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This old-fashioned recipe for Easy Potato Salad has probably been passed down by our grandmas for generations. It’s a summer classic destined for backyard barbecues, family celebrations, and picnics.
I’d probably eat (and enjoy) any potato salad you put in front of me, but this is the one that makes my heart sing. I love chunks of potatoes paired with hard-boiled eggs and celery, all coated in a dressing that is creamy and flavorful.
It’s the classic American potato salad, and it’s as good as your mom made but better than you remember. Try it at your next picnic or barbecue – you’ll love it!
Table of Contents
Best Potato Salad Recipe Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Potatoes: Waxy varieties like new potatoes or Yukon golds hold their shape well. But, I like big russets because they are easiest to peel and I don’t mind if the potatoes fall apart a bit in the salad.
- Vinegar: Or substitute cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Mustard: Substitute 1 teaspoon ground mustard for the prepared yellow mustard.
- Paprika: I love to garnish potato salad with sweet paprika, but dill (fresh or dried), chives, or scallions are also delicious. Or use a combination.
Best potatoes for Potato Salad
The best potatoes for potato salad often come down to personal preference and the style of potato salad you want to make. The two main styles of potatoes are baking potatoes and boiling potatoes. Baking potatoes, such as russets, are high-starch spuds that break down easily in a salad, but some cooks prefer their taste and that texture.
Waxy boiling potatoes, such as Yukon golds or red salad potatoes, hold their shape better after boiling and will not break apart as easily in a potato salad. If a sturdy salad with proper cubes of potatoes is your goal, reach for boiling potatoes.
How to Make This Potato Salad Recipe With Egg
- In a large pot, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 10 minutes. Drain well and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder.
- In a large bowl, add potatoes, onion, celery, and chopped eggs. Add mayonnaise mixture.
- Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper). Garnish with paprika.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 10 cups of potato salad, enough for 10 large (1-cup) servings or even more smaller servings.
- Make ahead: The potatoes can be cubed and submerged in water in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance. The hard-boiled eggs can be boiled a week in advance.
- Mix-ins: Make this potato salad your own by adding cooked bacon, fresh chives or other herbs, minced pickles or relish, peas, capers, or slivered radishes.
Storing Potato Salad
Store potato salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Stir well to recombine before serving.
How long can Potato Salad sit out?
Potato salad can sit out on a table or buffet for up to 2 hours. According to the USDA, cold perishable foods such as potato salad should be discarded if left at room temperature longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the room temperature is 90 degrees). [Source: USDA Leftovers and Food Safety.] It’s better to be safe than sorry!
How long will Potato Salad last in the refrigerator?
Potato salad will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator (the temperature should be 40 degrees or lower). Depending on your exact recipe, the salad may get watery over time, but you can stir to recombine before serving. Or, add additional mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to freshen it up. Even if there is a loss in quality, the salad is safe for up to 4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Potato salad should not sit out at room temperature longer than 2 hours. According to the USDA, “If the potato salad was held in excess of 41°F for over two hours, then discard.” It’s better to be safe than sorry.
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Potato Salad Recipe With Egg
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (see note 1)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 medium onion peeled and minced (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery thinly sliced
- 6 hard-boiled eggs chopped
- paprika for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 10 minutes. Drain well and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder.
- In a large bowl, add potatoes, onion, celery, and chopped eggs. Add mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper). Garnish with paprika.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Potatoes: Waxy varieties like new potatoes or Yukon golds hold their shape well. But, I like big russets because they are easiest to peel and I don’t mind if the potatoes fall apart a bit in the salad.
- Mustard: Or substitute 1 teaspoon ground mustard.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The potatoes can be cubed and submerged in water in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance. The hard-boiled eggs can be boiled a week in advance.
I really like this receipt. I don’t add the garlic (hubby can’t eat it) but even without it, it’s fantastic!!
Thanks Gail! Glad you both enjoy! -Meggan
I’m normally not a fan of potato salad, But I needed a side for my Smoked BBQ ribs,
And this came out great.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Tim! So glad you enjoyed! -Meggan
First time ever making potato salad & it was AMAZING!!! 😋
Thank you Erin! -Meggan
Very delicious!
Absolutely Loved this Potato salad recipe. Easy to make and Ab-so-Lutley Delicious! Thank you
Well done! And easy recipe that is actually easy and uses normal ingredients. Also I love the “jump to the recipe” button. I could care less about somebodies great aunt Tilly who stole this recipe from a sandanistan freedom fighter during the revolution and smuggled messages to the resistance based on the salt and pepper ratio of the dish. Well done
Wow, somebody who actually SAW the Jump to Recipe button! LOL! It’s always there, people miss it all the time. I’m glad you saw it. And I’m even happier you liked the recipe. Story-telling is going away from blogs all over the place, so hopefully you don’t see too much of that anymore. We bloggers got the message. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! -Meggan
Great potato salad recipe. It’s delicious. Too bad you made it so difficult to write it down for people on a smart phone without a printer with all these advertisements and videos getting in the way. It’s just too busy here for a senior citizen to try another recipe. I guess you all based this site on catering to the a specific type of person and didn’t consider an average or older person. Shame on you.
Hi Tamara, I’m sorry about all the trouble you had on my site (and that I took so long to reply; I was on vacation in Wisconsin in an area with no WIFI). What I wanted to tell you is, if you go to the recipe card and click “print recipe,” a new window will open on your phone with no ads and a text-only version of the recipe. It will be really easy to see it, cook from it, or write it down. I will talk to my ad company about all the ads, it doesn’t look horrible on my own phone but clearly you had issues. So sorry about that! And I’m not catering my site to a specific person other than people who love to cook. But I know I need to make it easier for you to do that, fewer ads would help! Sorry again. Sincerely, Meggan
I just made this for Easter tomorrow..It’s delious…Best potato salad I ever made…yummm
Excellent! You add the potatoes to the cold water and bring them and the water up to temperature together. That way, the outside is not over done and mushy while the inside is cooking to firm. Basically my same recipe.
Glad you shared this one with us ! Thank you !