Soft red potato chunks and eggs, seasoned and folded into mayo and miracle whip along with a bunch of chopped vegetables; making it the best southern potato salad recipe ever.
It’s that time of the year again where we pull out our grills and throw big cookouts so you know I have to show yall my famous potato salad recipe.
My family loved Potato salad
Potato salad is that one salad my family made all times of the year and what makes it so popular is it tastes good with almost anything. My Grandma made it for family reunions we’d have during the summer every year.
She also made it every year for Thanksgiving dinner, New Year’s Eve parties, and at least once a month for Sunday Dinner! That should tell you how much my family and I loved potato salad.
So try my recipe because if you don’t, you’ll never know how real Southern potato salad tastes! Was that convincing enough? Lol! This creamy Southern-style potato salad is super delicious and very easy to make!
It’s perfect as a side dish for a summer picnic or family cookout, and it tastes great with BBQ ribs & greens. This salad is soul food at its best, folks, so continue reading and give it a shot.
Childhood memories of Potato salad
Potato salad brings back a lot of childhood memories for me. I remember one time, way back in the 90’s, my family had a cookout, and we ran out of potato salad. Lord knows you can’t run out of potato salad, not with my family.
My nana came to the cookout late and literally cursed everyone out when she found out we were out of potato salad and only made one pan. She did not play about potato salad and making 3 pans was a must.
Macaroni & Cheese, Ribs, Collard Greens, and Potato Salad were all dishes my family and other black families MUST-HAVES at a cookout or Thanksgiving dinner… I mean, we’re black. What do you expect? Lol!
As we all know these are all classic African-American delicacies you can never HAVE OR COOK ENOUGH of. Lol! Potato salad was one of the few dishes we had to make so much of because it was always one of the first things to go.
People would catch a MEAN ATTITUDE, and QUICKLY if they came to the cookout late and the potato salad was gone. LMBO!!! So we knew we had to make a few pans every time we threw a cookout. LMBBO!
Gwen and the raw runny Potato Salad story
I have to share this funny story with yall because this will be the only time it’ll be relevant to cooking. I remember my paternal grandmom, who I called “Grandma Gwen,” coming to my Nana Alice Mae’s 85th birthday party in 2016.
And just so you aren’t confused, I mention these two a lot because they are both responsible for me learning how to cook; my Nana Alice was my grandma Gwen’s mother, which made her my great-grandmother.
Anyway, the family is usually consistent when it comes to who makes what. Everybody has that one thing they’re the best at making. But on this day, we had a lot of Nana’s friends bring food they made to the cookout.
So this caused some problems because everything there wasn’t made by the family like it usually is for family reunions. Yall, listen! Someone made some potato, and it was VERY chunky.
The cubes weren’t small or medium-sized like most people cut them; they were large, darn near the size of ice cubes! SMH! And what made it so bad is they were hard in the center!!! Smfh!
One thing everyone in the hood will tell you bout my family is that they were blunt and had no problem telling it how it was and saying what was on their mind. This was sometimes a good thing and sometimes bad. LMBBO!
Anyway, I happened to be sitting beside my grandma when she tried the potato salad. She knew no one in our family made it because of how chunky and runny it was.
This salad wasn’t bad, y’all; it was T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E and inedible, in my opinion! It was under-seasoned and could have used more eggs. I remember my grandma Gwen giving me that look of disgust and yelling, “Who made this nasty S#**”?!?!
Some people in the area seated by us looked at her and laughed as she began complaining about how the potatoes were large and undercooked and how runny the salad was. OMG, I started laughing soooo hard yall!
To this day it is still easily one of the best laughs I ever had in my life! Older folk can be so comical when they’re mad and blunt, especially older black folks. That potato salad irritated the hell out of her so she kept it all the way real.
Sadly, she wasn’t in the best health and passed away a year later (2017), with her mother, Alice Mae, the one I’m always referring to as NANA, passing only 5 months after in early 2018.
Losing them broke the family’s hearts, but trust me, they left us with a lot of valuable lessons we’ll carry to our grave. And some funny, long-lasting memories we’ll never forget.
