My grandmother’s easy potato salad recipe is a staple at almost every summer picnic, family cookout, and holiday celebration. Best of all, the crowd-pleasing side dish comes together with just 5 ingredients!
If you’re looking for other great potato salad recipes, don’t miss this German potato salad and this Southern potato salad, too!
The Best Potato Salad Recipe (No Egg)
While there are dozens of varieties of potato salad out there, sometimes simple is best! This easy recipe is made without eggs, comes together with just a handful of kitchen staples, and requires minimal effort. It’s the perfect side to pair with barbecue, burgers, fried chicken, or just about any grilled meat.
This traditional potato salad recipe comes from my grandmother, who shared it with my mom, who then shared it with me. We’ve been enjoying the dish for three generations…and counting! It’s just one of those recipes that instantly reminds me of the women I love most, and I hope it becomes a regular in your family’s home as well.
Easy recipe, simple ingredients…my guests loved it!
– SuzyQ
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- The Best Kind of Potato to Use: I’ve shown red potatoes here (which are the traditional choice), but Yukon Gold potatoes or other waxy potatoes will also work well. These potatoes hold their shape when cooked and keep their firm texture in the salad when you chop them up and toss them with dressing. You’ll want to stay away from starchy, thick-skinned potatoes like russet potatoes, which will fall apart during the cooking process.
- Use full-fat mayo and sour cream for the best flavor and texture. With so few ingredients, you want the highest quality in this dish. We love Duke’s mayo!
- It’s safe to assume that 1 pound of potatoes will feed about 3-4 people. In this case, 2 pounds of potatoes for the potato salad yields about 6-8 servings. If you plan to feed 20 people, you will need to triple all of the ingredients. To feed 50 people, you will need about 8 batches; for 100 people, about 15 batches…and so on.
How to Make this Easy Potato Salad Recipe
This easy potato salad only requires 5 simple ingredients, plus salt and pepper. It’s a perfect make-ahead side dish for entertaining or for casual cookouts at home. I’ve served it with everything from an Easter ham to a grilled burger! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Boil the Potatoes. Start with the whole potatoes (skin-on) in a pot of cold water, and then bring the water to a boil. This ensures even cooking. If you drop the potatoes into already boiling water, the outside of the potatoes will cook quickly, while the inside will stay hard. Do not dice or peel the potatoes before they go in the water. Cutting or dicing the potatoes causes them to release steam while cooking, which will result in a mushier potato. Add a couple of teaspoons salt to the boiling water, and cook the potatoes until fork tender (about 15-20 minutes). If you’re using baby potatoes, they may only require about 10 minutes, so keep a close eye on them — you don’t want to overcook them and end up with mushy potatoes. Drain.
- Peel and Cube the Potatoes. Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel and dice the potatoes into bite-size pieces.
- Add the Remaining Ingredients. Place the potatoes in a large bowl, and then stir in the celery, green onion, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Don’t forget to season the mixture with salt and pepper, too!
- Chill. Cover the potato salad and refrigerate the dish for at least 1-2 hours before serving. The potatoes will absorb some of the sour cream and mayonnaise while the salad chills in the fridge, so you will likely need to add an extra spoonful of mayonnaise and/or sour cream right before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Offer this easy potato salad alongside this Southern crispy fried chicken recipe, pineapple glazed ham, Crock Pot pulled pork, crock pot brisket, muffin tin meatloaf, the best grilled burger recipe, chili dogs, a tomato sandwich, oven fried fish, peach chicken, cornflake chicken, herb roasted chicken thighs, cast iron chicken breast, bbq chicken breast, chicken dijon, Crock Pot pulled bbq chicken, oven bbq chicken thighs, grilled steak tips, ham salad, or ham and cheese sliders. Then, add easy banana pudding for dessert!
