If I had my way, every barbecue food spread would feature a big bowl of potato salad. It’s just one of those summertime staples that I can’t live without! My mom always made potato salad as a side dish at barbecues when I was growing up, and I continued the tradition once I had my own kids. I still use my mom’s classic recipe, which never fails to receive rave reviews!
Today I’ll be sharing that tasty potato salad recipe with you, along with a couple of my own tips for making it as quick and easy as possible! I highly recommend using my fast and easy homemade mayo at least once. But, be warned, store-bought will never be the same.
My Secrets For Quicker & Easier Potato Salad
I actually used to make potato salad a bit begrudgingly, because all that boiling, peeling, and chopping took time and effort! But that was before I discovered the joys of the Instant Pot! The Instant Pot totally revolutionized the way I make potato salad, and made my life a whole lot easier!
Whenever I make potato salad these days, I cook both the potatoes and the eggs in my Instant Pot (separately, but I’m sure you “power users” out there could figure out a way to do both at once!) I just cook them using the directions listed on my Instant Pot Cheat Sheet, which you can download for free at the link below!
Related: The Most Useful Instant Pot Cheat Sheet On The Web
And I’ve recently discovered an even faster way to make “hard-boiled” eggs in the Instant Pot. It eliminates the need to peel them after cooking, so it’s a real time-saver! You can read all about my super-fast Instant Pot egg hack at the post below.
Related: The Most Brilliant Hack For Hard-Boiled Eggs Of All Time
Alright, now that you have all of my time-saving potato salad tips, let’s get to that recipe! :-)
The World’s Best Classic Potato Salad
Ingredients:
8-10 white rose or red potatoes
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons green onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
Directions:
Boil the potatoes until they fork-tender. (You don’t want cook them too much or they won’t hold up when it’s time to stir.)
Drain the potatoes and let them sit until they are cool enough to handle. Then peel the potatoes with a small knife and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Related: This Is The Easiest Way To Peel Potatoes!
More Ideas You'll Love
Cook the eggs, either by boiling them or using my easy Instant Pot method. Let the eggs cool, then chop them up.
Thinly slice the green onions.
Add the diced potatoes, chopped eggs, sliced green onions, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge to chill until you’re ready to serve it.
When you’re ready to eat, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and yellow mustard to a small bowl and stir well. Pour the mayo mixture into the large bowl and fold gently to combine. (I like to add about 1/3 of the mayo mixture at a time to make sure I add just the right amount!).
Serve and enjoy! Leftover potato salad will stay good in the fridge for a few days afterwards (that is, if you have any leftovers!)
What is your favorite summertime side dish?
Classic Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 10 white rose potatoes or red potatoes
- 6 eggs hard boiled
- 2 tablespoons green onions
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes until they are just soft – you don't want them to be too mushy.
- Let them cool, then peel them and cut them into bite sized pieces.
- Hard boil the eggs – I like to use this method.
- After they cool cut them into bite sized pieces.
- Chop the green onions.
- Mix the potatoes, eggs, onions, salt and pepper in a bowl. Chill in the fridge until just before you're ready to serve.
- Right before you serve the salad add the mayonnaise, sour cream and yellow mustard and mix well.
Very nice now I am learning to cook please send me more resepe thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Click on “recipes” in the yellow bar at the top of the page. You can see all of the recipes that I’ve posted there!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love your blog, but the word best is so overused. How can the “best” potato salad have no vinegar or celery? Only 2 of green onion? Add at least one diced onion and a stalk of diced celery. If you don’t like crunch sub celery salt for the salt. My Portuguese grandmother started her own deli and made a great living partly due to her amazing potato salad. She skipped the eggs, used only mayo, diced onion and celery, salt , pepper, maybe some dill, and a healthy splash of white vinegar. The secret was to cook the potatoes with the skins on and she only used Hellman’s mayonnaise. My German/English/Irish grandmother (a great cook actually) made one with eggs similar to this with eggs but also had more onion and dill. That one made the newspaper and everyone who knew her raved about it, but it paled in comparison. Get out your white vinegar and onion! They add life! Thanks for the post though though…i am dying for potato salad now!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I personally detest vinegar in potato salad. I think it makes it taste like “store bought”. I do add dill relish to mine instead. I also don’t care for celery. I do add more green onions to mine as well as bacon. Sometimes I add chopped and seeded cucumber which is a trick I learned from my mother-in-law about 40 years ago. I guess it’s all personal preference, but everyone loves my potato salad.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree, “best” is overused. It is to each their own.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Question….do you peel and cut potatoes before boiling or boil them whole (that step is missing)
