Best Potato Salad

This potato salad recipe is perfect for picnics and barbecues! A creamy, tangy dressing coats tender potatoes, fresh herbs, and crunchy veggies.

Potato salad

If you grew up in the Midwest, chances are that homemade potato salad was a fixture at every gathering you went to. At least, it was for me. Pale yellow and ultra-creamy, it had a permanent spot between the macaroni salad and the hamburger buns. No barbecue, picnic, cookout, or potluck was complete without it.

This potato salad recipe is a fresh riff on that classic one. Over the last few summers, it’s become a new favorite on our picnic table. It’s just as creamy, savory, and tangy, but it has a lighter dressing, no hard boiled eggs, and plenty of veggies tossed in for crunch. It couldn’t be more perfect for picnics, because it tastes best when you make it in advance. We’ll be making it all summer long, and I hope you will be too!

Best potato salad recipe ingredients

Best Potato Salad Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this potato salad recipe:

  • Potatoes, of course! Look for Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes. Their creamy texture makes them perfect for this potato salad recipe.
  • Celery – It offers a delicious crunchy contrast to the creamy dressing and potatoes, and it infuses the salad with savory flavor.
  • Radishes and red onion – For extra color and crunch.
  • Capers – Many classic potato salad recipes call for dill pickles or sweet pickles, but I love using capers instead. They add a punch of briny flavor to the salad.
  • Dill, chives, and celery seed – They deepen the salad’s savory flavor.
  • And the dressing – It’s creamy, tangy, and bright, made with Greek yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. You can also stir in turmeric for color, but it’s completely optional. The salad still tastes great without it!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Hand whisking dressing ingredients in a bowl

How to Make Potato Salad

This potato salad recipe couldn’t be simpler to make! Here’s how it goes:

  • First, chop the potatoes. Try to cut them to a similar size, into about 1/2-inch chunks, so that they cook evenly.
  • Next, cook them. Place the chopped potatoes in a large pot, and cover them with one inch of cold water. Bring the water to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
  • While the potatoes cool, whisk together the dressing. If you try it on its own, it will taste strong and salty. Don’t worry! The flavor will balance when it’s poured over the starchy potatoes.

Pouring dressing over cooked potatoes in a mixing bowl

  • Finally, pour the dressing over the potatoes and stir in the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. That’s it!

If you’re serving the potato salad right away, garnish it with extra radish slices and more fresh herbs. Otherwise, cover the salad and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’ll taste even better on days 2 and 3!

How to make potato salad - mixing bowl with cooked potatoes, dressing, and wooden spoon

Homemade Potato Salad Serving Suggestions

This potato salad is a great addition to any summer cookout spread. Pair it with another side or two, like Grilled Corn on the Cob or Grilled Zucchini, and cook up any of these recipes to serve as a main dish:

Round out the meal with my Summer Fruit Salad and Homemade Brownies for dessert. Enjoy!

Homemade Potato Salad

More Favorite Summer Salads

If you love this potato salad recipe, try one of these delicious summer salads next:

Best Potato Salad

rate this recipe:
5 from 20 votes
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Serves 4 to 6
The BEST potato salad recipe! A perfect summer side dish, this recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • ½ cup diced red onions
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 4 red radishes, halved and thinly sliced, reserve some for garnish
  • cup chopped chives, reserve some for garnish
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh dill, optional
  • ¼ teaspoon celery seed, optional

Dressing

Instructions

  • Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 1-inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, set aside to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a large bowl.
  • Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, turmeric, if using, and several grinds of pepper. Note: this will taste strong and salty at this step; it’ll balance once it’s mixed with the potatoes.
  • Pour the dressing over the potatoes and stir to coat. Stir in the celery, red onions, capers, radishes, chives, and dill and celery seed, if using. Season to taste and garnish with the reserved radishes and chives.

 

14 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Geta
    07.23.2022

    5 stars
    The recipe is absolutely amazing and refreshing.
    Thank you for sharing!
    I just shared the recipe with my daughter.
    I will make this recipe again! Can’t wait to try them all.
    Keep up the great job!

  2. Cheryl
    07.03.2022

    5 stars
    My family loves this potato salad recipe. Perfect combination of ingredients. I use a crisp kosher dill pickle instead of capers. Love and Lemon recipes are easy to follow, healthy and always a hit.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.04.2022

      I’m so glad it’s been a hit!

  3. Scarlet
    05.27.2021

    5 stars
    I love how this potato salad turned out. I really wasn’t sure what I would think of the radish but they were a great extra element for crunch!

  4. Sara
    05.26.2021

    What to sub for the Greek yogurt in the dressing? Could I just double the Mayo?

    • Jessica
      08.26.2021

      ^ I have the same question

    • Jessica
      09.12.2021

      I made the recipe both ways… one batch with yogurt and one batch with only mayo. I liked the mayo only much better, but I do not like the sour taste in sour cream.

  5. jose romani
    01.08.2021

    wonderful recipes
    I would like all

  6. Katherine
    09.28.2019

    Looks delicious ! Can’t wait to make it ! Quick question : how far ahead can I make this ? Like the day before would the potatoes still taste fine as well as overall taste ?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.28.2019

      Hi Katherine, you can make it the day before – the potatoes taste great on day 2 (even day 3)… if you want to make it pretty, save some of the chives to garnish as you serve. I hope you enjoy!

  7. Evelyn
    05.27.2019

    5 stars
    This potato salad is delicious. My husband and I both like it a lot. I do not agree that it screams “classic potato salad” though. I think it is the most different potato salad I have ever had. It is very spicy. I don’t think anyone would think it is a classic potato salad.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.29.2019

      I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! Ha, well I guess it’s classic to me compared to my grilled potato salad and vinaigrette-based potato salads 🙂

  8. Jill
    05.27.2019

    5 stars
    Just made this today…AMAZING! Got to use fresh radishes, chives, and dill from my garden! A new summer favorite!

  9. Di-Di | The Foxy Flexitarian
    05.26.2019

    5 stars
    This potato salad gets better with time. The capers do make a big difference Jeanine, and I think the dill is also compulsory.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.