Old-Fashioned Potato Salad (Just Like My Mom Makes It)
This is my version of the Old-Fashioned Potato Salad I grew up eating. It's classic and homey, just like my mom makes it, with potatoes, celery, grated carrot, and a creamy mayo-mustard dressing brightened up with a little vinegar. The hard-boiled eggs make it extra hearty, and the sunflower seeds add the perfect crunchy bite. I make it every summer now because it feels nostalgic and comforting, and because it's just really good.
🥔 Potato boiling tip:
For this potato salad recipe (and other potato recipes) I like to boil the potatoes in a combination of water and pickle juice. 🤯 It's a great way to use up pickle juice and it seasons the potatoes from the inside out!
Why you'll love this recipe
There are so many things to love about this old-fashioned potato salad. Here are a few main ones:
- It's comforting and familiar with a classic mayonnaise dressing
- It's creamy and super tangy, thanks to the combo of mayo + mustard + vinegar
- There's great texture and variety from celery, eggs, and crunchy sunflower seeds
- It's perfect to keep in the fridge and snack on for days
- It's a crowd pleaser, making it a perfect dish to bring to BBQs, potlucks, and beach picnics.
Ingredients needed
- Potatoes: The base, tender and creamy. Use baby potatoes, red potatoes, fingerlings, or another waxy potato if possible. Starchy potatoes like russets tend to fall apart.
- Celery: Adds crunch and freshness for a bit of bite variety.
- Carrot (grated): A little sweetness and color, plus light texture throughout.
- Eggs: For richness and that classic deli-style feel.
- Mayonnaise: A creamy robe that brings it all together.
- Yellow mustard: Tangy, nostalgic flavor, plus that classic bright yellow look.
- Apple cider vinegar: Keeps it bright and cuts the richness of the mayo. Pickle juice works too!
- Toasted sunflower seeds: For crunch and nuttiness. You can toast them if you want, but my mom always used them raw.
- Black pepper: A note of black pepper is so good next to the creamy potatoes and eggs.
- Pickles: For extra tang and crunch.
- Pickle juice: For boiling the potatoes. (Great way to use up leftover pickle juice!)
- Salt: If you use my pickle juice boiling method, you might not need any. But keep it on hand for adjustments, or if you don't have enough pickle juice to season the potatoes while they cook.
How to make old fashioned potato salad
Step 1 - Slice the potatoes. If they're small (like fingerlings), slice into about 1 cm rounds. If they're bigger, cut them into halves or quarters first, then slice.
Step 2 - Cover with liquid. Pour in pickle juice, then add enough water to barely cover the potatoes. I try to do about half pickle juice, half water. (If you're short on pickle juice, add a good pinch of salt to the water.)
Step 3 - Boil, then simmer. Bring the potatoes to a boil, then turn the heat down and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. This should take about 15 minutes total.
Step 4 - Steam the eggs right in the pot. Gently set the eggs on top of the potatoes (they'll sit above the liquid), cover the pot, and let them cook for 10 minutes. They don't need to be fully submerged, they'll steam-cook. Then pull them out and let them cool.
Step 5 - Drain & cool the potatoes. Drain, spread the potatoes out on a rimmed baking sheet (or whatever big surface you've got), and let them cool for about 30 minutes, until they're room temperature or cool to the touch.
Step 6 - Prep the mix-ins. While everything cooks/cools, chop the celery and pickles, and grate the carrot.
Step 7 - Mix the dressing. In a bowl, stir together the mayo, mustard, vinegar, and black pepper.
Step 8 - Add the other ingredients. Add the potatoes, celery, pickles, grated carrot, and most of the sunflower seeds. Peel the eggs, then chop them (or just break them up with your hands) and toss them in too.
Step 9 - Stir it up. Mix until everything's coated, taste for seasoning, add a pinch of salt if needed, then scoop into a serving bowl.
Step 10 - Top with more seeds. Sprinkle the rest of the sunflower seeds on top.
Step 11 - Eat now or chill. You can eat it right away, but it gets a little better after an hour or two in the fridge. It'll keep for up to 4 days.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. It will still be creamy and tangy, it'll just be missing the soft bit of egg in the mix.
You can do half mayo and half Greek yogurt if you want it a little lighter, it might need a bit of extra salt and vinegar if you go that route.
No, but they are my favorite part. You can swap in pumpkin seeds, cashews, or even crispy onions for crunch if you prefer.
Waxy potatoes are the best choice (baby potatoes, fingerlings, or Yukon Gold potatoes). They hold their shape and don't turn to mashed potatoes like russet potatoes do.
Yep, it's even better after a few hours in the fridge. If you want maximum crunch, save some sunflower seeds to sprinkle on right before serving.
