This creamy red potato salad is the perfect BBQ, picnic, or summer side dish! Made with tender red potatoes, fresh herbs, and Greek yogurt, it’s a flavorful twist on a classic.
Let it chill for a few hours to bring out the best taste—trust us, it’s worth the wait!
Here are some tips on how to make a delicious Red Potato Salad:
- Cook the potatoes correctly: The first step in making a good potato salad is to cook the potatoes until just fork-tender. Boil the potatoes until they are tender, but be careful not to overcook them, as they can become mushy. For one-inch pieces, boil for 12 to 15 minutes; for half-inch pieces, boil for 10 to 12 minutes. You can also check for doneness by inserting a fork into the potato. If the fork goes in easily, the potato is done.
- Rinse the potatoes before and after cooking: You don’t have to, but we found that rinsing the pieces of potato before going into the boiling water AND AGAIN after boiling, rinse the cooked, hot potatoes with cool water while they are in the colander. This helps remove starch, and since your red potato salad is going to be chilled anyway, this will stop the cooking process and begin cooling them.
- Use the right ingredients: To make a tasty red potato salad, you need to use the right ingredients, but it’s flexible and forgiving. Some common ingredients include fresh red potatoes, onions, celery, parsley, mayonnaise, and mustard.
- Add flavor: You can add more flavor to your potato salad by using herbs and spices such as dill, paprika, or garlic powder. Adding pickles, capers, or olives can also give the salad a tangy twist.
- Let it chill: It’s best to let your potato salad chill for a few hours in the refrigerator before serving. This will give the flavors a chance to meld together, and the potatoes will absorb the dressing.
- Experiment: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ingredients and flavors. You can add bacon, eggs, or even avocado to your red potato salad to give it a unique twist.
By following these tips, you can make a delicious creamy red potato salad recipe that everyone will enjoy.
Can you eat the skin of red potatoes?
Yes, you can for sure eat the skin of red potatoes.
Red potatoes have thin skin so it adds a bit of texture (and fiber and other nutrients).
Leaving the skin on the potato also helps it keep its shape when cooking.
You can also peel them, so feel free to do so for this creamy red potato salad recipe.
Tips to make this Red Potato Salad
- Be sure to cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, which are usually half-inch to one-inch cubes.
- It is important to note that the cooking time may need to be adjusted depending on the size and thickness of your potatoes. For one-inch pieces, boil for 12 to 15 minutes; for half-inch pieces, boil for 10 to 12 minutes. You can also check for doneness by inserting a fork into the potato. If the fork goes in easily, the potato is done.
- The recipe calls for garlic salt so be careful not to oversalt the potato salad when you add the salt and pepper at the end. You may even prefer to set the salt and pepper out and allow people to add it to suit their own tastes.
- Consider setting aside some chives to sprinkle over the salad right before serving. It adds a bit of fresh flavor and adds an eye-catching appeal.
- If the potato salad seems dry when you are ready to serve it add in a tablespoon of water and stir. Keep adding a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Ingredients in creamy Red Potato Salad
Red potatoes – Be sure to get the freshest red potatoes that you can get your hands on. These are the star of the recipe, so you want them to be fresh and blemish-free.
Mayonnaise – We use real mayonnaise in our recipe (usually Duke’s or Hellmann’s) but you can use a low-fat mayo if you would prefer. If you like Miracle Whip, feel free to substitute that as well.
Plain Greek yogurt – The brand or fat content (4%, low-fat, etc.) doesn’t really matter, just make sure it is plain and not flavored.
Shallots – We love to cook with shallots. They taste a bit like a mixture between garlic and yellow onion. If you don’t have shallots on hand, here are our shallot substitution ideas.
Dijon mustard – This is such wonderful mustard for adding to recipes. It adds a mild kick in flavor that is hard to match. However, if you are out of dijon mustard here are our substitution suggestions.
Fresh dill – Fresh herbs are the secret to making this recipe AHmazing. If you can’t get your hands on fresh dill go ahead and substitute dried dill.
Fresh parsley – This is a critical ingredient to the taste of this potato salad recipe. If you don’t have any fresh parsley, substitute the dried version.
Garlic salt – Garlic salt is essentially a mixture of ground garlic and regular table salt. If you don’t have any garlic salt on hand feel free to use garlic powder and table salt.
Salt and pepper – We recommend that you allow your guests to add the additional salt to taste as they desire.
More Red Potato Salad ingredient suggestions
- Add in 2 boiled eggs. Some people can’t imagine a potato salad without eggs. If you fall into this category, boil two eggs and roughly chop them. Just add them in during the last step and stir gently to thoroughly mix them in.
- Add sweet or dill pickle juice to thin the dressing if it comes out too thick.
- Add in 4 slices of cooked bacon. Cook some bacon until it is crispy. Then crumble it up and mix it into the potato salad.
- Add a kick of heat. Consider adding a dash of red chili flakes or a spoonful of Frank’s Red Hot, sriracha, or any other hot sauce zesty seasoning blend to the mixture. Start with a dash or a tablespoon.
How long does potato salad last in the fridge?
This creamy potato salad will last up to 4 days in the fridge.
Keep it covered in an airtight container and store it in the very back of the fridge.
It will last longer if you only remove a serving at a time and do not allow the entire bowl to reach room temperature multiple times.
More potato-based recipes that you may like
We do absolutely love this creamy potato salad recipe but sometimes you want to do even more with potatoes.
Check out these other recipes with potatoes as a foundation!
- Ground Beef Casserole With Potatoes (Super Easy Dinner)
- How to Make A Hearty And Satisfying Sausage & Potato Soup
- How To Make Delicious, Creamy & Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Parmesan Breakfast Potatoes (We Love These!)
Gather your supplies
When we get ready to cook, the first thing that we like to do is take a moment and gather everything that we need in one place.
It can be frustrating to have ingredients in a bowl and then realize that you don’t have the whisk at hand.
So here are the supplies that you will need for this recipe.
- Cutting board
- Sharp butcher knife
- Large microwave-safe bowl with lid
- Medium nonreactive bowl
- Silicone spatula
- Herb shears
- Paper towels
The bottom line
This creamy red potato salad recipe offers a baseline set of instructions so that you can start building your own potato salad recipe for your recipe box.
Mix and match ingredients to find your favorite, or use this one exactly as is.
It’s delicious and comes together in a snap.
Just remember to give it time to chill, then gently stir it right before serving.
Creamy Red Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red potatoes washed, dried, and cut into quarters
- ¾ c. mayonnaise
- ¾ c. plain Greek yogurt
- 1 medium shallot outer skin removed and finely chopped
- 3 T. Dijon mustard
- ½ c. fresh dill chopped
- ½ c. fresh parsley chopped
- ½ t garlic salt
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes. Be sure to wash and dry them thoroughly. (We recommend using a vegetable brush. Then cut them into quarters or bite-size chunks.
- Prep the shallot by peeling and chopping it into small pieces.
- Chop the dill and parsley.
- Add the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of water to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender but firm and not falling apart. (Cook time will vary based upon the microwave.)
- Remove the potatoes and spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Blot them with paper towels and then allow them to dry. (Reserve the bowl)
- In a medium-sized non-reactive bowl, add the garlic salt, mayo, yogurt, shallot, mustard, and herbs. Stir to combine.
- Add the dry potatoes back to the large bowl. Slowly stir in the mayo mixture and mix until the potatoes are fully coated.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill.
- Serve cold.
Notes
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This looks amazing and perfect for our family BBQs!
One of our favorites for summer BBQs!
We are a divided family on potato salad…half are for Italian potato salad and the other half for this potato salad!!!