Best Classic Potato Salad Recipe (It’s a Winner!)

Recipe: Salads, Sides, Cookout, Picnic, Make-Ahead

Best Classic Potato Salad Recipe (It’s a Winner!)

By Food Menu Journal Team · Researched October 2026 · Disclosure: This is a researched recipe guide, not a cook test report. The method, amounts, times, and potato choice below come from three published recipes: The Kitchn, Delish, and Serious Eats. Where the sources disagree, on potato type, amounts, mustard, sugar, eggs, cook time, chill time, storage, and nutrition, the disagreement is stated in the guide instead of hidden. No cook test is claimed.

Classic potato salad is the cookout side dish everyone reaches for: tender potatoes, briny pickles, crunchy celery, and hard-boiled eggs tossed in a mayonnaise and mustard dressing. Done well, it is tangy, salty, and sweet at once, creamy and crunchy and fluffy in every bite, and feather-light despite being made from potato and mayo, two of the heaviest ingredients around. Done carelessly, it is the disappointing tub at the barbecue: bland, mushy, or straight-up mayo. Three published recipes were compared to master the basics: The Kitchn’s everyday classic, Delish’s family-favorite version built from the author’s dad’s recipe, and Serious Eats’ deeply tested method with the science behind every step. The Kitchn calls its version 100 times more flavorful than most recipes, because the hot potatoes are seasoned with vinegar. Delish promises creamy and tangy, with crunch from onion and pickles, and not too sweet. Serious Eats says a well-constructed potato salad can be as interesting as the burger it precedes.

Recipe at a Glance

Recipe	Best classic potato salad, mayo and mustard dressing, served cold
Main version	The Kitchn: red or Yukon Gold potatoes, dill pickles, shallot, Dijon mustard
Prep time	20 minutes (The Kitchn); 10 minutes (Delish); 5 minutes (Serious Eats)
Cook time	20 minutes (The Kitchn); 12 to 15 minutes boiling (Delish); 15 minutes (Serious Eats)
Cooling and chilling time	At least 1 hour refrigerated (The Kitchn, Serious Eats); refrigerate until serving (Delish); 1 hour 30 minutes cooling and chilling (Serious Eats)
Total time	40 minutes plus chilling (The Kitchn); 25 minutes (Delish); 1 hour 50 minutes (Serious Eats)
Servings	6 to 8, about 6 cups (The Kitchn); 6 servings (Delish); 8 to 12 servings, about 2 quarts (Serious Eats)
Potatoes	2 pounds red or Yukon Gold (The Kitchn); 3 pounds Yukon Gold (Delish); 4 pounds russet (Serious Eats). The sources disagree on the best potato; see Our Review
Best for	Cookouts, picnics, backyard parties, barbecue sides, make-ahead sides

Why We Made This Guide

Potato salad looks simple, two steps, boil potatoes and toss with mayo, but most versions fail in one of three ways, and Serious Eats names them: the potatoes are under-seasoned, the potatoes are undercooked or overcooked, and the dressing is under-seasoned. The Kitchn author admits a love-hate history with the dish: loving to eat it, hating to make it, because the potatoes came out overcooked or the salad tasted like straight mayonnaise. This guide exists to fix all three failures with tested technique: start the potatoes in cold water so they cook evenly, season them with vinegar while they are still hot so flavor reaches the center, and season the dressing boldly, because cold food tastes bland without extra vinegar, salt, and spice. Three recipes were compared so you can see where they agree, cold start, hot seasoning, bold dressing, and where they honestly disagree, above all on the potato itself.

Ingredients

The main version below is The Kitchn recipe, with exact amounts. The differences table after it covers the other two recipes. No prices appear in any of the three sources, so none are listed here.