Nope. Salted water works totally fine. The pickle juice is just my little trick for extra seasoning and tang from the inside out.
The potatoes soak up dressing as it chills. Just stir in a spoonful of mayo, or a splash of pickle juice or vinegar to loosen it up.
Yes. A little finely diced red onion or green onion is great. If raw onion feels too sharp, soak it in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes first. (There's no onion in my version because my dad detests onions. They didn't go in anything!)
Yep. Swap in chopped radishes for crunch, or just leave it out entirely.
It's best kept cold. If it's a hot day, keep it in a cooler or set the bowl in a bigger bowl of ice, and don't let it sit out for hours.
You can, although the flavor will be very different. You can even use a bit of sweet relish instead of chopped pickles if you're into that flavor profile.
Yes you can! But it'll change the flavor a lot. I love those hotter mustards, so I certainly won't complain. This one calls for yellow mustard because that's how my mom made it.
Serving suggestions
This traditional potato salad recipe is the perfect side for summertime mains:
- The classic side for burgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken (or air fryer chicken), pulled pork, and grilled corn.
- With sandwiches, especially anything smoky or salty.
How to store this potato salad
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. If it thickens up too much, stir in a small spoonful of mayo or a splash of vinegar to loosen it.
Potato salad variations
- Pickle lover's: add extra chopped dill pickles, fresh dill, and a splash of pickle brine
- Herby: add fresh herbs like dill, chives, or parsley.
- A little smoky: add smoked paprika to the dressing and sprinkle a little extra on top.
- Bacon: Add some crispy bacon to the potato salad (or sprinkle on top) for even more smoky flavor.
- Extra crunch: add chopped radish. I love the addition of radish in potato salad. I only didn't include it here because we never had it in my childhood version.
- Extra umami: If you love your potato salad savory like a tub of chip dip, throw a dash of onion powder into the dressing. This makes it taste a little more like store-bought, but not in a bad way.
Looking for more summer recipes? Try these next:
- Summer Lentil Salad
- Bulgarian Tarator Soup: The Perfect Summer Recipe
- Life Changing Simple Summer Spaghetti
- The Niçoise Potato Salad I Eat All Summer
- Elote Pasta Salad (Mexican Street Corn-Inspired Pasta Salad)
Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Equipment
- Shallow pot or sauté pan with lid A shallow pan makes it easier to submerge the potatoes evenly in the pickle juice/water mixture.
- Cutting board and knife For chopping the ingredients
- Box grater For grating the carrots
- mixing bowl Medium size
Ingredients
- 1 lb waxy potatoes baby potatoes, fingerlings, or Yukon Gold
- Pickle juice enough to cover potatoes halfway, see notes
- 2 large eggs
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 dill pickle finely chopped (plus extra if you want)
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds plus more for topping (toasted or raw)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste (see notes)
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes. Slice small potatoes into 1 cm rounds. If using larger potatoes, cut into chunks first, then slice.
- Boil the potatoes in pickle juice + water. Add potatoes to a shallow pot or sauté pan. Pour in pickle juice, then add enough water to barely cover the potatoes (aim for about half pickle juice, half water). Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until fork-tender.
- Steam the eggs on top. While the potatoes are simmering, gently place the eggs on top of the potatoes, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and cool.
- Drain and cool. Drain the potatoes well, then spread out on a baking sheet (or large plate) and cool about 30 minutes until no longer warm.
- Mix the dressing. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and black pepper.
- Combine. Add the cooled potatoes, celery, grated carrot, chopped pickle, and most of the sunflower seeds. Peel and chop the eggs (or break them up with your hands) and add them in.
- Finish & chill. Stir gently until coated. Taste and adjust (salt if needed, extra vinegar or pickle juice if you want it tangier). Top with remaining sunflower seeds. Serve right away, or refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours for best flavor.
Notes
- The pickle juice trick: Boiling in pickle juice seasons the potatoes from the inside out. If you're short on pickle juice, do a smaller splash and use salted water.
- Shallow pot: This makes it easier to get the potatoes evenly submerged in the flavorful liquid while they cook.
- Salt level: Depending on how salty your pickle juice is, you may not need much (or any) added salt. Taste at the end.
- Make ahead: This gets better after a couple hours in the fridge. If it looks a bit dry the next day, stir in a spoonful of mayo, or a splash of pickle juice or vinegar.
- Sunflower seeds: My mom always used raw, but you can toast them for nutty flavor if you prefer.
- Optional add-ins: finely diced red onion or green onion (soak in cold water 5 to 10 minutes if you want it milder), fresh dill, smoked paprika, or extra pickles for more tang.
- Storage: Airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
