Delicious Homemade Potato Salad Recipe (Southern Style)
Published June 11, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This easy-to-make Southern-Style potato salad recipe is loaded up with celery, onions, mustard, and mayonnaise for the perfect BBQ side dish.
Is there anything better at a backyard get-together than all of the tasty side dishes? If you’re all about the sides like we are, you definitely have to check out my Cornbread or Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
Potato Salad
Potato salad is a delicious side dish consisting of cooked potatoes, vegetables, and a dressing. No matter where you are in the world, every country has its own version of potato salad and even then, there are several variations of that specific rendition. Potato salad in America is most associated with the South which is mayonnaise and mustard-based.
Southern-Style potato salad has some discrepancies as well. To add sugar or not, to use relish or not, what potato should be used. My professional recommendation is to make and eat it the way you and your family enjoy it the most. With that being said, if you want the real deal, then this is it.
How to Make Potato Salad from Scratch
Follow these step-by-step instructions for how to make a potato salad from scratch:
Peel and slice the russet potatoes.
Boil the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water.
Next, remove the potatoes from the hot water and immediately chill them in an ice-water bath. Strain and set aside.
Mash about 1/3 to ½ of the potatoes using a hand masher in a large bowl.
Add the remaining potatoes to the bowl along with all of the other ingredients and fold them together using a rubber spatula until completely combined.
Garnish by sprinkling on some paprika and thinly sliced fresh chives.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 1 day ahead of time. In addition, it would be best not to dress the potato salad until ready to serve.
How to Store: Cover and keep cool in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This recipe will not freeze well.
chef notes + tips
- The potatoes should be peeled and cut before boiling them.
- Feel free to add or subtract the amount of mustard or mayonnaise to your liking.
- Yukon gold, red bliss, or russet potatoes will work great for this recipe.
- You can absolutely make this without celery.
- If you do not have a red onion, a yellow, sweet, or white onion will do.
- Use my hard-boiled egg recipe for perfect results.
- My bread and butter pickle recipe makes for an excellent relish.
- The boiling water should be as salty as the ocean.
More Potato Recipes
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Video
Delicious Homemade Potato Salad Recipe (Southern Style)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds peeled and thinly sliced russet potatoes
- ½ peeled small diced red onion
- 2 medium diced celery stalks
- ½ cup finely minced bread and butter pickles
- 6 small diced hard-boiled eggs
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 6 minutes or just until tender.
- Immediately remove them from the boiling water and transfer to a large bowl of ice water to chill them quickly.
- Once cool, strain them and set aside.
- Take about 1/3 to ½ of the potatoes and add them to a large bowl and using a hand masher, roughly mash them.
- Add the remaining potatoes along with the rest of the ingredients and using a rubber spatula fold everything together until it is very well combined.
- Garnish with optional extra paprika and thinly sliced green onions and serve.
This was perfect just like everything else you make!
Many Thanks!
Best southern potato salad ever!
Many Thanks!
Got any macaroni salad recipies? Thanks.
Nope. Pasta salad though.
I plan to make this recipe for the forthcoming….
I love this recipe! The only thing I do differently is use baked potatoes, instead of boiled. (Russet, slow-baked in foil in the oven the night before, then refrigerated and peeled right before making the salad.) I find the taste of baked potatoes to be perfect for potato salad!
There’s an old Italian saying about how the boiling water for pasta or potato should taste like the ocean. Do you know what it is in Italian?
No, sorry.
Very traditional and delicious. Only change I make is to cool the drained, hot potatoes on a cookie sheet to ‘dry’ them out …to ensure that the potato salad is ultimately not ‘liquidy ’. I also sometimes use shallot instead of onion and was taught by my Southern Mother that the egg to potato ratio is 1:1.
so good!!
Excellent. Could not stop eating it!! I’ve always just made my Mom’s potato salad recipe which we all love. Thought I would try something different and was not disappointed. Truly a great potato salad!! Thanks for the recipe (potato salad Southern Style)!
Fantastic!
I love potato salad and thought mine was pretty good. I tried your recipe, wow, I’m hooked. Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing
The potato salad is delicious. Thank you.
thank you so kindly!!