Main Version: The Kitchn Classic

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes	2 pounds, cut into 3/4-inch chunks	Peel first if desired
Kosher salt	2 1/2 teaspoons, divided, plus more as needed	2 teaspoons in the cooking water, 1/2 teaspoon in the dressing
Hard-boiled large eggs	3, peeled and diced	Optional
Dill pickle spears	2, diced (about 1/3 cup)	Or 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
Celery stalks, medium	2, diced (about 3/4 cup)	For crunch
Shallot, large	1, minced (about 1/4 cup)	For crunch and mild onion flavor
Scallions, medium	2, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)	Optional
Fresh parsley, dill, or a combination	2 tablespoons, finely chopped	From 1/4 small bunch
Mayonnaise	1/2 cup	Binds the salad together
Dijon mustard	1 tablespoon	For tang
Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar	2 tablespoons, divided	1 tablespoon in the dressing, 1 tablespoon over the hot potatoes
Freshly ground black pepper	To taste	Season at the end

How the Other Two Versions Differ

Version	Potatoes and mayo	Acid and mustard	Extras
Delish (Miyashiro)	3 lb Yukon Gold, unpeeled, 1/2-inch pieces; 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise	1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; 1/2 tsp paprika	1 small red onion; 1/4 cup dill pickles; 4 hard-boiled eggs; 1/4 cup chives
Serious Eats (Lopez-Alt)	4 lb russet, peeled, 3/4-inch cubes; 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise	6 tbsp rice wine vinegar, divided; 2 tbsp whole grain mustard; 1/4 cup sugar, divided	1/4 cup cornichons; 3 celery ribs; 1 red onion; scallions and parsley optional; no eggs

Our Review: How It Tastes, and the Potato Fight

Based on the published notes, a good classic potato salad tastes tangy, salty, and sweet at once, with a texture that is creamy, crunchy, and fluffy in each bite. The Kitchn version leads with vinegar tang from the hot-potato seasoning, plus crunch from celery, shallot, and pickles, and richness from the eggs. Delish leads with creamy Yukon Golds, lemon brightness, and the crunch of red onion and pickles, deliberately not too sweet. Serious Eats leads with layered brightness, rice wine vinegar in the water, on the hot potatoes, and in the dressing, plus sugar and whole grain mustard for balance, and a dressing extended by vigorously stirring so potato corners break down into it.

The Potato Fight: Waxy vs Russet

The sources directly disagree on the potato, and both sides give reasons, so both are stated here. The Kitchn and Delish say use waxy potatoes: Red Bliss and Yukon Golds will not fall apart while cooking and will hold their shape when tossed with dressing. Delish is blunt that extra-starchy russets are great for baking and frying but crumble apart when boiled, and are not right for potato salad. Fingerlings join the waxy list. Waxy skins are delicate, add color, and help the cubes hold their shape, and peeling is personal preference. Serious Eats says the opposite from a dye test: russet potatoes, with a granular open texture, absorb seasoning far better than dense waxy red potatoes, and give a tender fluffy result with edges just barely breaking down. The practical pick: waxy potatoes for the neatest shape, russets for the deepest seasoning. Either way, cut the pieces evenly, start in cold water, and season while hot.

Why Cold Water and Hot Seasoning Matter

Serious Eats tested both questions with unusual care. Dropping cut potatoes into already-boiling water overcooks the outside before the center loses its chill, giving crunchy nuggets swimming in gluey mash. Starting in cold water heats potatoes evenly along with the water, so the center is perfectly cooked just as the edges barely begin to break apart, and a little broken potato thickens and flavors the dressing. For seasoning, three batches were compared with green food coloring standing in for salt and vinegar: potatoes cooked in seasoned water, potatoes seasoned while still hot, and potatoes seasoned after cooling completely. The first two were green all the way to their centers. The cooled potato stayed pale inside, because surface starch hardens and gelatinizes as it cools and the potato contracts and tightens. Adding vinegar to the cooking water, 1 tablespoon per quart, also slows pectin breakdown, so the potatoes resist overcooking while you are distracted. Finally, foods served cold need bolder seasoning than hot foods, because taste buds are less receptive at colder temperatures, so the dressing needs more vinegar, sugar, spice, and salt than you would expect, kept in balance.

Steps: How to Make Classic Potato Salad

Step 1: Boil the Potatoes From Cold Water

1. Cut the potatoes evenly: 3/4-inch chunks (The Kitchn, Serious Eats) or 1/2-inch pieces (Delish). To cut cubes Delish style, halve each potato lengthwise, cut lengthwise into sticks about 1/2 inch wide, then cut crosswise about 1/2 inch apart. Peel first if desired; waxy skins can stay on, russets are peeled.
2. Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Season generously with salt to infuse flavor. Serious Eats adds 2 tablespoons each of kosher salt, sugar, and vinegar to 2 quarts of water.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until fork-tender or easily pierced with a knife: 8 to 10 minutes (The Kitchn), 12 to 15 minutes (Delish), about 10 minutes (Serious Eats). Watch closely: potatoes go from undercooked to overcooked fast, and overcooked potatoes turn to gluey mash.
4. While the potatoes cook, prepare hard-boiled eggs if you do not have them ready, and chop the onion, pickles, celery, and herbs.

