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Southern Potato Salad

Southern potato salad is a creamy BBQ side loaded with Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and sweet pickle relish. After boiling until fork-tender and folding with a tangy Southern-style dressing, it chills for a rich, spoonable texture.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 840
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Southern Potato Salad
  • 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs
  • 0.5 cup celery
  • 0.25 cup onion
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil, then add peeled and cubed Yukon gold potatoes and cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes at a rolling boil. Drain well and spread on a sheet pan to cool.
Combine the salad base
  1. In a large bowl, combine cooled potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, finely diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish. Toss gently just to distribute.
Make the Southern-style dressing
  1. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth and fully combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with more salt or pepper.
Dress and fold
  1. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until the potatoes are evenly coated. Fold carefully to keep potato chunks intact.
Chill and garnish
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours or overnight to let flavors meld. Cover once set in the fridge.
  2. Right before serving, sprinkle paprika over the top for garnish. Serve cold.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the potatoes completely before mixing so the dressing stays creamy instead of thinning. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; the texture may soften slightly after chilling. Freezing isn’t recommended. For a lighter option, swap half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt while keeping the rest mayonnaise for the classic creamy mouthfeel.