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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Debbie
I’ve always used red wine vinegar in my potato salad, In addition I use roughly equal amounts of Miracle Whip and Hellmans mayo. Diced onion, celery, green pepper, garlic and onion powders, S&P, Guldens mustard and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix up the dressing before adding to the potatoes and vegs, mix well and stir in the chopped eggs last so they don’t get to mashed up. The vinegar adds a depth to the flavor that you have to taste to appreciate- it does NOT make it sour or bitter at all.
rebecca blair
made my potatoe salad yesterday to have today. I use mayo mixed with salt , pepper , celery seed and vinegar and a splash of milk to make it creamy. The milk was a secret ingredient my grandmother would add. My husband says it taste like his mom’s so that’s a plus for me.
Julie
It said to quarter them first.
Diana
Your recipe sounds GREAT!
Jeff Frane
Your recipe is the closest I’ve found to an old cookbook recipe I’ve lost. It turned out beautifully, thank you. I have a Cole slaw recipe I’ve used for years, from Thrill of the Grill, that called for celery seed and I’ve been a fan ever since. I believe skeptics just haven’t tried it. The only real change I made to your recipe was to replace the mustard with Durkee’s Famous Sauce which is a long-time family favorite. I think the potatoes could have used a tiny bit more time because they have just a little crunch. Something for me to work on.
Maureen
Try this. Mayo and Marzetti slaw dressing. (1 cup of mayo to 1/3 cup of marzetti) Mix the two together before adding to the potatoes. My mom would make it this way, delish!!
Karen
One thing that my Mom always added to potato salad is a half a cucumber, peeled & seeded area scooped out, diced small (instead of celery seed). She added a little vinegar at the end when adjusting the taste along with a little canned milk which made it creamy & cuts down a tad on the amount of mayonnaise needed. Sometimes I just use milk, just a tablespoon or two. And she always used Helmann’s mayonnaise. Love your food blog!!
Annie Occo
Indeed, this is the best potato salad I’ve ever made, and better than most I’ve ever tasted. LOVE the celery seed. Thank you so much for sharing!
And, I am not going to be like so many people who just HAVE to add their own “tweaks” to a perfectly good recipe. Is it an ego thing? I’ll never know. One thing, if I copy a recipe and make changes, I keep them to myself.
Just had to add my feelings about everyone who seems to think that their additions or substitutions are so much better. Sigh….
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks for that, Annie! I am so glad you love this one!
carol brown
I have what may be a stupid question (even though they say there is no such thing). Do you use two celery stalks or two celery ribs?
Teresa Heinrich
Two celery stalks but take off the green leaves (bitter) and chop finely.
Kathy
Can some others clarify the amount of celery for this recipe. I assumed 2 celery “ribs”, until I read this comment. Two stalks just seems like the salad would be mostly celery.
I need to make this tomorrow for a company picnic on Wednesday.
Kim McF
I’m certain that everyone means “rib”. Two of the individual pieces you break out of the celery bunch.
Denise
Similar to my potato salad5. Use mayo dill pickle relish and a lite bit of Seafood liquid boil I when boiling potatoes for a little kick.
patrick murphy
My first attempt. I didn’t cook potatoes long enough – a little al dente. Why do you cook whole potato? It was messy peeling and cutting them. Mom always peeled and cut before cooking. Does it matter? Anyway I made it for a family gathering tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see how the salad is received.
Teresa Heinrich
I tried it both ways. Chopping up the potato first is far easier and cooks faster. I cook in a pasta basket and it keeps the potatoes from getting too water slogged.
Marc Belanger
Potato salad with celery is absolutely awful tasting. Why would anybody ever ruin the great taste of potatos and egg with the likes of a clashing flavor?
The absolutely best flavored potato salad I have ever eaten was from a place called Faircrest Poultry, which has been closed now for over 20 years and they made a combination of a potato and deviled egg salad and fried the most incredible chicken I have ever eaten. Folks used to travel from out of state for lunch there, even if it meant losing time from work. My mother has come up with a perfect copy cat and I’m sure you’d agreee it’s the best damn potato salad ever if you’ve eaten it. I am actually making 10 lbs of it for a party this evening and i will post it. I bet it will get the highest ratings anywhere online. It shares onion powder, lots of it, salt, a trablespoon of coleman’s mustard powder, one entire normal sized container of helmann’s mayo, 18 eggs, and to garnish, lots of parsley and salt to boil, then, if not enough, to taste. Lots of freshly crushed black pepper and time to set in the fridge before serving you’ll want to mix well a few times before eating it.
Charlotte Y Covington
Is it just me or did you leave out the pickles???
