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    Home » Recipes » Potatoes

    Modified: Jul 9, 2023 · Published: Jul 5, 2020 by Melinda O'Malley Keckler · This post may contain affiliate links · this blog generates income from ads.

    Red Potato Salad

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Red Potato Salad combines the tender texture of boiled red potatoes with a tangy and savory dressing. It's a classic potato salad with dill pickles and best of all, there's no need to peel the potatoes.

    If you enjoy classic summer sides like Crunchy Cole Slaw or Sweet Corn Pasta Salad, this potato salad recipe is for you!

    Red potato salad in a bowl with a sprig of celery, a fork in the bowl and a napkin on the side.
    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients to Have on Hand
    • Substitutions
    • How to Make Red Potato Salad
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Summer Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    Red Potato Salad is a new spin on a beloved recipe. It's popular for several reasons. It's a classic side dish often served at picnics, barbecues, and family gatherings. It goes great with No-Ketchup Meatloaf and Dutch Oven Chicken.

    Many of us have fond memories associated with potato salad made with dill pickles, which adds to its nostalgic appeal.

    The combination of the tender, boiled red potatoes - with the skins on - and the creamy dressing with plenty of chopped, spicy dill pickles helps create a satisfying and memorable summer side dish.

    Ingredients to Have on Hand

    Red potato salad ingredients on a cutting board with labels on each ingredient.
    • Red potatoes: While you can make a delicious potato salad with different varieties of potatoes, the benefit of using red potatoes is you can leave the peels on.
    • Red onion: Add just a touch of additional color along with the slight crunch of fresh onion. There's a slight sweetness to a red onion that can't be beaten.
    • Celery: This adds a wonderful texture to potato salad and the flavor is subtle but distinctive.
    • Mayonnaise: We can't beat the creaminess of classic mayonnaise in a potato salad. Use whichever brand of mayonnaise your family prefers.
    • Mustard: I use classic yellow mustard.
    • Dill pickles: Spicy, Russian style is a delicious type of dill pickle to use in red potato salad, but use whatever type of dill pickle you have on hand.

    See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

    Red potato on the counter
    Start with potatoes of course. Any variety will work nicely. I like to use red potatoes for this classic recipe

    Substitutions

    There's plenty of room for substitutions with Red Potato Salad, you can even opt for a different variety of potatoes if you prefer. Here are a few recommendations.

    Russet Potatoes: I love potato salad made with Russet potatoes! It's generally best to peel them before boiling. The peels on Russets are much thicker than red potatoes.

    Yukon Gold Potatoes: These are a great option and will give your potato salad a somewhat buttery flavor. Yukon Gold potatoes also have a thin peel, so you can leave the peels on when making potato salad with this variety of potatoes.

    Green Onions: Diced green onions are delicious in this recipe, just swap them out for the diced red onion.

    Bacon: Is there a recipe that bacon doesn't make better? Cooked and crumbled bacon is simply delicious when added to potato salad.

    Fresh Herbs: Fresh parsley, chives or fresh dill are tasty in this recipe. Add them in place of the dried parsley.

    Olives: Sliced olives are wonderful in potato salad, either black olives or green onions are a tasty addition.

    How to Make Red Potato Salad

    I like to start by boiling the eggs and when time allows, it's helpful to get this step done a day in advance. That way the eggs will be cooked, peeled and cooled when you are ready to assemble the ingredients.

    Hard boiled eggs in wooden bowl.

    Step #1 Boil the Eggs:

    Boiling eggs is a snap. Just place the eggs in a pan and add enough water to cover the eggs completely.

    Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about a minute.

    Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Allow the eggs to continue cooking in the hot water for about 15-20 minutes. Next, drain the water and add ice cubes to the pan.

    Once the ice is melted, the eggs should peel easily.

    Step #2 Boil the Red Potatoes:

    Rinse and scrub the potatoes, leave the skins on, and dice the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. This makes it much easier to assemble the salad, plus it cuts down on the cooking time.

    Place the diced red potatoes in a large pot with plenty of water on the stove and add 2 teaspoons of salt.

    Boil until barely fork tender, check them after 8 minutes.

    Diced red potatoes in a pan.

    Drain the water from the potatoes then let them cool.

    Pro Tip: Return the drained potatoes to the pot and place the pot on ice in the sink to help speed the chilling process. As an option, if ice isn't handy, place the drained potatoes in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

    Diced potatoes in a pan setting on top of ice cubes.

    The potatoes don't need to be ice cold, but you don't want them hot. The heat will affect the mayonnaise, dill pickles and other ingredients when you assemble the salad.

