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Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Classic potato salad with a creamy mayonnaise dressing, chunky russet potatoes, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. This traditional recipe folds tender potatoes with celery, onion, and sweet pickle relish for a classic picnic salad texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potato salad base
  • 3 lb russet potatoes
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs Use peeled, cooked eggs for easier chopping.
  • 0.5 cup celery Dice finely for even bites.
  • 0.25 cup onion Finely dice for a mellow bite.
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
Creamy dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 salt To taste.
  • 1 pepper To taste.
  • 1 paprika For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook peeled, cubed russet potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes, with visible fork-tender edges.
  2. Drain the potato cubes and let them cool until no longer steaming so the dressing stays creamy, about 5 minutes.
Make the potato salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine cooled potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish, spreading everything evenly.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and uniform in color.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until the potatoes are coated without breaking apart.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2 hours so the flavors meld and the dressing thickens slightly.
  2. Before serving, garnish the top with paprika for a bright color cue.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the potatoes until they’re barely warm—hot potatoes can thin the mayo dressing. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; not freezer-friendly due to texture changes from mayonnaise and eggs. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise for a similar creamy texture with fewer calories.