This was one I just had to share with yall since it’s pertaining to potato salad. But yea… she was one unhappy camper that day and made sure to let us all know about it. LMBBO!! I still wonder who it was that made that potato salad.
I’ll probably never know, but I’m almost certain they were there, kept quiet out of embarrassment, and definitely got the message. If you’re not a good cook or new to cooking, stay out of the kitchen.
Especially when you’re cooking for a family that’s known for throwing down in the kitchen and because of that, are overly critical and judgmental when it comes to food. The mistake she made was making potato salad though.
If you’re not the best cook and decide to cook something, people won’t care if certain foods are not the best. But you can’t mess up one of the dishes people come to eat the most, like potato salad, ribs, or macaroni and cheese.
If there’s any food you got to get right it’s those three. Lol! When it comes to the popular dishes, it’s probably best you not cook for any of my family. Just buy the food and we’ll cook it. Lmbbo!
Anyway, let me get down to business and share with yall the ingredients ya gonna need to make what I think is easily some of the best potato salad on the planet. Below are the ingredients and cookware you’ll need.
My aunt Angie Put Me Onto Miracle whip
I’m going to start off by admitting I used to hate Miracle Whip. I didn’t like the Sweet-tangy taste of it and didn’t understand why some people loved it so much.
I still don’t use it to make lunch meat sandwiches or anything else except salads. Lol! But my Aunt Angie put it in her seafood salad and my nana would always put it in her potato salad.
I remember asking her what she put in her potato salad to make it taste so good… I was shocked and disgusted at once when she said “Miracle Whip”. The thought of it turned my stomach and I suddenly never wanted her potato salad again. Lol!
It’s funny how knowing what ingredients are used to make food can make us go from liking it to being disgusted by it. But after giving it a shot, I decided to add it to my recipe and have been using it since.
I use a 50/50 split combination of both MAYO, Hellmann’s ONLY, and Miracle Whip! I found that ratio to work best but if I had to use more of one, it would definitely be the Mayo! Lol!
I don’t need to use the same amounts as long as there’s a little MW in there to give it that taste, I’m good! LOL! But yes, Miracle Whip is a condiment that works well in conjunction with other condiments.
Pro Tips About Potatoes For Potato Salad!
Let me get into the potatoes and what potatoes are best used for potato salad and get into the difference between waxy high-moisture potatoes and starchy low-moisture potatoes.
Potatoes aren’t equal and are used for different purposes, which is what you’ll learn below. No matter if you’re making potato salad, baked potatoes, or mashed potatoes, different potatoes are required for best results.
I had to learn that years ago when I first started cooking. But yeah, red potatoes are, to me, the best choice for potato salad although you can use others or whichever you enjoy best.
- Red Potatoes: These potatoes are waxy with a low amount of starch and a high amount of moisture. The waxy nature of the flesh means they’ll maintain their shape while boiling for long periods.
- All-purpose: Yukon Golds are an all-purpose potato, so they are an okay choice for making potato salad since they have a medium amount of starch and moisture.
- How to dice potatoes: After you peel the potatoes, slice them in half and lay them flat side down. Then slice them lengthwise 3 to 4 times, and then (widthwise) into cube shapes of your desired size. You’d use this same method for potatoes you left whole after you get done boiling them.
- How to know when they’re done: You’ll know when the potatoes are done because they will be fork or knife tender. It doesn’t matter what you use; if you stick them and they slide off easily but slowly, they’re done.
- Pros to dicing potatoes before boiling them: They cook faster because they’re small, whereas whole potatoes will take longer to cook through to the center, and it will give your potato salads’ final result a more uniform look.
- How to know when whole potatoes undiced are done? They will be stiff but fork tender. You should be able to stick a knife or fork into the center and easily remove it.
- Should you preheat the water before boiling the Potatoes? Add the potatoes to cool water, then place them over high heat. Adding them to cool water will ensure they cook at the same speed. I just want y’all to know that so ya won’t be left with both tender and uncooked potatoes! Lol!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Potatoes: Red Potatoes are my favorite for potato salad but use your favorite, from yukon Gold to Russets.
