Classic Southern Potato Salad
This classic Southern Potato Salad recipe is exactly what you’d expect from any Southern home or “home-cookin’” restaurant. Semi-chunky Russet potatoes nestled in a tangy mustard and vinegar dressing with chopped onion, celery and bell pepper.
This staple dish pairs beautifully with ham as an Easter side dish and goes great with BBQ ribs, hot dogs, or a sandwich.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Quick and easy – prep ahead and mix everything together
- Pairs well with ham, barbecue, or sandwiches
- Perfect texture – not too mushy
- All-natural – no weird ingredients
Some Southern cooks add boiled eggs; feel free to include them!
Ingredients
- Potato salad ingredients: russet potatoes, onion, celery or celery seed, and green bell pepper.
- Dressing ingredients: yellow mustard, mayonnaise, salt or celery salt, a little oil and white vinegar; optional relish or chopped pickles.
How to make Southern potato salad
I’ve found homemade potato salad tastes better the next day so, you may want to make this in advance.
- Boil whole russet potatoes (unpeeled) until tender. Drain and let them cool completely before peeling and cubing.
- Chop onion, bell pepper and celery. Mix dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Remove potato peels and cut potatoes into 1″inch cubes; add them to a big mixing bowl
- Gently mash the potatoes with a potato masher, leaving them a bit chunky.
- Fold in dressing and chopped vegtetables; cover and refrigerate
- When ready to serve, garnish with paprika or sliced green olives
Recipe Tips
- Let potatoes cool before peeling/cubing.
- Texture depends on your preference—semi-chunky or creamy.
- Mix dressing separately before folding into potatoes.
- For creamier texture, mash some of the potatoes
- Add boiled eggs if you like; fold them into the potatoes when you add the dressing and chopped veggies
FAQ’s
Russet, Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes are excellent choices for a delicious potato salad because they are non-waxy. Non-waxy potatoes have more starch than waxy and provide a lighter, fluffier texture.
The USDA says you can leave it out for up to 2 hours in a moderate temperature. If the temperature is above 90°F, the time is reduced to 1 hour.
Freezing is not recommended because the mayonnaise separates resulting in a gummy texture.
Variations & Substitutions
- Potatoes: red, Yukon gold, white potatoes
- Onions: yellow, white, sweet, red, or green onions
- Mustard: yellow or Dijon
- Acid: white vinegar, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar
- Relish: sweet or dill pickle relish or chopped pickles
- Herbs: dill, parsley
- Optional: boiled eggs
This Classic Southern Potato Salad pairs beautifully with Fried Catfish, Ribs, Corned Beef or a Hot Pastrami Sandwich.
Related recipes
- Tortellini Pasta Salad
- English Pea Salad
- Foolproof Oven Baked Ribs
- No-Mayo Coleslaw
- Maple Baked Beans
- Pineapple Casserole
- Blue Cheese Potato Salad
- Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes)
♥ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!
Classic Southern Potato Salad
Equipment
- Potato masher
Ingredients
Potato Salad
- 3 lbs. russet potatoes
- ¾ cup bell pepper (green or red) chopped (about 1 medium pepper)
- ¾ cup yellow onion chopped (about ½ a medium onion)
- ¾ cup celery chopped (about 4-6 stalks)
- 1 boiled egg (optional) chopped (See Recipe Notes: Egg)
- paprika for garnish (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- ¼ cup oil canola or vegetable
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot of water on high
- Scrub and rinse potatoes; place potatoes in water and allow to cook until tender; DO NOT PEEL THE POTATOES YET3 lbs. russet potatoes
- Place cooked potatoes in fridge for 30 minutes (don't peel them yet)
- Chop green bell pepper, onion and celery¾ cup bell pepper (green or red), ¾ cup yellow onion, ¾ cup celery
- Remove potatoes from fridge; use a sharp paring knife and gently slice away peel
- Cube and cut into smaller than bite size pieces; place potatoes in large bowl
- Add chopped vegetables; combine with spatula¾ cup bell pepper (green or red), ¾ cup yellow onion, ¾ cup celery , 1 boiled egg (optional)
Make the Dressing
- Combine mayonnaise, mustard, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl; whisk until combinedsalt and pepper to taste, 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup yellow mustard, ¼ cup oil, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Pour half of the dressing over the potatoes and vegetables; fold dressing into potatoes
- Taste for salt and pepper; add more if needed
- Add remaining dressing and combine
- Use a potato masher and gently mash the mixture; don't mash the potatoes too much
- Taste for salt and pepper; adjust seasonings as desired; place in fridge for 15 minutes
- When ready to serve, plate in pretty bowl and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and/or chopped green olives (optional)paprika
Notes
- If you like a chopped boiled egg in your potato salad, boil the egg while the potatoes are cooking. Let the egg cool while the potatoes cool.
- Fold the egg in using a spatula
Just like my Grandma made! Delicious and flavorful Southern potato salad!
It will be at our Easter weekend gathering!
I love this recipe! I’m from the south (North Carolina) and I never put eggs in my potato salad. We also mash ours and put sour cream in it which makes it delicious. There are so many variations! Everyone has their own recipe. This version sounds amazing. I’m looking forward to trying green peppers in my potato salad the next time I make it!
Thank you, Debi! That’s interesting..the sour cream part…I’ll have to try that next time! I bet it adds a nice tangy flavor and creamy texture to the potato salad! The celery and bell peppers give it a nice crunch! Appreciate you!
Excellent!!! Easy!!!!
It’s every bit as good as mama’s! I may be guilty of sneaking a few bites before I go to bed! It’s that good!
I mix the mayo and mustard together separately, and I grate my hard boiled eggs in the pasta mixture. I add diced onions, celery, and pickle relish. I add the salt pepper to the mayo mix and add at the end.