    Once chilled, place the potatoes in a large bowl.

    Step 3: Dice the celery, red onion, and dill pickles. Chop the boiled eggs. Add the ingredients to the large bowl with the potatoes.

    Step 4: In a small bowl or glass 4-cup measuring cup, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, dill pickle juice, dried parsley and pepper. Whisk to blend thoroughly.

    Step 5: Add the creamy ingredients to the cooked potatoes and the remaining ingredients in the large bowl. Stir gently to combine.

    Step 6: Cover and refrigerator for at least a few hours. For the very best flavor, serve your Red Potato Salad the next day.

    Recipe FAQs

    Will another variety of potatoes such as Russets work OK?

    Yes, pretty much any type of fresh potato will work great. I prefer red potatoes for this particular recipe because I like to leave the peels on and the red variety has a thin, light peel.

    I've made this with Russets and it's delicious. But I recommend peeling the potatoes before boiling them if you use that variety.

    I can't find Russian Dill Pickles, are they a "must have" for this recipe?

    Russian dills have a spicy bite and are jarred with garlic so that variety of pickles adds a bit of zest to the potato salad. But this recipe is terrific with any type of dill pickle.

    How do I keep from overcooking the potatoes?

    Once the water comes to a boil, it shouldn't take more than 8-10 minutes to cook the potatoes to perfection. Check the potatoes frequently, once they are just barely fork tender they'll be the perfect texture for potato salad.

    Red potato salad in a small serving bowl with a fork on the side.

    More Summer Recipes

    Check out my collection of summer recipes for more inspiration and great sides to serve with Red Potato Salad. Some of my favorites include Chicken Curry Salad with Grapes, Four P Salad which is made with fresh pesto and Creamed Corn, it's always a family favorite.

    • A serving of tiramisu cake on a plate with a fork.
      Tiramisu Cake for Dessert
    • Yukon gold mashed potatoes in a bowl.
      Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
    • Baked beans, franks and pineapple pieces in a baking dish with a spoon.
      Easy Franks and Beans
    • A serving of spring roll in a bowl on a table outdoors with two forks and a plate.
      Spring Roll in a Bowl

    If you tried Red Potato Salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below.

    Recipe

    Red potato salad in a bowl with a sprig of celery, a fork in the bowl and a napkin on the side.

    Red Potato Salad

    Here's the perfect summer side dish, Red Potato Salad. It combines the tender texture of boiled red potatoes with a tangy and savory dressing. Best of all, there's no need to peel the potatoes.
    5 from 115 votes
    Print Rate Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 -10 people as a side dish
    Calories: 540kcal
    Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

    Ingredients 

    • 2 ½ pounds red potatoes - with peels
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 5 eggs - hard boiled
    • 4 or 5 stalks celery - about one cup diced
    • ½ medium red onion - sliced thin and diced
    • 2 or 3 Russian-style dill pickles - diced (or your favorite dill pickles)
    • 2 cups mayonaise
    • 2 tablespoons mustard
    • 1 tablespoon sour cream
    • 1 tablespoon Russian-style dill pickle juice - or use your favorite dill pickles for the juice
    • 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper - or to taste
    • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
    • additional parsley and paprika - for garnish

    Instructions

    • Rinse and scrub the potatoes, leave the skins on and dice into bite-sized pieces.
      Place in a large pot with plenty of water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Boil until barely fork tender, check the potatoes at 8 minutes.
      Drain and chill.
      Tips on Chilling the Cooked Potatoes: Return the drained potatoes to the pot and place it on a layer of ice in the kitchen sink to help speed the chilling or place the potatoes in a large bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
      Once chilled, place the potatoes in a large bowl.
      Dice the hard-boiled eggs, red onion, celery and pickles - add to the chilled potatoes.
      Mix mayo, mustard, sour cream, dill pickle juice, pepper and parsley. Blend well and add to the potato, egg, celery and pickles, stir to combine.
      Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Garnish with a little parsley and paprika.

    Notes

    Despite the name of this recipe, any variety of fresh potatoes will work great. I prefer red potatoes because I like to leave the peels on and the red variety has a thin, light peel. I've also made this potato salad with Russets and it's also delicious. But I recommend peeling Russet potatoes before boiling them. I think you'll enjoy Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes it's another potato recipe that doesn't require peeling the potatoes. 
    Calories: 540kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 7gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 1233mgPotassium: 813mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 336IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 2mg

    Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database, so they’re just a rough estimate not an exact science.

    Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment below or @crinkledcookbook on Instagram, snap a photo and tag it #crinkledcookbook

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