The Best Classic and Traditional Potato Salad Recipe (2024)

This traditional potato salad recipe is made using the perfect combination of potatoes and eggs, with a simple and creamy salad dressing that takes it to the next level.

Potato salad is the ultimate summer comfort food, and this recipe is the perfect way to enjoy your salad. It’s the easiest potato salad recipe out there that is guaranteed to give you delicious flavor every single time.

This recipe is a definite crowd-pleaser, and kids and adults seem to love it alike. It’s the perfect side dish for a BBQ cookout, or to have on your dinner table.

I’m sure this recipe is going to become your next family favorite! I’ve included all the information you could possibly need, from what type of potatoes to use to step by step pictures to make it perfectly every single time!

Want to learn how to make this classic, traditional potato salad? Then keep on reading!

What is a Traditional Potato Salad Recipe?

A traditional potato salad is that creamy, deliciousness in a salad that we’ve come to love and adore! It’s a homemade potato salad made with potatoes that have been boiled and mixed with a creamy mayo-based potato salad dressing.

There are a ton of different ingredients you can add to a potato salad to take it to the next level. But a traditional potato salad always has some potatoes, mayo, eggs, and pickles.

Today we’ll be making the most delicious, homemade potato salad recipe that’s not only creamy but packed with flavor in every bite. It’s old-fashioned, traditional but with a tasty, fresh twist.

Potato salads are the ultimate summer comfort food, and this recipe will have you feeling warm and happy in no time. It’s a definite crowd-pleaser that is perfect for dinners, a side dish for a BBQ party, or just to have whenever you want!

Regardless of when you choose to have this incredibly delicious potato salad, you’re going to fall in love with it every single time!

What Makes this the Best Traditional Potato Salad Recipe?

This is seriously the best potato salad recipe out there because of so many reasons! It’s incredibly easy to whip up and tastes even better the next day.

Not only is it the perfect combination for a traditional potato salad, but it also has some delicious fresh ingredients that take it to the next level and set it apart from every other potato salad recipe out there!

You can have this potato salad as a side dish but also as a light snack or meal thanks to its filling ingredients, such as bologna! Leftovers can also be eaten as a delicious potato salad sandwich!

Just pop a few heaping tablespoons in between two slices ofHomemade French Bread and you’ll have the most delicious sandwich ever!

This salad is the ultimate crowd pleaser! No seriously, kids and adults seem to love it alike. It tastes delicious with just about everything and you can even make it a day ahead! In fact, it’ll taste even better the day after making it!

With just a handful of ingredients, you’re going to have a salad that’s seriously unforgettable and the best traditional potato salad you’ll ever have!

What Kind of Potatoes are Best for Potato Salad?

Usually, we go for starchy potatoes such as russet potatoes, but when you’re making a potato salad you should steer clear of them!

This is because while they’re great for baking and frying, they really don’t do so well when they’re boiled. In fact, you’ll find that they’ll crumble apart and won’t even be as creamy.

So, the best potatoes to use for a potato salad are waxy ones, such as red potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, and fingerlings. Not only will they hold their shape better when you boil them, but they’re also known for their creaminess which will make your salad taste even better!

Should I Peel the Potatoes?

It all comes down to personal preference on whether or not you want to peel your potatoes for a potato salad.

But if you don’t want to, you definitely don’t have to! Waxy potatoes have a more delicate skin than starchy ones like russet potatoes are tough, astringent, and take away from the flavor of a potato salad.

But for a deliciously creamy texture and flavor, I’d suggest you peel yours. Either way, it’s a personal preference so feel free to experiment a bit till you figure out which way you and your family like it the best!

What Type of Mayonnaise Should I Use?

Mayo makes up the base flavor for our potato salad dressing, and so it’s a pretty important ingredient! This, again, comes down to personal preference. I love using homemade mayo because it’s lower in calories and sodium, but still tastes absolutely incredible!

But I’m sure you have one that you love the most or is a family favorite. Many people like Hellman’s, while others in the South prefer Duke’s. Regardless of which one you pick, it’ll taste delicious every single time!

Do Pickles Go Well in This Recipe?

Trust me, pickles go incredibly well in this recipe! Doesn’t matter whether you love pickles or hate them, they’re going to be one of your favorite ingredients in this recipe!

We’ll be using dill pickles which have a subtle but fresh bite and really enhance the flavor of this creamy potato salad.

Most people who hate pickles don’t even notice them since it’s not an overpowering ingredient, but one that’s meant to bring out the flavors in everything else.

If you do love pickles or are more of a sweet pickle relish person, you can definitely swap out dill pickles for the one you love the most. This is what’s so great about this recipe, it’s the perfect base recipe to add to and make it your own! I’m sure it’s going to go into your family’s list of favorite recipes!

