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There is just 1/4 cup of onion in this salad, enough so that it adds to the flavor without being overpowering. I recommend using finely chopped sweet yellow onion. You can also use chopped green onion or red onion.
A little bit of chopped fresh parsley also brightens up the flavor of this red potato salad. Fresh herbs are one of my favorite ways to add flavor to recipes in a healthy way!
The hard boiled eggs are optional in this potato salad, but I highly recommend that you add them. The eggs go really well with the rest of the potato salad ingredients.
How Long To Boil Potatoes For Potato Salad
Good question! Alex and I tried several methods of boiling for this red potato salad. What we found to be most consistent? Place diced potatoes in a pot with cold water, then bring it to a boil. The other main method is dropping the potatoes into a pot of boiling water. But there are two drawbacks: the potatoes are less-evenly boiled, and even worse: theres a risk of splashing boiling water on yourself .
Using the start from cold water method, youll place the potatoes in the water and bring it to a boil. Then, there are two main times youll notice:
- Bringing the water to a boil: 10 minutes
- Actually boiling the potatoes: 10 minutes
Depending on how you look at it, how long to boil potatoes? can be answered with 10 minutes , or 20 minutes . Either way, it will take about 20 minutes total.
How To Make Red Potato Salad
When I can find them, I love using smaller red potatoes since it means that I can cook them whole. Chopping them does help them cook a bit quicker, but potatoes that have been cooked whole taste better and are fluffier in the middle.
Use a big pot for cooking the potatoes and throw a good amount of salt into the water. The water should taste salty. Salting your water is essential since it seasons the potatoes. Without it, they will taste bland, even after tossing them in your dressing.
Then when the potatoes are cooked and cool enough to handle, scatter a couple of tablespoons of vinegar over them. Its incredible how much of a difference the vinegar makes. I use red wine vinegar for this salad, but apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, and even dill pickle juice work well.
To recap, when making potato salad, we like to keep these tips in mind:
- Smaller red waxy potatoes are best
- If time allows, cook the potatoes whole. They taste better and dont get waterlogged.
- Add a generous amount of salt to your cooking water. Potatoes can be bland and need salt to taste their best.
- For the best tasting salad, scatter vinegar over the cooked potatoes
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Red Potato Salad Simple Ingredients:
Red potatoes, unpeeled
Regular onion or green onions
Celery seeds
Honey mustard
Mayonnaise
We always use Dukes Mayonnaise but you can use whatever you like and you can also substitute miracle whip too. This red potato salad would be a wonderful addition to any spring or summer gathering. It keeps well too so you could definitely make this the day before. We all agreed the addition of the honey mustard really gave this salad a great taste. Only a few ingredients but really loaded in flavor.
If you love potato salad like we do, you may want to check out this recipe too! Of course sometimes you want to make something a little different and this German Potato Salad is always a hit! It is an oil based potato salad.
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Ingredients For Red Potato Salad
This salad is customizable, but heres what I usually use:
- Red potatoes I like to use red baby potatoes, you can substitute with other waxy potato variety if you like.
- Celery and red onion A must in any potato salad, they add a nice crunch and great flavor. Red onion can be substituted with yellow onion or green onion.
- Dill Its best to use fresh dill weed, if not available, substitute with half a teaspoon of dried dill.
- Lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Mayonnaise and sour cream You can use all mayo, but I like to lighten it up with sour cream.
You can also add boiled chopped eggs if you like!
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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:
A Recipe To Be Passed Down Through The Generations
My mother-in-law passed away many years ago, but my daughter also loves this recipe. I have shown her how to make her Grandmas Perfect Red Potato Salad recipe as well, and I am thrilled this recipe will be passed down for generations to come.
To this day, I can proudly treat my husband to a big batch of his moms amazing red potato salad . It is perfect every time, and I know she would be proud.
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How To Make Baby Red Potato Salad
Potato salad is super simple to make. While your potatoes are boiling, prep and mix together all of the other ingredients. Heres what youll need:
- Veggies: Baby red potatoes, green bell peppers, red onion, scallions
- Sauce: Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Red Potato Salad
Red potatoes, Red wine vinegar, eggs, onion, celery seed, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, sweet relish, garlic salt, sugar, onion salt, and sour cream.
