If you’re looking for a classic potato salad for family gatherings or backyard BBQs, you’ve come to the right place! Good old-fashioned Southern potato salad-sounds good, right?! Even though potato salad has European roots, it has a rich history in Southern families. Black southern potato salad is serious business, and many have fond memories of eating the very best version since childhood. This Soul Food potato salad recipe is truly cookout worthy and will have you promoted to potato salad duty in your family after just one bite!
American potato salad is a southern food now enjoyed across the nation thanks to the Great Migration of Black southerners from the Jim Crow South and eaten by all races of people. African American southern potato salad IS Soul Food, though. So what's the difference vs white potato salad?
This classic soul food, Southern Potato Salad is a staple to Black people and truly a recipe that screams southern comfort. Flavorful and perfectly textured with that tangy, distinct creaminess we all love. It’s a creamy, old fashioned southern recipe that will be perfect for your next BBQ, cookout, potluck or family reunion!
Listen, there are many things that Black folks take seriously, and potato salad is one of them! Haha. Real talk, it’s a cultural favorite and such an important piece of African American/Black culinary history. Whether it be served at cookouts, a family reunion, a holiday side dish, or whenever the craving strikes; southern-style potato salad is the absolute move.
What Makes It Southern?
What makes this recipe specifically Southern? The hallmark of a classic Southern potato salad recipe is the creamy dressing. Always made with mayonnaise, a hint of mustard, and sometimes sugar, sometimes vinegar, the dressing is rich, creamy, sweet, and tangy. From the very first bite, potato salad is bursting with flavor. Classic southern elements like smoked paprika, hard-boiled eggs, relish, and more can be found here.
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Now, everyone’s potato salad is different. This recipe highlights potato salad through the lens of Black people, to be specific. You may have seen some memes about others putting raisins in theirs among other atrocities (lol- I kid, I kid! The heart of this recipe lies with very simple pantry staples, a little texture, and the key spotlight of mayonnaise. This one is plain and simple, yet a very timeless low-effort/high-reward side dish.
Black folks don't do bland, over-mayo’d potato salad. It's gotta depth of flavor, not just filler.
So, what goes in potato salad? Well, every Southern family has their own recipe, and the beauty of that is that it comes down to your personal preference. Add in the texture of the potatoes (chunky vs. slightly mashed), the mix-ins (onions, bacon, and pickles in some form), and finally, the hard-boiled eggs, and you’ve got the classic side dish you see at most Black people get-togethers!
Flavorful - This dish is tangy, savory, and a little sweet--just what good potato salad should be.
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are often preferred for their creamy texture and ability to hold their shape.
- Eggs: A must-have ingredient, with the amount adjusted to personal preference.
- Mayonnaise: Use your favorite brand for a creamy base.
- Mustard: Adds a tangy flavor; options include spicy brown, yellow, Creole, or Dijon mustard.
- Relish: Sweet relish is commonly used, but dill relish or chopped pickles can also be used.
- Onions and Celery: Both add flavor and crunch to the creamy potato salad.
- Seasonings: stick to the basics-onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt.
Here's a quick look at some common ingredients and their roles:
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| Ingredient | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Potatoes | Main component, provides texture and substance |
| Mayonnaise | Adds creaminess and binds ingredients together |
| Mustard | Provides tanginess and flavor depth |
| Eggs | Adds richness and texture |
| Relish | Adds sweetness and tanginess |
| Celery & Onion | Adds crunch and flavor |
| Spices | Enhance overall flavor profile |
Tips and Tricks for the Best Potato Salad
Alright, Cousins! It’s time to learn how to make this delicious potato salad. It’s really simple and can be ready in well under an hour from start to finish.
Potato Selection: Yukon Gold potatoes are a top choice for potato salad due to their creamy texture and ability to maintain their shape when cooked. Alternatively, it’s best to stay away from high-starch potatoes that often disintegrate (get flaky and easily turn to mush) after cooking: like popular russet potatoes. All in all, for the best southern potato salad, aim for the waxy potato variety: yukon gold, red potatoes, or a mix of them!
Cooking the Potatoes: This is a recipe for potato salad not mashed potatoes, so don't cook the potatoes to a super soft texture. They should be creamy in the center with a fair amount of disintegration on the outside. Boil the potatoes until they are nice and fork-tender. The secret to getting perfectly tender potatoes that don’t fall apart is to cook them until they are just fork-tender. You don’t want to boil the potatoes for as long as you would for mashed potatoes. No, ma’am, you want these potatoes to be slightly firmer while still fully cooked.
