This all American Potato Salad is a classic potato salad recipe full of tender potatoes, crunchy celery, tangy pickles and diced hard boiled eggs in a well-seasoned dressing. It’s perfect for picnics, potlucks or barbecues all year long. Everyone loves a traditional potato salad!
If you want to try some more potato salad variations, try my recipes for smashed potato salad, German potato salad, loaded baked potato salad and lemon basil roasted potato salad.
American Potato Salad
American Potato salad is a big-time favorite at my house. My guys like a pretty basic kind of potato salad without a lot of extra goodies added in. I understand that. Sometimes simple is best. But sometimes a dill pickle potato salad with mustard and red onion and egg and celery is even better! That’s this one! This happens to be a very popular recipe. Every time I serve it up at an event, party or gathering with friends, it’s always a big hit. There’s never any left, so I fully recommend you double the recipe so you get to enjoy some leftovers. This is one of those potato salads that tastes even better the next day.
🛒Ingredients needed:
- Yukon Gold Potatoes or Red Potatoes: These are the best potatoes to use for potato salad. Avoid using Russet or Idaho potatoes. They tend to get mushy.
- Basics: salt and pepper, celery seed, yellow mustard, mayonnaise and sour cream.
- Dill pickles and pickle juice
- Red onion and celery: These provide crunch and flavor!
- Hard Boiled Eggs: I love eggs added to potato salad, but you don’t need to add them if you’re not into it.
✏️How to make All American Potato Salad:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
- Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with cold water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to boil over high heat, add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes thoroughly and let cool in a large bowl. Mix 2 tablespoons pickle juice and mustard together in small bowl, drizzle the pickle juice mixture over the warm potatoes, and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cooled, about 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining tablespoon of pickle juice, mayo, sour cream, pickles, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, onion, celery, celery seed and pepper. Add to the potatoes and toss gently to coat. Cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes or more. Potato salad tastes best when it is nice and cold! Gently stir in eggs, if using, just before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure not to overcook the potatoes or the salad will be quite sloppy. Keep the water at a gentle simmer and use the tip of a paring knife to judge the doneness of the potatoes. If the knife inserts easily into the potato pieces, they are done.
- Garnish this potato salad with some chopped fresh dill or chopped fresh chives.
- If you prefer a sweeter potato salad, substitute the dill pickle for sweet pickle relish.
- If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, just make sure that you are using brands of mustard and mayonnaise that are known to be GF.
✔️What to serve with All American Potato Salad:
- No summer cookout is complete without potato salad! American potato salad is perfect served alongside some delicious Grilled Flank Steak, Burgers, Chili Dogs, Ribs, Sloppy Joes or Pulled Pork!
- If you’re making this when it’s not grilling season, my Grilled Reuben Sandwiches would be wonderful with it.
- When making All American Potato Salad to feed a crowd, how about some Cherry Slab Pie for dessert?
★How to Store:
This salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Do not freeze this one!
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- I love the crunch in this All American Potato Salad. The dill pickle and celery give it that classic potato salad flavor that so many folks out there enjoy.
- I love hard-boiled eggs and some times add 1 or 2 extra. If you love hard-boiled eggs, I highly recommend doing so, too.
- This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd, but I also love that when I make it for just my family, we can enjoy that yummy potato salad for a few days.
American Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled or unpeeled), cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice, divided
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles
- ½ small red onion, chopped finely
- 1 large rib of celery, chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 large hard boiled eggs (peeled), cut into ¼-inch dice
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with cold water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to boil over high heat, add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes thoroughly and let cool in a large bowl. Mix 2 tablespoons pickle juice and mustard together in small bowl, drizzle the pickle juice mixture over potatoes, and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cooled, about 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining tablespoon of pickle juice, mayo, sour cream, pickles, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, onion, celery, celery seed and pepper. Add to the potatoes and toss gently to coat. Cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes. Gently stir in eggs, if using, just before serving.
Notes
- Be sure not to overcook the potatoes or the salad will be quite sloppy. Keep the water at a gentle simmer and use the tip of a paring knife to judge the doneness of the potatoes. If the knife inserts easily into the potato pieces, they are done.
- Salad can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Yukon Gold potatoes offer the best balance of sturdiness and flavor.
- If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, just make sure that you are using brands of mustard and mayonnaise that are known to be GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a good recipe and the second time I have made it… came out great both times.. Pretty classic and easy to make… the Yukon Gold potatoes have just the right consistency.
Norwegian Pancakes – loved these! Thought they could be used for manicotti shells, also (“with a little less butter)
Thank you for sharing! I just made today homemade mayonnaise and was looking for american potato salad recipe. Can’t wait to try!