Anetone Petaia Simanu
People who don’t agree with how this is made, should keep their comments to themselves and continue making potato salad the way they know how, there are many of us who just to try different ways of making it. If you don’t like it, then put stuff in to suit your taste ie: chocolate and bananas lol, but don’t post mean comments, that just sucks!!!
Thanks for your comment Anetone. Couldn’t agree more :)
Teresa Heinrich
1. Thanks for taking the time to post this. 2. Especially helpful was the suggestion to put cider vinegar with warm chopped potatoes – it works. 3. I ate my small portion of leftovers for breakfast with black coffee and OH MAN was it good!
DIdn’t use pickles or raw onions (hearburn) but will go to store and get celery salt for next round.
Jeez – I guess my diet is STILL on hold! Thanks for making our taste buds happy
Ruth Bradley
Kill the heartburn by carmelizing the onions before adding to the salad. It does add a little different flavor, but at least you can still enjoy onions in your salad without the pain of heartburn. Also you can reduce some of the fat of the mayonnaise by substituting plain yogurt for part of the mayo. And if your salad ends up a little watery, just use instant potato flakes to thicken it up. Not too much though or you might have to call it mashed potatoe salad.
Anna
You can get a sweet taste without the Miracle Whip if you add sweet pickles and a little bit of the pickle juice.
YoungTeen
I tried to make the recipe but my onions were too big so the recipe didn’t turn out right but then I used less onion and a little more mayo and it turned out perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Also you should add to the recipe use small onions so people don’t use huge ones.
Tara
This recipe is almost identical to mine, but I use no vinegar. You gave nutritional information, but it doesn’t say how much one serving is. It serves 8, but how much per serving? Thanks!
Elaine Sokoloff
I had some potato salad at a small memorial gathering last night and woke up craving it. Normally I can take it or leave it.
This is an absolute knock out recipe – salting the potato water made them perfectly seasoned, and the celery salt a true “secret ingredient” magic.
Thank you for posting this – it will be a standard in my repertoire from here!
Sandy
Made this last nite. THE BEST salad I’ve ever made. I always overcooked the potatoes but your method made them come out perfect. Didn’t change a thing. Thank you for my only potato salad I’ll be making from here on.
That’s awesome Sandy. I’m so glad you liked it and will be making it in the future.
Pris
My first attempt at ever making my own potato salad.
I made it as your recipe called for…same exact ingredients and quantities….IT TURNED OUT GREAT!
This tastes like the traditional homemade potato salads moms make, and much better than the store bought prepackaged ones at Kroger/HEB. Thank you so much for sharing!!!! Had to google how to boil eggs. Yes, I am somewhat kitchen challenged, but nonetheless your recipe was a success.
Kathy
Heidi you have so many great recipes, I love following you on Pinterest. Made this Labor Day weekend using mayo and celery salt as we had no celery seed, and it was just like Mom and hubby’s Mom used to make. Thank you so much for all the good eats.
So glad you liked it!
Beth
Thank you! This might be the best potato salad I’ve ever eaten!! I made a double recipe for a cookout; this was my first attempt at potato salad. I used 1/2 mayo, 1/2 miracle whip. Wonderful!!!
wilma
may I make a suggestion? your recipe is almost identical to mine..but I BAKE my potatoes..then let them cool and instead of peeling them…I cut them in half lengthwise ..then cut them into cubes of med size ..just run the knife around the potato’s edge and the peelin just falls away…quick and easy…when cubed, I mix the mayo and vinegar or dill pickle juice together and stir into potatoes and let set while I chop the other ingredients….and I add just a small amount of chopped green pepper and red pepper for color and a subtle flavor….can add more mayo if needed…this way the potatoes absorb the flavor but isn’t too wet.
Emily
Can I peel and dice the potatoes before boiling or is there a reason you start with them quartered and peel after? Thanks!
Faye
I love this recipe with the vinegar. Potato salad has always been a staple in my family. This recipe is very similar however have never used the vinegar sprinkled over the hot potatoes. I love the flavor it gives them. Used egg, miracle whip, pickle relish. thanks for the post.
Patty
Trying this tonight! Usually put a combo of bread and butter pickle chunks and then sweet relish. And do 1/3 regular mayo, 1/3 miracle whip, and 1/3 lite mayo. Weird flavor
combo but grandpa taught me that and it works perfect with the sweet relish!
Eda
How many servings does this make? Was just asked to bring a potato salad to a wedding on Friday. Mine is very different and she specifically asked for a mustard potato salad.
Thanks!
Oh gosh, it could easily serve 12 to 15, just depends on how much people help themselves too. It’s so good.
Emma
I tried this recipe for my 4th of july cookout since the pictures looked so gorgeous! Unfortunately it did not turn out the way I wanted it too… My guests didn’t appreciate the celery seed and had lots left over :(