This is my grandma’s classic potato salad! It’s a potluck favorite that’s made with eggs, celery seed, green onion, and a dreamy, creamy dressing that’s perfectly sweet and tangy. This is truly the BEST potato salad recipe, and with more than 2,000 glowing reviews to date, you could even say it’s the Internet’s favorite!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Don’t usually comment, but after a year of making this recipe over and over, I have to give credit where it’s due. Look no further, this [is] the only potato salad you’ll ever need.” -Tee Tee, FoodieCrush reader
This is THE BEST Potato Salad Recipe, Period.
It may be pretty bold to claim, but saying this is the BEST potato salad recipe is a statement I 100% stand behind.
But I’m not the only one. With more than 2,000 glowing reviews (and counting!), this homemade potato salad is popular all year round — not just in summer but at Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas, too. It’s the traditional side dish I grew up on and the recipe my Grandma Mary Jane passed down to my mom, aunts, cousins, sister, and me.
Now it’s your turn to give it a try. I’m spilling my family’s secrets on how to make the best potato salad ever …
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Miracle Whip is the secret ingredient that makes the dressing so good. Ditch the mayonnaise and make the potato salad dressing with Miracle Whip. It gives the dressing a hint of sweetness and lots of tang, which prevents the potato salad from tasting heavy or having a gloppy, gluey texture.
Not all potatoes are created equal. I use Yukon gold potatoes because they’re creamier, sweeter, and hold their shape better than other varieties. And because they have thinner skin, they’re easy to peel after cooking.
Always sprinkle the just-cooked, warm potatoes with white vinegar to add flavor and tang. This tip comes straight from my grandma!
Key Ingredients in Potato Salad
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
For the potato salad:
- Yukon gold potatoes — Easy to peel, with a buttery smooth texture that doesn’t fall apart after boiling. Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size for the most consistent cooking.
- White vinegar — Use cider vinegar or pickle juice if you prefer.
- Hard-boiled eggs — Eggs add to the creamy factor while adding a slightly different texture. My grandma’s original recipe calls for just three eggs, but since I’m a super fan of eggs in potato salad, I’ve added two more. (It probably stems from my adoration of egg salad, so feel free to adapt to your taste.)
- Celery — A few ribs of chopped celery adds a bit of crunch to every bite.
- Green onion — Chopped green onion adds a little heat to this salad but isn’t as bold as yellow onion. Red onion would be a fine substitute.
For the dressing:
- Miracle Whip — This is the secret sauce to the creamy potato salad dressing. Similar in consistency to mayonnaise, Miracle Whip tastes sweeter and is less eggy.
- Yellow mustard — Mustard adds spice and tang to the dressing. Like on my hot dogs, plain old yellow mustard is the best and I don’t even dream about getting fancy schmancy with German browns, hearty-seeded, or Frenchy dijon mustards.
- Celery seed — This dried spice extends the celery flavor by adding an earthy flavor.
- Paprika — Paprika doesn’t add flavor here, but I use a sprinkle as the final touch to make the salad extra pretty when served.
How to Make THE BEST Potato Salad
- Boil the potatoes. My mom says to boil the potatoes whole with the skin on, so I do too. Add the potatoes to a pot of COLD water so their temperature rises at the same rate as the water and they cook evenly. Yukon Gold potatoes need to boil for 30 to 35 minutes; you’re looking for the skin to start cracking and for them to be fork-tender.
Heidi’s Tip: Don’t peel and cut the potatoes before boiling them! Doing so allows the potatoes to absorb more water and makes for a watery potato salad.
- Peel and dice the potatoes. Once the potatoes are cool to the touch, score the tops with an “X.” The skins should then peel right off using just your fingers.
- Sprinkle the warm potatoes with vinegar. This is one of the biggest flavoring secrets for this recipe. While still warm, the potatoes absorb the vinegar’s zing as they cool, adding another flavor of mellow tang from within.
- Make the potato salad dressing. Whisk together the Miracle Whip, mustard, celery seed, kosher salt, and black pepper in a separate bowl to make sure it’s evenly combined.
