Classic Potato Salad is tender chunks of red or Yukon Gold potatoes folded into a creamy dressing of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and vinegar with hard-boiled eggs, diced dill pickle, celery, shallot, scallions and fresh herbs. The potatoes are seasoned with vinegar while still warm, so the flavor goes all the way through. It serves 8 and takes 40 minutes, plus at least an hour in the refrigerator.

How to make it: Start the cubed potatoes in cold, salted water and simmer them just until fork-tender. While they cook, stir the dressing together with the eggs, pickles, celery, shallot and herbs. Drain the potatoes, spread them on a baking sheet, sprinkle them with vinegar and let them cool. Fold them into the dressing, season, and chill for at least an hour.

A bowl of creamy potato salad with red potatoes, hard-boiled egg, celery, pickles and fresh dill — Classic Potato Salad 1

Why You’ll Love It

Potatoes that hold their shape: the right potato and a gentle simmer mean no mush.
Flavor all the way through: vinegar on the warm potatoes, not just in the dressing.
Creamy but not heavy: just 1/2 cup of mayonnaise for 2 pounds of potatoes.
Crunch in every bite: celery, pickle and shallot.
Make-ahead friendly: it can chill up to a day before serving.

Ingredient Notes

Potatoes: 2 pounds of red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks. Peel them first if you like; red potato skins are thin enough to leave on.

Salt: 2 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt in all: 2 teaspoons in the cooking water, the rest in the dressing.

Eggs: 3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced. They add richness and texture, but you can leave them out.

Crunch and tang: 2 diced dill pickle spears (about 1/3 cup) or 1/4 cup of sweet pickle relish, 2 stalks of celery (about 3/4 cup), 1 large shallot (about 1/4 cup) and 2 scallions (optional).

Herbs: 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, dill or a mix.

Dressing: 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons of apple cider or rice vinegar, divided, plus black pepper.

Ingredients

2 pounds red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced (optional)
2 dill pickle spears, diced (about 1/3 cup), or 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 medium stalks celery, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 large shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, dill, or a combination, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar, divided
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to Make Potato Salad

1. Boil the potatoes. Place the potatoes and 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Make the dressing. Place the eggs, pickles, celery, shallot, scallions (if using), parsley or dill, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Drain and cool the potatoes. Drain the potatoes well in a colander, then transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar evenly over the potatoes. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

4. Combine. Add the potatoes to the bowl of dressing and fold to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.

5. Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day before serving.

The Secret to a Good Potato Salad

Close-up of potato salad showing firm potato chunks, egg and celery in a creamy dressing — Classic Potato Salad 2

There’s no single magic ingredient. A good potato salad comes from a few small steps done in the right order:

Pick a potato that holds its shape. Waxy red potatoes and all-purpose Yukon Golds stay in neat chunks when they’re cooked and tossed.
Start them in cold, salted water. Heating the water and potatoes together cooks the chunks evenly from the outside in, so the centers are tender when the outsides are done.
Stop at fork-tender. A fork should slide in easily, but the chunk shouldn’t crumble. Overcooked potatoes turn a salad into mash.
Drain them well. Leftover water thins the dressing.
Season them warm. A tablespoon of vinegar sprinkled over the hot potatoes soaks right in and gives them tang from the inside.
Cool before dressing. Let them reach room temperature on the baking sheet, about 15 minutes, before they meet the mayonnaise.
Fold gently. Use a spatula or your hands, not hard stirring, so the potatoes don’t break.
Chill, then taste again. Cold dulls salt, so check the seasoning after the salad has chilled.

The Best Potatoes for Potato Salad

Potato	Texture in salad	Notes
Red potatoes	Waxy; hold their shape well	Thin skin can stay on
Yukon Gold	All-purpose; creamy but still hold together	Buttery flavor
Small new potatoes	Firm	Often left whole or halved with the skin on
Russet	Starchy; softer and fluffier	Cook only until tender but still firm, and fold very gently

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Fix
Mushy, overcooked potatoes	Simmer gently and check with a fork at 8 minutes
A salad that tastes only of mayo	Season the warm potatoes with vinegar and add pickles and mustard for tang
Watery dressing	Drain the potatoes well and let them cool before folding them in
Crushed potatoes	Fold gently instead of stirring hard
Leaving it out too long	Keep it cold; refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s over 90°F)

Variations

Sweet pickle style: use sweet pickle relish in place of the dill pickles.
Mustard: swap the Dijon for whole grain or spicy brown mustard, or use yellow mustard.
Vinegar: distilled white vinegar or white wine vinegar also work.
Onion: use sweet onion in place of the shallot.
No eggs: leave them out; the salad is still creamy.
Extra seasoning: a sprinkle of celery seed and paprika, or a pinch of cayenne and some fresh tarragon.

Make Ahead, Storage & Food Safety

Make ahead: Make it up to 1 day before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator.

Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container at 40°F or below and eat them within 3 to 4 days, per USDA FSIS.

At a picnic or buffet: Don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it’s over 90°F. Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice, or serve small amounts and swap in fresh cold portions from the refrigerator.

Freezer: Don’t freeze it. Mayonnaise separates and looks curdled after thawing.

What to Serve With It

Potato salad belongs next to anything off the grill or out of the smoker: slow cooker root beer BBQ ribs, oven-braised beer brats or baked barbecue chicken thighs. For a bigger cold spread, add pasta salad, marinated cauliflower salad or deviled egg pasta salad, which uses a similar dressing with pasta.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the ingredients of potato salad?

Potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar make the base. This one adds hard-boiled eggs, dill pickles, celery, shallot, scallions and fresh parsley or dill, with salt and pepper.

What’s the secret to a good potato salad?

Start the potatoes in cold salted water, cook them only until fork-tender, sprinkle vinegar on them while they’re warm, cool them before adding the dressing, and fold gently.

What is the one ingredient that makes potato salad taste better?

Vinegar on the warm potatoes. It soaks in as they cool and gives the salad tang from the inside, not just from the dressing.

How long does potato salad last in the fridge?

3 to 4 days in an airtight container at 40°F or below. Refrigerate it within 2 hours of serving.

Can you freeze potato salad?

No. The mayonnaise separates when it thaws and the texture turns watery.

Final Notes

Cook the potatoes gently, season them warm, and give the salad time to chill. Make it the day before a cookout and it’s one less thing to do. If you make it, tell me in the comments which pickles you used.