Best Red Potato Salad Ever

This is not your regular, bland, heavy-on-the-mayo, mushy potato salad recipe. This herby and creamy Red Potato Salad has a light, zingy, lemon dressing, bold flavor, and a perfect crunch from chopped pickles. Don’t peel them for extra texture!

Make Ahead Instructions

You can cook the potatoes up to 2 days in advance and store them in the fridge until ready to serve. This way, making the salad takes only 5 minutes!

Variations:

• Don’t have red onions? Use green onions or sweet Vidalia onions instead
• Add tiny capers for that extra briny touch
• Sliced jalapenos or a splash of hot sauce can give the salad a spicy kick
• Use two different types of potatoes for more texture
• Add chopped boiled eggs or chopped crispy bacon to make a complete meal
• Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for less calories

How to Store Red Potato Salad

This salad will keep fresh when stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Before serving, give the salad a stir and add a bit more mayo if needed. Sometimes food can dehydrate a little in the fridge.

Freeze Red Potato Salad

You can freeze potato salad in a freezer bag for up to 3 months, but the texture will never be the same.

Foods high in fat tend to separate when frozen and thawed, and the texture of celery becomes soggy and mushy. But, if you need to freeze it, maybe you can add the celery when ready to serve!

Best Red Potato Salad Ever

Herby and creamy Red Potato Salad has a light, zingy, lemon dressing, bold flavor, and a perfect crunch from chopped pickles.

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 395kcal

Author: Emma

Ingredients

• 2 ½ lb red potatoes, cut into 1-inch dice
• ⅔ cup sour cream
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup red onion, sliced
• ¼ cup sliced green onions
• ½ cup celery, diced
• ½ cup baby dill pickles, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place the diced potatoes in a pot of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until fork tender but still slightly firm, about 10 mins. Drain and let cool.
• Make the dressing by mixing the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined.
• Place the cooled potatoes, red onions, green onions, pickles, celery, parsley, and dill in a large salad bowl.
• Drizzle the dressing over the veggies and toss to combine.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 1129mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 9mg

FAQ to Make the Best Red Potato Salad

• 1. How do I Cool the Potatoes Faster? You can place them in a bowl filled with ice and water for a couple of minutes after draining them.
• 2. Do I Need to Peel the Potatoes? No! Red potato skin is thin and adds great flavor, color, and texture to the salad.
• 3. Can I Swap Sour Cream for Something Else? You can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to reduce the amount of calories in the salad.
• 4. How do I Make this Salad Even More Flavorful? You can add smoky, crispy, chopped bacon, hard-boiled eggs, hot sauce, capers, or a splash of red wine vinegar to the dressing.
• 5. How Long Does Potato Salad Last in the Fridge? When properly stored in an airtight container, this salad will last for 3 days in the fridge.
• 6. What Goes Well With Potato Salad? This salad goes great with barbecued meats, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, or as a side for your favorite sandwich or wrap.
• 7. Who Do I Make Sure the Potatoes Don’t Turn Mushy? Most importantly, don’t overcook them! Try to cut them all the same size so they all cook evenly and you don’t have small mushy pieces, and make sure they can still hold their shape once cooked. Tender, but firm at the same time.

TIPS for the Best Red Potato Salad Recipe Ever

1. Cook Your Potatoes Like a Pro: to add more flavor throw a couple of bay leaves or a smashed garlic clove into the water where you cook the potatoes.
2. Mix Up the Herbs: use not only parsley and dill but throw in chives or tarragon for an oniony kick and anise-like flavor!
3. Balance the Creaminess: if you want a lighter dressing that still brings a punch of flavor, try swapping the sour cream with Greek yogurt!
4. Dial Up the Tang: along with lemon juice, add a splash of red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar to increase the brightness and tang in the dressing. Like spice? Add a dash of hot sauce as well!
5. Crunch Factor = A Must: pickles give that crunch factor we all like, but you can increase it by including toasted nuts, crispy bacon bits, or fried onions!
6. Make it Smoky & Savory: by adding a sprinkle of smoked paprika or a dash of Worcestershire sauce for a richer flavor.
7. Secret Ingredient Alert: adding a bit of pickle juice or banana pepper juice to the dressing will brighten its flavor and add a welcome twist!
8. Best Served Chilled: the best temperature to serve this salad, is a bit colder than room temperature, but not cold enough to mute the flavors!
9. Garnish Like You Mean It: the flavor of the salad will benefit greatly by adding freshly chopped herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, or a sprinkle of flaky salt right before serving!