- Eggs: Use large eggs! I always add the yolks because I find it gives the salad a nice taste. The egg yolk stretches the salad and gives it color as well.
- Red onions: You can use yellow or even white onions I guess but I like to use red onions not just because of their neutral flavor, but they also give the salad color so I use them for decoration purposes as well.
- Celery: Simply put, celery is a must in potato salad ok? End of discussion not open for debate! If you don’t have celery you better use some celery seeds or something… the flavor really adds something nice to potato salad.
- Green and red peppers: I use a combination of both green and red peppers for a balanced flavor because red peppers are sweeter. They also add color to the salad as well so I use them for both sweetness and color.
- Mayo & Miracle Whip: Mayo is a must when making potato salad, and Miracle Whip adds a sweet tangy flavor that takes it up a notch. I MUST have both if you want me to make potato salad. Both are a necessity to me.
- Sweet Relish: It’s not potato salad without sweet relish. I use sweet relish to add a pickle flavor to the salad. Relish is to potato salad like onions are to lasagna… you don’t HAVE TO HAVE it but it’s an important ingredient.
- Mustard: I add mustard, but not too much because I don’t like mustardy potato salad. It’s just for balance and color. The vinegar in the mustard is what makes it bitter and balances out the sweetness from the sugar and Miracle Whip. I hate pale white-looking potato salad – It’s not appetizing and looks, “BLAND”.
- Seasonings: Salt enhances all the flavors and gives the salad taste. Garlic powder isn’t necessary. I use it when I feel like it, but it gives the salad another layer of flavor. Sugar adds a hint of sweetness to an acidic dish. Black pepper makes everything taste better, and Paprika adds color.
How to make Southern potato salad
- Fill a large pot with cool water, add in the potatoes, cover with a lid, leaving a crack on the side, and boil until for tender.
(If you want to dice them up first, do so) - Meanwhile, add eggs to a small pot with 1.5 qts of water, place over high heat, and boil for 20 minutes.
Sit the eggs in a bowl of cold water once done. - While the potatoes and eggs are boiling, chop the vegetables into small pieces.
- Once the eggs are chilled, remove the shell, smash the yolks, and chop the white into small pieces.
Save one egg for the top. - Once the potatoes are done, peel the skin and chop the potatoes into desired pieces, then add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the sugar, seasonings, chopped vegetables, and eggs, then fold well.
- Add in the condiments then fold well.
- Slice the remaining eggs into 5 pieces and top the salad with it and paprika for decoration purposes.
- Cover the salad with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill.
I combine the ingredients a little differently in this 2019 video, but it’s still a good guide to use if you’re more of a visual learner. Also, if you decide to combine the ingredients just like in the video, the outcome will be the same.
World’s Best Southern Potato Salad Recipe 2019 Video
Tips for best results:
- The vegetables: Chop the vegetables into small pieces, you dont them big and chunky. You want them small so they are plentiful and spread throughout the salad so you can taste them in each bite.
- The Eggs: Egg yolk stretches the salad and gives it color as well. If you decide to add the yolk, smash the yolk with a fork to remove the lumps first, then chop the whites into small pieces. You want the broken yolk as fine as possible so it’s able to spread throughout the salad.
- Make it ahead of time: Give the potato salad time to marry before serving it. If you plan on having some for dinner on Sunday, make it Saturday night or early Sunday morning and set it in the frig. It tastes so much better after sitting for a few hours.
- Dont over boil the potatoes: This can cause the potatoes to absorb too much water which will result in watery potato salad. Make sure if your potatoes are very wet you give them time to dry by letting them sit out before combining it with the other ingredients.
Serving suggestions:
- Baked Chicken: Baked chicken tastes great with potato salad, absolutely delicious. Chicken, in general, tastes great with potato salad as it does with everything else.
- Fried Chicken: Fried chicken, in particular, goes great with potato salad, probably more than even baked chicken. This is a popular food combo.
- Fried Fish: Fried fish and potato salad is that delicious food combo that’s underrated. Obviously, fried food tastes great with salad, but fried fish and potatoes will have you in heaven, especially fresh hot fish right out of the oil.