- Assemble the salad. Fold together the eggs, celery, green onion, potatoes, and dressing. (Be gentle, you don’t want the egg to disintegrate.)
Heidi’s Tip: Giving the flavors time to meld is important. If I’m planning on eating the salad the day I make it, I’ll prepare it at lunch so the flavors can build, or I’ll make it a day ahead of time.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Homemade potato salad will last up to 4 days in the fridge, but I suggest eating it within a day of making it while the celery and green onion still have some crunch.
In fact, this is one potluck salad that tastes better after it’s had time to chill in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours, so feel free to make a batch of potato salad in advance. (This is a handy tip to remember for holidays!)
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
THE BEST Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Potato Salad:
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , skin on (choose medium-sized potatoes)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional for adding flavor to potatoes)
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 celery stalks (ribs) , diced
- 6 green onions , diced
- 5 hard-boiled eggs , peeled
Dressing:
- 1 ½ cups Miracle Whip , or mayonnaise if you prefer
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons celery seed
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- paprika , for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Add the potatoes to a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a lightly rolling boil over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (optional). Cook for 30-35 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork or paring knife. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Peel the skins from the potatoes and cut into ½" to ¾" square pieces. Transfer the warm potatoes to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the white vinegar. Toss the potatoes with the vinegar and set the potatoes aside to cool, about 15-20 minutes.
- Add the mix-ins. Add the celery and the green onions to the potato mixture. Chop 4 of the hard boiled eggs and add to the potato mixture.
- Make the creamy dressing. In a medium bowl, mix the Miracle Whip, yellow mustard, celery seed, and ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper. Fold into the potato mixture and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Slice the last egg into thin slices and place them on top of the salad. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.
- Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
You’ll want to boil your Yukon Golds whole and with the skin on. Add them a pot of room temperature water, then bring to a boil (never add potatoes to already boiling water or else the outsides will turn mushy while the insides will be undercooked).
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes for about 30 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when you can pierce them easily with a fork.
I’ve tried this recipe with diced pickles because everything tastes better with pickles … except for this version of potato salad. So I’m saving the pickles for my tuna salad sandwiches.
Simply put, Miracle Whip is sweeter, tangier, less eggy, and overall less rich than mayonnaise.
You can use mayonnaise, but give the ol’ Whip a try.
Several readers have left comments saying they ignored my grandma’s suggestion and used mayo instead, and that it was a big mistake and Miracle Whip is the way to go!
Did you use a different type of potato? Yukon golds cooked with the skin on absorb the dressing and hold it well, while other varieties of potatoes don’t properly soak up enough dressing.
Did you add the dressing before the potatoes cooled down? You also must wait for the potatoes to cool before tossing with the dressing. Potatoes sweat water as they cool, and that can contribute to watery potato salad.
Did you use low-fat or fat-free Miracle Whip? Ingredients used to make lower-fat versions of salad dressings can contribute to a less stable product that releases more water into the dish.
What to Serve With Potato Salad
- Grilled Proteins — Grilled Salmon, BBQ Chicken, Garlic Burgers, Greek Chicken, Grilled Pork Chops
- Potluck Sides — Homemade Mac and Cheese, Classic Macaroni Salad, Creamy Coleslaw, BBQ Baked Beans, Three Bean Salad
- Holiday Favorites — Glazed Ham, Roast Turkey Breast, Ambrosia Salad, Waldorf Salad, Broccoli Casserole
Potato Salad Variations to Try
- No Mayo Potato Salad
- Greek Potato Salad
- Creamy Red Potato Salad
- Roasted Potato Salad
- German Potato Salad
- Nicoise Potato Salad
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Ranch Potato Salad
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Erin Pelosi
I found this recipe for my son graduation party last year..it was a hit!! Now it’s my go to recipe. I just made it this morning for a church picnic today and there’s one bowl left! It’s good! Thank you for the recipe, Erin
Glad everyone enjoyed Erin!
Eve
I will try this. I never met a potato dish I didn’t like. LOL
My Southern Mama always saved pickle juice and used combo of a little mustard added with Mayo, chopped dill pickles or relish. Regular diced Onion, lots of eggs and that’s it. Sat and pepper. Simple but good.
