Best Potato Salad with Mayo

If you ask me, a good potato salad is something every cook should know how to make.

This classic side dish is loaded with creamy Yukon Gold potatoes, crunchy celery, and hard-boiled eggs. The mayo and sour cream create a rich dressing that coats every bite, while fresh herbs and a hint of mustard give it just the right flavor.

It comes together with simple ingredients like dill pickle, red onion, and a touch of apple cider vinegar for tanginess. The celery seed and a pinch of sugar round out the flavors.

It’s a go-to recipe for cookouts and family dinners, the kind of dish that disappears fast at potlucks.

What Kind of Potatoes Should I Use?

For potato salad, you’ll want to stick with waxy potatoes like red, white, or yellow varieties – they hold their shape much better after boiling compared to russets or other starchy potatoes. Small potatoes are ideal because they cook evenly and you can cut them into nice bite-sized pieces without them falling apart. If you can only find larger potatoes, just cut them into similar-sized chunks so everything cooks at the same rate. The key is to avoid overcooking them, since mushy potatoes will turn your salad into more of a mashed potato situation, and nobody wants that.

Options for Substitutions

This potato salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps – here are some options that work well:

• Potatoes: Any waxy potato works great here – yellow, red, or white are all good choices. Just avoid russets since they tend to fall apart and get mushy in potato salad.
• Sour cream: If you’re out of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt makes a great substitute and adds a nice tangy flavor. Use the same amount as called for in the recipe.
• Mayonnaise: You can use all sour cream (3/4 cup total) for a lighter version, or try a mix of mayo and Greek yogurt. Some folks also like using Miracle Whip for a sweeter taste.
• Vinegar: Any of the three vinegars listed work fine – apple cider, wine, or rice wine vinegar. In a pinch, white vinegar or even a squeeze of lemon juice will do the trick.
• Dill pickle: Sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles can replace dill pickles if you prefer a sweeter salad. You can also use a couple tablespoons of pickle relish instead.
• Fresh herbs: Any combination of the herbs listed works – parsley, dill, chives, tarragon, or cilantro. If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of dried herbs, though fresh is better here.
• Hard-boiled eggs: These are totally optional, so feel free to leave them out if you’re not a fan or need to make the salad egg-free.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake people make with potato salad is overcooking the potatoes until they’re mushy and fall apart when you try to mix them – test them with a fork after 15 minutes, and they should be tender but still hold their shape when pierced.

Skipping the vinegar step while the potatoes are still warm is another common error, as warm potatoes absorb the vinegar better and this adds flavor throughout instead of just on the surface.

To avoid a watery salad, make sure your potatoes are completely cooled and dry before adding the creamy dressing, and don’t skip soaking the raw onions in water since this removes their harsh bite and prevents them from overpowering the other flavors.

Finally, resist the urge to serve it right away – chilling for at least 30 minutes allows all the flavors to blend together and makes a huge difference in taste.

What to Serve With Potato Salad?

Potato salad is a total crowd-pleaser at any backyard barbecue or picnic, and it pairs perfectly with just about anything you’d throw on the grill. I love serving it alongside burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, or ribs – basically any main dish that could use a cool, creamy side. It’s also great with fried chicken, pulled pork sandwiches, or even a simple plate of baked beans and coleslaw for a classic cookout spread. If you’re keeping things simple, potato salad works well on its own with some crackers and fresh veggies for a light lunch.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate: Keep your potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Since it has mayo and sour cream, you’ll want to make sure it stays cold. The flavors actually get better after sitting for a few hours, so it’s great to make a day ahead for picnics or barbecues.

Make Ahead: You can prep the potatoes and chop all your veggies the night before to save time. Just keep everything separate in the fridge and mix it all together with the dressing a few hours before serving. This way the potatoes soak up all those good flavors without getting mushy.

Serve: Always serve potato salad cold or at cool room temperature. If you’re taking it to a party or outdoor event, keep it in a cooler with ice packs since mayo-based salads shouldn’t sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1100-1300
• Protein: 16-20 g
• Fat: 41-50 g
• Carbohydrates: 175-200 g

Ingredients

For the potato base:

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 medium red onion (finely diced and soaked)
• 3 celery stalks (finely chopped)
• 3 hard-boiled eggs (increased for creaminess)
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs (parsley and dill works best)

For the dressing:

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (increased for better coating)
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 large dill pickle (finely minced)
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients While Potatoes Cook

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 large dill pickle
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs

Start by placing the peeled and cubed potatoes in a large pot, covering them with cold water, and adding 1 tsp sea salt.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart.

