorite classic potluck or picnic dishes. Make sure you transport it in a cooler with ice if you plan to transport it long-distance or might not serve this right away when you get there.

Make This Potato Salad Ahead

Because picnics and potlucks are common reasons to make this potato salad, you’ll likely want to prepare it ahead of time. Whenever I plan to get going early to make the event in time, I’ll make it the day before and keep it in the refrigerator until I’m ready to go. If it looks like it dried out a bit while chilling overnight, I’ll stir in an extra spoonful of mayonnaise.

Substitutions and Variations for Classic Potato Salad

The cool part about classic potato salad is that it can be customized to your liking! Of course, it’s difficult to find a substitute for the potatoes, but these variations will work.

Use vegan mayonnaise and leave the eggs out if you prefer this potato salad to be fully vegetarian.

Miracle Whip can also replace mayonnaise if you want a sweeter and tangier flavor. If you use Miracle Whip, be sure to reduce the amount of sugar to avoid making it too sweet.

If you’re on a low-salt diet, reducing or eliminating the salt is fine.

You can switch up the garnish, if you like! Chopped fresh dill and parsley or a dash of freshly ground black pepper also work as garnishes for potato salad.

Add 1/4 cup yellow or Dijon mustard for that tangy mustard flavor.

Troubleshooting Tips for Traditional Potato Salad

While mixing up this potato salad is usually pretty easy, sometimes it can come out funny! Here’s a troubleshooting guide for common issues with this potato salad.

Why is my potato salad dry?

Potatoes tend to be a starchy vegetable and starch is good at absorbing moisture! So it can seem dry if it chilled overnight because the potatoes absorbed some of the moisture in the mayonnaise and vinegar. This can be solved by stirring in an extra spoonful or two of mayonnaise when you’re ready to serve this potato salad.

Why is my potato salad watery?

Potato salad can come out watery if the potatoes were overcooked (again, causing them to absorb too much moisture) or not very well-drained. It may help to shake off the excess water or patting them dry with paper towels before dicing them up to put in the salad.

Why is my potato salad mushy?

Mushy potato salad usually means the potatoes were boiled too long or got “mashed” a little bit while being stirred into the potato salad. Cook the potatoes just until they are fork-tender, then drain them and let them cool before mixing.

When adding the dressing, gently fold everything together instead of stirring hard. This helps the potatoes keep some of their shape. While I prefer russet potatoes for potato salad, Yukon Gold potatoes are better at holding their shape.

Why does my potato salad taste bland?

Potatoes need plenty of seasoning because they can taste flat on their own. If your potato salad tastes bland, add a little more salt or vinegar, or mix in some of the optional add-ins I mentioned.

Also, potato salad usually tastes better after chilling for a few hours. The flavors have time to blend, and the onion mellows into the dressing.

Why is my potato salad too salty?

If the salad tastes too salty, add more plain cooked potatoes or chopped hard-boiled eggs to balance it out. You can also stir in a little extra mayonnaise to soften the salty flavor.

Avoid adding more vinegar or mustard at this point, since tangy ingredients can make the saltiness stand out even more.

Why is the onion flavor too strong?

Raw onion can become overpowering, especially if the potato salad sits overnight. To mellow the flavor, use less onion, chop it finely, or rinse the chopped onion under cold water before adding it to the salad.

You can also use a sweeter onion or replace part of the onion with celery for crunch without as much bite.

More Awesome Picnic and Potluck Dishes

Potato salad goes very well with these popular potluck and picnic dishes, if you want more ideas!

• Corn Cucumber Salad: Another light, refreshing summer picnic dish that can be served as a side or starter.
• Easy Crock Pot Meatballs: A popular and very easy main dish. You’ll go home with an empty crock pot!
• Easy Candied Popcorn: Kids love this one even when they don’t go for some of the more “sophisticated” dishes in your potluck or picnic lineup.
• 5-Ingredient, No-Bake Pineapple Pie: An easy, delicious dessert to take along in your insulation tote or cooler!
• Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts: Although I make these over a campfire most often, they’re also super easy to make in the oven!

This classic potato salad recipe is a classic for a reason! It’s easy to make, classic flavor, delicious, and perfect for a summertime side dish. Give it a try for your next potluck or picnic and see for yourself how everyone loves it!

Did you like this potato salad? Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section!