- BBQ: Potato salad is popular during the summertime and one of those foods you’ll always see at family cookouts, especially black family cookouts. Often served with BBQ ribs and chicken. BBQ and salad is a famous combo.
- Pig’s feet: Potato salad is probably the most loved salad in the black community, and a pretty POPULAR pairing is pig’s feet and potato salad. My grandmas always made a big bowl of potato salad whenever they cooked pigs feet.
- Greens: Greens are a popular soul food, and almost all soul food dishes taste great with potato salad, which has become a part of the soul food delicacy.
- Cornbread: Last but not least, cornbread, another popular soul food, is often found on the same plate as potato salad. These two alone may not go together, but cornbread, potato salad, and pigs feet or chicken do.
Storage
- How to store potato salad? Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. If you want to store it in a Tupperware bowl, that’s fine too. Just make sure it’s tightly sealed with a lid.
- Can you freeze potato salad? You can, but it will negatively affect the texture and taste once it unthaws.
Potato Salad FAQ’s
- Why is my Potato salad runny after making it? You over did it with the wet ingredients!! This is a good thing unless you like super dry potato salad. Now, I’m not fond of very runny potato salad. However, be mindful that your salad will dry up and stiffen significantly after a few hours in the refrigerator. So yeah, if it looks a little soupy right after making it, don’t worry!
- How to fix runny Potato salad? If you find that the salad is too loose and runny, you can always add more eggs and the yolks will stiffen it up or boil and add another potato or two to help absorb some of the moisture. This solves that problem every time.
- How long does potato salad last? The quality of potato salad doesn’t last long. It will be fresh and good for up to 3 days. Potato salad is best eaten within 2 days. After that, it sort of loses its swag! Lol!
- Can you leave the skin on the potatoes? Some people like to leave the skin on! I personally dont because I feel like it’s easier to eat without the skin, and that’s because i dont like eating the skin. But if you do, you can leave it on. It definitely adds color to the salad.
Equipment:
- Large Pot: Make sure you have a large pot to boil the potatoes and eggs in.
- Big Spoon: You’re going to need a big spoon to serve the potato salad.
- Spatula: Have a spatula on hand to fold the potato salad.
- Knife: You need a sharp knife to chop the potatoes, eggs, and veggies.
- Large Serving Bowl: You need this to both make the potato in and store the potato salad in.
- Measuring Cups: Measuring cups are essential for accurately measuring ingredients like the mayo and miracle whip.
- Measuring Spoons: Measuring spoons are important for accurately measuring the seasonings.
Alright, it’s time to get to it… I recommend following this recipe to a T first before customizing it. This is soul food at its best folks. This potato salad is packed with flavor, it’s creamy and good as all outdoors so try it at least once!!!
Also, make sure you like the recipe with a 5-star rating if you love it as much as I do, and share your experience in the comment section. It helps me in these Google Streets. Subscribe, too, so you’ll get a notice every time I post.
Enjoy, later!
PBJ~
World’s Best Southern Potato Salad Recipe (With Video)
- Prep Time: 30 Mins
- Cook Time: 40 Mins
- Total Time: 1 Hr 10 Mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy, delicious, southern potato salad recipe. The perfect side dish for picnics and cookouts.
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs Red Potatoes
- 3 Qts Water
- 4 Large Eggs (1 for the top)
- 2 Tbs Red Onions, finely chopped
- 1 Tbs Celery, finely chopped
- 1 Tbs Green Bell Peppers, finely chopped
- 1 Tbs Red Bell Peppers, finely chopped
- 3/4 Cup Hellman’s Mayo
- 1/2 Cup Miracle Whip
- 2 Tbs Sweet Relish
- 1 Tsp Mustard
- 1 Tbs Sugar
- 1–1/2 Tsp Salt or Salt to Taste
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder (optional)
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- Paprika (For Decoration Purposes)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with cool water, add in the potatoes, cover with a lid, leaving a crack on the side, and boil until fork tender.
- Meanwhile, add eggs to a small pot, add 1.5 qts water, place over high heat, and boil for 20 minutes.
Sit eggs in a bowl of cold water once done. - While potatoes and eggs are boiling, chop vegetables into small pieces.
