Our easy Potato Salad recipe is creamy, delicious, and the best side dish at any BBQ! I make it with Yukon Gold Potatoes, hard boiled eggs, pickles, celery, and a creamy homemade dressing.
Want more side dishes? I love this Corn Salad, Cucumber Salad, Baked Beans, and Street Corn Pasta Salad.
Our Classic Potato Salad is the Real Star of the BBQ
Our Classic Potato Salad is the Real Star of the BBQThere are so many reasons to love a good ol' classic potato salad, and our recipe has the yummiest sauce, and flavor combo, making it deserving of its position as a summer BBQ staple. (It's always so hard to choose between this traditional potato salad recipe, and our baked potato salad recipe. They are different, and both fantastic!) I love that I can potato salad ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
How to make Potato Salad:
Boil Potatoes: Place whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of water. When it comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain water from pot, leaving potatoes inside, then cover with a lid so they can steam for 5-10 more minutes. Peel potatoes, if desired, then cut into 1-inch chunks.
Make Potato Salad Dressing: Combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
Combine: Pour dressing over the potatoes. Add chopped egg whites, celery, onion, and pickles. Stir well then cover and refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions:
To Make Ahead: potato salad can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. It tastes best if refrigerated for at least a few hours before serving. Store leftover potato salad in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Recipe
Classic Potato Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard (or half dijon)
- 2 dill pickles , finely chopped, + splash of pickle juice
- salt and pepper
- 2 ribs celery , chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion , chopped
Instructions
- Boil and Chop Potatoes: Place the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the water completely from the pot and then cover the pot with a lid to allow the potatoes to steam for 5-10 minutes. Peel potatoes, if desired, and cut them into ½ inch chunks.
- Make Dressing: Separate egg yolks from the whites of the hard boiled eggs and place the yolks in a bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and then stir in the mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Assemble: Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes. Chop the egg whites and add them to the potatoes along with the celery, onion, and pickles. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I first shared this recipe in May 2013. Updated May 2019, May 2023 and July 2024.
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This is the best potato salad recipe I’ve ever made and eaten. I make it exactly as written and my family L♥️VES it!! A Classic American masterpiece . Thank you!
Thanks for your kind words!
This recipe has become one of my two go-to recipes for potato salad. The other recipe is an absolutely different style so I can’t rate one over the other, but this one is absolutely outstanding. My family loves it, my friends love it, and you can adjust the amounts of the add ins (we love a little more red onion) and add your own flair if you so choose, although it really is perfect exactly as written.
I made this recipe for a friends 50th birthday party and doubled the recipe. I’m not so traditional (and I didn’t budget extra time for peeling and cutting the extra potatoes) so we ate it WARM. Holy moly. BEST POTATO SALAD EVER. I mean EVER.
Thanks. Tastes delicious.
What is your serving size on your nutrition stats?
Can you replace buttermilk with whole milk?
I mix in whole milk yogurt OR sour cream with the mayo. I’ve not tried using buttermilk. I generally use 1/3 yogurt to 2/3 mayonnaise. I like to add a splash of vinegar for a little tanginess. I use sweet pickle relish rather than chop whole pickles. And I use Dijon mustard, not yellow. Yum!
Awesome recipe! Easy and delicious as written. I did add fresh dill as my wife loves dill So glad I found this!👍❤️👍
This was easy and tasty too! Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may need some extra cooking time. Also I didn’t have any milk or buttermilk so I just used sour cream mixed with a little water. Everyone loved it. I think mixing the egg yolks with the dressing makes it nice and rich. The addition of fresh dill would add a yummy punch.
This was the perfect potato salad recipe! The only thing I did differently was use dill relish instead of chopping up the pickles. Thanks so much for this yummy recipe.
Thank-you for this awesome recipe. It looks so easy to do.
My first attempt for my wife’s birthday, she loves it. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe.
My husband and daughter made this as a surprise. I was skeptical because I am very picky with potato salad. This WOWED me. It tasted just like my mothers passed down to me recipe. Great instructions. I wish he had made more.
Can you make without the milk if you are dairy free?
I used apple cider vinegar (2 TBL) instead of buttermilk, I also left out the pickle juice since vinegar is enough tang for me. Tasted great
This recipe has good bones but I, personally, found it to be quite bland. I doctored it up pretty extensively to give it some flavor.
Hi! I don’t know if this will help, but I’m lactose intolerant and I use Lactaid (lactose free milk) in all my recipes. If you’re off dairy completely maybe try more of a German-style potato salad, which uses vinegar, bacon and bacon fat, veg, and some herbs. This is typically served warm or room temp, not cold. Great for an outdoor picnic because you don’t have to worry about the mayo on a hot day!