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This old-fashioned recipe for Easy Potato Salad has probably been passed down by our grandmas for generations. It’s a summer classic destined for backyard barbecues, family celebrations, and picnics.
I’d probably eat (and enjoy) any potato salad you put in front of me, but this is the one that makes my heart sing. I love chunks of potatoes paired with hard-boiled eggs and celery, all coated in a dressing that is creamy and flavorful.
It’s the classic American potato salad, and it’s as good as your mom made but better than you remember. Try it at your next picnic or barbecue – you’ll love it!
Table of Contents
Best Potato Salad Recipe Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Potatoes: Waxy varieties like new potatoes or Yukon golds hold their shape well. But, I like big Russets because they are easiest to peel and I don’t mind if the potatoes fall apart a bit in the salad.
- Vinegar: Or substitute cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Mustard: Substitute 1 teaspoon ground mustard for the prepared yellow mustard.
- Paprika: I love to garnish potato salad with sweet paprika, but dill (fresh or dried), chives, or scallions are also delicious. Or use a combination.
Best potatoes for Potato Salad
The best potatoes for potato salad often come down to personal preference and the style of potato salad you want to make. The two main styles of potatoes are baking potatoes and boiling potatoes. Baking potatoes, such as Russets, are high-starch spuds that break down easily in a salad, but some cooks prefer their taste and that texture.
Waxy boiling potatoes, such as Yukon golds or red salad potatoes, hold their shape better after boiling and will not break apart as easily in a potato salad. If a sturdy salad with proper cubes of potatoes is your goal, reach for boiling potatoes.
How to Make This Potato Salad Recipe With Egg
- In a large pot, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder.
- In a large bowl, add potatoes, onion, celery, and chopped eggs. Add mayonnaise mixture.
- Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper). Garnish with paprika.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 10 cups of potato salad, enough for 10 large (1-cup) servings or even more smaller servings.
- Make ahead: The potatoes can be cubed and submerged in water in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance. The hard-boiled eggs can be boiled a week in advance.
- Mix-ins: Make this potato salad your own by adding cooked bacon, fresh chives or other herbs, minced pickles or relish, peas, capers, or slivered radishes.
Storing Potato Salad
Store potato salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Stir well to recombine before serving.
How long can Potato Salad sit out?
Potato salad can sit out on a table or buffet for up to 2 hours. According to the USDA, cold perishable foods such as potato salad should be discarded if left at room temperature longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the room temperature is 90 degrees). [Source: USDA Leftovers and Food Safety.] It’s better to be safe than sorry!
How long will Potato Salad last in the refrigerator?
Potato salad will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator (the temperature should be 40 degrees or lower). Depending on your exact recipe, the salad may get watery over time, but you can stir to recombine before serving. Or, add additional mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to freshen it up. Even if there is a loss in quality, the salad is safe for up to 4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Potato salad should not sit out at room temperature longer than 2 hours. According to the USDA, “If the potato salad was held in excess of 41°F for over two hours, then discard.” It’s better to be safe than sorry.
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Potato Salad Recipe With Egg
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (see note 1)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 medium onion peeled and minced (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery thinly sliced
- 6 hard-boiled eggs peeled and chopped
- paprika for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder.
- In a large bowl, add potatoes, onion, celery, and chopped eggs. Add mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper). Garnish with paprika.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Potatoes: Waxy varieties like new potatoes or Yukon golds hold their shape well. But, I like big Russets because they are easiest to peel and I don’t mind if the potatoes fall apart a bit in the salad.
- Mustard: Or substitute 1 teaspoon ground mustard.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The potatoes can be cubed and submerged in water in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance. The hard-boiled eggs can be boiled a week in advance.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Simple family style potato salad like grandma used to make! Taste even better made ahead of time.
Thank you, Davi! – Meggan
Love this, but my family rejects celery and raw onion- so we use lots of chopped sweet pickles (and some juice instead of vinegar!) and a big dollop of sour cream and lots of pepper with the mayonnaise- and you are definitely so right about using russet potatoes! My grandmother was making this in the 1920s- with her garden potatoes and chopped cucumbers and lots of sour cream from her dairy- she was a true pioneer woman and i love to see so many basic old recipes still being used and adapted! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Nana! I appreciate you taking the time to write! – Meggan
Meggan, this recipe is the same as my families. We thought it was our secret. The only thing we do not add is garlic powder. We like to use redskin potatoes.
I am asked to make it every time we have a party or picnic. It is a big hit with our family.
Thank you for sharing all your great recipes.
You’re welcome, Beverly! Thank you for writing! I bet it’s delicious with red skin potatoes. Thanks again! – Meggan
Delicious! The only ingredient I added was celery seed because I like the taste of it! My husband loved it as a side dish with BBQ ribs.
