Soul Food Potato Salad Recipe

After years and year of begging and pleading, mom FINALLY gave my her secret potato salad recipe.

Now, I ONLY eat her potato salad. I don’t like anyone else’s – it’s either lacking in flavor, over seasoned, too watery etc. But not my mama’s! 

When it comes to family gatherings, BBQs, and Sunday dinners, her soul food potato salad is always the first thing to go. It has a creamy dressing, tender potatoes, a little tang and a touch of sweetness from the mayo/mustard/relish dressing, and is the perfect addition to any meal. 

This classic southern potato salad recipe is the kind of dish that brings generations together. Now of course she didn’t give me step-by-step instructions nor exact measurement, but I used the many years I watched her make it and my taste buds to guide me.

I’m proud to report that this tastes JUST like hers and even got her stamp of approval. I’m glad I wrote this down for my kids to one day make too!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This Black folks’ potato salad recipe recipe has been passed down for several generations! It’s made with a lot of love and flavor for a southern style potato salad you’ll never forget. It’s a true classic dish that never goes out of style.
• It’s creamy, tangy, and perfectly seasoned. Perfect with buttermilk fried chicken and honey butter cornbread!
• You can customize it based on personal preference – add a little more mustard or onion, or leave out what you don’t love.
• It tastes even better the second day after the flavors come together in the fridge! Ideal made ahead side dish and can be served cold or at room temperature.

Key Ingredients for the Best Southern Potato Salad 

• Green Bell Pepper, Celery, and Red Onion add a ton of flavor a nice crunch – which is a nice contrast to the soft potatoes! 
• Russet potatoes or Yukon potatoes – Each kind of potatoes brings its own vibe. Waxy potatoes like russets and Yukon golds hold their shape best.
• Hard-boiled eggs! This is a southern staple for both texture, color, and flavor. My mom uses an entire dozen of eggs – I don’t question it. I just do as I’m told and it comes out perfectly EVERY TIME. 
• Sweet relish or sweet pickle relish adds a pop of sweetness that I love. It’s critical to this soul food potato salad recipe!
• Mayonnaise is the base of the dressing. It provides that creamy texture for the salad and allows all of the flavors to come together. Do not use miracle whip. Please.
• Yellow mustard add a sharp, tangy bite that plays up the flavor of the salad. I’ve always used yellow mustard, but you can experiment with dijon mustard if you’d like. 
• White vinegar adds a little tang to the dressing which balances out all of the richness and enhances the flavor.
• Celery Salt and Seasoned Salt are key here. If you don’t have celery salt, use a combo of celery seeds and kosher salt.

How to Make Soul Food Potato Salad

Step 1: Rinse the potatoes off and add cold water and chicken bouillon to a large pot (you can also use chicken broth). Place the potatoes into the pot and place on the stove over high heat. Boil until fork tender (not mushy), about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. (larger potatoes take longer) Drain the water and place the potatoes into a large bowl. Allow the potatoes to cool completely. (this prevents the potato salad from becoming watery)

Step 2: While the potatoes are cooling, add water back into the pot and bring to a boil. Carefully adds the eggs and boil for 12-15 minutes. Fill a large bowl with ice water and place the eggs into the ice water to cool before peeling. 

Step 3: Once the potatoes have cooled completely, peel the skins off and begin cutting into bite sized pieces. Then roughly chop the eggs. 

Step 4: Now, make the dressing. Combine mayo, sweet relish, yellow mustard, vinegar, sugar, celery salt, and seasoned salt. Mix together. Add in the diced red onion, bell pepper, celery, and eggs. Fold together until just combined.

Step 5: Begin adding the cooled potatoes to the dressing mixture, folding together gently so as to not mush the potato chunks. Once it’s all added, taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Sprinkle with a dash of paprika for color and cover with plastic wrap. Eat immediately or let it chill in the fridge for a few hours (overnight is even better!). 

Expert Cooking Tips

• Make sure you get the texture of the potatoes just right! You want fork-tender potatoes. Don’t boil them until they’re able to be mashed, boil them until they can be pierced with a fork with little resistance. It shouldn’t be falling apart.
• My mom doesn’t use garlic powder or onion powder in her potato salad. It’s delicious without it! I know a lot of people do so I wanted to let you know that if you want to use it, feel free to do so! 
• Taste test before chilling to make sure your seasoning is just right.
• To speed up the cooking process, you can use the instant pot to boil potatoes and hard-boil the eggs at the same time. It’s a game-changer, especially during busy holiday prep.

How to Serve

This classic potato salad is a must for Family get-togethers, Summer cookouts, and is mandatory for any holiday spread! 

It pairs perfectly with other soul food staples like fried buttermilk chicken, collard greens, fall off the bone ribs, corn on the cob, or even hush puppies, baked beans and hot dogs. Don’t forget a side of buttermilk cornbread too!