Southern Potato Salad Recipe
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This Southern Potato Salad recipe is a delicious side perfect for casual suppers and cookouts! Potato salad is an easy make ahead favorite!
This potato salad recipe is a simple, classic side dish that’s so easy to make. It is a favorite year round – from summer cookouts to potlucks to a southern Sunday meal. Potato Salad goes so well with everything from hamburgers and grilled chicken to other side dishes like fried okra and baked beans.
When I was a girl I loved being the taste tester when Mama made her potato salad. What a lucky job it was because her Southern Potato Salad is the best! She was asked to make it for every cookout or family reunion because everyone loved it. And my family requested it for so many suppers and family gatherings too. So I got to test it a lot.
Southern Potato Salad Recipe
This potato salad recipe has been in my family for so many years. My great grandmother made it by this recipe and passed it down through the generations. Mama taught my sister and me how to make it and it’s always been our go-to recipe.
Best Potatoes for Southern Potato Salad
You need to use starchy potatoes that get a little bit soft when you cook them. I prefer Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, but I most often use Russets. A waxy potato won’t do for this southern favorite, so get one that will get somewhat soft.
How to Make Potato Salad
To make this recipe you will need these ingredients.
Southern Potato Salad Ingredients
- Potatoes (Russets preferably)
- Eggs
- Onion
- Dill Pickles
- Yellow Mustard
- Mayonnaise (not the sweet dressing type)
- Salt
Cook potatoes. Start by scrubbing and peeling 3 pounds of potatoes. Cube them, add to cold water and boil until tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not until they are mushy. Drain well once they are done.
Boil eggs. At the same time, hard boil 6 eggs and then peel them once they’re done. Chop the eggs in preparation for the salad.
Dice onion and pickles. While the potatoes are boiling, dice your onion and dill pickles.
Combine. Stir together the drained potatoes, chopped eggs, diced onion, diced pickles and salt with the mayonnaise and mustard until creamy. Add more mustard, mayo and even pickles to taste.
Taste test. Make sure your tasting spoons are lined up and at the ready. You will want to have them for your own taste tests!
Once you’ve completed your potato salad, you can either serve right away or refrigerate to serve later.
Make Ahead Favorite
My family’s Southern Potato Salad recipe is one that is delicious made the day of serving, but is a great make-ahead dish as well. Just keep it tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to serve. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Perfect for Cookouts, Picnics and Suppers
You’ll find this dish served at most family get-togethers in my family – from holidays like Easter alongside my Cola-Glazed Ham to reunions to cookouts to Sunday suppers! It’s a great potluck dish anytime, too. Potato salad is delicious with chicken, beef, and pork and is a dish that everyone in my family loves!
More Delicious Side Dishes and Salads
Here are a few more scrumptious sides for summer cookouts, potlucks and family suppers to try! Many are make ahead too!
Here’s my family’s Potato Salad recipe. It’s a special favorite!
Southern Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until tender
- 6 boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 medium dill pickles, diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together and mix until well-combined and creamy. Add more mayonnaise and mustard depending on tastes.
Notes
Store potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Your potato salad reminds me of South Mississippi, hot & humid summer days of rocking on the porch and eating lots of potato salad with mustard in it. yummmm copied the recipe Thanks.
Hi Karen, there is just nothing better than good recipes that remind us of rocking on the porch, is there? I hope you enjoy this family favorite!
Seems like I remember doing the same thing. ; ) This potato salad always reminds me of my grandmother. It’s the only kind of potato salad that is truly potato salad to me. The others? Imposters.
I love potato salad. I can’t make it as well as my grandmother. Your’s looks so good!
I love discovering new recipes and I am sure a lot of people are interested to try this one, as much as I do too…Thanks!
Thanks so much! Your story and this recipe bring back many fond memories from my grandmother’s kitchen! Very nostalgic, very Southern, and no doubt delicious 🙂
That is the perfect southern potato salad recipe…and now I’m craving it!
Love this! I love a good old school potato salad 🙂
I adore your childhood stories. And, this Southern potato salad looks amazing!
Hi Robyn,
what a beautiful story. Is there anything better than eating something that we loved so much when we were kids. Somehow these recipes always bring back nice memories and smile to our faces. I love it! 🙂
My daughter and my youngest son always “taste test” my potato salad too. Sometimes it honestly starts tasting the same to me and I can’t tell if it needs anything more. There’s nothing like a good taste tester! Once I accidentally took the red pepper instead of paprika and liberally sprinkled it over the top! Instead of being terrible like I feared, we really liked it! I always let my testers add red pepper to our potato salad after that. Thanks for the recipe, it sounds great!