The Best Potato Salad (+Video)
This Potato Salad recipe has a special ingredient that makes it the best! Potatoes, celery, onion, eggs and an amazing creamy dressing! Everyone will want this recipe!
A CREAMY POTATO SALAD RECIPE
This potato salad will have everyone begging for the recipe! Every single time I bring this to a cookout, folks want to know who made it and they all come over to me wanting the recipe. I promise you this will be the last potato salad recipe you will ever need!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S):
As this cools the potatoes will continue to soak up the dressing. It’s just what potatoes do, they like to soak up whatever they are mixed with. So, if you notice your salad is just a little dry when you are ready to serve, add a little more milk or chicken stock and some mayonnaise and it will restore the creaminess of your potato salad.
For a classic potato salad, mayonnaise is required. You could use Miracle Whip but I do not like the taste of Miracle Whip so I would never use it personally. Want a “mayo-less” potato salad? Be sure to check out my recipe for German Potato Salad
It’s better to cut up potatoes before boiling them. They cook much faster when cut first. Also, you can leave the skin on the potatoes if you prefer.
Nope. You can leave them out if you prefer.
Use chicken stock. It is my secret ingredient! Also, use fresh ingredients. Don’t use store-bought hard-boiled eggs unless you are confident of the fresh taste. Sometimes store-bought hard boiled eggs have a funky taste to them and they can really throw off the taste of your whole salad. To make your own, check out my recipe for Homemade Chicken Broth.
Keep leftover salad stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up 3 days. Because of the mayonnaise in the salad, try to keep it cool. Do not let it sit outside of the refrigerator for longer than 30 minutes and definitely do not let it sit uncovered outside in the sun. Keep it in a ice cooler until just before serving.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- Yukon gold potatoes – I love the creaminess of Yukon Gold potatoes for potato salad but you could certainly use russet potatoes.
- mayonnaise – for me, it’s got to be real mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip) – I prefer Duke’s or Hellman’s.
- white vinegar – you can use apple cider vinegar if that is all you have but it will add a slightly different taste to this.
- yellow mustard – don’t try to get fancy here with dijon mustard or try to use dried ground mustard, just good ole standard yellow mustard is the best.
- chicken stock – I know this seems weird to use chicken stock but it just adds that little something that people won’t quite be able to put their finger on but will know it makes this potato salad different from everyone else’s but if you don’t have chicken stock, you could use milk.
- celery and onion – standard potato salad ingredients – I just like to make sure they are diced up finely so no one is getting a huge bit of celery or onion.
- hard boiled eggs – I know some people love it and some people hate it so go with what you prefer here but we personally love it!
HOW TO MAKE POTATO SALAD:
Peel and dice potatoes into cubes. Place potatoes into a large pot of water. Boil for about 20 minutes (or until fork tender). Take care not to overcook your potatoes – you don’t want them overly mushy. Mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, chicken stock and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Add potatoes, celery, onion and stir gently.
Stir in eggs. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours to blend flavors and chill.
Cook’s Note: Potatoes love to soak up all the mayonnaise, so if you noticed your salad is just a little dry when you are ready to serve, add a little more milk or chicken stock and mayonnaise and it will restore the creaminess of your potato salad.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published February 2011
Updated and republished May 2021
The Best Potato Salad (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes (about 6 medium)
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 3-4 Tablespoons chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 4 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Peel and dice 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes into cubes. Place potatoes into a large pot of water.
- Boil for about 20 minutes (or until fork tender.) Take care not to overcook your potatoes – you don’t want them overly mushy.
- Mix together 1 ½ cups mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard, 3-4 Tablespoons chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
- Add cooked potatoes, 2 stalks celery, finely chopped, 1/2 cup chopped onion and stir gently.
- Stir in 4 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours to blend flavors and chill.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Potatoes love to soak up all the mayonnaise, so if you noticed your salad is just a little dry when you are ready to serve, just add a little more mayonnaise and chicken stock and it will restore the creaminess of your potato salad.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This potato salad looks great. How sweet of your mom to send you the cookbook 🙂 My mom gave me a binder of family recipes that she made especially for my one year at christmas and it is so special 🙂 Also, thanks for the tip on not twisting the biscuit cutter. Have a nice day!