Sounds yummy!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Boil the potatoes whole until they are just soft – you don’t want them to be too mushy. Let them cool, then peel them and cut them into bite-sized pieces. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is basically what I have been making since I am 12. I make 5 – 10 pounds at a time. I do boiled potatoes and have the cutest egg cooker in the shape of a chicken who chirps when eggs are done. I peel, de shell, cut onions and dump in huge bowel. I do not like sour cream, so just miracle whip, yellow mustard salt and pepper. For 5 pounds I use 6 big spoons of mayo and a squirt of mustard. I do not measure just eyeball and I did count spoons on the 4th. I make so much because my sister’s boyfriend of 15 years takes some home, my boyfriend would like the whole bowel, my sister and friends all want some to take home. So nice we almost have the same recipe. By the way I am now 62. Been making this a very long time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This potatoes salad is similar to what I make except I add finely chopped celery, lots of celery seed, a little onion salt, chopped olives, and mix mayo and miracle whip together to give it a little more flavor than what the mayo does when you use it by itself.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I forgot to add that you can add a little sugar to sweeten if you like it a little sweeter. I also agree with Paulette that a vadalia onion is very good in it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Add a softened half block cream cheese! Amazing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Must have finely chopped Vidalia onion and celery! And celery seed if you have some in the cupboard.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It ain’t potato salad without relish & celery
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This sounds OK, though. I generally boil the potatoes & eggs together in the same pot.. saves a lot of time. And, I mix everything and leave it in the fridge.
BTW: if you use relish, and I hope you do, drain it before using it! Get all the wet out of it or it will make the salad mushy
*JUST MY 2¢
Sounds a lot like my Moms potato salad. She doesn’t really use a recipe. She just kind of eyeballs it ( to taste). She also sprinkles some spices like paprika, dill weed, and uses some green onion.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.when I lived in the States I tasted s similar recipe and still often make it,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you.
This is so very close to my recipe! My rule of thumb is one egg for one potato. The only spice I add is celery salt to taste, no sour cream. It’s my opinion that when you have a good base you can add those things YOU prefer, e.g., pepper, salt, celery, olives & pickles.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I forgot to mention that I thin the mayo with milk to make it less “pasty.”
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the idea of a base salad served with all the fixings!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Looks like a great potato salad. When I clicked onto the site and saw your little blurb about your mother in law, felt bad that so many reviewers weren’t actually reviewing yours but basically asking us to review theirs. Hmmm… Maybe they need to get their own blog and then they could see how thoughtless people can be. I will try YOUR family recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just the best potato salad, thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I added crumbled bacon after I found to be a little bland for my taste. Wow! We loved it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Don’t any of you put celery in your potato salad? Seriously?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was thinking the same thing?? I ALWAYS put celery, white onions and sometimes black olives.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Absolutely! I can’t imagine a “best” potato salad without it. Plus to our family’s taste, there would need to be a lot more than just 2 tbsp. of onion – no matter the type. Jill’s recipe is good but it’s hard to have one that is everyone’s idea of best.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.NO PICKLES in mine either!!! Yuck!!! My variation is I mix the mayo, salt, pepper, onions , Mrs Dash and mustard together and let it sit to meld while I peel the potatoes and eggs and cut them up. Then I mix it all together.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love to try different potato salad recipes, I haven’t found a fav. yet. This one sounds good though.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite summer sides are Southern Mac N Cheese, and/or Mango Fruit Salad.
My recipe is similar to yours but I use Hellmann’s, no sour cream, and I use celery salt in place of the salt. It adds a really nice flavor.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I believe my grandma from down south does it the same way as you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.FYI Jillee, WARNING- My virus software real time scan just treated 4 high rated viruses after opening this link. I visit this site all the time and that’s never happened. The paths all show this http IP address.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use nothing but Best Foods (Hellmans) mayo in my potato salad — other stuff is too sweet for me — (yuck, especially Miracle Whip!!). I also add chopped celery AND sliced black olives (including the pickles). So yummy!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.All these posts just go to show you there are lots of different ways to make potato salad! I’m anxious to try yours though Kaitlyn. I’ve never tried adding sour cream but why not? It sounds delicious! It’s nice to change things up from what I usually do from time to time and try something new. Thank you for sharing! Sounds like you come from a family of good cooks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t remember what you recommended for getting labels unstuck from bottles – was it washing soda or borax?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Your potato salad sounds a lot like my Moms. We add chopped celery, relish and usually sprinkle a little bit of paprika on the top for garnish.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.One of our favorite summer dishes is a,cucumber
And tomato salad -they marinate in vinegar not sure if it’s balsamic add a few spices and onions.
It’s good.