How Do You Make Homemade Potato Salad

If You Want To Learn How To Make Potato Salad You’ve Come To The Right Place Use Our Classic Potato Salad Recipe To Win Over Picnic

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There are few nostalgic dishes that complete a summertime picnic spread better than potato salad. Since the tender boiled potatoes dressed in a tangy dressing can be served cold or at room temperature, it makes the perfect potluck side dish. While it’s convenient to pick up a carton of creamy potato salad at the store or deli, you can easily make homemade potato salad with minimal effort and just a handful of ingredients. Start out by making our tried-and-true classic Better Homes & Gardens potato salad. Watch it quickly disappear at your outdoor gathering, then add one of our other delicious potato salad recipes to the menu next time.

Can I Make Potato Salad The Day Before

In the South, we call this salad, Shrimp and Grits. Potatoes, shrimp, and cheese grits are a staple in the South. This dish is prepared the night before, and then kept refrigerated. This will allow it to absorb the flavors as the night goes on. You can put the ingredients together, and then leave it to marinate. In the morning, just before you leave for work or school, give it another toss and then enjoy. Its a great dish to make ahead.

Prepping And Cooking Potatoes

To peel or not to peel? If you’d like to add a little extra color and texture to your salad, leave the skins on. Just be sure to scrub them thoroughly with a vegetable brush before you cook them. Once you’ve either scrubbed or peeled your potatoes, cut them into bite-size chunks, place them in a large pot, and cover them with water. Use a large enough pot to allow for several inches of head room to accommodate the boiling, starchy water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, then generously salt the water. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the pot at a gentle boil.

How long to boil potatoes for potato salad? Depending on your definition of “bite-size,” the potatoes will take between 8 and 15 minutes to cook. As soon as they’re tender enough to cut through easily, drain them and let them sit in the strainer for a bit to let the steam evaporate excess moisture. Remember that the residual heat will continue cooking the potatoes a little bit even after they’ve been drained.

Hot or not?

Beyond boiling. Boiling’s not the only way to cook potatoes for potato salad. Try some of these other methods:

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Potato Salad Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make potato salad taste better?

People often have strong options on how potato salad should taste. By making it yourself, you get to control the flavors. If you like it sweeter, use sweet pickle relish or add more sugar. Or if you love mustard, make it a mustard potato salad by adding more mustard. Allow the salad to chill in the fridge while the flavors come together, then taste it and add more seasonings, onions, mustard, or mayo if it needs it.

Whats the recipe for potato salad?

Potato salad is a combination of cooked potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, celery, pickles, onions, and dressing. You can make it your own by adding more or less of your favorite ingredients.

How do you make lighter potato salad?

You can use light mayonnaise and light sour cream or greek yogurt in the dressing. And you can use less dressing and thin the dressing with a little milk so that it goes further. Other options include adding more eggs to increase the protein and adding more veggies such as radishes or tomatoes.

Best Potatoes For Potato Salad

Most of our Test Kitchen’s potato salad recipes call for waxy potato types such as red, yellow fingerling, and new potatoes. We prefer these over softer types like the traditional Russet because they hold their shape better once cooked and stirred into the dressing.

Now that you’re a pro at making homemade potato salad, branch out to a new potato salad recipe. Give plain potato salad a BLT sandwich twist. Utilize the whole garden with our summer vegetable potato salad. Swap the dressing for pesto or try making a sweet potato salad. No matter which recipe you choose, you’ll know you’ve brought one of the best potluck side dishes of all time to the table.

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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.

How Long To Boil Potatoes For Potato Salad

Cook your potatoes until theyre just right, not over or under cooked. Start checking your potatoes after theyve been boiling for five minutes by piercing the potatoes with a fork. If the prongs enter cleanly with a little resistance, the potatoes are finished cooking. This can take anywhere from five to eight minutes, depending on the size of your potato pieces. Wait any longer and the potatoes will fall apart.

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Recipe: The Ultimate Potato Salad

This is my go-to potato salad recipe. Feel free to make adjustments to seasonings and mix-ins to suit your taste.

Servings: Six to eight

• ½ pound bacon, about 6 to 8 strips, cooked until chewy-crisp and chopped
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 4-ounce jar pimentos, drained and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Paprika, for serving

Preparation:

Potato & Radish Salad

Give potato salad a healthy makeover with sliced radish, mustard, chives and crème fraîche to give maximum flavour a tasty side dish for ham

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How To Make Best Potato Salad

Making the best potato salad is really easy.

• First, boil the peeled potatoes. In a separate pot, boil the eggs.
• While potatoes are boiling, chop the celery and green onions, and make the dressing by combining mayo, mustard and sweet pickle relish.
• Next, cut potatoes into pieces and drizzle with vinegar.
• Peel and chop the eggs and add to the potatoes.
• Add the chopped celery and green onions to the potatoes, then add the dressing and mix until combined.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with paprika.

Thats it! Your best ever potato salad is ready!

Potato Salad For A Crowd

What I love about potato salad is that it serves a lot of people without a lot of effort, and it’s so easy to make a good one.