What You Need to Make Homemade Potato Salad

All you need are some pantry staple ingredients to whip up the most delicious, creamy potato salad recipe ever! Here’s everything you’ll need to make this at home:

Potatoes: You’ll need 4 to 5 large waxy potatoes for this recipe. You can go for red potatoes, Yukon Golds, or even fingerlings. I won’t recommend using russet potatoes because they’ll crumble and fall apart when you boil them. If you have medium potatoes instead, use about 6 to 7 of them.

Carrots: Trust me when I say that carrots take this salad to the next level with their delicate sweetness and light bite! You’ll need 5 large carrots for this recipe.

Eggs: A potato salad just isn’t complete without some eggs! We’ll be using 8 to 10 large eggs for this recipe.

Peas: Sweet peas enhance the flavor, and they just taste so good in every single bite. You’ll need approximately 15 ounces of them for this salad.

Pickles: We’ll be using dill pickles for this recipe since they have a beautiful subtle flavor but add the perfect fresh bite to the salad!

English cucumbers: Not everyone adds cucumber to their potato salad, but I love adding it for a fresher taste. So I highly suggest you go for it!

Bologna: Some people use Bologna as the only meat in a potato salad, but I like to add some Moskovska kielbasa too. It just gives the salad a better, sharper taste. Adding bologna makes this potato salad heartier and makes it taste even better, trust me!

Onion: We’ll be using half of a small onion in this recipe for that sharp flavor and crunch!

Mayonnaise: Mayo is an incredibly important ingredient in this recipe as it makes up the base of the potato salad dressing. You can go for whichever brand you love the most! I also love using homemade mayo because it just always tastes so much better!

Salt: We’ll be adding salt according to taste, as it depends on how sweet your mayo is. You can go for kosher salt, but just a regular one. I use approximately one teaspoon salt for this salad, but definitely do it according to taste!

Black pepper: Pepper just gives this salad that extra flavor and makes it taste even better! Some people like using paprika in theirs, but I’ve found that ground pepper alone tastes just perfect!

Fresh dill (for garnishing): When your salad is all ready, just sprinkle some chopped fresh herbs to garnish it! I prefer using fresh dill.

How to Make Traditional Potato Salad Recipe (Step-by-Step)

Making this homemade potato salad recipe is so easy, but it tastes incredible each time! Here’s what you need to do to make this classic potato salad at home step by step:

Start by rinsing your potatoes and carrots. Chop the carrots into smaller pieces.

Next, add them to cold water in a large pot and bring them to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium. Boil the carrots and potatoes until they’re tender. I remove carrots earlier, to prevent overcooking, and let potatoes cook for a little longer, as they take longer to cook thoroughly. To check the potatoes, I make sure they’re fork tender.

Now boil the eggs. Once it’s all done, let everything cool completely before chopping them. I prefer to place it all in the fridge for a couple of hours since it’s easier to chop the potatoes, carrots, and eggs when they are cold and not mushy.

While the cooked potatoes, carrots, and eggs are cooling, dice the bologna, pickles, cucumbers, and onions.

Next, drain and rinse the sweet peas well and set them aside.

Now peel your boiled potato and carrot skins. Dice both of them.

Let’s prep the eggs now! Peel the eggshells and dice your eggs. You may use avegetable chopperto speed up your dicing time.

Once all your ingredients are prepped, place the diced ingredients into a large bowl. Mix and stir all the ingredients together. If you used home-canned pickles, squeeze the pickle juice out of them, because they tend to have way too much juice and will make your salad watery.

Now add mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to taste, then mix in the mayonnaise carefully and gently, side to side, from the bottom to the top.

Make sure you don’t mash the salad or it will lose its shape. You want to see each diced ingredient in the salad.

I recommend popping the salad into the fridge for 2-4 hours before serving. This lets all the ingredients and flavors soak in.

Your delicious potato salad is ready to be served!

Check out my famous pasta salad as well.

Recipe Variation Ideas

This easy potato salad recipe is the perfect base recipe to customize and make it your own. Here are a few variations you can try:

• If you like your potato salad a little tangy, try adding a little apple cider vinegar to the potatoes right after they’re boiled. While they’re cooling, the vinegar will soak into the potatoes and add a little tang to your salad!
• For a little extra crunch, you can add some chopped celery to this salad!
• If you want to add some other herbs to this potato salad, chives go really well along with the fresh dill that I’ve recommended in this recipe already.
• If you love mustard, try adding a little yellow mustard or even Dijon mustard to your potato salad.

How Long Can I Store This Potato Salad in The Fridge?

If you love potato salad as much as we do, it’ll probably disappear by the end of the meal! But in case you still have some leftovers, store them in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can technically store it in the fridge for up to a week, but the eggs will release sulfuric smells over time. And the onions will turn a little too pungent which will take away from the flavor of the salad.

Can I Freeze Potato Salad?

I wouldn’t recommend you freeze this potato salad since the thawing process will alter the texture of the ingredients and the dressing will also not be as creamy.

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This traditional potato salad recipe was originally posted on December 16, 2014 (original picture below). Itweaked it a bit since thenlike using a good quality ingredient. This post may contain affiliate links. Read mydisclosure.