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Easy Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. red potatoes (or Yukon Gold potatoes)
- 1 large celery rib, diced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise, plus extra as needed
- ⅓ cup sour cream, plus extra as needed
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: additional sliced green onion, chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley or dill), or a dusting of paprika
Instructions
- Rinse and scrub the potatoes. Place the whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, add some salt, and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes. Very small potatoes may be done in 10 minutes. Drain; let the potatoes cool until you can handle them. Peel the potatoes and dice into bite-size pieces.
- Place the diced potatoes in a large bowl. Add the celery and green onion. Gently fold in the mayonnaise and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Add a spoonful of extra mayonnaise or sour cream, if needed, just before serving. Garnish with optional toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Potato salad can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. Leftover potato salad that has been kept properly chilled will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- If your potato salad has been sitting out at room temperature (or in the hot summer weather at a picnic) for more than 2 hours, you should discard any leftovers.
- I do not recommend freezing this old fashioned potato salad. The ingredients will not retain the same consistency when thawed.
Recipe Variations
- Garnish the dish with about a tablespoon of fresh herbs, such as parsley or dill.
- Sprinkle paprika on top of the salad just before serving. My mom does this for a colorful touch.
- Stir in cooked, crumbled bacon, add a few hard-boiled eggs, include a dollop of yellow mustard or Dijon mustard, or stir in some pickle relish or chopped dill pickles. Take the basic recipe and make it your own!
I made this recipe for our Fourth of July dinner last night and it was so good, and surprisingly easy! Since it was too hot to cook out last night, I made some BBQ pork ribs in the slow cooker and this potato salad was the perfect compliment. We’re definitely looking forward to enjoying the leftovers tonight!
– Kim
Easy Sides for Your Next Cookout
Southern Macaroni Salad
2 hours hrs 28 minutes mins
Coleslaw Dressing
40 minutes mins
Aunt Bee’s Shrimp Pasta Salad
50 minutes mins
Originally published in April 2020, this post was updated in June 2025.
When you stir in the pickle relish, pour a little pickle juice in for additional flavor.
Yes!!! I use the pickle juice in my southern potato salad all of the time. It’s delish!
I added a few thin-sliced carrots and three strips of bacon.
Reminds me of mom’s; fantastic!!
That’s wonderful, Ed. Recipes that remind us of mom are always the best! 🙂
When you use green onions, do you just use the white part? If you continue on using the green part, how high do you go chopping the green?
Hi, Debbie! In a recipe like this where I’m not cooking the green onions, I use almost all of the green part and just a little bit of the white. The green part has a much more mild flavor, which is my preference. I just snip off the very tips that tend to look dry/ragged. The rest of the green part is good to go!
Can in anyway I use russet potatoes
Hi, Mark! The russets will technically work, but they’re not my preference because they tend to fall apart in potato salad. They’re better for mashed potatoes or baked potatoes because the inside gets light and fluffy.
Yes but the texture will be more crumbly. Russets and thick skinned potatoes are more starchy.
In a hurry …peel under cool running water.
Hi Blair,
I made this recipe for our Fourth of July dinner last night and it was so good, and surprisingly easy! Since it was too hot to cook out last night, I made some BBQ pork ribs in the slow cooker and this potato salad was the perfect compliment. We’re definitely looking forward to enjoying the leftovers tonight!
Thank you so much, Kim! We’re happy to hear it turned out well for you.
Easy recipe, simple ingredients…my guests loved it!
We’re so happy to hear this! Thank you for trying it out, Suzy.
7.6.25
Hey Blair just made my first ever batch of potato in my entire life!
Based on your simple recipe. Just so happen to have all the ingredients.
Left the potato peel on as my California gesture. Now in the
fridge chilling. Did not take long to prepare.5-10 minutes.Potatoes
boiled the night before.
Used to purchase ready made at market deli section for a couple bucks
per pound. Now over $5.00 due to tariff economy.
We are happy for our DIY achievement. !
Bon Appetit!
Drew
Hi, Drew! That’s awesome! I hope you enjoyed the potato salad. 🙂
Yummy
Thank you, Shirley!