If you are looking for a potato side dish to serve with hamburgers or hot dogs, this would be perfect. Or combine our Perfect Red Potato Salad with our Pine Nut and Cranberry Picnic Chicken Salad Sandwiches for the perfect Sunday potluck lunch or 4th of July picnic!
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What Makes This Red Potato Salad So Great
With favorite flavors like bacon and ranch, this is the summer version of a loaded baked potato.
It’s the perfect side dish for grilled chicken, fish, or even burgers. I find the potatoes cook faster if I cube them first , then boil.
If you’re not a fan of bottled ranch dressing, you can make your own with buttermilk and mayonnaise. Try this homemade ranch dressing recipe from Spend with Pennies.
These flavors go so well together. I’d love to know if you give this recipe a try. Just leave a comment below!
How Long Should You Cook Potatoes For Red Potato Salad
The first few times I made red potato salad, I way overcooked the potatoes and basically had mashed potato salad.
The key to cooking perfect potatoes for red potato salad: simmer them instead of a hard boil. You want your potatoes to be soft and creamy and so that when you pierce them with a fork, they are tender.
Depending on the size that you cut your potatoes into , the potatoes should cook in 8-12 minutes.
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How Do I Avoid Soggy Potatoes
No one likes soggy potatoes in their potato salad. Here are some tips for avoiding this:
- When cooking your red potatoes, make sure to not leave them in the pot for too long.
- Overcooked potatoes can become mushy and break up when mixed with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook the red potatoes until, when pierced with a fork, are just tender. This should take around 20-25 minutes.
What Variety Of Potatoes Should You Use
The best kind of potato to use for potato salad is any of the waxy potatoes, like red potatoes or yukon gold, over the starchy ones like russet. They hold up better, whereas russets can fall apart into mush.
Slice some red potatoes and put them in a big pot. How I cut them totally depends on my mood, and both work great.
Cover the potatoes completely with cool water:
Next add a couple tablespoons of salt to the water:
I know it seems like a lot of salt, but the potatoes will only absorb a small amount of this water, and it will help season the potatoes on the inside.
Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat.
How long do you cook red potatoes for potato salad? It depends on how you cut them up, but about 5 minutes after the water is boiling, or until fork tender.
Then drain them in a colander, and let them sit for a few minutes to let the steam escape a bit.
While the potatoes are still warm, toss them with the dressing, then add chopped celery, scallions, and chives:
You can either serve this warm or you can chill it for a few hours before enjoying.
Potato Croquettes, Steak Fries, and Potato Gratin are some of my other favorite potato dishes.
I have a whole section of potato recipes in my recipe index if you want more ideas. Enjoy!
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Red Potato Salad Faqs
Do You Cut Potatoes Before Boiling Them For Potato Salad?
Yes, cutting the potatoes prior to boiling helps them cook more evenly and faster. It is also easier on your hands to cut potatoes prior to cooking, rather than trying to handle a hot potato while chopping. You can cut them into whatever size you prefer for your potato salad, however, I like ½” cubes best.
How Long Should I Cook Red Potatoes for Potato Salad?
Boiling red potatoes for 10 minutes is typically sufficient, although the time will vary depending on how thick your potatoes are cut. You will know they are done if you can easily pierce them with a fork. At this point drain them from the water and allow them to cool .
Are red or yellow potatoes better for potato salad?
Red and yellow potatoes, also known as Yukon Gold potatoes, both have less starch than Russet potatoes and share a similar waxy texture and flavor making them equally great to use in potato salad. The primary difference is their visual appeal.
Why do you put vinegar in potato salad?
Vinegar adds acidity and tanginess to the potato salad dressing. It adds excitement to the flavor so it tastes less one-dimensional. Any type of vinegar, or even lemon juice, can be used.
What Makes This Recipe The Best
Seasoning the water By seasoning the boiling water heavily with salt, just like when you make pasta, that allows the salt to penetrate the potato. This is great because it seasons the potato on the inside. It tastes so much better!
A knockout dressing Well make a quick homemade dressing that has a great balance of creaminess and tang. Its delicious!
Fresh herbs and vegetables to add crunch and texture Because potatoes are so neutral, its important to add other ingredients for flavor. The bits of celery, scallions, chives, and more add both texture and flavor that is absolutely heavenly.
