This classic Southern potato salad recipe is the perfect combination of creamy, sweet, and tangy with a mayonnaise and mustard dressing, tender potatoes, eggs, relish, and onions!
Hey Cousins! If you’re looking for a classic potato salad for family gatherings or backyard BBQs, I’ve got the recipe for you! Good old-fashioned Southern potato salad—sounds good, right?! I figured I’d get on here and share the one and only I Heart Recipes potato salad recipe with my fave people.
Believe it or not, I actually posted a potato salad recipe years ago. Since then, I’ve changed up a couple of classic ingredients and some of the preparation steps. Let me tell you how I make my delicious Southern potato salad!
What Is Southern Style Potato Salad?
Before we dive into how to make this creamy potato salad, let’s talk about what makes it an iconic Southern side dish. Even though potato salad has European roots (hello, German potato salad!), it has a rich history in Southern families. So, what makes soul food potato salad truly Southern? The ingredients, of course!
The hallmark of a classic Southern potato salad recipe is the creamy dressing. Always made with mayonnaise, a hint of mustard, and sometimes sugar, sometimes vinegar, the dressing is rich, creamy, sweet, and tangy. From the very first bite, potato salad is bursting with flavor. Add in the texture of the potatoes (chunky vs. slightly mashed), the mix-ins (onions, bacon, and pickles in some form), and finally, the hard-boiled eggs, and you’ve got the classic side dish you see at most Black people get-togethers! Other types of potato salads feature dairy-based or vinegar-based dressings, so if you want that creamy, classic summertime dish, a Southern-style potato salad is your best bet.
Shopping List: Ingredients in Southern Potato Salad
So, what goes in potato salad? Well, every Southern family has their own recipe, and the beauty of that is that it comes down to your personal preference. Let me tell y’all what I use in the classic I Heart Recipes potato salad.
- Russet Potatoes: trust me on this! Russet potatoes aren’t just for baking and mashing, y’all!
- Mayonnaise: I use Best Foods Mayonnaise, aka Hellman’s, as my dressing base (but Duke’s Mayonnaise is also popular).
- Yellow Mustard: classic yellow mustard is a must! You could get fancy with Dijon mustard or even try honey mustard if you want some extra sweetness.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs: I’m one of those people who won’t touch potato salad unless it has eggs! A proper Southern & Soul Food-style potato salad has eggs… And lots of them!
- Relish: use sweet relish, dill relish, or plain ol’ dill pickles.
- Onions and Celery: both add flavor and crunch to the creamy potato salad. I prefer green onions, but you can use white onion, yellow onion, or even sweet red onion if you prefer.
- Seasonings: stick to the basics—onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Sprinkle some paprika as an optional garnish.
What kind of potatoes are best for Southern potato salad?
This is probably the most common question about potato salad—what’s the best potato to use? I prefer regular Russet potatoes for my potato salad recipe. You may think that waxy potatoes like Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes are the only acceptable kinds, but honey, that is far from true! My family and I have always used russet potatoes in our southern potato salad recipes, and we’ve never had a problem with taste, texture, or anything else.
The secret to getting perfectly tender potatoes that don’t fall apart is to cook them until they are just fork-tender. You don’t want to boil the potatoes for as long as you would for mashed potatoes. No, ma’am, you want these potatoes to be slightly firmer while still fully cooked. This way, the starchy potatoes won’t fall apart in the creamy dressing. The other secret is to boil the potatoes whole, then peel and cube them. When you mix the potato salad, do so carefully so you don’t mash them up. The result is a perfectly creamy, chunky potato salad with tons of flavor.
Pickles in Potato Salad: Dill, Sweet, or Relish?
The next ingredient question I always get is: what kind of relish should you use in Southern potato salad? I use a combination of dill relish and sweet pickle relish, but you can use either. Want to use diced-up dill pickles or sweet pickles instead? You do you, boo boo! My mom always used chopped dill pickles in her potato salad, so that’s what I learned. As I got older, I started to use relish. It all depends on you and your tastes!
How to Make Delicious Southern Potato Salad
Alright, Cousins! It’s time to learn how to make this delicious potato salad. It’s really simple and can be ready in well under an hour from start to finish. Here’s the main recipe—be sure to scroll on down to the recipe card for the full instructions!
Step 1: Cook the Potatoes
- First, clean the potatoes under cold water. Then, fill a large pot with cold water just until the potatoes are covered. Boil them whole until just fork tender—about 10-15 minutes.
- Next, drain the potatoes and allow them to cool off. Once they’ve cooled enough to touch, remove the potato skins.
- Pro-Tip: to cook the potatoes faster, you can peel and cut them before cooking.
Step 2: Assemble
- Rough chop the potatoes to your liking, then dump them into a large bowl.
- Add the crumbled eggs, green onions, celery, and seasonings into the bowl with the potatoes. Set that bowl aside until the dressing is ready.
