The Best Potato Salad With Egg
Published: by Susie Weinrich · This post may contain affiliate links.
Potato Salad made with hard boiled eggs is the only way to eat Potato Salad! This is a creamy potato salad with just the right ratio of potato to egg and dressing to filling. You will not be disappointed with this amazing side dish!
If you would rather make this recipe in your INSTANT POT, head over to this recipe for Instant Pot Potato Salad.
How To Make Southern Potato Salad
This simple southern-style potato salad is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Taste and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
How To Make Old
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What Type Of Potato Is Best For Potato Salad
We use white potatoes, or Yukon Golds, in our familys recipe. Because they have a thinner skin, theyre easy to peel after boiling and taste creamier, a little sweeter, and hold their shape well after cooking. Avoid using starchier potatoes like russets that too easily turn to mush in salads like this.
Also remember to choose potatoes of the same size for the most consistent cooking.
My Favourite Potato Salad Dressing

What is potato salad dressing made of? More often than not, its just mayonnaise. And thats just fine! I have no problem with an all-mayo potato salad dressing, but I just love this lightened-up version with an extra flavour punch. To make my version, whisk together half Greek yogurt and half mayonnaise, along with lemon zest and juice and minced red onion. I love this punchy, tangy dressing that is still classic in creaminess, but vibrant and fresh and not at all cloying. Feel free to just use mayo, if you prefer.
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Whats In Potato Salad
I spent many a summer afternoon making and taste testing this salad alongside my amazing mama, just like she did with hers. In fact, Ive made it so many times I dont even need the recipe. You know a recipe is that good when you know it by heart.
Heres the ingredients youll need for this classic potato salad:
- Yukon gold potatoes
- white vinegar
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Ingredients: Egg Potato Salad
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Classic Potato Salad Recipe With Egg
This creamy, classic potato salad recipe has been tried and tested multiple times this Summer.
My husband declared it to be the best potato salad recipe hed ever had.
Ill take that as a win! )
The truth is, potato salad is one of my favorite Summer salad recipes. It goes perfectly with barbecued burgers, our favorite grilled chicken marinade, sloppy joes , and crock pot pulled pork sandwiches.
But, I also admit that Im a complete potato salad snob. I dish it up very gingerly at potlucks and buffets, because when its good, its good and when its not, its awful! )
I think much of the difference lies in the potato salad dressing recipe and whether or not you like Miracle Whip or mayonnaise. This is for all of you Miracle Whip fans. I think youll love this classic potato salad recipe with egg!
My Favorite Potato Salad Dressing
Our potato salad recipe airs on the classic, more traditional side, but we do have a couple of tweaks.
For the salad dressing, we use mayonnaise and sour cream. Both make the dressing extra creamy, but mayonnaise can be heavy by itself.
Adding the sour cream lightens up the dressing a bit. If youre used to only using mayonnaise, try adding a bit of sour cream next time. Its a game-changer. When I really want to up my potato salad game, I use homemade mayonnaise. Its easier than you might think. Here is our mayonnaise recipe with a video that walks you through how to make it.
We also add regular yellow mustard, which adds an extra kick of flavor as well as a bit of color. I usually use Dijon mustard in our recipes, but when it comes to this salad, regular yellow mustard wins.
We add vinegar as well, but not to the dressing. Instead, we sprinkle vinegar over the cooked potatoes. We learned this tip from Alton Brown.
After dicing the cooked potatoes, scatter a tablespoon or so of vinegar over them. Its incredible how much of a difference the vinegar makes. Use apple cider vinegar, white, or red wine vinegar or even dill pickle juice!
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How To Make Egg Potato Salad
The hardest part about making this egg potato salad? Making sure your potatoes are all the same size. Why is this important you ask? You want your potatoes to cook at the same rate, so making sure theyre equal size is important. In this example, I used the smaller potatoes to ensure success. And they were buy one get one at the grocery store as well! After the potatoes cook and cool, youre adding in the rest. Let it sit and really marry those flavors. And thats it. Classic Egg Potato Salad for your next get together. Enjoy!
How To Make The Best Potato Salad Recipe
1) The key to making the best potato salad is to use starchy potatoes and let them get really soft, so they are partially mashed once mixed. This gives the recipe a rustic, yet thick and luxurious quality. I like to use Yukon Gold or Klondike Goldust potatoes. You can also use Russet potatoes if you like. Do not use new potatoes, because they hold their shape too well and will leave the dressing soupy.
Start the potatoes in cold water and bring them to a boil to ensure even cooking. Make sure to salt the boiling water so the salty flavor gets deep down in the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are soft, drain off the water and peel off the skins. You can leave some of the skins on if you like the added texture.
Chop the potatoes when they are soft this saves time on the peeling and chopping.
2) Next, mix all the dressing ingredients together. Use your favorite mayonnaise as the base.
I know better than to tell you what brand to useMayonnaise is an intensely personal condiment!
Here in the Carolinas, we use Dukes Mayonnaise, but mom usually uses Hellmanns. You can even go with Miracle Whip if that is your favorite.
Mix a large amount of sweet pickle relish into the dressing.
Use the good quality refrigerated relish that tastes fresh, has large chunks, and stays firm. Otherwise, the dense ultra-sweet shelved variety might overwhelm the flavor of the dressing.
If you cant find good relish, finely dice firm refrigerated sweet pickles instead.
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How To Make Hard Boiled Eggs For Potato Salad
Place your eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Then cover, and remove from heat. Set aside for 8-10 minutes. The eggs will continue cooking in the hot water even though theyre not over heat.
Drain and cool in ice water. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, theyre ready to peel.
