Southern Potato Salad is super creamy with a blend of mayonnaise and mustard, hard-boiled eggs, sweet onion, sweet pickle relish, and celery. It is a potluck must and the only recipe for potato salad you need.
The majority of time when I order potato salad at a restaurant, I am disappointed. So I wanted to create a homemade potato salad recipe that is truly delicious and tastes just like grandma made. And this one is phenomenal.
What Is Southern-Style Potato Salad?
There’s nothing like a bowl of good old-fashioned southern Potato Salad. A go to potato salad recipe is something everyone needs to have on hand. Everyone has their own way of making Southern-Style Potato Salad, but they are usually very creamy, heavy on the mayo, with a little mustard. They also typically contain hard-boiled egg, pickle relish (typically sweet), and paprika sprinkled on top.
Another great southern-style potato salad to try is this Southern Mustard Potato Salad.
Reader Comment
Robin says- “This is the BEST potato salad I have ever tasted or made! It has become a family favorite! I think it tastes best with Hellman’s real mayonnaise and French’s yellow mustard! The apple cider vinegar gives it just the right amount of tang. I’ve tried other brands and none can compare. You can also add fresh dill from your garden. Yum! 🤗” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What Are The Best Potatoes To Use?
I most like to use Russet Potatoes. They get kind of crumbly and I love the creamy texture of a potato salad made with russets. Yukon Gold or red potatoes can be used instead but the texture will be different.
I start my Potato Salad with regular russet potatoes. I cut any large ones in half so that they cook faster and I don’t bother peeling them until they’re done cooking. Then it’s really easy to scrape the skin off with a knife.
Creamy Dressing
For the dressing, I start with lots of mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s mayonnaise. Hellmann’s mayonnaise also works well. Plus a good amount of yellow mustard. It really perks up the flavor. I also add a splash of apple cider vinegar which helps accentuate the flavors. Don’t skip this part.
Lots of hard-boiled eggs, some celery for crunch, sweet onions, sweet pickle relish, a little onion powder, and a few teaspoons of sugar. I like to finish it off by sprinkling some paprika on top.
Wrap it in some plastic wrap and let it chill at least a few hours. Then you’re ready to grill some burgers or bbq chicken to go with this yummy recipe.
How To Make Southern Potato Salad
(More detailed instructions in recipe card below. This is mainly a visual overview.)
- Cook the potatoes. Cut each potato in half and cook in simmering salted water for 20 minutes or until you can easily pierce with a fork. Let cool some and then peel the skins off.
- Cut potatoes. Place the potatoes in a bowl and run a knife through them until they are the desired size.
- Mix the dressing. In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and onion powder. Pour over potatoes and mix well.
- Add the other ingredients. Add the pickle relish, onion, celery, and chopped eggs. Mix in. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate. Add hard-boiled egg slices on top and sprinkle with paprika. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Recipe Tips
- When cooking the potatoes, start with cold, salted water. They will cook more evenly.
- Be sure to drain the potatoes really well before adding them to the other ingredients.
- You can cut the potatoes into small pieces or leave them in bigger chunks. It is personal preference.
How Far In Advance Can It Be Made?
Potato salad is a recipe that is best made in advance. The flavor gets better with time. I recommend making it at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours in advance.
Storage
Will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days.
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Pin ItWhat To Serve Potato Salad With?
- Oven-Barbecued Beef Brisket
- Simply The Best Hamburgers
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- Grilled London Broil
- Southern Fried Pork Chops
- Air Fryer Buffalo Drumsticks
Southern Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds medium russet potatoes
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 4 hard boiled eggs, 3 chopped and 1 sliced
- paprika
Instructions
- Cut each potato in half. Place in a large pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer until fork tender all the way through, about 20 minutes. Drain well. Let cool and then peel and discard the skins.
- Place potatoes in a large bowl. Run a knife through them until they are cut into bite-sized pieces.
- In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and onion powder. Pour over potatoes and mix in well.
- Add relish, celery, onion, and the chopped eggs. Mix in.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with sliced egg and sprinkle with paprika. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Potato Salad Recipes
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The taste of commerically produced pickle relish puts me off. There is a chemical element that I do not like. Instead, I use homemade sweet pickles–a Southern staple. The spices used in the pickles add a subtle flavor to the potato salad.
this southern Potato salad recipe is so yummy, I make it alot, and people love it. I do add extra mayo, and mustard..5 stars
I think this is delicious. The dressing part is so good. I did put my potato’s in warm and that lets some mash up. Great consistency. I also stuffed some egg whites with the potato salad. My husband thought they were wonderful.
lush
I make one minor change for personal preference. I use Kraft India Relish instead of sweet relish. Sweet relish is overkill.
Same as my moms she was a southern girl and I didn’t have her recipe
Left out the celery, paprika and sugar and it was GREAT. Vic.
I haven’t made the recipe yet but I am a fan of Duke’s mayo. I discovered it when I lived in Tennessee. When we moved to Maine I realized they don’t sell it locally so I have been able to order it online at Walmart.com or directly from Duke’s. My mother-in-law made her potato salad like yours so to keep my husband smiling I adopted her recipe. Very similar to yours but she added red pimento peppers.
Cooked this for my family they loved it! We are a southern food highly critical family and this potato salad received high praise.
This is the best potato salad I ever made! It reminds me very much of my mom’s potato salad, which she made without a recipe. I made this according to recipe, but halved it since there are only two of us. Now I wish I’d made the whole recipe to have leftovers for a few more days, especially since it improves with time in the fridge. Thanks for this, Christin. It’s sure to continue to be a favorite for a long time to come!