This southern-style old fashioned potato salad is made with classic ingredients like tender potatoes, creamy mayonnaise, onion, and sweet pickle relish.
Classic side dish salads are a staple of the BBQ season. This recipe is easy to make, has a creamy mayo dressing and is made with basic ingredients you already have on hand.
This recipe was originally published on May 21, 2011 but has been updated May 18, 2021 with new photos and info.
What kind of potatoes to use
When making this recipe you want to use the perfect potato. Yellow, Yukon gold or red potatoes make the best side dish salads.
They have a delicious potato flavor and when the cooked potatoes are used for a salad they hold their shape when mixing cubed or sliced cooked potatoes with a mayo dressing.
Ingredients to make the recipe
A combination of simple ingredients make the best creamy potato salad.
- Potatoes: Boiled yellow, Yukon or red potatoes.
- Dressing ingredients: Hellmann's or Dukes mayonnaise, yellow mustard, salt and pepper.
- Hard boiled eggs. 3, 4 or even 5 hard boiled eggs, depends on how much you like eggs in your salad.
- Onions: Diced red onion.
- Seasoning: simple seasonings of salt and pepper is all you need for a classic recipe.
- Sweet pickle relish: sweet pickle or dill relish.
Step by step directions
Step 1: Boil the potatoes. Put the potatoes into a 5 quart or larger pot. Fill with water until the potatoes are covered.
Bring to a hard boil and reduce the heat until a gentle boil. Cover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until fork tender.
Step 2: Carefully drain the potatoes in a colander. Run cold water over the potatoes to quickly cool them down and stop the cooking. Drain well. The potatoes will still be warm to the touch.
Allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle.
Use a sharp knife to peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices or large cubes into a very large oversized bowl.
Step 3: Add the dressing ingredients to the bowl of potatoes.
Step 4: Add the diced onion and sweet pickle relish to the bowl.
Step 4: Use a large spoon to mix the ingredients together.
Step 5: Add the chopped hard boiled eggs last and gently fold the salad so the pieces of egg white and yolk hold their shape.
Step : Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 before serving. Sprinkle the top with parsley before serving.
Recipe FAQS
Yellow, Yukon Gold and red potatoes are best for potato salad because they are a waxy potato with a good flavor after boiling and will hold shape when tossed with a dressing.
Boiling potatoes for salad with or without the skin is a personal preference but I have found that potatoes boiled with the skin on have a richer potato flavor and are easier to peel.
Potato salad should be kept cold while serving if it is going to be out of the refrigerator for longer than 30 minutes. Cold food should be kept cold when serving. To safely serve this mayonnaise based salad at a barbecue, picnic or an outdoor get together fill a larger bowl than the bowl the salad is in with ice cubes. Place the salad bowl on top of the ice to keep the salad cold. Replenish the ice as needed.
Properly stored homemade or store bought salads like this will last up to five days in the refrigerator. Discard the uneaten salad after 5 days.
One serving of this recipe is about a cup per person. Serving size will depend on the person eating the salad. A child will of course eat a smaller portion than an adult.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Potatoes: Use yellow, Yukon or red potatoes that have a delicious flavor when cooked by boiling and will keep their shape when tossed with a mayo dressing.
- How long to boil potatoes: You should boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. A fork should easily slide into the center of the potato. Do not over cook or the pieces of potato will not hold shape and may be mushy.
- Dressing ingredients: for the creamiest mayo dressing use Hellmann's or Dukes mayonnaise.
- Onions: Different types of onions will add a different flavor. Here I have used red onions but you can use white onions, Vidalia onions or spring onions for a more delicate onion flavor.
- Seasoning: simple seasonings of salt and pepper is all you need for this classic bbq side salad recipe.
- Sweet pickle relish: Pickle relish is not only used for flavor but it also helps make the mayonnaise dressing creamier. If you don't like sweet relish in your salad you can use a dill relish instead.
- Hard boiled eggs: I used 4 hard boiled eggs but you can add less or more depending on your tastes. Cook the hard boiled eggs quickly in the Instant Pot.
- Mustard: Yellow mustard is traditionally used but you can use a creamy Dijon mustard for tangier flavor profile.
More side dish recipes
Click below for more side dish recipes that are perfect for your next backyard barbecue.
Best Old Fashioned Potato Salad with egg
Ingredients
- 12 medium cooked potatoes ((fork tender))
- 4 large hard boiled eggs ((3 to 5 hardboiled eggs))
- 1 cup sweet pickle relish
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ cup Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (or Dukes Mayonnaise)
Instructions
- Wash and scrub potatoes under cold running water.
- Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Salt water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.
- Drain the hot potatoes in a large colander, rinse with cold water and allow to cool.
- Once cool peel the skin from the potatoes.