I use Dukes a lot because it’s SF and always has been and it has that slight lemony taste.
Dana
This recipe turned out SO good, in fact it was so well liked I will be making it for my wedding in August! I have it saved as the BEST potato salad recipe. The only sub I did was used the lower cal Mayo and red onion. I made the full fat Mayo version for the rest of the fam and when tasted side by side, you LITERALLY couldn’t tell the difference – NO ONE could! So for those of you looking for a lower calorie option I highly recommend the lower calorie Mayo!!! SO GOOD!!!!
Sounds great Dana! So happy you enjoyed! :)
Susanna
Okay Girl,
I just finished making this and it is HANDS DOWN the BEST POTATO SALAD EVER!!!! I used a few more green onions and maybe an extra celery stalk and six eggs, but all the dressing ingredients as written (used only mayo) and WOW!!!!
So yummy!!! I’m so glad I found you. Grandma knows BEST!!
Thank you, Susanna! So glad you enjoyed it!
Bonnie
Stellar recipe! I especially like the vinegar which adds a perfect note of tang to the potatoes. I made one change, used 1/2 mayo and 1/2 whole fat Greek yogurt for a delicious flavor and texture! Happy Summer!
Tami Black
Outstanding! The best! I’m a brand new follower because of this recipe!
Nancy Stills
Used Hellman’s Real Mayo… the first two ingredients in Miracle Whip are unhealthy and are probably the reason the potato salad has a a slightly sweeter different taste: Water, Soybean Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup. Nope!!!
I add some tang with Hungarian Sweet Paprika and a couple of baby dills. I didn’t have any yellow mustard but did have Coleman’s Mustard powder which gave it added zing.
Otherwise… it is a great recipe as followed with some awesome tips.
Beverly Carrigan
Just made the potato salad and had to taste it. Really good even just made. I think I could have used less Mayo. I followed the recipe exactly except only used 4 eggs.
Lesley Banchak
Hi Heidi, I noticed something when I adjusted the quantity of the potato salad. I needed to do that for a crowd. The quantities of the ingredients changed, sort of, (the weight of 15 med potatoes is more than 2 1/2 to 3 lbs) and how much is 1.88 tsp of salt equal to? Also, the adjustments never were reflected in the directions. Computer glitch?
I think you’re best to round up to 2 teaspoons of salt.
Diane
This is very much like my mothers recipe except we add radishes (which I love).
Vern patterson
Reminds me of my mom recipe, thanks for sharing
Sheri Smith
This really is the Best Potato salad, however I loved Mayo too much to replace it with Mircle Whip , I made it with Dukes Mayo !
Emily
This potato salad is delicious. It’s exactly what I would expect from a southern picnic style potato salad.
My suggestion if you decide to use mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip is to add a little bit of sugar. Like 1/2-1 tsp.
The only things I did a little differently was I baked my Yukon golds instead of boiling (put on a sheet pan tightly covered with foil and baked at 375 until tender) and used Japanese Mayo with a bit of sugar and I added 2/3 the vinegar to the hot potatoes and chilled overnight then the rest of the vinegar with the mayonnaise . Do not skip the celery seed!
shelley
Hi I’m a bit confused about the salt. You first said not to add whilst cooking, but the instructions say to add salt after they come to a boil. Thanks
Seanna
I make this potato salad for every special event!! It is so amazing just as the recipe is written, but you can turn the basic into whatever you like!!my entire family loves it so much. Thank you!!!
Stella
Best recipe ever!!! Was out of celery seed so I substituted dill weed.
sandy
And if you don’t make a recipe according to the exact written recipe you aren’t even commenting on the real recipe. Don’t comment on your changes. Not interested in any comments except on the original recipe please!
Dianna
There are many of us who do appreciate the comments about substitutions, Sandy, so please speak only for yourself. While I think you probably shouldn’t rate the recipe if you’ve made extensive changes, the comments of those who made it using substitutions (better or worse) can be helpful if we want to make the recipe and don’t have every single ingredient called for.
sharon
i like to see how people change it up in case i dont have whats needed alot of people do this … its fine
Mrs.P
Actually, that’s why a lot of people come to the comments? To see if other people liked it and what tweaks they would make if any.
