Southern Potato Salad – Immaculate Bites

What Potatoes Make the Best Southern Potato Salad?

Opinions vary on this question, but I’d recommend using either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. They cook up pleasantly soft yet stay firm enough to not make mushy potato salad. When using thin-skinned potatoes like red potatoes (if that’s what you have on hand), you can leave the skin on for added texture and a rustic look.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Potatoes – I find four large russets do the trick for this recipe, but you may want to add a few more if you’re using a different variety of potatoes.
2. Eggs – I don’t believe in potato salad without hard-boiled eggs. Kidding, obviously, but they really do add some luxurious taste and texture. 😋
3. Crunchy Veggies – Diced green onion, chopped celery, sweet relish, and some minced garlic are a gorgeous contrast in texture to the potatoes and eggs. Plus, they add so much flavor!
4. Dressing – Dijon mustard, homemade mayo, Creole seasoning, and some good old S&P are all you need for the perfect potato salad dressing. It’s that simple! 😅

How to Make Southern Potato Salad

Cook the Potatoes

• Prep – Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks, then add them to a medium saucepan. Cover the potatoes with water by at least an inch. (Photos 1-2)
• Cook – Salt the water and cook them until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let them cool. (Photos 3-4)

Assemble

• Chop – Once cool, add the potatoes to a large bowl together with chopped eggs, green onion, and celery.  
• Flavor – Mix the sweet relish, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise, Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.  
• Dressing – Add the mayonnaise mixture together with the potato mixture. Gently but thoroughly mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
• Chill – Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Recipe Variations

1. Customize the dressing and seasonings. Southern potato salad is highly customizable. Everyone’s Grandma seems to have her own family recipe. So make this recipe yours. Don’t like sweet relish? Use dill pickles. Not a fan of Dijon mustard? Go ahead and use yellow mustard. Don’t like the added heat? Use smoked paprika instead of Creole seasoning. Want to add something else? A dash of apple cider vinegar? Some Italian seasoning? Go for it! I highly recommend experimenting until you find your favorite version of this recipe.
2. Fancy up your potato salad with some pretty and tasty garnishes. Bacon crumbles, chopped banana peppers, shredded cheese, fresh chopped rosemary or dill, any or all of these make fantastic potato salad toppings.
3. Trade out the root. Sweet potatoes, parsnips, yams (ñame, not sweet potatoes), taro, or any other starchy root vegetable would make a great salad.

Tips and Tricks

1. I like to peel and cut my potatoes before boiling, but you can totally toss them in whole and then peel and chop after they are cooked and cooled. A lot of people feel like this method saves time.
2. Truth be told, potato salad always tastes better on the second day. So make it ahead if you can! Speaking of which…

Make-Ahead Instructions

Make potato salad one to two days ahead if you’d like! It tastes even better when the potatoes have time to soak up all the dressing flavors. Simply make it and then store it covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Store leftover Southern potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll keep for 3-5 days.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve Southern potato salad chilled in a large bowl as a side to your favorite family meal. Scoop hearty portions on everyone’s plates and garnish with your favorite herbs or bacon bits. 🥓

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll keep for 3-5 days.

FAQs

What Goes With Southern Potato Salad

I especially love potato salad alongside fried chicken or grilled wings! But honestly, it goes great with anything grilled or fried. Pair it with other classic sides too, like green beans and bacon or cajun fried corn on the cob. Oh! And don’t forget the sweet iced tea. 😉

More Epic Potato Salad Recipes to Try

1. Red Potato Salad
2. Sweet Potato Salad
3. Ranch Potato Salad
4. German Potato Salad
5. Patti LaBelle’s Potato Salad

Conclusion

Give this creamy, tangy Southern classic a try and see if it doesn’t become a new family favorite! Already tried it? Let me know how it turned out in the comment section below. 🙌

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.