Potato Salad with Pickles

Potato Salad with Pickles is super creamy, and loaded with crunchy pickles and hard-boiled eggs. A delicious side dish to any cookout or potluck!

Potato salad in a bowl with chopped pickles on top.


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Potato salad is a simple recipe that will quickly become a family favorite. Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is another delicious Southern side dish I like bringing to potlucks. This homemade potato salad goes great with other backyard barbeque sides like a classic Egg Salad.

Why This is the Best Potato Salad

This Southern Potato Salad is the perfect side dish for so many occasions. Need a side dish to take to a potluck, party, family gathering, or just need something different to enjoy with dinner? This easy dill pickle potato salad is a crowd-pleaser that will impress everyone. It's easy to make and can be prepared in advance, making it a convenient and stress-free addition to any meal.

Ingredients

All the ingredients needed for this potato salad.
  • Russet potatoes: I like these because the small chunks of potatoes when mashed a bit give you that perfect creamy texture, but you could swap these out for other potatoes like Yukon gold potatoes or red skinned potatoes. The texture and flavor profile may change a bit but would still be delicious. 
  • Mayonnaise: Use real mayo, not Miracle Whip.
  • Mustard: Yellow mustard or Dijon works well.
  • Pickles: I use both relish and chopped pickles
  • Spices and herbs: Paprika, chopped dill weed, salt, and black pepper
  • Hard-boiled eggs: Chopped or cut into slices.
  • Olives: Black or green olives work.
  • Veggies: Celery and red onion


Potatoes being boiled in a pot, drained and smashed.
  • Step 1: Add chopped potatoes to a large pot of salted water and simmer until tender.
  • Step 2: Drain potatoes and let them cool before using a potato mashed to gently mash them into smaller chunks. 
All the ingredients added into the smashed potatoes.
  • Step 3: Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add mayo, mustard, paprika, onions, olives, celery, pickles relish, chopped dill, salt, and pepper. 
  • Step 4: Mix to combine. Add in hard-boiled eggs and fold them into the salad. Add any extra paprika or fresh dill, if using. Cover and chill until serving.
A wooden spoon scooping up some potato salad.

Recipe Tips

  • Store leftover potato salad in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. You should keep it refrigerated when you aren't serving.
  • To make a potato salad with more of a chunky texture, ditch the potato masher and don't break up the potatoes.
  • If you want a little more tang, try adding some apple cider vinegar. 
Potato salad on a plate with a fork.

Recipe Faq's

Can I make potato salad in advance?

This classic Potato Salad is best once the flavors have had some time to fuse together. I like to make this salad earlier in the day, about 4-8 hours so the creamy dressing really has time to meld all the flavors together and soak into all the other ingredients. You could even make this easy recipe the night before you're serving it. 

Why are my potatoes mushy?

The key to tender potatoes in your potato salad is to make sure that you let them cool before mixing them with the creamy homemade dressing. If you toss it together too fast, the creamy mayo and other wet ingredients will continue the cooking process and break down the potatoes even further, taking them from tender potatoes to mushy, almost pure mashed potatoes. This can also depend on what variety of potato you choose to use. A waxy variety of potato tends to help up better than a soft potato if you accidentally start to mix it all together before they cool down enough.

What to serve with potato salad

Any of your favorite summer grilling recipes or home cooked summer bbq favorites would go great with this creamy potato salad. Try enjoying it with some grilled Chicken Thighs, hot dogs, smash burgers, Slow Cooker Pulled Pork SandwichesBBQ Chicken Sandwiches, or a mouthwatering Jalapeno Pepper Jack Chicken Burger

Potato salad with pickles in a white bowl.

Southern Potato Salad

5 from 4 votes
Written By: Wendie
Potato Salad with Pickles is super creamy, and loaded with crunchy pickles and hard-boiled eggs. A delicious side dish to any cookout or potluck!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 561

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lbs russet potatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons mustard
  • 1/4 cup chopped pickles or relish
  • 1 teaspoon paprika plus more to sprinkle on top
  • 2 tablespoons dill weed chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4-5 hard boiled eggs sliced
  • 1 cup black or green olives sliced
  • 3 celery stalks diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion finely diced

Instructions
 

  • Peel and dice up the potatoes and place them in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and add salt, cook just until fork tender, about 7- 8 minutes.
  • Drain potatoes and allow to cool slightly. Gently chop or mash into small chunks.
  • Add in mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, onions, olives, celery, pickle relish, chopped dill, salt, pepper and mix until combined.
  • Chop hard boiled eggs and fold into the salad.
  • Sprinkle with more paprika and fresh chopped dill if desired.
  • Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Video

Notes

If you want more of a chunky potato salad don't use the potato masher.
You can either dill or sweet pickles, whichever you prefer.

Nutrition

Serving: 8ServingsCalories: 561kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1003mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5g
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!
Course Sides
Cuisine American
5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe was excellent. Every one loved it. I did only half of the salt because I have to watch my salt. Loved it.

  2. 5 stars
    Another favorite recipe. Mine needed a bit more salt and pepper, but overall, delicious flavor!

  3. The potato salad look delicious but I’m confused. The picture shows black olives in the salad but there is no mention of them in the recipe.