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    Home » Recipes » American

    Southern Potato Salad Recipe

    Published: Apr 18, 2017 · Modified: Apr 13, 2023 by Sherri · This post may contain affiliate links · 137 Comments

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    southern style potato salad in a white bowl with txt overlay
    potato salad in a white bowl with text overlay
    closeup of potato salad with text overlay

    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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    southern style potato salad in a white bowl with txt overlay

    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:

    4 whole potatoes 7 hard-boiled eggs, mayo, relish and a teaspoon of mustard on a counter

    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.

    diced potatoes in a stainless steel pot

    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.

    diced potatoes in a silver colander

    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.

    a bowl of mayonnaise with a teaspoon of mustard and some relish

    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.

    southern potato salad recipe in a white bowl
    How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator?

    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.

    Can you serve potato salad warm?

    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:

    Roasted Corn Orzo Pasta Salad

    Spinach and Mushroom Quinoa

    Southwest Quinoa Salad

    Quinoa Tabouli Salad

    Easy Succotash Salad

    Potato Salad recipe with hard boiled eggs in a white bowl with text overlay class=
    southern potato salad recipe in a white bowl

    Southern Potato Salad Recipe

    This Southern Potato Salad is the best traditional, creamy version with hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, pickle relish and a dash of mustard. It's a must-have recipe for any celebration or barbecue.
    4.95 from 138 votes
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    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Southern
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 334kcal
    Author: Sherri Hagymas

    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

    You can boil larger chunks of potatoes with the skin on if you prefer.  After you have cooked and drained them, just scrape the skin off with a knife.
    Plan to give your potato salad several hours in the frig before diving in.  The flavors get better and better as the hours go by.  (usually 4-6 is plenty of time). Making it the day before is even better if you have time.
    If you happen to have any leftovers, they will keep just fine for about 4 days in the refrigerator. If your potato has been at room temperature longer than 2 hours, discard any leftovers since bacteria can grow if left out too long. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 529mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 335IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4.3mg

    Nutritional Disclosure

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cindy

      November 08, 2018 at 11:27 am

      5 stars
      I too am a N.C. girl and this was one of my Mom’s specialties, but she always added about a Tbsp. of diced gr. pepper,Tbsp. of diced celery and 2 thinly sliced gr. onions( So. is -spring onion) This was always at all our family gatherings….I think its going to be on my menu tonight–yum-o !!!

      Reply
    2. Pam

      September 03, 2018 at 12:22 pm

      This was awesome! My first time making it for the family picnic, it was easy & delicious! I was nervous because my sister in law was the queen of the potato salad & she passed away last September & I know she would have approved.

      Reply
      • Sherri

        September 04, 2018 at 1:29 pm

        Pam, You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear this! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Maggie

      July 07, 2018 at 9:51 am

      Frying potato salad in a skillet is AMAZING.

      Reply
    4. Beverly Sholte

      April 01, 2018 at 11:28 am

      5 stars
      I make my potato salad same way except I like to mix my salad while it is pretty warm. The flavors seem to marry together better than it does cold. It seems like when it is cold, it just coats the potatoes instead of soaking into potatoes. I also like to eat it warm.

      Reply
    5. Lexi @That Fit Fam

      February 10, 2018 at 10:16 pm

      I can’t get enough of potato salad! This has me excited for summer and barbeques! thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    6. joyce

      January 01, 2018 at 5:48 pm

      I’m from California and that’s how we like it here, with onions. Thanks.

      Reply
    7. Sandra

      December 23, 2017 at 4:45 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    8. Fred Taylor

      November 23, 2017 at 4:13 pm

      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

      Reply
    9. Linda

      November 07, 2017 at 9:47 am

      You are missing a word in your potato salad recipe. “reduce the to low and simmer” Reduce the……..

      Reply
      • Sherri

        November 07, 2017 at 11:14 am

        Oh gosh! Thank you for catching that! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Thomas

      September 02, 2017 at 4:03 pm

      Great post! Have nice day ! 🙂

      Reply
    11. x mod game

      July 25, 2017 at 5:50 am

      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!

      Reply
    12. Danetta

      July 04, 2017 at 2:52 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    13. Cheryl Lazio

      June 30, 2017 at 6:54 pm

      5 stars
      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 🙂

      Reply
    14. Carol

      June 22, 2017 at 7:04 pm

      5 stars
      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!).

      Reply
      • Sherri

        June 26, 2017 at 6:20 pm

        How about that! So funny! 🙂

        Reply
    15. Kathy

      February 27, 2017 at 2:44 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    16. Cheryl

      December 24, 2016 at 10:04 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
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