Step 2: Make the Dressing

1. In a medium or large bowl, combine the diced eggs if using, pickles, celery, shallot or onion, scallions or chives, herbs, salt, mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar or lemon juice. Stir to combine.
2. For the Delish version, mix onion, mayonnaise, pickles, mustard, lemon juice, and paprika first, then fold in potatoes, eggs, and chives at the end.
3. For the Serious Eats version, combine the remaining sugar and vinegar with celery, onion, scallion, parsley, pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise in a large bowl, and stir with a rubber spatula. Stirring vigorously later bashes potato corners into the dressing and extends the creaminess.

Step 3: Season Hot, Cool, Fold, and Chill

1. Drain the potatoes well in a colander, then transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and spread into a single layer.
2. Sprinkle vinegar evenly over the hot potatoes at once: 1 tablespoon (The Kitchn) or 2 tablespoons (Serious Eats). Do not wait until they cool, or the seasoning will not penetrate.
3. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes (The Kitchn) or 30 minutes (Serious Eats). Delish lets them cool slightly before folding.
4. Add the cooled potatoes to the dressing bowl and fold to combine, so every piece is coated. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving (The Kitchn, Serious Eats), or refrigerate until ready to serve (Delish). Serious Eats allows up to 3 days chilled; The Kitchn allows up to 1 day of chilling before serving.

Picky Eats

The picky-eater case for this salad rests on choice. Eggs are optional in The Kitchn version, omittable in Delish, and absent from Serious Eats, so egg-free is simple. Pickles worry some eaters, but Delish reports serving it to many self-described pickle haters who never noticed them, treating dill pickles as a secret condiment that adds only a fresh bite. Sweetness is adjustable: Delish keeps its version not too sweet, while Serious Eats adds sugar for balance, so the cook decides. Crunch comes from familiar celery and onion, and the dressing is plain mayonnaise and mustard with no hot spice. The sources include no child taste test, so this section sticks to what the recipes actually say.

Parents’ Review & Family Tips

For families, the strength is make-ahead scale: one batch serves 6 to 12 depending on the version, it must chill anyway, and it travels to cookouts and picnics in one covered bowl. Make it up to 1 day ahead (The Kitchn) or up to 3 days ahead (Serious Eats), and refrigerate until serving rather than leaving it sitting out (Delish). It pairs with the cookout mains The Kitchn names: stovetop burgers, oven-baked hot dogs, St. Louis-style ribs, grilled chicken drumsticks, and sloppy joes. Let kids help with the safe jobs, stirring the dressing and sprinkling herbs, and keep the boiling pot and knife work for an adult. The sources include no parent review, so this section sticks to what the recipes actually say.

Nutrition & Carbohydrate Information

Two sources publish figures, and they differ because the serving sizes and mayo amounts differ, so both are shown as source figures. The Kitchn shows a nutrition link but no values in the text used here, so no figures are given for its version and nothing is invented.

Measure	Delish, per serving (6 servings)	Serious Eats, per serving (8 to 12 servings)
Calories	627	327
Fat	Not published in the text used here	18g
Carbohydrates	Not published in the text used here	38g
Protein	Not published in the text used here	5g

What to Know Before Making

• Start the potatoes in cold water. Dropping cut potatoes into boiling water overcooks the outside before the center cooks.
• Cut pieces evenly. Uneven pieces cook unevenly, giving crunchy and mushy pieces in the same bowl.
• Salt the cooking water generously. Potatoes seasoned only at the end taste bland all the way to the core when cold.
• Season with vinegar while the potatoes are still hot, spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Waiting until cool wastes the seasoning.
• Season the dressing boldly. Cold food needs more vinegar, salt, sugar, and spice than hot food, kept in balance so no one element dominates.
• Do not overcook. Potatoes go from tender to gluey fast, and overcooked potatoes make cold mashed potato salad. Test with a knife and drain at fork-tender.
• Refrigerate until serving and do not leave the salad sitting out (Delish).
• Swaps that work: sweet pickle relish 1/4 cup for dill spears; distilled white or white wine vinegar for apple cider or rice vinegar; whole grain or spicy brown mustard for Dijon; shallots for red onion; cornichons, dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, or pickle relish interchangeably (Serious Eats note).
• Storage advice disagrees: airtight fridge up to 5 days (The Kitchn); up to 1 week but best within 3 days (Delish); prepared up to 3 days, refrigerated (Serious Eats). All three are stated here.