Katie
I so enjoyed hearing about your newlywed days (in a new country on top of that!) and the sweet gift that your mom shared with you. Moms do know best! Thank you for sharing your words and this recipe! And thank you for your sweet thoughts on my blog. I appreciate you!
Wonderful, wonderful recipe! I love it!
What a unique recipe using chicken broth. I love seeing new ways to create classics.
What wonderful memories you have of learning to cook! And this potato salad is totally amazing. I made it exactly to your recipe and wouldn’t change a thing!
Moms are the best and we truly begin to appreciate them when we ourselfs become one! What a wonderful post and potato salad looks yummy and sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing 🙂
…and now I am totally craving THIS potato salad! Looks fabulous 🙂 I am definately bookmarking this!!
Brandie-I loved reading your story, it was so heartwarming to hear about your life. Aren't moms the greatest?
This is my very favorite potato salad, that I also make. Can't go wrong with Betty Crocker.
Your potato salad looks so yummy, and fluffy. Such a classic recipe!
Thanks for sharing your sweet story and recipe!
Awww, what a neat story. And, I know from reading your blog regularly that you've turned into an excellent cook!! We'll be trying this potato salad soon.
What a great post Brandie, Moms and Grandmas are always the best. They'll always make us see the light an the the shoulder to cry on.
The potato salad looks delicious. Looking forward to the cheesecake recipe too 🙂
Hope you'll have a wonderful Monday
Brandie,
That first cookbook of yours is just so precious. It's extra special with your Mum's gorgeous comment in it, too! I bet you know them all from memory by now 😉 That was so young to cope with such a huge change. You're amazing!
Wow, that's great! We recently moved back from living in Peru for a long time [so I also recommend the same thing – love it!] and it was extremely difficult for a non-resident without various other approvals to get any sort of job! What a blessing you had special friends help take care of you in your hugely new experience!
Great story! I, too, have many dishes I treasure from my first Betty Crocker — only mine was not a big book like yours. It was a "Dinner for Two." (Just as well-used, though!)
@ Rosemary…That’s the cookbook I started out with many, many years ago! Mine is very well-used, too. I found myself looking up a recipe in it just recently! (I’m down to one, now…just myself.)
I love your memories of the cookbook and moving to England! I would have been totally freaked out moving that far away!
Hehe, well that is shorter than I would have guessed for myself to get used to it! What job did you find there? I imagine it might have been difficult finding one without England residency? I don't know…
What a sweet memory! Moms are such a blessing. How long did it take you to get used to driving on the "wrong" side? 🙂
Brandie, this sounds and looks great! I would have never thought of adding chicken broth. Mom's always DO know what to get!
This potato salad sounds like the kind that my Mom used to make except for the chicken broth. Very sweet of your Mom to give you the cookbook. Whenever there was a get together I would always have her bring her potato salad, because I didn't like to peel potatoes. I was young then.
Awwww, that brought a tear to my eye when reading about your Mom and her gift to you. And what an amazing experience to live overseas, newly married. Your potato salad sure looks good!
You have such a sweet mom(not that it's any surprise!). This looks like the classic potato salad that I love…now I'm getting antsy for summer so I can make some to go with some grilled burgers. YUM!
What a sweet memory..love your writing! And potato salad looks so tasty…one of my favorites! Yummy photo too!
Sydney – I definitely think Peru would be far more of a culture shock! What an experience that must have been for you! I just think it is amazing that you took the initiative to do something like that. I would love to hear more about your travels!
That potato salad would go well with a barbecue sandwich. If I close my eyes, its summertime.
I worked in banking. I had a really great job with some pretty fantastic people. They helped me learn so much. And I'm fortunate that we are all still friends after all these years! I highly recommend traveling overseas (if you haven't done so already). It is so much fun to be young and travel. Opens you up to some wonderful experiences!
Sydney – it took me a good 2 months to get completely comfortable. I cannot even tell you how many times I would go to work early in the morning (half awake) and accidentally start off on the right side of the road and then quickly have to get back over to the left side. It is so second nature! Thank the Lord I never got in an accident!