Step 3: Make the Creamy Dressing
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, and my super-secret ingredient: pickle juice. Stir until everything is combined.
- Pro-Tip: if you want a sweeter dressing, add some sugar. Add some vinegar—like apple cider vinegar- if you want a tangier dressing. If you want to get your feelings hurt, use Miracle Whip! (I’m only kidding… kind of! 😉)
- Once the dressing is ready, dump it on it with the potatoes and mix to combine. Don’t overmix, or else the potatoes will become mushy!
There you have it! Once everything is mixed up, I refrigerate the Southern potato salad until it’s nice and cold. It belongs on the table at family get-togethers, potlucks, or really… just about any occasion!
Southern Potato Salad Recipe Video Tutorial
Watch how I make my famous potato salad recipe below! If you’re new to I Heart Recipes, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to find a whole collection of recipe videos.
Southern-Style Potato Salad Recipe Tips
- You can adjust some of the ingredients in this potato salad recipe to your liking. Don’t love celery? Leave it out! Not a fan of green onions? Swap them out for diced sweet onion.
- Add a dash of hot sauce to the dressing for a kick of heat—the creaminess of the dressing really helps balance any spice.
- Toss in extra add-ins like bacon, bell peppers, or herbs like fresh dill.
- Leftover potato salad (if there is any!) should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and will be good for 3-4 days.
- When you serve this potato salad, garnish the dish with some sliced hard-boiled eggs, a sprinkle of paprika, and parsley flakes for perfect presentation.
What to Serve with Southern Potato Salad
I usually serve this potato salad with barbecue dishes like my barbecue oxtails or my sweet and smokey pork spare ribs, but really, it pairs with countless Southern Soul Food recipes! Here are some more to try:
- Grill-out food like hot dogs, hamburgers, or BBQ chicken
- Oven-baked pork chops or skillet-fried pork chops
- Fried chicken or any variety of chicken wings (like garlic parmesan, honey chipotle, or lemon pepper wings)
Loved this recipe? Don’t forget to share + save on Pinterest! You can follow along with everything Rosie and I Heart Recipes on social media—you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and you can pre-order my next upcoming cookbook, A Cousin Rosie Holiday now!
Southern Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes scrubbed and rinsed
- 3 large hard-boiled eggs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup sweet relish
- 1/3 cup dill relish
- 1/4 cup cup chopped green onion green and white parts
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 2 tbsp dill pickle juice
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- paprika optional
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes until they are nice and fork-tender. Once done. drain the water and let the potatoes cool.4 large russet potatoes
- Peel the potato skin off, place them into a large bowl, then cut the potatoes into chunks.
- Dice or crumble the boiled eggs, then add them to the bowl with the potatoes.3 large hard-boiled eggs
- Next, toss in the celery and onion.1/4 cup cup chopped green onion, 1/4 cup diced celery
- Sprinkle in all of the seasonings, then set the bowl to the side.1 tsp cracked black pepper, 1 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder
- In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, and pickle juice.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp yellow mustard, 1/4 cup sweet relish, 1/3 cup dill relish, 2 tbsp dill pickle juice
- Mix until well combined, then add it with the other ingredients.
- Fold all of the ingredients until they are well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate until the potato salad is nice and cold.
- Place the potato salad into a serving bowl, then sprinkle paprika on top (optional).paprika
- Serve and enjoy!
I’m gonna make this tomorrow along with your ribs that were posted last week. Would it make a huge difference if I left the celery out?
I love celery in my potato salad, but it can be omitted.
You won’t have the nice crunch. If you want the flavor, you can just add celery seed, but it’ll be OK without.
I love your potato salad and I make mine almost the same way, except I use finely diced pickles instead of relish.
Yummy. I like diced pickles as well!
This is almost the way I make my potato salad. It is the best! Pinned. Thanks for sharing.xoxo
Thanks Mary! As always, I appreciate you coming by! XOXO
Only difference between Rosie’s potato salad and the way I make mine is, I don’t use onion powder or garlic powder. Except for those two ingredients, I make mine the SAME way as this recipe.
Wonderful tater salad .Yeah I’m a southern / country gal haha …Love your page & videos ..And your are awesome .Thanks for all the great recipes…
Thanks so much Debby! I’m glad that you like my blog! XOXO
Hello Rosie! Thank you for sharing your AMAZING recipes! For the pickle juice, is it dill, sweet, or sour?
Dill pickle juice 🙂
Im from Louisiana and I make my salad this way but I add some sandwich spread to it as well. It be so good
Oh wow! I never thought of adding sandwich spread! GREAT idea!
& Jerica. We on the same Page. That’s my secret ingredients. Sandwich Spread. Yes
Love your videos. Have been cooking for a very long time but your videos have helped me add ingredients that I don’t normally use and they have taken my recipes to another level. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Thanks Mary! I appreciate the compliment!