So glad you loved it, Jhanie! – Meggan
Was looking for a simple recipe. Had all the stuff except celery. It turned out great. I’m usually hesitant to add sugar to random things but this works. And I always cooled my potatoes completely before adding the mayo but obviously, I’ve been doing it wrong. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Bina! Thank you for trying my recipe and trusting it to work. Take care! – Meggan
My husband loves potato salad and always requests his grandma’s at family gatherings. Hers uses Miracle Whip which is an ingredient I try to avoid. I’ve tried other potato salad recipes, but none were as good as hers. Just tried this recipe and we love it, he said he likes it more than his grandma’s! I omitted celery as I didn’t have it, and added dill and a few diced pickles. Definitely saving this recipe!
So happy it was a hit with him! Thanks for taking the time to write, take care! – Meggan
OMG! Your recipe is almost exactly like my Polish mother who received it from her Polish (Poland) auntie! It was perfect but Mother always added some finely minced sweet gherkins. Thank you soooo much!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing, I’m so glad it brought back some nice memories! 😊 – Meggan
Very tasty! A big hit with pulled pork sandwiches at the party we had last night. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Hettie! – Meggan
You don’t mention mayonnaise in the ingredients? And neither onions
Hi Martha, I’m not sure what your seeing. Sorry about that! Mayonnaise is listed in the recipe, 1 1/2 cups, and 1/2 onion which is about 1 cup. Hope your able to try this recipe! – Meggan
This potato salad is wonderful! I Just made it and the recipe waa spot on. Thank you!!
You’re so welcome, Susie! – Meggan
This is an excellent recipe. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Ann! – Meggan
Excellent! Thank you so much!
You’re so welcome, Rhonda! – Meggan
This recipe was excellent! Smooth texture and delicious!
So glad you loved it! – Meggan
Tasted just like my grandma’s recipe, but so much easier to make!!!
Loose the sugar and you have a truly great recipe.
I went to 5 medium eggs and no sugar (we have to break our sugar addiction)
Diabetes is killing us.
So easy and delicious! I make this all the time now because I always have everything to throw it together.
This was my second time making this potato salad, very easy to make. Very delicious,my husband even liked it.
This is my second time making this potato salad, very delicious.My husband even really likes it. Very easy to make.
Thanks, Linda! 😊 – Meggan
I made this and it was a big hit!!! So delicious and a fun summer side treat.
So happy it was a hit! – Meggan
Meggan, This is a great recipe. I’ve made it several times now, and it tastes just like my Mothers potato salad. Keep up the good work! Thank you again, Troy
You’re so welcome, Troy! – Meggan
Thank you for the recipe – we made it today and it was real tasty!
You’re welcome, Mel! – Meggan
Loved this potato salad. Didn’t use the sugar but it is perfect for your next BBQ. Easy to throw together. Better the next day!
Thank you for this recipe. It is one of my go-to’s now.
You’re so welcome, Melissa! I agree! Thanks! – Meggan
AWESOME 👍😎 fabulously easy and the best part delicious 😋🤤 just the easy already in my kitchen cupboard ingredients for me to make for my husband’s lunch. Kinda hot 🔥 and steamy humid here in Maryland. I’m adding some home made bacon 🥓 crumbles for the extra Smoky salty taste. A dash of Old Bay seasoning for that special Maryland kick.. THANKS for sharing your recipe Such a classic basic that is easily adaptable for everyone to enjoy in their own unique special way and with their own special people.
You’re so welcome, Melissa! I love your energy! Thanks for writing 😊 – Meggan
This was yummy! I mixed red with gold potatoes I definitely like the red better but I also used white Italian vinegar to soften that bite that I don’t really like about vinegar, haha!
I only put three boiled eggs in because my husband didn’t want all six. I used Less mayonnaise and tried out some dill pickle mustard. I only added sprinkles of salt and peppered individual bowls, (I’m not a big pepper fan either). I did put some celery leaves in with the celery ribs. I added about two cups of red onion since we love onions! It actually balanced out because my red potatoes were huge and my gold potatoes were medium. Tastes much better than store-bought that’s for sure!
Thanks so much for your comment, Kimberly. 😊 I agree, it’s so much better than store-bought, and so customizable. Thanks for sharing how you made it, hopefully it will help another reader in the future. Take care! – Meggan
Hi Kathy,
Thank you for the recipe, it’s the same one I grew up with and have been hunting down for years. With the passage of time, and hands, parts had been forgotten and omitted like the addition of the sugar, vinegar and celery. I made this as a double batch for a family cookout and I thought there would be leftovers, pfft boy was I wrong! We’re having another family cookout tomorrow and I was -told- to bring it. I am holding some back this time so that my hubby and I can enjoy leftovers, yum!
