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.
Follow me for more great recipes
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
Create a FREE Account to save your favorite recipes and create meal plans
Follow Me
*I first shared this recipe in May 2013. Updated May 2019, May 2023 and July 2024.
This post contains affiliate links.
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.
I would call myself a good cook however when it came to potato salad I would win the title of worst cook. I tried several times to make my late MIL potato salad and failed every time. I made this potato salad last weekend and it is amazing. I even gave some to a neighbor (previously I would have NEVER offered any potato salad I made to anyone) and they not only said it was delicious but they offered to buy the ingredients if I would make more. Thanks to you I’ve mastered potato salad.
Good recipe. Thank you!
Excellent! The buttermilk addition makes the salad stay creamy even hours or day after. Everyone at my cookout today loved it!
I’m gonna make it this weekend thanks for the recipe
Yes!Yes!Yes! FINALLY a great potato salad recipe!! Thank you! I’m picky about my potato salad, not everyone makes a good one. To find the right balance of mayo, mustard, not too much celery or onion with the right amount of pickle, and the potato done just right – is hard but here…is straight perfection! Been looking for one that tastes like Granny made when I was young and this hits.the spot. I added just a touch more pickle and red onion everything followed exact
This potato salad is a keeper! You can add anything you like and it will turn out 👌.
Just a note: I always double the dressing in any recipe because it’s never enough for me, and I did that with this recipe.
I didn’t have any pickles or relish and my sister wanted veggies in it for some reason, so at her request I added a bag of frozen veggies – the peas/carrots/corn/green beans kind. I picked out the green beans at her request and seasoned the peas/carrot/corn in a separate bowl with acv vinegar, salt, pepper and onion powder. I added this to the dressing then mixed it into the potatoes. Tasted pretty good and the next morning it tasted FANTASTIC.
Oh also I didn’t have buttermilk but heavy whipping cream and acv seemed to make a GREAT substitute.
Thanks for this recipe! 5 stars!!!
I don’t have buttermilk, what can I use instead?
I’ve included lots of options for substitutions in this post: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-make-buttermilk/
Delish! So glad I stumbled upon this recipe!
I have made this about 15 times now. I follow the recipe exactly. It comes out perfect every time. It is always a hit. Everyone asks me to make it! Best potato salad recipe ever! It is traditional and so flavorful! Thank you for making me look like a great cook!
This was so bland. I had to really jazz it up and it was still only passable. This is not “the one.” I’ll keep looking…
Reminded me of my grandmother’s. Tried others that say classic, but they definitely didn’t taste like yours. Tyty