Hey, Rosie! Just found your blog and your recipes look great! I am making you souther cabbage with smoked sausage tomorrow and sm looking forward to trying this potato salad recipe. Just one question, I like to add diced green olives with pimento instead of dill relish. Have you tried that variation and liked it? If so should I change the amount vs dill relish? Thanks for any advice AND the recipes!
Hi Marie! I don’t add any of those ingredients to my potato salad. You’ll have to experiment a tad.
Hi, this recipe looks great and I want to make it. I’ve read that Russet potatoes are dryer so some people don’t recommend it for potato salad. Should I use the Russet potatoes in this particular recipe or other potatoes are okay. Thanks
I used russet potatoes for this recipe. If you’d like to use a different potato, that’s fine 🙂
I am so glad I found your web site. After not having to cook for 25 years, I am back into it. Your recipes are so much like my parents’ were when I was growing up. I love it. And I’m 70 years old. Thanks
Hi Lizanne! I’m glad that you found my blog! XOXO
I’ve never made potato salad before. So do I boil the potatos whole? About how long does that take?
You can actually peel the potatoes, and cut in fours. Boil until tender.
Sounds great nd i also as little sugar nd celery seeds
Hi, I’ve lived in Costa Rica for about one year since retiring, and I’ve really started to miss good southern cooking. I just made Your Potato Salad and it is delicious-reminds of my mom’s old potato salad recipe. I added both green and yellow onions to the mix and it tastes delicious!
Thanks so much for your easy, deli is recipe!
Thanks so much for trying my recipe Lintonia!
Delish!! It’s time for a recipe book young lady!!
Looking for my mother’s old receipe and I found it with your post. Thanks
Glad that I could help! 😀
Almost the same as mine but I add green n red peppers and a dash of celery salt.
Hi Rosie Thanks For Your Great Recipes.
where do you buy pickle juice?
You can just get is from the pickle jar 🙂
Thank you so much Rosie!
I just made it now and it is delicious thank you
This looks delicious! I’m seriously thinking about making this recipe for Fourth of July / Independence Day this year.
Question: Since I’m not a big fan of celery (I never have been, lol) what would you recommend using as a substitute?
Chris Romero
Jacksonville, Florida
Hi Chris! No need to substitute it, just leave it out 🙂
What are your thoughts on boiling the potatoes in a broth, instead of just plain water??
It’s an excellent idea! I usually do that when I make mashed potatoes.
Your recipes are always the Truth!
Thanks Tamika!
I am loving your recipes. I come from a deep southern cooking family, so what I cook has a southern flavor. I was not cooking for awhile but due to arthritis, I am in the house and I have returned to making meals. I found your recipes and I love them plus I am learning to cook with seasonings that were not available to my older relatives when they were cooking. I am finding it hard to use measuring cups and spoons but i am learning. Anyway, thank you for your recipes.
Hi Margaret! I’m glad that you found my blog! XOXO
Oh my. Your recipes take me back to my mama and grandmas cooking. Both wonderful southern cooks. I learned my their sides. I am 75 years old so I know for sure your recipes are for real southern style. So pleased to have found you. “Don’t throw the jar away and save the sweet pickle juice.” Such fond memories. Bless you.
Man this is the best potato salad, I’ve ever made. Brought back childhood memories fro my hubby. Recommend it 100%.
I add a tablespoon of hot sauce for a kick. Just mix it up with the mayo and pickles. Adds a nice flavor.
Thanks 4 the rub recipe. Can t wait 2 try. Love brown sugar on my ribs. Potato salad recipe is exactly like I make mine which makes me stick my chest out. Can’t wait 2 try bar b que oxtails. Never thought of doing that. I haven’t tried a Rosie recipe that I didn’t like..thank u Rosie 4 all u do
Thanks for sharing your potato salad recipe. I followed it exactly the first time. My family did not like taste of the dill relish. The next time I omitted the dill relish and increased the sweet relish. My family devoured it. I also use red potatoes that. I keep the skin on. Thanks again.
Southern potatoes salad was delicious. I’m getting older and juggling many balls in my life; it was great not to have to look for my recipe. Many of your recipes are so similar to mine kudos girl.
Love you Andrea
Xoxo!
I made this on Super Bowl Sunday! Perfection! Your recipes never need to be altered. They are wonderful as is!
Hi Rosie I’m a big fan of your recipes can i use Miracle Whip instead of mayo
Hi Tom. Miracle Whip will definitely change this recipe. It will make the potato salad sweet.
Looks delicious
Family delicious
I’m making seafood gumbo for Christmas, and this looks perfect to go with it.
This is the best potatoe salad I have made. Highly recommend!
Made this tonight. It was delish. Perfectly balanced.
Gm and thanks for sharing. Have a blessed day from Gainesville Georgia