The Best Red Potato Salad
With the addition of hard boiled eggs and dill pickle relish, this recipe is truly the best Red Potato Salad. And, there’s no need to peel the potatoes!
I love a good shortcut recipe. Anything that saves me time is a welcome addition to my cooking repertoire.
So when I stumbled on this no-peel Best Ever Red Potato Salad in an old church cookbook, I knew I had to try it.
Similar to my family’s German Potato Salad, this red skin potato salad recipe has hard boiled eggs both inside the salad AND on top. It also sports the addition of red pepper, dill pickle relish, celery, and green onions, plus a flavor-packed creamy mayonnaise dressing.
The variety of flavors and textures is an amazing spin on a creamy potato salad!
And best of all, there’s no need to peel the potatoes, making it relatively quick and easy.
I served this at a cookout recently and it went WAY too quickly—I should have made a double batch!
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What makes this the BEST red potato salad recipe?
- First of all, you don’t have to peel the potatoes! Red skin potatoes have a thin skin that works perfectly for potato salad.
- There are so many flavor enhancers—green onions, pickle relish, bell pepper, mustard, celery salt. It is packed with a variety of flavors and textures that pair so well together.
- Hard boiled eggs! I LOVE eggs in salads, and everyone gets so excited when you reveal that there are hard boiled eggs in the salad.
Ingredients
- Red potatoes are the star of this salad. No need to peel them!
- Celery adds a great crunch. More texture = more delicious.
- Green onions add a little bite/kick. You can use the whole green onions (white and green parts) here.
- Chopped bell pepper (I used a red pepper) adds more crunch and fresh flavor.
- Dill pickle relish is an easy flavor enhancer for the dressing. Sweet pickle relish works great, too.
- Hard boiled eggs make it special! You can buy the pre-cooked, pre-peeled eggs to save time.
- The mayonnaise dressing gets a little kick from mustard.
- Apple cider vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have) adds some tanginess and balances out the creamy dressing.
- Celery salt adds a great peppery bite to the dressing. Don’t have it? Substitute onion salt OR dried dill + table salt (2 parts dried dill to 1 part table salt).
How to make red potato salad
You’ll need 7–8 medium red potatoes for this recipe, which makes about 6 cups when chopped. They are sometimes labeled “red bliss” potatoes at the grocery store. Yukon Gold potatoes work here, too!
Cut the potatoes into half-inch pieces, and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water, add two teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10–15 minutes, or until a fork slides through the potatoes easily.
The salt seasons the potatoes perfectly.
Drain and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, along with the green onions, celery, red pepper, pickle relish, and two of the hard boiled eggs (chopped).
For the potato salad dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, and vinegar.
Pour the mayonnaise dressing over the potato mixture, and toss gently with a spatula to combine.
Transfer the red potato salad to a serving bowl. Slice the remaining hard boiled egg, and arrange it on top. Sprinkle with paprika, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, substitute an equal amount of low-fat mayonnaise in place of the regular mayonnaise.
Onion salt OR dried dill + table salt (two parts dried dill to one part table salt) can be substituted for the celery salt.
Most potato salads are gluten free (including this one). As always, check the label on any packaged ingredients to be sure. It is also dairy-free.
Unfortunately, potato salad will become watery after being frozen. Store it in the refrigerator, and enjoy the potato salad within 5–6 days of making it.
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10–15 minutes, or until tender.
To find out if the potatoes are tender, slide a fork through a piece of potato. If it slides through easily, the potatoes are done. If the fork meets some resistance, boil for a few more minutes and test again.
Can red potato salad be made ahead of time?
This red potato salad recipe can be made up to 2 days ahead of serving it. Store it in a covered container in the refrigerator, and give it a stir before serving.
When you serve it, the potato salad can sit at room temperature for up to 4 hours.
Store any leftover red potato salad in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Variations for red potato salad
Here are a few ideas for variations, and a few tips making this salad extra easy.
- Substitute jarred pimento peppers (chopped) for the red pepper
- Purchase hard boiled eggs that are already peeled (this is SUCH a time saver!)
- Substitute 2 teaspoons of celery seed + one-half teaspoon of salt for the celery salt
- Sprinkle smoked paprika on top
- Substitute chopped red onion in place of the green onion
- Use white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice in place of the apple cider vinegar
- You can use either dill pickle relish or sweet pickle relish
- Add 4–5 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon
What to serve with red potato salad
Red Potato Salad is the perfect side dish for a cookout. Here are a few ideas for main dishes and other side dishes:
- Burgers or bratwursts
- Grilled chicken
- Steak kabobs
- Corn on the cob (with compound butter!)
- Grilled corn salad
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Best Ever Red Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 7–8 medium red potatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup chopped celery
- ½ cup dill pickle relish (or sweet pickle relish)
- ½ cup green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped red pepper
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery salt (see notes for alternatives)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- For the top: paprika
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into ½ inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan, and cover with water. Add two teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10–15 minutes, or until a fork slides through the potatoes easily.
- Drain the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Let cool slightly.
- Chop 2 of the hard boiled eggs, and add those to the potatoes, along with the celery, pickle relish, green onions, and red pepper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, and vinegar.
- Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the potato mixture, and toss gently with a spatula to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top the salad with the remaining hard boiled egg (sliced).