T
Took a lot of time to make this and followed receipt exactly, only to end up with everything tasting like vinegar, it was awful! I put 3 tablespoons and still trying to figure out if I add too much, and/or was I supposed to dump it out? I’m so confused and frustrated.
M
Thank you for posting this recipe! My family LOVED it and I’ll never make it differently again. The flavor and zip of this salad is perfect heaven!
I’m glad you all enjoyed it!
Daynat
Excellent recipe. I added chopped homemade sweet pickles. Store bought pickles don’t do it justice. If you must buy sweet pickles, believe it or not, Walmart brand sweet pickles work best. I agree that boiling the whole potato and then peeling it is best. I also used Miracle Whip. For potato salad, it tastes great. . Other than adding sweet pickles, I followed the recipe exactly and it came out great.
I’m glad you enjoyed!
Sue
Sooo good! Followed your recipe all the way and will fix it again! So much better than (sorry mom) what I have fixed for years.
I’m glad you enjoy!
Honey
I noticed a lot of comments here are about Miracle Whip vs Mayo. I grew up in a house where mom hated MW and dad insisted on having it, so there were always two bowls for potato salad! I love the tanginess of MW, but loved mom’s Helman’s recipe as well. It’s a preference. Same with celery seed vs celery chopped. Dill or sweet pickle. Cut potatoes before, or after cooking them. And finally, whether to mash the yolks with the mayo/whip. All these subtle differences make potato salads unique. But of all the variations, the one I will never change is whether the potatoes are Organic, or not. I will never use anything but organic ever again. Glyphosate enters the American (very sick) diets with the basic potato. We love them, but they have been ruined with big Ag. Preserve your family’s health and stop thinking those cheap bags of spuds in the grocery store are a bargain. They are NOT. Potatoes are the easiest thing in the world to grow. In fact, you almost can’t get rid of them. The come back every year on their own. Reds, russets, and yukons. They are beautiful, bountiful, and this year more than ever, you should consider having your own garden. More people have died of starvation than violence. Remember that when you read about all the food processing plants “mysteriously” catching fire.
Suzanne
This is the first time I’ve made homemade potato salad. It was for my mom’s 83rd birthday potluck. I doubled the recipe and hoped putting 6tbsp of white vinegar would be fine instead of 3tbsp. I lost my sense of taste and smell due to Covid, so I was worried the 6tbsp was too much. Luckily, It was a hit at the potluck!! My question is, was it ok to use the 6tbsp of white vinegar since I doubled the recipe? Instead of 6 potatoes, I did 12. Any advice is appreciated!
Eileen
Rule of thumb is to Double ALL INGREDIENTS when doubling a recipe, that includes the vinegar.
Patti
This looks great! I would just leave the skins on, myself! I used to have a fantastic potato salad recipe that called for dropping the eggs in with the boiling potatoes at the end to hard boil them. Made so much sense rather than boiling 2 pots of water but I lost the recipe. Anyone ever hear of it? It was either called Southern Potato Salad or Old Fashioned? I think it also called for diced dill pickle and bacon on top?
Wayne M Schronski
What do you think about using apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
Sure Wayne, apple cider works too, just has a little more tang to it.
Wayne M Schronski
Well, I bought a small bottle of white vinegar anyway, because all I had on hand was apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar. I didn’t cost much and I figure it’s probably smart to keep it on hand.
But thanks for answering. I think I’ll stick with the white vinegar. I’m going for something classic, that won’t disappoint my wife, who’s been finicky lately!
Johna
This recipe is so good it has ruined all other potato salads out there. The other thing we do different is use miracle whip and mayonnaise plus we add pickles. This is definitely our favorite potato salad, ever!
So glad it’s a fave for you too Johna. And, pickles never hurt anything! :)
cheryl smude
Delicious just added items without measuring till I found my taste. Be sure that eggs and potatoes are cool before blending.