This Southern Potato Salad is the best creamy version made with simple ingredients. Tender potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, sweet relish and a dash of mustard come together perfectly in must-have recipe for any celebration or barbecue.
You know those recipes you call your mom for. This potato salad recipe is one of those recipes. I grew up (in Eastern NC) on my grandmother’s old-fashioned Potato Salad and she never had an “exact recipe”. She just tossed in the ingredients and did the taste test.
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Thank goodness I finally learned that making this classic potato salad is much easier than I thought. I was so nervous the first time for some reason.
There are many versions of Potato Salads, but this is traditional southern potato salad I grew up on. To me, this is by har the best potato salad recipe around!
It’s one of those family favorite easy side dishes that everyone looks forward to at so many holidays and family gatherings throughout the year. I mean is there anything better to have with burgers or hot dogs at a cookout than this great recipe!
Ingredients you will need:
Makes 8 servings
Potatoes – Peeled and diced. I think the best potatoes are white potatoes because they are so creamy But Yukon gold potatoes and red potatoes work well too. Starchy potatoes, like Russet potatoes, typically do not do well in potato salad since they have a tendency to fall apart after boiling them.
Hard-boiled eggs – A must for potato salad. I like my potato salad with lots of egg but if you prefer just 3 or 4 that is fine as well.
Mayonnaise – Another classic ingredient for any potato salad. My personal preference is Hellman’s mayonnaise. But I know there are some die hard duke’s mayonnaise lovers that swear by it too . Some people do prefer a whipped salad dressing ,like miracle whip, for a tangier flavor. I personally think regular mayo is best but feel free to use light mayo if you want to cut calories a little more.
Yellow Mustard – adds just the right amount of a tangy flavor.
Sweet pickle relish – has always been in our version of potato salad but you can also use dill pickles or dill relish if you prefer.
Salt and pepper – You can also sprinkle the top with a little paprika too if you’d like.
Other additions you can add is chopped yellow onion and chopped crunchy celery. Green onions, sweet onion and red onion are also great too. My grandmother didn’t add either of these but I know they are popular in some variations.
How to Make this Homemade Potato Salad
Step 1: Place the large eggs in a pot of water. When the water comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 minute.
Step 2: Remove from heat and COVER and let stand for 20 minutes. Or you can make hard boiled eggs in the oven or Instant Pot hard boiled eggs for the perfect hard boiled egg!
Step 3: Peel and dice the potatoes into about 1 inch pieces. You can boil the potatoes with the skin on and scrape the skin off with a knife after you have cooked and drained them.
Step 4: Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water and bring them to a boil over high heat for about 15 minutes UNCOVERED or until fork tender. Drain in a colander and then place the hot potatoes in a large bowl or the serving bowl you want to use.
Step 5: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about an hour to give the potatoes ample time to cool completely. If you try to mix warm cooked potatoes, they tend to crumble when stirring.
Step 6: In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, and sweet pickles together. Then add salt and black pepper to taste.
Then add the potatoes and fold in gently.
ENJOY!!!
Tips
Plan to give your potato salad several hours in the refrigerator before diving in. The flavors get better and better as the hours go by. (usually 4-6 is plenty of time).
Make a day or 2 before if you have time to let the flavors blend even more.
Variations
Cook the potatoes with the skin on if you prefer.
Use dijon mustard if desired.
Add a dash of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar if you prefer a tangier flavor
Add a little celery seed and/ or garlic powder if desired.
If you happen to have any leftovers, they will keep just fine for about 4 days in the refrigerator. If your potato salad has been at room temperature longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the temperature is over 90 degrees F), discard any leftovers since bacteria can grow if left out longer.
You can serve potato salad warm or cold. I actually love it warmed. Just be sure to heat it up and not let it sit out to get warm.
Try these other side dish recipes too:
Southern Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes peeled and diced
- 7 hard boiled eggs chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 4 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place eggs in a pan covered with cold water. When the water starts to boil, reduce to low and simmer uncovered for 1 minute .
- Remove from heat and COVER and let stand for 20 minutes. Or you can bake your eggs in the oven for the perfect hard boiled egg!
- Peel and dice the potatoes into about 1 inch pieces.
- Cover them with water and bring them to a boil for about 15 minutes UNCOVERED or until tender. Drain in a colander.
- Let the potatoes cool before mixing so they won’t crumble. I actually put mine in a bowl in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- In a separate bowl, mix the other ingredients together.
- Then add the potatoes and mix gently.
- ENJOY!!!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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Lexi @That Fit Fam
I can’t get enough of potato salad! This has me excited for summer and barbeques! thanks for sharing!
joyce
I’m from California and that’s how we like it here, with onions. Thanks.
Sandra
I made this potato salad and it is really good. In the pass no one ate my potatoes salad but me, but that will now change. Thanks for sharing.
Fred Taylor
Myself I prefer using ranch dressing in my potato salad chopped sweet pickles,green onions chopped,celery chopped up, black olives diced,boiled eggs mixed all together with mayonnaise ,I prefer the red potatoes prepared and diced after refrigerated
Linda
You are missing a word in your potato salad recipe. “reduce the to low and simmer” Reduce the……..
Sherri
Oh gosh! Thank you for catching that! 🙂
Thomas
Great post! Have nice day ! 🙂
x mod game
Right here is the right blog for everyone who would like to understand this topic.
You realize a whole lot its almost tough to argue with
you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject that has been written about for ages.
Excellent stuff, just great!
Danetta
This is exactly how I fix my potato salad! Love it like this, no need for all those other ingredients i.e, onions and celery.
Cheryl Lazio
This is how I make mine too. My family is all from NC and MD (that’s south of the Mason Dixon right??). I like to dice up onions and celery and throw that in there too…just enough to know but not enough to overwhelm 🙂 I’m making this for a Monday holiday potluck 🙂
Carol
My mother always made this type of potato salad, but included onions, and less eggs. Then I came along and changed out the sweet pickle relish for sweet midget pickles. Otherwise, it’s the same. Mom was raised in Chicago. I’m a California girl (age 70 now, ha!).
Sherri
How about that! So funny! 🙂
Kathy
FINALLY someone knows how to make potato salad! Almost my recipe. I do use Miracle Whip, but have you noticed how many people want to put dill pickle relish in it!
I get so many compliments on potato salad!
Cheryl
Just like my momma’s. I’m from South Louisiana and we love it warm and our Cajun seasoning Tonys. I am making a 10lb bag of potatoes for Christmas as we are cooking our usual gumbos on Christmas Day!
Roy
Same way my family makes it in Texas awesome thanks for the recipe now I can make it myself….
Judith graham
Excellent and easy. I added some sliced green onions. Chopped celery would be a good addition, too. I I sprinkle paprika on the top for a pretty look.
DEE
How many potatoes is 2 lbs?
Jess
Just used this recipe. Fantastic and easy! Thanks for posting. I pinned this!
Christy
True southern potato salad has diced onions and DILL relish…and you never measure ingredients.
Sobxgal
Yummy! I’m a Carolina girl, too. Havelock/Cherry Point born-n-bred. This is almost identical to mine ~ I add a couple green onions and a bit of celery. Love, love, love potato salad.
edna
Hi im confused about the egg part Step 1 is this after the eggs are hardboiled and chopped?
Sherri
Step 1 is to hard boil cook the eggs. You will chop them after they are cooked and add to the cooked and cooled potatoes. 🙂
SwiftChefs
I’m from the New England area too (Boston) and I know some friends who have made this kind of potato salad. I never knew it was a southern recipe though!