Folks take their potato salad very critically right here within the South. I discovered that fairly shortly after I moved to Southern Louisiana over twenty years in the past (omg, how has it been that lengthy??). I used to be by no means a fan of potato salad in my youth, but it surely shortly turned my favourite after consuming it made the Southern method—with mayo and mustard. My model is wealthy, creamy, tangy, and with simply the correct amount of crunch. This Southern Model Potato Salad is pure consolation meals, the sort that exhibits up at each cookout and makes you return for seconds.


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Hettie
Simple Recipe for Southern Model Potato Salad
This Southern fashion potato salad has a creamy and tangy dressing that has each mayonnaise and mustard, plus loads of texture from the finely diced celery and candy relish. After all, each household has their very own tackle a Southern potato salad, however that is the one I used to be launched to and the one I maintain coming again to (I’m somewhat bit obsessed). 😉
I do like my potato salad with barely much less dressing, reasonably than tremendous heavy or goopy, so when you like yours extra “moist,” chances are you’ll wish to make extra dressing. I’ve additionally shared a few of my favourite substitutions and variations on the finish if you wish to make this recipe your personal!
Traditional Southern Model Potato Salad


- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes (1,360g, $2.98 *)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.04)
- 2 eggs (giant (chilled) $0.66)
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (6oz, $0.84)
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp candy relish ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp purple wine vinegar ($0.09)
- 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere’s seasoning ($0.03 **)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.04)
- 2 inexperienced onions (thinly sliced, $0.27)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped (1 cup, 220g) $0.38)
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Peel, wash, and chop your potatoes into one-inch cubes. Rinse the cubed potatoes with cool water in a colander, after which place them in a big pot and canopy them with chilly water.
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Add 1 tsp of salt to the water and produce it to a boil over excessive warmth. Boil the potatoes till tender (about ten minutes). Pierce the potatoes with a fork to ensure they’re tender, then drain in a colander. Rinse the potatoes once more with cool water to chill them.
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Whereas the potatoes are boiling, cook dinner the eggs. Place the eggs in a small pot and canopy them with chilly water. Convey the pot to a boil over excessive warmth. Allow them to boil for one minute earlier than turning off the warmth. Cowl the pot with a lid and let the eggs sit within the sizzling water for quarter-hour, then rigorously pour out the new water and run cool water into the pot to cease the cooking course of. As soon as cooled, peel and cube the eggs.
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Whereas the potatoes and eggs are cooking, make the dressing. Stir collectively the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, purple wine vinegar, Tony’s (or seasoning salt), and freshly cracked pepper.
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Add the cooked, cooled, and drained potatoes to a big bowl together with the diced celery, sliced inexperienced onion, diced eggs, and dressing. Stir till the whole lot is mixed and coated within the dressing. In the event you choose a softer, much less chunky potato salad, mash the potatoes barely.
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Style and regulate the mustard or seasoning to your liking, then serve.
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Measuring Cups Spoons
**I exploit Tony Chachere’s seasoning, which is a model of Creole seasoning. You should use any seasoned salt you’re keen on, like Lawry’s.
Serving: 1CupEnergy: 297kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 5gFats: 17gSodium: 583mgFiber: 4g
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How you can Make Creamy Southern Potato Salad Step-By-Step Images


Collect all your components.


Prep the potatoes: Begin by washing, peeling, and cubing 3 lbs. of potatoes. Now, rinse the potatoes briefly with cool water to take away extra starch. I discover this helps cease your salad from getting dry and gluey and helps the dressing cling to the potatoes higher.


Add the cubed potatoes to a big pot and canopy with cool water. Add 1 tsp salt to the water and place a lid on the pot. Convey the water as much as a boil over excessive warmth and boil till the potatoes are tender (this normally takes about 10 minutes, relying on the dimensions of the cubes). I exploit a fork to pierce one of many bigger items to check the doneness and ensure they’re absolutely tender. There’s nothing worse than onerous potatoes in your potato salad!


Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and rinse once more briefly with cool water to chill the potatoes and take away leftover starch. I choose my potatoes to be cooled after I combine them with the opposite components. Allow them to drain nicely over the sink whilst you prep the remainder of the salad.


Cook dinner the eggs: You will get began in your boiled eggs whereas the potatoes cook dinner. I exploit my fool-proof methodology for boiling eggs, which works as follows:
Add 2 chilly eggs (giant) to a small pot and canopy with cool water. Convey the pot as much as a boil, after which let the eggs boil for one minute earlier than turning off the warmth. Let the eggs sit within the sizzling water with a lid on prime and the warmth turned off for quarter-hour, then rigorously pour out the new water. Instantly run chilly water over the eggs to cease the cooking course of. As soon as the boiled eggs are cool sufficient to deal with, peel the eggs and cube them, then set them apart.


Make the dressing: Add 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp purple wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp candy relish, 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere’s (or your favourite seasoning salt), and 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper to a bowl. Whisk the components collectively, style, and add extra seasoning salt if desired. Keep in mind, you need the dressing to be closely seasoned as a result of the flavour will grow to be much less pronounced as soon as blended with the potatoes.


Make the salad: Place the cooled potatoes in a big bowl together with the diced celery, sliced inexperienced onion, and diced eggs.


Pour the dressing over the components within the bowl after which stir till the whole lot is mixed and coated within the dressing. To make the whole lot barely much less chunky, you may mash the potatoes somewhat as you stir.


Style and serve: Now have a style and regulate the mustard or seasoning to your liking. You’ll be able to serve it instantly or retailer it within the fridge till wanted. See my full storage directions under, and revel in!


Substitutions & Variations to strive!
Potato salad is fairly versatile, and each household has its personal particular method of creating it. Usually, listed here are just a few gadgets which can be fairly straightforward to substitute or add with out straying too removed from the Southern-style roots:
- Purple onion rather than the inexperienced onion
- Apple cider vinegar rather than the purple wine vinegar
- Lawry’s or one other seasoning salt rather than the Tony’s Chachere’s
- Dill relish or chopped candy pickles rather than candy relish
- Combine in some crumbled oven-cooked bacon
- Creole mustard or Dijon mustard rather than yellow mustard
- Swap among the mayo for bitter cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Miracle Whip rather than mayonnaise for a sweeter end
- Use your air fryer to make onerous boiled eggs as an alternative of on the stovetop
Storage Directions
This recipe will keep good within the fridge for about 3-4 days. If you can’t end a full 8-cup batch inside that period of time, take into account making a half batch as an alternative. Merely change the variety of servings within the recipe card above, and all of the ingredient quantities will regulate accordingly.
Serving Recommendations
This Southern fashion potato salad is a type of sides that I carry to only about each summer season gathering or BBQ. It’s creamy, tangy, and simply feels proper subsequent to something smoky or grilled. I personally love serving it with BBQ grilled rooster and a three bean salad after I hearth up the grill on the weekend.
It’s additionally nice with burgers (my black bean burgers are a scrumptious veggie choice) and a giant scoop of stovetop baked beans. And when you’re headed to a picnic or potluck, don’t neglect the coleslaw. That crunchy, tangy chunk at all times belongs on my plate with these creamy potatoes!
Our Traditional Southern Model Potato Salad recipe was initially printed on 3/12/2010. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 6/13/25.