I’m glad it was a hit!!! But it sounds like you’ll have to make double (or triple) this time around 🙂 – Meggan
Can you use Splenda instead of sugar? How will it affect the taste?
Hi Pat! I haven’t tried this with Splenda instead of sugar. I would probably start with less because Splenda is sweeter than sugar (I think? Right?). I actually do personally enjoy Splenda in beverages but haven’t tried it in a savory dish. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes. Thanks! – Meggan
Very good potato salad, thank you 😊
Thank you so much, Kathy! – Meggan
My guests LOVED this potato salad! I added extra fresh dill and onion. I’ll be making this one for years to come, I’m sure. Thanks!
Thank for trying, and sharing, this recipe with your loved ones! Glad everyone loved it 🙂 – Meggan
We loved this potato salad and made it exactly as written! It was delicious! When serving leftovers the next day, we noticed it was very soupy and can’t quite put our finger on what caused that. I’m not sure if it was the style of potatoes, or the fact that we use the light mayo. Any suggestions? I guess I’ll just have to make it again and again trying different potatoes lol
Hi there, I’ve made this so many times and it’s never soupy the next day. My money is on the “light mayo,” I think it usually has more sugar to make up for the lower amount of fat. I honestly don’t see why the type of potato would matter. Potatoes can be starchier or waxier, but none of them strike me as holding on to water per se, you know? I feel like it’s the mayo. I’m not a food scientist and this theory is untested! I’m glad you at least liked it the first day. Thank you so much! -Meggan
Excellent, family loved it!
Yay, so happy to hear that, Carla. Thanks for sharing 🙂 – Meggan
Made the chunky potato salad. Easy to make. First time I have ever made Chunky potato salad. I have always made creamy . well more like mash potatoes. Eating later this evening.
Happy Memorial Day
Happy Memorial Day to you too, Linda. Hope you enjoy the potato salad 🙂 – Meggan
I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE POTATO SKINS ACTUALLY HAVE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE NUTRITION AND , WITH GOLDEN POTATOES I LEAVE THEM ON , WHEN BOILED THEY ARE ISTANTLY MADE SAFE TO EAT AND THEY ARE EASILY DIGESTED .
A lot of people leave skins on when making potato salad and as long as it’s safe to eat, it is your preference. Thanks for sharing William! – Meggan
I added more celery and threw in fresh dill. I’ve made this twice and the added dill was an excellent addition to this already good recipe.
Thanks so much Bruno. I love hearing how people make little changes to my recipes! – Meggan
First time making potato salad. Glad I found this recipe, this is the best I’ve ever had! I halved the recipe for two people. I appreciate the exact salt/pepper suggestions. I found it to be just right. And just the right amount of mustard. Most salads have way too much for my taste. Simple and flavorful. 10/10. Thank you!
I love that you tried it and loved it! 🙂 Meggan
I made this potato salad to take to a work potluck luncheon a few months back. It was a hit! We recently had another potluck, and I had requests to bring it again. It is the best potato salad recipe I’ve ever made!
Thank you 🙂
I’m so glad you loved it, thanks Michelle! -Meggan
I’ve never had much success making potato salad, but this recipe is perfect! Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
That’s great to hear Lesa! – Meggan
OMG…Absolutely delicious! Just made this and love it! My only complaint is that there was too much mayonnaise mixture. I probably shouldn’t have thrown it all in all at once. However, I WILL make this again, but next time with less mayonnaise. This will also now be my go-to recipe for potato salad. THANK YOU for sharing!
Thanks for your comment Robin! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it another chance in the future by adding less mayo. My mom always added this much mayo, so it’s what I’m used to! 🙂 -Meggan
This was very tasty! I appreciated the precise measurements. I’ll definitely add this to my favorite potato salad recipes. Thanks for sharing!
I forgot to rate with my comment. 5 stars!
I love potato salad and have tried several different recipes throughout the years. This is the BEST! Perfect just as written.
Thank you so much for an easy, delicious recipe.
You’re so welcome, Christine! I’m so happy you loved it! – Meggan
I love potato salad I made this yummy potato salad today step by step it was easy to make yummy will make this again
first time i have ever made potato salad. thanks so much for the recipe. the only thing i added was salad delight pickles.
You’re so welcome, Barry! I’m glad you enjoyed it! – Meggan
Good old fashioned potato salad!!!
So happy you loved it, Suzanne! – Meggan
Halved the recipe and turned out great.
So glad you loved the potato salad, Nancy! – Meggan
just made my potato salad ahead to be served tomorrow.