- Cut into thick slices into a large bowl.
- Peel the hard boiled eggs.
- Slice or dice the eggs into the bowl with the potatoes.
- Add the diced onion, relish, mayo, salt and pepper to the bowl.
- Mix well to combine.
- Put salad in a smaller bowl if desired and refrigerate. Salad is best refrigerated at least 4 hours before serving.
- Serve the potato salad as a side dish with all you favorite meals.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Potatoes: Use yellow, Yukon or red potatoes that have a delicious flavor and will hold their shape when tossed with a mayo dressing.
- How long to boil potatoes: You should boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. A fork should easily slide into the center of the potato. Do not over cook or the pieces of potato will not hold shape and may be mushy. Make quick work of cooking potatoes using my Instant Pot Red Potatoes Recipe.Â
- Dressing ingredients: for the creamiest dressing use Hellmann's or Dukes mayonnaise.
- Onions: Different types of onions will add a different flavor. Here I have used red onions but you can use white onions, Vidalia onions or spring onions for a more delicate onion flavor.
- Seasoning: simple seasonings of salt and pepper is all you need for a this classic bbq salad recipe.
- Sweet pickle relish: Pickle relish is not only used for flavor but it also helps make the mayonnaise dressing creamier. If you don't like sweet relish in your salad you can use a dill relish instead.
- Hard boiled eggs: I used 4 hard boiled eggs but you can add less or more depending on your tastes. Cook the hard boiled eggs quickly in the Instant Pot.
- Mustard: Yellow mustard is traditionally used but you can use a creamy Dijon mustard for tangier flavor profile.
Robert Keesee
I use small Yukon golds for most of the potato dishes I make and I AM ALSO ONE WHO LEAVES THE SKINS ON NOT ONLY WHILE THEY ARE COOKING BUT EVEN IF THEY ARE DICED (or Mashed -- if that be the case). I find the flavor difference that makes is so amazing, I just can't do it any other way.
I love the option you give for the number of eggs because we are EGG people, Also, it was a pleasure to see that you included dill relish in the recipe because although my partner is a sweet relish person, I am definitely a dill relish person!
Arlene Mobley
Robert thanks for the great comment. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jennifer
This is just like my grandmother's recipe. She would never use anything but Hellmanns mayonnaise.
Arlene Mobley
Yeah! Another Hellman's lover! That's all I ate as a kid and all I eat as an adult. And all my kids eat Hellman's too.
loretta
Like I make it but I put egg yokeswith mayo and mustard and blend in blender for a minute. Because I do not like yokes try it.
Arlene Mobley
Thanks for the tip Loretta!
David Roper
This is NOT German Potato Salad. It's good old Southern Picnic type potato salad. As Pat noted above, German potato salad has Vinegar and Bacon in it. Looks like the identical Potato Salad We make in SC. 5 stars for the picnic salad recipe.
Arlene Mobley
Hi David
Thanks for the clarification. I'm sure you noticed that I mentioned this is the potato salad my german grandmother made. I am aware that my recipe does not include bacon and vinegar hence the title of Old Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe. Thanks for the 5 stars! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Gloria Freeman
Am I in the minority in that I leave the skins on the potato for potato salad, either variety? Started doing that within the past 20 years and have never regretted it. Besides, you get extra nutrition and fiber.
Arlene Mobley
Gloria
I do that with my Garlic Potatoes
Pat
My mother-in-law made a German potato salad that is served hot. That is what I thought I would be reading about. This recipe is more like the American potato salad both my own mother and my mother-in-law made.
The hot German potato salad has bacon and vinegar in it, no mayo or mustard or pickle relish. The flavorings are from the bacon, celery and onion that are added with a little sugar and salt and pepper. The potatoes are boiled in the skin (should be red potatoes) and diced.
Just as observation, you say use peeler or knife to remove skin. Try scoring the skin around the center of the warm potato then gently twist and lightly sqeeze, the potato just slides right out, no 'further need to use knife (unless there is an eye to remove).
Arlene Mobley
Pat
Thanks for sharing. I love to hear about family recipes. And thanks for the potato peeling tip!
Annie's Dish
I think that just about every family has their own version of potato salad that gets passed down. Yours looks delicious! I don't think I've ever had pickle relish in a potato salad but it's such a great idea!
Potato Peeler
Sounds just like the recipe my mom makes every year. I'll have to print this out since she doesn't have hers written down. She just eyeballs everything as she puts it. Thanks so much for sharing, and it looks divine. This will be perfect for cookouts!
Katie
Oh boy that sounds delicious! We are HUGE potato salad fans around here. We like mustard, mayo, ranch, etc...we've had a ton of different varieties and this one is one I'll add to my recipe box!
Thanks for signing up for my giveaway btw! 🙂