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Ah, the classic picnic potato salad: the one dish that’s guaranteed to show up at every summer gathering, whether you invited it or not. But let’s be real, most of the time, it’s a sad, soggy mess that’s more filler than thriller.
Fear not, because I’ve got a recipe that’ll make your potato salad the star of the picnic table, instead of that dish everyone politely pretends to enjoy. Get ready to elevate this potluck staple with a few clever tricks and a whole lot of flavor.
Classic Potato Salad Recipe with Egg
Let’s talk about what sets this classic potato salad recipe with egg apart from the rest. The secret weapon here is the humble hard-boiled egg. Not only do we mix in the chopped whites for that extra bite and texture, but we also whip up a creamy dressing with the yolks.
That’s right, the yolks get mashed into a smooth base, blending perfectly with mayonnaise, sour cream, and a splash of mustard. This creates a rich, velvety dressing that coats every potato chunk, making each bite flavor-packed.
Ingredients
- Produce: Yukon Gold potatoes, red onions, celery, scallions, fresh herbs (chives, parsley, dill)
- Pantry seasonings: Salt, pepper, paprika
- Condiments: Mayonnaise, sour cream, yellow mustard, vinegar, dill pickles
- Other: Hard boiled eggs.
Substitutions
- Substitute the Yukon Golds with red potatoes or fingerling potatoes for a slightly different texture.
- Substitute the herbs with fresh basil, tarragon, or cilantro.
- Swap the dill pickles with sweet bread and butter pickles or cornichons.
- Use Labneh or plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
Fun Variations
- Bacon Ranch Potato Salad: Add 1 cup each of cooked and crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. Replace the sour cream with ranch dressing.
- Olive and Feta Spin: Add 1/2 cup each of crumbled feta cheese and sliced Kalamata olives
- Spicy Chipotle Variation: Add 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (finely chopped) and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
If you want to skip the mayo, try our red potato salad with yogurt dressing or our warm German potato salad.
Tips for Success
- Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water when boiling the potatoes helps them retain their shape and prevents them from getting mushy.
- Don’t be shy with the salt when boiling your potatoes.
- Let the boiled potatoes cool just enough so you can handle them easily. The skins will slip off effortlessly.
- Feel free to mix and match your favorite fresh herbs. Dill, parsley, and chives are classic choices, but don’t hesitate to experiment with basil, cilantro, or tarragon for a unique twist.
Check out these salad recipes: Thai Mango Chicken Salad, Roasted Beet Salad with Feta Cheese
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Picnic Potato Salad
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds small whole Yukon Gold potatoes
- Salt for the potato water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 6 large hard boiled eggs
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon each of Salt and pepper , (add more if desired)
- ½ cup finely chopped red onions
- ½ cup diced celery
- 3 scallions, finely chopped, white and green parts
- ⅓ cup finely chopped dill pickles
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh herbs, I used a mix of chives, parsley, and fresh dill
- Sprinkling of paprika for garnish
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes and add them to large pot, then cover with water. Toss in a generous amount of salt. Add the vinegar and bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook 15 to 25 minutes or until potatoes can easily be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. The time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.
- Drain the potatoes and let them cool enough to handle easily. Once you can hold the potatoes, slip the peels off. The peels should slide off when you pull it with your fingers.
- Peel the eggs and cut them in half. Separate the yolks from the whites and place the yolks in a large bowl. Chop the whites into bite size pieces and reserve.
- Mash the egg yolks with a fork until smooth. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt, and pepper to the yolks and mix until smooth. This is the dressing for the salad. Set aside while you prep the rest of the salad.
- Cut peeled potatoes into bite-size chunks and add to the bowl with the dressing.
- Add the red onions, celery, scallions, pickles, eggs whites, and herbs to the potatoes. Toss to combine and sprinkle with paprika. Cover the salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- The potatoes and eggs can be prepared in advance and refrigerated
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve cold or bring to room temperature.
- If we have the time, we make this a day in advance. The flavors really meld together overnight.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Does the annual Fourth-of-July celebration bring back special memories of traditions and foods for you as it does at our house? I think back to my childhood days that were filled with family, fun, food and good times.
I especially remember our annual trips of dad, mom and my five siblings driving in a car from California to Wyoming where mom’s parents lived on a farm. It seemed like that was such a long car ride as it would take about three days to get there.