Vegetables: Celery And Red Onion

Youll need three stalks of celery and a half cup of finely chopped red onion. I like to include the celery leaves as I find the slightly bitter flavor a nice balance to the other tastes. You can also use scallions instead of the red onion. Cut them lengthwise before slicing so that they mix into the salad more evenly.
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History Of Potato Salad
Southern-style Potato Salad with a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing is All-American indeed, but did you know the original actually originated in Germany? And, when you compare the two, they couldn’t be further apart.
German Potato Salad, while certainly still comforting, dresses on the lighter side with a vinegar-based dressing and no mayonnaise to be seen. It is served warm with a crumble of bacon and a sprinkle of fresh herbs. It sounds like a delicious side dish indeed, but when it comes to serving a crowd, the cold and creamy American rendition reigns supreme.
The French dressed theirs with a homemade aioli dressing, which hits a little closer to home as mayonnaise is a store-bought aioli…with a lit-tle less flavor. This is likely the reason American’s added that squeeze of yellow mustard to classic potato salad dressing!
So there you have it: In true American spirit, “Old-Fashioned Potato Salad” is actually an evolved adaptation of Old World potato salads.
Classic Potato Salad Recipe
Potato salad is one of those dishes practically everyone claims they have the best recipe for. But most potato salads are downright uninspiring. In my experience most of them are either too dry, too wet, too mushy, not salty enough, lack flavor, and are just overall bland.
This creamy Classic Potato Salad features the perfect balance of textures and flavor and is a potato salad you can feel proud to show off at your next barbecue, picnic, potluck or family dinner!
Before we get to the recipe, lets dispel a commonly held belief about potato salad and food poisoning, because the two get thrown together a lot.
Myth-buster: Despite common belief that the mayonnaise is the culprit, the fact is that mayonnaise can actually help inhibit the growth of food-borne bacteria because of its high acidity level . Plus store-bought mayonnaise is highly pasteurized. So when you hear about potato salad having caused food poisoning, what actually caused it?
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How Far Ahead Can You Make Potato Salad
Potato salad can be served right away, or refrigerated until ready to serve. It’s best served the same day it’s made, but leftovers will keep for about 3 to 4 days .
You can also boil the potatoes and fry the bacon a few days ahead. Keep them refrigerated separately and assemble the salad when ready to serve.
Potato salad does not freeze well, and we don’t recommend it.
If you are using Russets and not Yukon Gold potatoes, peel them first, then cut them into 1-inch pieces for cooking.
The bacon is entirely optional, feel free to skip it, or experiment with other ingredients. My dad likes adding minced carrots and chopped hard boiled egg to his potato salad.
How To Make The Best Potato Salad Ever
Potato Salad Ingredients
What really are the classic potato salad ingredients? In my research, I found the passionately argued requirements differed slightly based on the geographical location of the author. I narrowed it down to these:
- 6 medium potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/3 cup finely diced dill pickle
Potato salad dressing ingredients also varied based on preference. Heres the ingredients that gave to us the flavor and creaminess we were looking for:
- 1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip salad dressing
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
Step by Step instructions for potato salad
Step 1: Cook, cool and dice the potatoes
What type of potatoes are best for potato salad?
Potato salad requires potatoes that will remain firm when they are cooked. Yukon Gold, Russet, or Red potatoes are the ones that seem to be up to the task for a perfect potato salad recipe.
How long to boil potatoes for potato salad?
To prepare the potatoes for potato salad, first wash them well with tap water, peel them, and cut them into large chunks that are about the same size. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover them with cold water I do NOT salt the water at this point, as the salt may make the potatoes watery in the salad later.
Once they are cooked, drain off the boiling water and toss them immediately with 1 Tablespoon vinegar. Let them sit in the vinegar in the heated pan for a few minutes. Then transfer to a colander to cool completely.
How do I hard-boil eggs?
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What Should You Put In A Potato Salad
Potato salads are made of potatoes and mayonnaise and everything beyond that comes down to personal choice. Chopped hard-boiled egg and celery are my favourite add-ins but eggs seem to be a divisive ingredient. This is probably because overcooked boiled eggs take on a sulfury smell and taste. I promise you that wont happen if you use this method.
In any case, you dont have to put eggs in your potato salad if you arent a fan . You can also mix in any of the following ingredients as you wish:
- 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs like dill, chives, tarragon, basil, thyme or parsley
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles or a spoonful of sweet relish
- A teaspoonful of dijon mustard
- A sprinkle of black pepper or paprika
- A couple of teaspoons of vinegar or dill pickle juice in place of the lemon juice and zest
- BOSS MOVE: top your potato salad with some crispy-baked tater tots and walk into the room with your serving bowl like the royalty you are
The Best Potatoes For Potato Salad
Depending on where you live, versions of potato salad can vary based on preference and location .
The best potatoes for potato salad are either Russet or Yukon gold because they stay firmer longer after theyve been boiled . If using thin-skinned potatoes, you can leave a few of the skins on to save the step of peeling.
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How To Make The Best Potato Salad
This classic potato salad is the one I grew up on. Its the recipe my Grandma Mary Jane originally made, then passed down my mom, aunts, and cousins, and me and my sister. Its accompanied burgers, grilled ribs, and every other favorite summer dinner recipes under the sun.
As favorite family recipes do, its a food memory none of us can, or want to, forget. It shows up at nearly every BBQ, picnic or good old fashioned supper soirée at my house, and its one Im proud as punch to share when I go to others homes as well. And its extremely popular with readers who love it all year round, at Thanksgiving and Christmas too. Who knew? Looks like this recipe has found its Southern potato salad roots.
So now its your turn to give it a try. Heres how to make the best potato salad ever. Lets get started