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This Creamy Potato Salad recipe is truly one of the best recipes I have. It’s such a crowd-pleasing classic in my book. Perfect for gatherings of any kind and easy to make well in advance. Plus, with this paired-down recipe, you can omit and add what you want, making it exactly how you like it.
My Grandma’s Potato Salad Recipe (No Eggs!)
This recipe is based on an old recipe card (with no measurements) from my Grandma and a traditional vinegar-based German potato salad recipe.
As I mentioned above, German potato salad is a vinegary, potato side dish served either warm or cold. In northern Germany, the addition of mayonnaise is added in, thus mirroring more of an American spin on this classically European dish.
There are a few things that make this recipe unique:
- marinate the potatoes in a vinegar mixture for 12-24 hours
- exclude hard-boiled eggs, mustard, and pickles
- stir in the mayonnaise right before serving
Potato Options
I love using large Idaho potatoes for most recipes, including this potato salad recipe. Yukon golds, red potatoes, and even fingerlings are great options as well.
Idaho Potatoes? Won’t those fall apart?
I know what you’re thinking: Idaho potatoes for potato salad? Won’t those fall apart?
Well, typically a starchy potato is best for recipes meant for lots of cooking like mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or baked potatoes. BUT, boiling the potatoes whole until fork tender and dicing up afterward is the trick in keeping the potatoes together in this potato salad recipe.
How to Make Eggless Potato Salad
These steps are very simple, but the trick is giving yourself enough marinating time. The longer this sits, the better it tastes! When in doubt, make this an extra day ahead.
Boil and Peel Potatoes
Boil the potatoes whole until fork tender. Drain and cool in a colander until they are warm enough to handle with bare hands.
Peel potatoes using a butter knife or spoon and dice them into large bite-size pieces.
Marinate
Make the marinating liquid: stir vinegar, water, salt, pepper, sugar, and onion together in the bottom of a bowl until most of the sugar is dissolved.
Add warm potatoes to marinating liquid and stir gently to coat well. Stir in celery and parsley flakes, cover, and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Add Mayonnaise and Optional Ingredients
Stir in mayonnaise and any extra add-ins before serving. Serve cold.
What can I add to this recipe?
A typical American potato salad features hard-boiled eggs with a dressing filled with relish, mayonnaise, dijon, or yellow mustard, and maybe even some sweet pickles. This recipe does not have a lot of those ingredients, however, because this is very much of a basic recipe, those ingredients can get added in seamlessly. Here are a few tasty add-ins:
- crumbled bacon
- hard-boiled eggs
- fresh dill
- blue cheese
- chopped dill pickles or relish
- roasted red peppers
- mustard
- diced ham
Make-Ahead Instructions
For the absolute best results with this eggless potato salad recipe, I’d recommend making it ahead of time! The longer this sits, the more delicious it becomes, so don’t be afraid to make this up to 4 days in advance.
What to Serve with Potato Salad
- Amazing Baked Ham
- Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken
- The Best Burger Recipe
- Garlic Steak
- Smothered Baked Pork Chops
- Smoked Pork Butt
Next time you have a get-together, give this a whirl and see how many compliments you get because there are bound to be a few! The printable recipe card is below!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Creamy Potato Salad Recipe (No Eggs!)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Idaho potatoes about 12 potatoes
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes if you use fresh, add it in right before serving
- 1/2 large onion diced finely
- 5 ribs celery washed and diced
- 1 1/4 cups real mayonnaise use a full fat good quality one
- any extras: hard boiled eggs, bacon, dill, blue cheese, roasted red peppers, etc..
Instructions
- Boil (whole) potatoes until soft- a knife should be able to be inserted easily. Drain potatoes and let cool 20 minutes or so.
- In a large bowl, combine water, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, parsley, onion and celery together. Set aside.
- Peel warm potatoes (skin should come off really easily using a butter knife or spoon), cut into large cubes and place into vinegar mixture in bowl. Stir to coat warm potatoes in marinating liquid. Cover and refrigerate 12-24 hours.
- Before serving, stir in mayonnaise and any extra ingredients you'd like (crumbled bacon, dill, boiled eggs, dill pickles, etc.). Keep cool until ready to serve.
This is honestly the best potato salad recipe hands-down. I have always bought store made because I never cared for peoples homemade potato salad, but this is so worth the time and the effort! Delicious!! Will never serve store-bought again!
I got a potato salad recipe from my neighbor many, many years ago where you marinated the cooked potatoes in a vinegar solution overnight. It was so memorable that I still think about it! Having long since lost that recipe, I just wing the amounts, you can hardly ruin it. Thanks so much for posting this, I am going to be making this again very soon!
12 potatoes? What size? Potatoes come in many sizes. It would be better to list how many pounds of potatoes to use.
Hi Lauren,
I think I’ve only made potato salad once or twice in my life!
I always thought it was a lot of work and I would just get it from Costco. My mom used to make a homemade salad dressing that she would add to her potato salad, deviled eggs, and coleslaw. I’m curious if you’re familiar with it.
In a pan on the stove, add 1 cup of sugar, then break in 2 eggs and beat well. Add 1/2 cup cider vinegar and stir well. Add 1/2 tsp of dry mustard & a dash of salt. Add 1 tsp of margarine or butter. Cook and stir u til it boils and thickens. Then cool and refrigerate. Then she would add a TBsp of this with some mayo to the potato salad,, deviled eggs, or cole slaw. It was sweet and tangy which I really like. Love following you on IG and I’ve tried a few of your recipes and they were great!
This is great! Even my husband, who isn’t the biggest potato salad fan, loved it. Will make again!
[…] seasonings. I make these year round, but they are particularly tasty in the summer with macaroni or potato salad. Of course you can finish these off on the grill too, but it isn’t necessary […]
This kind of reminds me of salt and vinegar potato chips. It sounds great.
My kind of potato salad no eggs. My Mother in law always made the best potato salad and would put some aside for me before she added the boiled eggs. I miss her and can’t make it as good as hers.