Is It Worth It?

Yes, for any summer gathering where a cold side has to feed a crowd and hold up in the fridge. The active work is short: one pot of potatoes and one bowl of dressing. The Kitchn version is the simplest everyday classic at 40 minutes plus chilling. Delish is the fastest at 25 minutes total, with lemon brightness and the most mayo. Serious Eats takes longest at 1 hour 50 minutes including chilling, but gives the deepest explanation and the longest make-ahead window. The potato choice is the only real decision: waxy for neat shape, russet for deepest seasoning. Whichever potato you pick, the three rules decide the result: cold water start, season while hot, bold dressing.

FAQ

Which potato is best for potato salad?

The Kitchn and Delish say waxy potatoes: Red Bliss, Yukon Golds, and fingerlings hold their shape and will not fall apart. Serious Eats says russets absorb seasoning far better in its dye test and give a tender fluffy result. Both views are stated in the guide: waxy for shape, russet for seasoning absorption.

Should I peel the potatoes?

Peel first if desired (The Kitchn). Delish leaves Yukon Golds unpeeled, since the delicate skin adds color and helps cubes hold their shape, and peeling comes down to personal preference. Serious Eats peels its russets. Any of the three works.

How long do I boil the potatoes?

Until fork-tender or easily pierced with a knife: 8 to 10 minutes at a gentle simmer (The Kitchn), 12 to 15 minutes (Delish), about 10 minutes (Serious Eats). Time varies with cube size, so test with a knife rather than trusting the clock alone, and drain before the potatoes turn mushy.

How long must potato salad chill?

At least 1 hour refrigerated (The Kitchn, Serious Eats), or refrigerate until ready to serve (Delish). Make-ahead: up to 1 day (The Kitchn), up to 3 days prepared and refrigerated (Serious Eats). Chilling lets the flavors meld and the dressing set.

How long does potato salad keep in the fridge?

Airtight container up to 5 days (The Kitchn), up to 1 week but best within 3 days for maximum freshness (Delish), prepared up to 3 days refrigerated (Serious Eats). The three storage times disagree, so all three are stated here. Keep it refrigerated and do not leave it sitting out.

Can I swap the pickles, vinegar, or mustard?

Yes. Use 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish instead of dill spears, distilled white or white wine vinegar instead of apple cider or rice vinegar, and whole grain or spicy brown mustard instead of Dijon (The Kitchn swaps). Cornichons, dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, or pickle relish all work (Serious Eats). Soak chopped red onion in water while the potatoes cook to mellow its bite (Delish).

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Sources & Review Notes

Researched recipe guide. Method, amounts, times, and potato choice were taken from three published recipes: The Kitchn, “Classic Potato Salad” by Emma Christensen and Kristina Razon, updated April 6, 2026 (2 pounds potatoes, 8 to 10 minute boil, vinegar-seasoned hot potatoes, swaps, make-ahead and storage); Delish, “Best Classic Potato Salad” by Lauren Miyashiro, updated March 10, 2026, verified by the Delish Test Kitchen (3 pounds Yukon Gold, lemon juice, paprika, 627 cal per serving, storage guidance, reader comments); and Serious Eats, “Classic Potato Salad” by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, updated September 28, 2025 (4 pounds russet potatoes, cold start and hot seasoning tests, sugar and rice wine vinegar, nutrition figures). Disagreements between the sources are stated in the guide: potato type (waxy vs russet), amounts (2 vs 3 vs 4 pounds), mayo (1/2 cup vs 1 1/2 cups vs 1 1/4 cups), mustard (Dijon vs whole grain), acid (vinegar vs lemon juice), sugar (Serious Eats only), eggs (optional or absent), cook time, chill time, storage time, and nutrition (627 vs 327 calories per serving, different serving sizes). Reader review quotes in Delish are reader comments, not the author’s testing, and are not used as facts. No prices appear in any source, so none are listed. No cook test is claimed, and no figures were invented for versions that publish none.