Peel the potatoes then cut them into chunks about one to two inches in size. Cutting the potatoes too big means they will take longer to cook and cool. Alternatively, if you cut the potatoes too small, they are more likely to break when mixing later so you'll end up more of a smashed or mashed potato texture.
Add the potatoes to a pot with generously salted water and a splash of broth or stock and cook until fork tender. Either salting the water or adding broth will add great flavor to the potato pieces but doing both is really magical. Each lil chunk of potato gets infused with so much flavor that they taste good all on the own.
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Relish: My mom always used chopped dill pickles in her potato salad, so that’s what I learned. As I got older, I started to use relish. I use a combination of dill relish and sweet pickle relish, but you can use either. Want to use diced-up dill pickles or sweet pickles instead? You do you, boo boo!
Seasoning: Season at each step, especially early. During boiling the potatoes can/will absorb the flavors in the liquid.
Mixing: When you mix the potato salad, do so carefully so you don’t mash them up. Mixing warm potatoes or eggs into the mayo and mustard sauce will break up the mayonnaise resulting in a clumpy texture and oily potato salad. Don't add the mayo too early. Wait till the potatoes are close to room temperature otherwise, the potato salad will end up very oily. Waiting to mix the ingredients with the potatoes also provides the needed time for the water to evaporate. Trust me, you don't want a watery potato salad. That's another no-no.
Flavor Enhancement: Chicken Broth is optional but adds extra savory flavor when boiling the potatoes so I highly recommend it!
Temperature: This southern potato salad is best when stored in the refrigerator and served as a cold side dish. Southern potato salad is best served as a cold side dish. More specifically, because this style of potato salad contains eggs, it needs to be cold. Furthermore, it is also a mayonnaise-based dish that can only be out of the fridge for no longer than 2 hours. Bacteria can grow rapidly if the potato salad reaches certain temperatures when left out for too long. This is crucial for cookouts and gatherings in which food is often on the table for long periods of time.
Perfectly chilled potato salad ready to be served.
Make Ahead: Good potato salad actually gets better with time so it's a great make-ahead dish for the day before your get-together. You can make it up to three days in advance if stored properly. Just reserve the garnishes until you're ready to serve it.
Storage: Keep this potato salad stored inside of an airtight container. When properly stored, it will keep fresh in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Store the potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to five days this way.
Customization: You can adjust some of the ingredients in this potato salad recipe to your liking. Don’t love celery? Leave it out! Not a fan of green onions?
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve this potato salad with barbecue dishes like my barbecue oxtails or my sweet and smokey pork spare ribs, but really, it pairs with countless Southern Soul Food recipes!
Here are a few suggestions:
- Grilled Meats: Grilled chicken leg quarters, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, smoked ribs, steak, or grilled sausages are all great options.
- Sandwiches: Serve as a side dish with sandwiches such as smoked pulled pork, pork chop, roast beef, turkey, or grilled vegetable sandwiches.
- Fried Chicken: My favorite recipe, it's crispy, golden, and full of flavor! We skipped the buttermilk soak and embraced a salt, sugar, and water brine for juiciness for this recipe.
Black folk like their potato salad for the barbecue cookouts so think about pairing them with smoked meats like easy 3-2-1 perfect ribs chased with a glass of ice cold Southern sweet tea.
Step-by-Step Recipe Overview
How To Make Perfect Classic Southern Potato Salad That's Cookout Worthy - The Hillbilly Kitchen
Here’s a simplified overview of how to make this classic dish:
- Hard boil the eggs, drain them, then peel once they're comfortable enough to handle.
- Roughly chop the eggs to your desired size.
- Peel the potatoes then cut them into chunks about one to two inches in size.
- Add the potatoes to a pot with generously salted water and a splash of broth or stock and cook until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and let the cool to room temperature. You can stick the drained potatoes in the refrigerator to cool faster.
- While the potatoes cool, chop up the celery and onion then mix them up with mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, pimentos, and spices.
- Mixed the cooled potatoes and eggs into the sauce until evenly coated then cover and place in the fridge to cool for at least one hour.
Remember, the key is to let the flavors meld together in the refrigerator before serving. This allows the potato salad to develop its signature taste.
Y’all, can’t wait for you to try this Southern Potato Salad recipe. Nothing at all beats this comforting, classic side dish! Until next time!
