Classic Potato Salad

Why This is The Best Classic Potato Salad!

This is my mom's potato salad recipe that I have made nearly the exact same way she did for many years. As a matter of fact, all our neighbors made the same recipe during the 1960s.  It's a simple, no-frills recipe that has stood the test of time, and to me, it's one of the best potato salads I've ever tasted.

This old-fashioned and truly classic recipe contains just the right amount of ingredients to make a tasty salad you will want to make over and over again. Her recipe contains potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and celery, and the potato salad dressing contains Miracle Whip, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, salt, and pepper. That is only 8 ingredients for the whole salad including the dressing!

Over the years, I have made only one change to my mom's old-fashioned recipe, which is the use of Yukon gold potatoes. I love these potatoes for their natural sweetness and firm texture.

My mom didn't use them because the Yukon gold potato did not exist before 1966 and only became available to consumers after 1980. She used russet potatoes that were widely available during her prime potato salad-making days.

So, if you are craving a creamy, traditional potato salad, this is it. It's easy to make and once you've learned how to make the potato salad dressing, this key recipe will be your go-to for simple meals, tailgating, and cool-weather picnics.

So, let's cook!

My Top Tips

♡ Make this classic potato salad in advance. Like many dishes, the flavor of any potato salad improves with time. Starchy dishes need time to absorb flavors. Plus, the flavors in the potato salad dressing will have time to meld and marry. Make this no less than 4 hours before serving for better flavor and a day ahead for the best flavor.

♡ Use best practices to cook and cool the potatoes. An important step in making classic potato salad is the cooking and cooling of the potatoes. Overcooked potatoes will not hold their shape when you mix the potatoes with the salad dressing.

The potatoes need to be cooked just until they are barely tender. The doneness of the potatoes is best tested by inserting a toothpick into a potato. The toothpick should enter easily but not break the potato.

♡ Add the Eggs to the Boiling Potatoes. This was my mom's trick to cook hard boiled eggs for this potato salad. She added the eggs to the simmering potatoes and after 10 minutes removed them with a slotted spoon to cool in cold ice water.

Substitutions

• Substitute Hellmann's Mayonnaise for Miracle Whip. Substituting mayonnaise is an excellent substitute but will come with a higher calorie count. If you live west of the Rocky Mountains, Hellmann's is called Best Foods. It is the same product, only the name is changed. I prefer this brand of mayonnaise because the flavor is very neutral and complements the fresh ingredients. But feel free to use the brand you prefer.
• Substitute Small Red Potatoes for Yukon Gold Potatoes. Sometimes you just can't get small Yukon gold potatoes and red potatoes have a similar texture. You can also substitute a "gold" potato. The texture of an unbranded gold potato is also like Yukon gold, but the flavor will be less sweet.
• Substitute Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt. If you prefer a tangier flavor, swap sour cream or plain Greek yogurt for up to half of the Miracle Whip salad dressing. Greek yogurt will also add more protein to the salad.
• Substitute Dijon or Honey Mustard. To change up the basic flavor profile the most change some or all of the yellow mustard to a special mustard. Go easy and add a teaspoon at a time to the potato salad dressing and then taste to see if you like the change.

Variations

• Omit the Eggs. Just like whether it is okay to put ketchup on a hot dog, there is some controversy about adding eggs to potato salad. Some people love eggs in their salad, and some don't. Feel free to omit them if you are not a fan of adding eggs or if you are on a tight budget.
• Add Bacon. Add umami notes to your salad with cooked, crisp bacon that is crumbled or chopped fine.
• Add Capers. Capers will add a sharp salty taste and mild lemon flavor to potato salad. They come in a variety of sizes and the smallest are nonpareil capers. These capers are the perfect size to use whole. They have the best flavor and won't need to be chopped.
• Add Celery Seed. If you love the taste of celery in potato salad, celery seeds have the same flavor as celery and can add another punch of flavor. Consider adding them as an enhancer or using them as a substitute for fresh celery.
• Add Chives. Slightly onion and garlic in flavor, chives add a mild and savory element to salads. This is my favorite choice for a hint of onion that won't overpower the salad.
• Add Dill. Fresh or dried dill is a highly aromatic herb and can be delicious in salad dressings. However, its unique and pungent aroma and taste can easily overpower a dressing or salad. If you choose to incorporate dill, add a very small amount, like ¼ teaspoon, and then increase the amount according to your taste.
• Add Onion. A small amount of grated or minced onion adds another additional savory element to your salad. The best onions to use have a mild flavor like green onions, or a sweet flavor like Vidalia, or Maui onions.

Can You Freeze Potato Salad?

If you use Miracle Whip to make the potato salad dressing, you can freeze potato salad in an airtight container. Generally speaking, Miracle Whip freezes well because it contains less oil than mayonnaise.

However, you can't freeze a potato salad if the dressing is made with mayonnaise. The high amount of oil in mayonnaise will cause the dressing to separate and become watery.

It is also true that the potato salad dressing will be watery if you substitute any dairy products in the dressing. So, yogurt and sour cream will also separate and become watery after freezing.