- Once the eggs are chilled, remove the shell, smash the yolks, and chop the whites into small pieces.
Save one egg for the top. - Once the potatoes are done, peel the skin and chop potatoes into desired size pieces, then add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the sugar, seasonings, chopped vegetables, and eggs, then fold well.
- Add in the condiments, then fold well.
- Slice the remaining egg into pieces of 5, then add to the top with the paprika for decoration purposes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
I want to say that I just love you I have actually turned my bachelor son on to your website and your YouTube videos to assist him with whatever I have not taught him already. I love to cook and have grown-up cooking,watching my mom, grandma and great grandma cook but you know the old hands, they don’t cook from a recipe and unfortunately I’ve let a lot of their teachings go by the wayside. So my mom has thee best potato salad in the world to me but doesn’t measure anything so Philly J to the rescue. You two use the exact same ingredients give or take 1 or 2 things. I made you recipe and got her seal of approval ‼️😂😂😂 She thought I used hers but how can I use hers with no measurements to start me off. Now I have an idea of how much of each ingredient I need. I can make larger,smaller or the exact same serving size you made. Thank God for your gift and Thank You for sharing your gift. I am a huge fan 😍
Omg! This pot salad is banging. Everyone always request for me to make it now for all the BBQs lol thanks again u might be the reason I become A wife one day lol
My parents have a friend who I would beg to bring potato salad to every gathering because hers was so good! I was probably 10 when she let me help her make it for the first time; unfortunately I didn’t retain the information. I searched and searched the internet for a recipe I thought had similar ingredients and yours was the one! Perfection on the first try, although I’m not a sweet relish fan so I used dill! Now I’m the one everyone asks to bring the potato salad! Getting ready to make some now for Nana’s 94th birthday tomorrow! Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipes!
Cool story, Rachel. I’m glad my recipe could bring you as much joy as your parent’s friend.
Five stars all the way, Jay!! I grew up w/my Nana’s potato salad, which she served at just about every family gathering at her house in the burbs (Hatboro)… it was almost exactly like yours. I hope you’re still out there cooking & trying new stuff! Thank you!
Excellent recipe..you are the best, I mean the best. God bless you 😊
Great recipe! Turned out delicious 😋
Okay so I just made this and i have made it before but wasn’t getting consistent results. Well this time I got the potatoes cooked right. This potato salad is the bomb thanks to your recipe. This is the best not only in taste but texture and presentation to. Thank you and once again I love you for sharing. I got this thing now man!
Sorry for the late response Dee! I’m so glad you got it down pack now bro. Just keep making it and your presentation will improve. You’re just learning.. no one is where they wanna be when they first start something. I honestly JUST STARTED getting good at cooking food that LOOKS GOOD and not just taste good. It comes with time you’ll be cooking good aesthetically appeasing food in no time. Good luck!
It is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Mine didn’t look as good as yours does. Presentation is not my forte, mine looks more like my mom’s potatoe salad but she doesn’t have Anything on mine when it comes to taste (thanks to you)! I appreciate you and all of the wonderful recipes you share. I find myself looking at Your recipe before I cook anything now every since i discovered you on U-Tube. Keep up the wonderful job you’re doing and Thank You again Sooo much for sharing!
Love this recipe
DDDDDelicious!!! This taste like that down home potato salad that your Auntie or Grandma make. I made it exactly and it was Perfect!!!!
I plan to make potato salad using your recipe for Christmas it looks delicious! I have tried some of your other recipes and they were so good. You are an awesome chef we appreciate all you do for your fans. I like your style of teaching you keep my attention! Thank you 😊
YOUR RECIPES ARE THE SHIT MY FOOD COMES OUT PERFECT EVERYTIME THANKS TO YOU LOVE!!!
I love your recipes and you demonstrate everything to the T so that anyone can follow it Thank you
Best ever love your recipes.
I’m trying this potato salad first time today .
Looks great
Just want to let you know I love your cooking I have tried about five of your different recipes and I’ve been waiting for you to put up a potato salad recipe so I can try it thanks so much I love you❣️ everything always turns out great
Good job