While the potatoes cook, prepare your mise en place: finely dice the red onion and soak it in cold water for 10 minutes to mellow its bite, then drain well.

Finely chop the celery stalks, mince the dill pickle, and chop the fresh herbs (parsley and dill).

Set all prepped ingredients aside in separate bowls.

Step 2: Prepare the Dressing Base

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, celery seed, and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined.

This creates a creamy, flavorful base that will coat all the other ingredients.

Set the dressing aside—it will be added to the warm potatoes to help them absorb the flavors better.

Step 3: Shock and Season the Warm Potatoes

• cooked potatoes from Step 1
• 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• sea salt to taste

Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water for 2-3 minutes to stop the cooking process—this keeps them from becoming mushy.

Drain the potatoes again and return them to a large mixing bowl.

While still slightly warm, pour the apple cider vinegar and a pinch of additional sea salt over the potatoes and gently toss.

The warm potatoes will absorb the vinegar better than cold ones, creating deeper flavor throughout.

I like to add the vinegar at this stage because it seasons the potatoes from the inside out rather than just coating the surface.

Step 4: Hard-Boil and Chop the Eggs

• 3 hard-boiled eggs

While the potatoes were cooling, hard-boil the 3 eggs if not already done—place them in a separate pot of cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let sit covered for 10-12 minutes.

Cool them in ice water, then peel and chop into bite-sized pieces.

The extra eggs add richness and creaminess to the salad, so don’t skip them!

Step 5: Combine All Components

• vinegar-seasoned potatoes from Step 3
• dressing from Step 2
• soaked red onion from Step 1
• chopped celery from Step 1
• minced pickle from Step 1
• chopped eggs from Step 4
• fresh herbs from Step 1
• salt and black pepper to taste

Pour the dressing from Step 2 over the vinegar-seasoned potatoes and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, being careful not to break the potato pieces.

Add the drained soaked onions, chopped celery, minced pickle, chopped eggs from Step 4, and fresh herbs to the bowl.

Gently fold everything together until evenly combined and the dressing coats all ingredients.

Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Step 6: Chill and Serve

Transfer the potato salad to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

This allows the flavors to meld together and makes the salad more refreshing.

You can make this a few hours ahead if needed—the salad actually tastes better the next day as the flavors continue to develop.

Best Potato Salad with Mayo

Delicious Best Potato Salad with Mayo recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 47 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 1200

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the potato base

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 medium red onion (finely diced and soaked)
• 3 celery stalks (finely chopped)
• 3 hard-boiled eggs (increased for creaminess)
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs (parsley and dill works best)

For the dressing

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (increased for better coating)
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 large dill pickle (finely minced)
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

 

1. Start by placing the peeled and cubed potatoes in a large pot, covering them with cold water, and adding 1 tsp sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart. While the potatoes cook, prepare your mise en place: finely dice the red onion and soak it in cold water for 10 minutes to mellow its bite, then drain well. Finely chop the celery stalks, mince the dill pickle, and chop the fresh herbs (parsley and dill). Set all prepped ingredients aside in separate bowls.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, celery seed, and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined. This creates a creamy, flavorful base that will coat all the other ingredients. Set the dressing aside—it will be added to the warm potatoes to help them absorb the flavors better.
3. Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water for 2-3 minutes to stop the cooking process—this keeps them from becoming mushy. Drain the potatoes again and return them to a large mixing bowl. While still slightly warm, pour the apple cider vinegar and a pinch of additional sea salt over the potatoes and gently toss. The warm potatoes will absorb the vinegar better than cold ones, creating deeper flavor throughout. I like to add the vinegar at this stage because it seasons the potatoes from the inside out rather than just coating the surface.
4. While the potatoes were cooling, hard-boil the 3 eggs if not already done—place them in a separate pot of cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let sit covered for 10-12 minutes. Cool them in ice water, then peel and chop into bite-sized pieces. The extra eggs add richness and creaminess to the salad, so don't skip them!
5. Pour the dressing from Step 2 over the vinegar-seasoned potatoes and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, being careful not to break the potato pieces. Add the drained soaked onions, chopped celery, minced pickle, chopped eggs from Step 4, and fresh herbs to the bowl. Gently fold everything together until evenly combined and the dressing coats all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
6. Transfer the potato salad to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together and makes the salad more refreshing. You can make this a few hours ahead if needed—the salad actually tastes better the next day as the flavors continue to develop.