Best Potato Salad (Creamy, Easy & Make-Ahead Friendly)

This classic potato salad is creamy, tangy, and loaded with flavor – the ultimate side dish for BBQs, picnics, or family dinners. Made with tender Yukon Gold potatoes, crunchy celery, zesty pickles, and a rich Dijon-mayo dressing, it’s everything you love about old-fashioned potato salad with a fresh twist. Ready in just 30 minutes, naturally gluten-free, and easy to make ahead for any occasion!

Best Reasons to Make This Potato Salad

If you’re looking for a go-to potato salad that’s creamy, flavorful, and always a hit at gatherings, this one checks all the boxes. It’s perfect for your Memorial Day cookout, Easter, 4th of July BBQ party, or even Thanksgiving dinner – simple to make, easy to prep ahead, and loved by everyone.

Quick & easy to whip up: Simple ingredients and straightforward steps mean this classic side comes together in about 30 minutes.
Perfectly creamy and tangy: The dressing strikes the ideal balance — rich but light, with just the right amount of zest.
Make-ahead friendly: It tastes even better after chilling, making it perfect for prepping the day before picnics, potlucks, or family dinners.

RELATED: For more classic salads, be sure to check out my Caesar Salad and Caprese Salad recipes.

Potato Salad Ingredients

To make this salad recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

Potatoes: I prefer to use Yukon Gold potatoes for this salad but you can use any other waxy potatoes.
Pickles: Sweet pickles add a great tangy flavor and crunchy texture. You can also use sweet pickle relish.
Celery: Adds a nice texture and light crunch to this creamy salad.
Eggs: I love the texture of hard boiled eggs in a Southern potato salad. Use free run/organic if you can. Check out this handy hard boiled eggs time chart.
Red Onion: Red onion is mild enough to be eaten raw. Chop it finely so that it’s not too overpowering.
Mayonnaise: I prefer to use a full-fat mayo for the best flavor and creamy texture, but you can use low fat if you prefer.
Mustard: Dijon mustard adds great sharpness. You can use whole grain mustard for a milder taste or mix yellow mustard and Dijon mustard like I did here.
Apple Cider Vinegar: You can also use white wine vinegar if that’s what you have.
Salt & black pepper
Fresh herbs: You can add chopped fresh chives, parsley, or fresh dill as a garnish.

Best Potatoes for Potato Salad

After trying different kinds of potatoes over the years, I always come back to Yukon Golds – they’re creamy, hold their shape, and soak up the dressing perfectly. Fingerlings or red potatoes work great too, especially if you like leaving the skins on for color and texture. Russets or Idaho potatoes tend to fall apart more easily, so I stick with waxy potatoes for the best results every time.

How to Make Potato Salad

Boil, peel and cube potatoes. Fill a large pot with water and place it on the stove. Carefully, add the potatoes to the water and boil potatoes until tender but not too much, just until fork tender. Remove potatoes to a colander, cool with water, peel the skin, and cube the potatoes. Add to a large bowl.
Make the dressing. In another bowl, mix the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, pickles, salt, and pepper.
Dress the potatoes. Add the potato salad dressing to the cut potatoes and stir gently to coat.
Final ingredients & toss to coat. Finally, add the hard-boiled eggs, celery, and chopped red onion to the bowl with potatoes. Toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle some chives on top.

easy potato salad with mayo and mustard in a bowl for 4th of July celebration

TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN

Recipe Notes and Tips for the Best Potato Salad Recipe

Skip peeling the potatoes before boiling them. It’s much quicker and easier to do it after you’ve cooked them.
Cook the potatoes in salted water to start adding flavor right from the beginning.
Don’t cut the potatoes in too small cubes because they can break even more when you toss the salad and it will turn to mashed potatoes.
Let the potatoes cool before dressing them. The heat can cause the mayonnaise to melt and become oily.
Make it vegan by using plant-based mayonnaise and omitting the eggs.
You can make this recipe ahead of time, cover and store it in the refrigerator. You can also make ahead just the boiled potatoes, chop the pickles, red onion, and eggs, or prep the mayo Dijon dressing ahead to save some time.
To lighten things up, feel free to also sub in some plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for part of the mayo.
For the best flavor, chill the salad for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Make Ahead & Storage

You can make this simple potato salad recipe ahead of time, cover it and store it in the refrigerator, and it will keep well for 3 to 4 days.

You can also make ahead just the boiled potatoes, chop the pickles, red onion and eggs, or just prep the mayo Dijon dressing ahead to save some time.

Because this salad contains mayo, it shouldn’t be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

quick and easy potato salad in a white bowl and a fork

Serving Ideas

This healthy potato salad is great to serve with so many mains and it’s a perfect side dish for summer BBQs. It’s great with grilled steaks, seafood and chicken dishes. Try it with:

More Summer Potluck Salad Recipes

If you like this American potato salad recipe, be sure to check out my other salad recipes:

If you enjoyed this Potato Salad recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.

The Best Potato Salad Recipe

Classic potato salad that’s creamy, tangy, and full of flavor! Made with Yukon Gold potatoes, crunchy celery, and a Dijon-mayo dressing—perfect for BBQs, picnics, or potlucks. Ready in 30 minutes. Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
½ large red onion, chopped or thinly sliced
Chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)

Potato Salad Dressing

½ jar pickles, chopped
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt & black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika, optional

Instructions

Fill a large pot with water and place it on the stove. Carefully, add the potatoes to the water and boil potatoes until tender but not too much, just until fork tender. Remove potatoes to a colander, cool with water, peel the skin, and cube the potatoes. Add to a large bowl.
In another bowl, mix the pickles, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Add the potato salad dressing to the cut potatoes and toss gently to coat.
Finally, add the hard-boiled eggs, celery, and chopped red onion to the bowl with potatoes. Toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle some chives on top.

Video

Notes

Skip peeling the potatoes before boiling them. It’s much quicker and easier to do it after you’ve cooked them.
Cook the potatoes in salted water to start adding flavor right from the beginning.
Don’t cut the potatoes in too small cubes because they can break even more when you toss the salad and it will turn to mashed potatoes.
Let the potatoes cool before dressing them. The heat can cause the mayonnaise to melt and become oily.
Make it vegan by using plant-based mayonnaise and omitting the eggs.
You can make this recipe ahead of time, cover and store it in the refrigerator. You can also make ahead just the boiled potatoes, chop the pickles, red onion, and eggs, or prep the mayo Dijon dressing ahead to save some time.
To lighten things up, feel free to also sub in some plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for part of the mayo.
For the best flavor, chill the salad for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 199 kcal
Carbohydrates: 28 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 78 mg
Sodium: 440 mg
Potassium: 670 mg
Fiber: 4 g
Sugar: 3 g
Vitamin A: 322 IU
Vitamin C: 28 mg
Calcium: 45 mg
Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.