Classic Potato Salad

Easy and delicious, this is really the best potato salad ever. No complicated or fussy ingredients – it is simple and ALWAYS a crowd-pleaser.

This potato salad really is perfect and is the only recipe I’ve made for at least the last year or so. (Update 7/2013: And it still continues to be my favorite! Along with this loaded version.)

I’ve adjusted the seasonings along the way over the years and have updated the recipe according to my preferences, but really, the dreamy thing about this recipe is that it can be tailored (with lesser or more amounts of any ingredient) to your taste buds.

White bowl of classic potato salad topped with chives.

My husband, Brian, abhors pickles which is why they don’t appear in this version but I lay awake dreaming about potato salad with pickles in it – so throw them in and think of me, would ya?

Thanks to my sweet friend, Tori, who gave me this recipe in the first place! It really is the best potato salad ever. In the world. Honest.

White bowl full of classic potato salad with sliced olives and topped with chives.

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Perfect Potato Salad

Yield: 8 servings as a side dish

Prep Time: 20minutes mins

Cook Time: 20minutes mins

Total Time: 40minutes mins

4.62 stars (49 ratings)

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups mayonnaise (see note)
  • ⅔ cup buttermilk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons salt (see note)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons minced dried onions or 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 5 pounds potatoes (see note)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can olives, cut in half
  • 10 diced hard-boiled eggs (see note)

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Instructions 

  • For the dressing, the easiest way to make this is to add all the ingredients to the mayo jar and shake like your life depends on it until everything is combined. Of course, this requires that the mayo jar is half empty (with only 2 cups of mayo in it). If this is not the case, simply combine all the ingredients in a blender and give it a whirl until all ingredients are combined.
  • For the salad, peel, dice, and boil potatoes until tender but not mushy (I cut my potatoes into bite-size pieces and boil for about 8-10 minutes). Drain potatoes well and pour into a large bowl.
  • Add sliced olives and hard-boiled eggs. Pour dressing over warm potatoes until desired “dressing-level” is reached. I usually make this salad the night before and I pour a thin coating of dressing over the potatoes, olives and eggs while they rest in the fridge overnight.
  • Before serving the next day, I add the rest of the dressing and mix until it looks just right. Most importantly be sure and taste so you can add extra salt and pepper to taste!

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Notes

Saltthe salt amounts in this recipe may vary if you boil your potatoes with salt so make sure you taste along the way so the salad isn’t too salty (or under salted)!

Eggs: for perfect, easy-peel hard-boiled eggs, check out this post (even works for fresh eggs!).

Potatoes: I prefer to use red potatoes or yukon gold potatoes because I like their firm non-grainy texture, but russet potatoes work as well.

Mayo: I use Best Foods/Hellmans Light Mayo with great results.

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