Tastes delicious
Thank you for your comment, Anna! I appreciate it! I’m so glad you loved it. 🙂 – Meggan
Made this for the first time for a family gathering and wave reviews all around!!!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I did not add the garlic nor the paprika (just my preference).
You’re welcome, Susan! Thank you for trusting my recipe, I’m glad it was a hit! – Meggan
I’m not usually the one asked to make potato salad but when I was asked, I found this recipe. It’s the best potato salad I’ve ever made. I got raves about the amount of eggs. It was so creamy but not too much. It will be my go to recipe from now on
I’m so glad it was a hit, Cathy! Thank you for trusting my recipe! – Meggan
How much vinegar?
Hi Margaret, it’s 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Hope you love this potato salad! – Meggan
Made this for a gathering and got many compliments! Great recipe!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Peg! take care! – Meggan
I .made this and was so surprised at the fantastic taste. I did not put eggs in it because I diced veggies instead like carrots, yellow, red, orange bell peppers and celery used 1 cup of mayo.it was fantastic
Thank you so much for the comment, Carleen! I’m so glad you loved it! – meggan
I made this it was excellent, won’t buy store made any more, I also added 1 tsp of sweet relish
Glad you loved it, Bill! – Meggan
I followed the recipe and the Potato Salad came out perfectly well. I made Potato Salad Sandwiches and they where great. Your recipe is great especially easy to prepare and have plenty for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.
Thank You.
You’re welcome, Wes! So glad you loved it! – Meggan
So good! The kids even loved it lol
Hi Samantha, I’m so happy they loved it! Take care! – Meggan
Excellent! Loved this! Followed recipe to a ‚T‘! I especially liked the mayo ‘mix’ (mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder)….I suggest making extra….I used it as one of my fondue Bourguignonne sauces as well as using it as a sauce to fill my avocados!! Great Salad/Dip sauce as well!!! Thank you!
Thanks Mark! So glad you enjoyed. – Meggan
I need this for 4-6 people. How do I revise the recipe
Thank you
Hi T, you can adjust the serving size with the slider tool on the recipe card. Hope you enjoy! – Meggan
Make 2 batches LOL
This recipe was a hit, I gave my wife a break and prepared supper and everybody, even myself was amazed as to how good the potato salad came out. Oh another thing was that you were spot on about it being the past down from generation recipe, tasted just like my grandmother and my mothers. Delicious. Thanks for everything.
Thanks so much Ricky, so glad you all enjoyed it! – Meggan
I really like this receipt. I don’t add the garlic (hubby can’t eat it) but even without it, it’s fantastic!!
Thanks Gail! Glad you both enjoy! -Meggan
I’m normally not a fan of potato salad, But I needed a side for my Smoked BBQ ribs,
And this came out great.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Tim! So glad you enjoyed! -Meggan
First time ever making potato salad & it was AMAZING!!! 😋
Thank you Erin! -Meggan
Very delicious!
Absolutely Loved this Potato salad recipe. Easy to make and Ab-so-Lutley Delicious! Thank you
Well done! And easy recipe that is actually easy and uses normal ingredients. Also I love the “jump to the recipe” button. I could care less about somebodies great aunt Tilly who stole this recipe from a sandanistan freedom fighter during the revolution and smuggled messages to the resistance based on the salt and pepper ratio of the dish. Well done
Wow, somebody who actually SAW the Jump to Recipe button! LOL! It’s always there, people miss it all the time. I’m glad you saw it. And I’m even happier you liked the recipe. Story-telling is going away from blogs all over the place, so hopefully you don’t see too much of that anymore. We bloggers got the message. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! -Meggan
Great potato salad recipe. It’s delicious. Too bad you made it so difficult to write it down for people on a smart phone without a printer with all these advertisements and videos getting in the way. It’s just too busy here for a senior citizen to try another recipe. I guess you all based this site on catering to the a specific type of person and didn’t consider an average or older person. Shame on you.
Hi Tamara, I’m sorry about all the trouble you had on my site (and that I took so long to reply; I was on vacation in Wisconsin in an area with no WIFI). What I wanted to tell you is, if you go to the recipe card and click “print recipe,” a new window will open on your phone with no ads and a text-only version of the recipe. It will be really easy to see it, cook from it, or write it down. I will talk to my ad company about all the ads, it doesn’t look horrible on my own phone but clearly you had issues. So sorry about that! And I’m not catering my site to a specific person other than people who love to cook. But I know I need to make it easier for you to do that, fewer ads would help! Sorry again. Sincerely, Meggan
I just made this for Easter tomorrow..It’s delious…Best potato salad I ever made…yummm
Excellent! You add the potatoes to the cold water and bring them and the water up to temperature together. That way, the outside is not over done and mushy while the inside is cooking to firm. Basically my same recipe.
Glad you shared this one with us ! Thank you !