I love using Yukon golds, though you can use any potato. My dad likes using russets in his potato salad. This recipe is for potato salad with sour cream – using it as a binder makes it extra creamy.

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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.

Recipe For Amish Potato Salad

What is Amish potato salad? Amish potato salad is a combination of cooked and diced potatoes with boiled eggs and chopped pickles. Which are dressed in a miracle whip-based dressing with sweet sugar, tangy vinegar, and mustard.

Its a combination of flavors that create a unique taste that many people love. And it is a cool and creamy dish that will fill you up.

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Are Boiled Or Roasted Potatoes Better

Boiling is the quicker and simpler option, but roasting allows you to introduce flavour from the beginning. Ingredients added during roasting will lend a helping hand to amp up your dressing go for cloves of garlic, rosemary, lemon, anchovies or pancetta. Plus, less of the flavour will leach from the potatoes, and the crispy edges provide a satisfying chew.

If you prefer boiling, try adding garlic cloves to your water. By the time the potatoes are cooked, the insides of the garlic will be soft enough to mush into a paste, which can then be added to mayonnaise or dressing. Its not as intense as you may think the flavour of boiled garlic is mellow and sweet.

Verdict? Both wed boil our potatoes to start with, then finish them in the oven.

How To Store & Serve Potato Salad

This style of potato salad is meant to be served cold. So if you are making the day-of, we recommend getting an early enough start to allow it chill out in the fridge for a few hours.

If properly stored in a resealable container, potato salad will last for up to 5 days in a refrigerator or cooler . So this is a perfect side dish to make before a weekend camping trip or BBQ and toss in your cooler.

To serve, sprinkle the top with a light dusting of paprika. Want to dropkick this potato salad to all the way to next Sunday? Top with crumbled bacon.

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More Easy Side Dishes

• Here is my favorite way to make coleslaw. With a generous amount of acidity from apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard.
• Our broccoli salad with bacon has cranberries, red onion, and a zesty dressing made with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
• I love crunchy salads. This vinegar-based cucumber salad is addictive.
• This pasta salad with orzo is full of goodness. Theres a simple lemon vinaigrette, cucumber, olives, artichokes, tomato, and fresh herbs. Or take a look at our easy pasta salad with mozzarella and parmesan .

Recipe updated, originally posted May 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. The recipe video has also been updated. To watch the original video , watch it on YouTube Adam and Joanne

How To Make Potato Salad:

1. Boil the potatoes. Place the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Peel potatoes, if desired, and cut them into 1 inch chunks.

2. Make the dressing. Add egg yolks, mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper, to a bowl and mix together.

3. Mix dressing and potatoes.

4. Add egg whites, celery, onion, and pickles.

5. Stir well and refrigerate.

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Should Potato Salad Be Hot Or Cold

Here, things start to get divisive do you cool your potatoes completely, or dress them warm and serve immediately?

• If you are creating a warm potato salad, make sure you add the vinaigrette when the potatoes have just come out of the pan, to make sure it absorbs well.
• Cooled potatoes are more suited to creamy dressings and good for catering for big numbers as they can be left to go cold overnight.

Verdict? It depends on whether youre going for a creamy dressing or a vinaigrette.

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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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

How To Chop Fresh Dill Weed For Potato Salad

We have a few picky eaters in the family who dont care for anything crunchy in their potato salad. Personally, I love adding celery and green onion for extra texture and flavor.

Theres also some debate in the family over pickles vs. dill weed. Again, the crunchy factor comes into play. However, dill weed adds such a delightful dimension to the potato salad flavor.

Heres how to chop fresh dill weed:

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Is There A Gluten

This vegan potato salad recipe is gluten-free as there are zero gluten-containing ingredients. Even regular Americana-style potato salad is usually gluten free because mustard, mayonnaise and eggs do not contain gluten. When prepared dairy-free and egg-free, potato salad is a dish that almost everyone can enjoy .

Additional Tips For Making Potato Salad:

The secret to this simple potato salad is that you must mix all the ingredients while the potatoes are still hot. It results in a delicious and creamy potato salad, with chunks and a tiny bit of a mashed potato feel.

The celery is optional but it does add a nice crunch. The onions are your other bit of crunch. Adjust proportions to your taste.

Salt and pepper your potato salad generously. You can always add more later, but potato salad does seem to soak up those basic seasonings.

If you prefer a bit of mustard flavor in your potato salad , simply squirt in a teaspoon or two of yellow mustard and stir well.

You can prep your eggs the day before by hard-boiling them and peeling them. I do this regularly. Then, I store them in a sealed container in the fridge until Im ready to make the potato salad the next day. Its so much easier to quickly chop up the eggs if they are already cooked, peeled and cooled.

When you are making a big batch of potato salad , I like to peel and dice my potatoes the night before. Be sure to use a sharp paring knife. This paring knife is my favorite, and at under $8, a bargain! Once they are diced, put them in a large pot and cover with salted water. Doing so will keep your potatoes from browning and again, save you time when you are ready to make the salad.

Whether you are making homemade potato salad for 50 people or for 10, you are sure to please with this delicious five ingredient homemade potato salad.

To serve 10 people :

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