My grandma’s classic potato salad is a potluck favorite that’s made with eggs, celery, green onion and a dreamy, creamy dressing that’s perfectly sweet and tangy. This is truly the BEST potato salad recipe, and you don’t need any special ingredients or equipment to make it.
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, 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 …
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- 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.
- 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 This Recipe
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- 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.
- 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.
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper — The essential flavor boosters for any dish.
- 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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This old-fashioned 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!)
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
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo, and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
My Grandma’s Classic 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
- 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 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 celery and the green onions to the potato mixture. Chop 4 of the hard boiled eggs and add to the potato mixture.
- 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
Potato Salad Recipe Variations to Try
- No Mayo Potato Salad
- Greek Potato Salad
- Creamy Red Potato Salad
- Roasted Potato Salad
- German Potato Salad
- Nicoise Potato Salad
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Patty
This is the exact same recipe that my mom used except for the vinegar. Love this
I hope you enjoyed it as much as hers!
Grant
I added a tbs of curry powder instead of paprika
But I did serve it warm
Sounds delicious Grant!
Shelley
It’s rare to found Yukon gold potatoes in any of the local grocery stores. Would you recommend yellow or red skinned potatoes in their place?
Look for a potato with the thinnest skin you can.
Daisy
Hi! Which brand mayo do you use?
I like Duke’s!
Terry
I’ve always added a small amount of white vinegar to the mayonnaise and at least 8 eggs. Famous family recipe!! I want to test your method of sprinkling it on the warm potatoes. Otherwise our recipes are similar.
Sounds delicious Terry!
Ayjai
I have never seen a potatoe salad recipe that doesn’t use Dijon mustard, and this says only yellow. m
My question is is it OK to.just swap them out equally, or go half and half, or go dijon but cut the vinegar? Dijon just had that bite to it that yellow mustard doesn’t, so not sure what ratios to use.
Sure, you can swap the yellow mustard for Dijon. Equal amount would be fine.
Pam
I haven’t made potato salad years as I never really had a recipe I liked. This is soo good! I did not have miracle whip so I used mayo. This will be my go to recipe. Thanks!
So glad you liked it Pam, and glad you liked with basic mayo!
Mark
I suppose each person has their liking. I found the vinegar overwhelmed all the other flavors. Some may like the “zing” of pickle relish, or maybe vinegar, but why not taste the egg the celery, the potatoes, and all the other ingredients and spices. I liked that your recipe did not include pickle relish, but the end result was a vinegar flavor and aftertaste versus pickle relish. I believe I will skip the vinegar and this will probably be a great recipe.
Sounds good Mark.
RK
I have made it several times and always a hit. Now I wonder if I can actually make it 1-2 days prior to serving as I have a busy few days before. Any thoughts??
Hi RK, one day ahead would be prime. If making it more than one day, be sure to use the original flavor Miracle Whip (not Light or Fat-Free) or your sauce might separate or get watery.
Pam
I have made this several times. It reminds me of my mother-in-laws potato salad. Made it again last weekend and used Dukes Mayo instead of miracle whip, WILL NOT do that again. Maybe Dukes is too heavy. Added sweet salad cubes to sweeten salad . Did not help.
Gave it a 5 because of the miracle whip, original recipe.
Agreed Pam, although I love Dukes, the sweetness of Miracle Whip really does make this potato salad what it is :) Thanks for the 5 stars!!!
Alanna LaForce
This was a huge hit at my poolside barbecue last week. My dad even told me I can’t come to their house unless I bring this potato salad every time! Thank you so much for a great recipe. The only thing I had to sub about, I did not have celery seed (used some celery salt instead), and I used regular mayo instead of miracle whip. Came out great.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Alanna!!! And great tips on subbing ingredients. Thank you for making it and for the 5 star review!
Kristina
How much celery salt did you substitute with?
Sheila Rae Bainer
took me forever to find this recipe online but when I found it, I was thrilled. The only thing I add is chopped up radishes.
Hayley
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Sheila! And we think radishes are an awesome addition. Yum!
Suzanne stevenson
this is by far the best potatoe salad I’ve ever eaten. simple and delicious. even the grand kids eat it.
Hayley
Thank you, Suzanne! We’re so happy it was a hit with you and your family!
Margret C
This is my go to potato salad recipe. I add chunks of Granny Smith apple especially in the summer
Hayley
Thank you for sharing, Margret–we’re glad you love it!
Kate
Loved this when I made it exactly as specified in the recipe! Second time, I added some chopped red pepper to the salad itself and added a dash of worchestershire (shades of devilled eggs!), and a little dry,hot mustard to the dressing. Amazing both ways!
Kate! I’m so glad you liked it as much as my family! Good tips on the additions too :)
Leslie
just like Mama used to make when I was a little girl in the mid-50s. I haven’t enjoyed a potato salad this much for a long time! this recipe gets an aplus!!
thank you so much!
Hayley
We’re so happy to hear this, Leslie–thanks for sharing! :)
Suzanne Carnes
This is basically my Mom’s Potato Salad, which she made by the truckload, and always had on hand when I’d come home from wherever the Army sent us! Thank you for sharing this version!
Hayley
That’s awesome, Suzanne! Moms know what’s up! :)
Sarah Harcus
I have made this recipe so many times and people love it! I just add some chopped bread and butter pickles : )
Hayley
Thanks for sharing Sarah, we’re so glad you enjoy it!
Angela Borden
My picky 8 year old son LOVES this! Onions and all! Saving this recipe for life!
Hayley
That’s awesome, Angela! Thanks for giving it a try and letting us know you all enjoyed it.
Holly
I’m confused why recipe says to add kosher salt but blog recommends not to so as not to make watery potatoes.
Hi Holly, as I mention in the post, I like to add salt to the boiling potato water to impart flavor. I don’t have a problem with the potato salad getting watery so I add salt. BUT! A reader commented she was given the tip to omit the salt and the potato salad won’t turn watery so I’m just passing along that info. :)
Marcia
Can I use celery salt instead of celery seed and just cut out the kosher salt or would that be too salty?
Hayley
Hi Marcia! Yes, completely (and just season with salt to taste). :) We hope you enjoy!
Kristina Corsino - Davis
Delicious potato salad! I did have to make some changes as follows: used Dijon mustard (no yellow on hand), used mayo, added diced pickles (dill and bread & butter), skipped the green onion but used minced onion instead as part of seasonings.
Hayley
Thank you, Kristina! We’re glad you were able to enjoy this with the items you had on hand! :)
TT
A solid, delicious recipe.
*Pro Tip Make ahead, it gets better the more hours it sits in the fridge
Thx for sharing
Hayley
Thank you, we’re so glad you loved it (and yes, we love making it ahead of time and letting all those flavors meld)! :)
Vicki Mcglone
I just got finished making this potato salad, can not wait to eat it
Hayley
We hope you loved it, Vicki! Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
Anna
This is my families favorite potato salad, they ask for this one always!
Hayley
Thanks for sharing Anna, we’re so happy to hear that!