Its actually easy to accomplish this with relatively minimal ingredients!
When I go to parties in the summer or on a picnic, Ill almost always bring some sort of sturdy salad like this.
Salmon Salad, Cranberry Chicken Salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, and Egg Salad are some of my other go-tos. Its truly one of my favorite recipe categories! This is also a great side for dishes like Buttermilk Fried Chicken or Oven BBQ Pork Spare Ribs.
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Baby Red Potato Salad
I love a good homemade potato salad, and this one is absolutely delicious, especially if youre not a fan of traditional potato salad loaded with mayonnaise. It uses just one tablespoon of mayo but still has plenty of sauce from the Dijon mustard, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. And since it uses red potatoes, no need to peel the potatoes so its quicker too! For more lighter potato salad recipes, try this Rainbow Potato Salad and Summer Potato Salad with Apples.
This healthy red potato salad is my favorite way to enjoy potato salad. Red potatoes provide vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber. They are even higher in fiber when eaten with the skins on.
The Best Red Potato Salad
With the addition of hard boiled eggs and dill pickle relish, this recipe is truly the best Red Potato Salad. And, theres no need to peel the potatoes!
I love a good shortcut recipe. Anything that saves me time is a welcome addition to my cooking repertoire.
So when I stumbled on this no-peel Best Ever Red Potato Salad in an old church cookbook, I knew I had to try it.
Similar to my familys German Potato Salad, it has hard boiled eggs both inside the salad and on top. It also sports the addition of red pepper, dill pickle relish, celery, and green onions, plus a creamy mayonnaise dressing made with celery salt.
And best of all, theres no need to peel the potatoes, making it relatively quick and easy.
The combination of flavors and textures is a true delight. I served this at a cookout recently and it went WAY too quickly!
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Creamy Red Potato Salad
This creamy red potato salad recipe is the perfect side dish to serve at your next picnic or potluck. Tender red potatoes are bathed in a tangy dressing and mixed with the satisfying crunch of freshly diced celery and onions. This is summer in a bowl!
This delicious red potato salad recipe took me a number of tries to get right, but Im very happy with it now. However, it is still a great recipe to customize to fit your tastes. Add or subtract ingredients as desired, including additions such as fresh dill, hard-boiled eggs, or even pickles. After all, the best potato salad ever is the one you create!
What Do I Need To Make This 5 Ingredient Potato Salad
You’ll need just 5 ingredients. I know, you saw that coming, right? This is a really simple recipe that uses wholesome simple to source ingredients. I like things easy when it comes to potluck meals, sides, and party recipes.
Grab some red potatoes, bacon, onions, ranch dressing and shredded cheese! That’s all you’ll need to throw this recipe together. If you need to make substitutions or alterations the recipe is really flexible so you’ll find it’s pretty easy to swap things about or change things up.
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Bacon Ranch Red Potato Salad Recipe
Who doesnt love a good potato salad? My kid. Thats who. Except for this bacon ranch version. This stuff, she completely devours. Its creamy, full of flavor, and totally addicting.
Plus, my red potato salad recipe super easy to make. Boil chopped red potatoes, toss potatoes in a creamy homemade ranch flavored dressing with bacon and fresh herbs and a little bit of garlic. Boom. Done.
Red Skin Potato Salad Recipe
Potato salads are long-standing traditions at just about every summer BBQ. While there are many versions of potato salads, we personally always turns to this red skin potato salad recipe when its our turn to bring one.
This recipe is the best red potato salad out there because:
- Its simple! All the ingredients are pantry staples
- It has great flavor the dressing, which is made of mayo, sour cream, and a little dill combined with bacon makes this taste out of this world delicious!
- It uses red potatoes with the skin on. This adds a really great texture, and it helps the salad keep its structure. No mushy potato salad for us!
- It tastes great cold or warm no matter how you choose to serve this, it will taste delicious!
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Can I Make This In My Instant Pot
Yes! We LOVE using our Instant Pot to make a potato salad. For this recipe, you will want to:
- Add two cups of water to your Instant Pot
- Quarter the potatoes and place them in the Instant Pot
- Place shelled eggs on top of the potatoes
- Set to manual high pressure for four minutes
- Let the pressure release naturally for four minutes