Creamy potato salad is the dish you crave at barbecues and summer gatherings. And why not? It pairs perfectly with burgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob, and coleslaw. A summer plate without it wouldn’t be the same, which is why I thought it was high time that I had a no-fail potato salad recipe in my repertoire.
But potato salad can be a bit of a personal thing–folks have their favorites for reasons that often go back to childhood. I remember summer picnics with my family where the deli potato salad was often a staple. Whenever I eat it, I’m always reminded of those feelings of love and summer freedom as a kid.
Folding nostalgia bias into the mix, could I find a great potato salad that I loved that I felt confident would please others as well? I figured Allrecipes might hold the answer, which is why I set out to test the five most popular potato salad recipes on the site to find the one that was the best overall.
What Makes the Best Creamy Potato Salad?
As I see it, a truly great potato salad has three elements: balance of ingredients (we’ve all suffered through a potato salad with too much mayo or sugar), great flavor, and ease (the hardest thing you should have to do is boil the potatoes). As I tested and tasted these recipes, I was looking for each of these qualities to come together seamlessly.
Which Potato Salad Recipes Did I Test?
I tested the five most popular potato salad recipes on Allrecipes, and every one had an average 4.5-star rating or higher. There was one with more than 1,000 reviews, one with a fancy sauce made on the stovetop, one with a pair of secret ingredients, one that used red potatoes, and my favorite. Here’s what I found.
Allrecipes / Sara Haas
Most Classic: Old-Fashioned Potato Salad
- Fast facts: Developed by jewellkay, has 1,022 reviews with a 4.5-star rating
While I loved the simplicity of ingredients and preparation method, I didn’t feel like this potato salad was pretty basic–nothing special stood out.
That being said, I did appreciate the addition of garlic salt and celery salt, which added some flavors other recipes I tested didn’t possess. If I were to make the recipe again, I’d tweak the overall flavor profile by decreasing the pickle relish from a ½ cup to ¼ cup and increasing the mustard from 1 to 2 tablespoons.
Get the recipe: Old-Fashioned Potato Salad
Allrecipes / Sara Haas
Most Like the Deli: World’s Best Potato Salad
- Fast facts: Developed by Kaye Lynn, has 741 reviews with a 4.5-star rating
If you enjoy a sweet potato salad that tastes like the kind you buy out of the deli case, this recipe, which is heavy on the sugar and mayo, is it.
It’s also the most labor-intensive recipe I tried. Instead of stirring up a simple dressing,, this one involved making a sauce on the stove with beaten eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, and evaporated milk. It seemed like a lot of work and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the flavor when I tasted it. I was even more disappointed because it led to additional dirty dishes, which I never enjoy.
For the amount of time this took and because of the underwhelming flavor, I am sorry to say that I don’t think I’d make this potato salad again. The other versions on this list are much simpler and taste much better.
Get the recipe: World’s Best Potato Salad
Allrecipes / Sara Haas
Biggest Flavors: Southern Potato Salad
- Fast facts: Developed by S0NGLADY, has 530 reviews with a 4.6-star rating
“This tastes just like the potato salad my mom used to make,” one of my tasters said. She loved the egg-heavy version and the big mustard flavor. While I’m not a big fan of hard-boiled eggs in my potato salad, I still enjoyed this one.
The ¼ cup of sweet relish was a bit too much, so next time, I’ll cut that in half. And I love the crunch of celery in a dish like this, so I’d probably up that to at least 1 full stalk.
The only other issue I had was that the recipe calls for four potatoes without specifying which variety. I went with 4 large-ish Yukon Gold potatoes–my personal potato salad preference. This worked out well, but you may need to adjust ingredient amounts depending on the type and size of spud you choose.
Get the recipe: Southern Potato Salad
Allrecipes / Sara Haas
Most Pantry-Friendly: Potato Salad
- Fast facts: Developed by MRANDAL, has 204 reviews with a 4.7-star rating
We must have a “thing” for red potatoes, because this recipe, like our winner, uses them. But I think it has more to do with the flavor and how simple this recipe was to make.
I actually thought I’d prefer this recipe over the winner since this one uses regular dill pickles over sweet pickles, but I found that both were balanced regardless. I loved the yellow mustard in this recipe and the addition of apple cider vinegar, both of which added the perfect tartness to cut the creaminess in the dish.
This recipe was simple to make and I had most of the ingredients stocked in my pantry and refrigerator, which made me like it even more.
Get the recipe: Potato Salad
Allrecipes / Sara Haas
Best Overall: Classic American-Style Potato Salad
- Fast Facts: Developed by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson, has 74 reviews with a 4.7-star rating
This potato salad is the winner because it passed all my judging criteria with a perfect score. The ingredients were balanced, it tasted amazing, and it was simple to make.
The recipe uses red potatoes, which hold up well to the other ingredients. I like that the skins are left on, which makes the salad visually appealing as well. One unique step in the recipe involves sprinkling the still-warm, cut potatoes with the vinegar, salt, and pepper as you layer them in your bowl. This is a smart move that ensures the potatoes are perfectly seasoned before mixing together.
My reviewers found the recipe to have just the right balance of tartness and creaminess. It was a dish we unanimously agreed we’d make again.
Get the recipe: Classic American-Style Potato Salad