We would stop overnight and camp in the school yards of closed schools and cook breakfast on a camp stove in the morning. That was in the days when it was still safe to do it. And it was way before Motel 6 or Holiday Inn; no sleeping bags, it was just blankets and pillows on the ground or the car seats.
One of the highlights of our vacation at Grandma and Grandpa’s house was the Forth of July celebration. There would be a huge picnic gathering at the lake with all our aunts, uncles and cousins, and of course great quantities of food with all the families bringing something wonderful to add to the table. Grandma would always fry up some of her home-grown chickens and make a big potato salad, baked beans, homemade bread, cakes and pies. It was a day of feasting, swimming in the lake, tag, hide-and-seek, more feasting and waiting for it to be dark enough for the fireworks.
When it was finally deemed dark enough, dad and all the uncles would break open the fireworks….cherry bombs, firecrackers, rockets, spinning pinwheels that would make beautiful designs. All the kids got to watch while our dad’s fired them off but there was always sparklers for us kids after the big stuff. And, there would always be someone who would step on a hot sizzling, burned-out sparkler with a bare foot.
Oh, the memories…..
Regarding the 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as: chives, parsley, fresh snipped dill or fresh tarragon, does anyone have any feedback on what did or didn’t work for them?
Thanks, Blair…..Dill is my personal favorite, 2nd place is tarragon. Choose the herb you like best.
Your photo of that potato salad made me instantly hungry! It’s just not the 4th of July without a good potato salad. And I’m so picky about my potato salad. This recipe is very similar to how I make it. Next time I’m adding some sour cream. Sounds delicious. Have a great Holiday Weekend.
Yes, Lea Ann, I agree—potato salad is a must for the 4th of July! Thanks for you nice comments and a happy 4th of July to you! 🙂
It’s not the 4th of July without potato salad if you ask me. It’s the dead of winter here in Australia but this yank will be having a picnic tomorrow even if it has to be inside. 🙂
Happy 4th of July, Maureen! I can’t imagine celebrating the 4th with snow and rain but then I remember Christmas time in the Philippines and picnics on the beach. What a mind trip! 🙂
It’s hard to beat a simple potato salad like this! Nice, honest flavor — this is wonderful. I had been thinking about making a German Potato Salad for the 4th, but you’ve got me reconsidering! Really good stuff — thanks.
Ha-Ha, you will have to flip a coin for the potato salad or the German potato salad….they are both delicious! Thanks for the comment, John and happy 4th of July to you!
What a delicious looking potato salad, love that you use a lot of herbs in this, will be trying my hand at this tomorrow for the 4th. Thanks!
Hi, Cheri! So happy you stopped in…I am sure you will love this potato salad. Happy 4th of July to you! 🙂
Hi Pat,
Thanks so much for the trip down memory lane. Yesterday was Canada Day here and you reminded me of all the big family celebrations we had at our grandparents house. She had a big garden and everything was homemade.
Our party consisted mainly of homemade yesterday but we did not have the giant family group that we had as kids – though still lots of fun.
Your salad looks just like my grandmother`s and oh, so tasty! Perfect for summer.
Thanks so much for your kind words and visit. Loving your blog!
Hi, Robyn! And, a happy Canada Day to you! Thanks for reading my story and your nice comments. Isn’t it interesting to look back and compare the ‘old days’ with the ‘now day’! Thanks for visiting, hope to see you again!
Wow…your grandparent’s place sounds awesome! Homegrown chickens, homegrown eggs :O I’ve always wanted to make potato salad, but there’s so many different variations out there I don’t know which one to try first haha. Yours look amazing!
What a great potato salad. I love the classic version and this is similar to mine. As for stepping on sparklers-I remember those days! Great photo, too. Makes me want to dive in right now!
Hi, Abbe! Thanks for the nice comments. What would Summer cook outs be with an occasional potato salad! 🙂
Wow… that picnic potato salad looks really good Pat! I never make remarkable potato salad. That might be because I wing it every time. I’m going to try and follow your picnic recipe next time I ever decide to make potato salad. Whether it’s a picnic or just a lazy Sunday afternoon in the back yard for a barbecue… this is the potato salad recipe that sounds like the best one to me. Maybe that’s because I know your cooking is so very delicious: having sat at your table so many wonderful times.