After you make this classic red potato salad recipe, you won’t be able to resist making dozens of other crowd-pleasing sides. Whip up a Deviled Egg Potato Salad for a healthy alternative to traditional deviled egg dishes, or prepare a Caper Potato Salad for a gourmet version of this iconic dish. Want to complete your dinner spread? Any of my Summer Salads will enliven your table with crisp, colorful, and garden-fresh flavors.
Ingredients
This easy red potato salad recipe uses a handful of simple ingredients to achieve its creamy texture and irresistible taste:
- Red potatoes (aka Red Bliss Potatoes): This recipe requires about three pounds of red skin potatoes. Though you can cook your potatoes whole, I recommend cutting them into one-inch cubes to help them cook faster and to eliminate the need to cut your potatoes post-boiling. I also prefer to leave the skin on, though you can remove the skin before cooking if desired.
- Bacon: Inspired by the fan-favorite German potato salad, we are adding a generous amount of bacon to the savory salad mixture. I use oven-baked turkey bacon for this dish, though you can also prepare it with my Air-Fried Turkey Bacon recipe to reduce cooking time. You can also make your red-skinned potato salad with regular baked bacon if you prefer something other than turkey bacon.
- Mayonnaise: You can use whatever quality mayo brand you like for your potato side. However, you can also use vegan mayo to accommodate various dietary lifestyles.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard: Though I prefer the tangy, sharp taste of Dijon mustard in my homemade red potato salad, grainy mustard will also work in this recipe.
- Seasonings: You only need Kosher salt and black pepper to season this dish.
- Fresh dill: Fresh dill gives this recipe its light, garden-fresh overtones. You can also use one tablespoon of dried dill if you don’t have fresh dill on hand.
- Celery stalks: Bu sure to chop them finely.
- Scallions: I recommend using the white and green parts of your green onions to give your salad a delectable balance of robust and mild flavors.
- Hard-boiled eggs: You can prepare your creamy red potato salad with egg or without egg. If you choose to include boiled eggs, I recommend using a process that I think is the best way to cook hard-boiled eggs. Once cooked, cut the eggs into ½-inch cubes and use them to top your side dish.
- Dill pickles: Adding a few tablespoons of chopped dill pickles gives this dill red potato salad a deliciously pickled flavor. For a milder taste, you may omit this ingredient.
Substitutions and Variations
- Potatoes: If you prefer not to use red-skin potatoes, you can use red new potatoes or baby red potatoes. If you use baby red potatoes, be sure that they are of equal size before boiling. You could also use other waxy potatoes that will hold their shape during cooking, such as Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn. Though keep in my that other potatoes, like russet potatoes, will fall apart while boiling.
- Greek yogurt: For a lighter, tangier version of this potato salad, use ½ cup of Greek yogurt and ½ cup of mayonnaise to make the creamy dressing.
- Sour cream: Mix ½ cup of mayonnaise with ½ cup of sour cream to make a classic Southern red potato salad. This red skin sour cream potato salad will have a slightly brighter, tarter flavor.
- Fresh herbs: Don’t want to make red potato salad with dill? You can omit this ingredient or substitute it with other fresh herbs, such as fresh parsley or chives.
- Vinegar or lemon juice: If you don’t have any apple cider vinegar in your pantry, you can make a red potato vinegar salad with red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar. You may also use fresh lemon juice to make this recipe without vinegar.
- Red onion: To make this dish milder, substitute the scallions with Pickled Red Onions for a tangier taste or Roasted Red Onions for a more caramelized flavor.
- Sweet relish or sweet pickles: You can make your red bliss potato salad less briny by swapping the dill pickles for a sweeter alternative, like sweet relish, dill pickle relish, or sweet pickles. Or you can also use briney black or green olives.
- Garlic: Recipes for old-fashioned red-skin potato salad generally include one teaspoon of garlic powder for bolder undertones. However, you could also make this version with one fresh garlic clove.
How to Make Red Skin Potato Salad
The best part about this recipe is how simple it is. These easy instructions will teach you how to cook red potatoes and prepare a delicious dressing that brings every ingredient to life.
- Prepare the potatoes: Place the cubed red-skinned potatoes in a large pot. Fill the pan with enough cold water to cover the potatoes, plus an extra inch of the pot. Cover it with a lid. Transfer the pot to the stove and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium so the water maintains a gentle boil.
- Cook the potatoes: Lightly boil the red-skin potatoes for about 7-8 minutes until fork tender. When done, you should be able to spear the potatoes easily with a sharp knife. The cubes should be tender but not falling apart.
- Drain: Remove the pot from the heat and drain it so that only the potatoes remain. Place potatoes in a large mixing bowl and let them cool slightly on the counter.
- Cook the bacon: If you are new to cooking baking in the oven, be sure to check out my recipe for Baked Turkey Bacon for step-by-step instructions. However, in a nutshell, these are the steps to cook bacon. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and line a baking sheet tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Add a wire rack atop the lined tray. Place four strips of turkey bacon on top of the rack, ensuring the strips don’t overlap. Transfer the turkey bacon to the preheated oven. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the strips, and cook them for another 5 minutes. Let them cool for five minutes before roughly chopping them into bite-sized pieces.
- Prepare the dressing: Take out a small bowl while the potatoes and bacon cook. Add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and pepper, and whisk the ingredients. Once combined, add the chopped dill and whisk again.
- Assemble the red potato potato salad: Add the chopped celery, scallions, dill pickles, and turkey bacon into the large bowl where you put the potatoes earlier.
- Add the dressing: Drizzle the potato mixture with dressing and toss it gently so that it coats all ingredients equally.
- Serve: If using, sprinkle the chopped hard-boiled eggs on top of the red potato salad. Serve the dish immediately or cover it with saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
How to Make Ahead and Store Leftovers?
Red-skinned potato salad is a must-have recipe for hassle-free prep time. Prepare it ahead for effortless potluck preparation, or save your leftovers to enjoy days later.
- Make ahead: You can prepare this delicious recipe one day in advance. However, if you plan to include eggs, I recommend adding them to the mixture just before serving.
- Storage: Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and they will stay fresh for up to 1-2 days. Because the flavors may settle or change during storage, I recommend stirring the mixture before serving and tasting it so that you can adjust its seasoning as necessary.
What to Serve with Red Potato Salad?
You’ll have countless pairable meals for any occasion when you make potato salad with red potatoes. This collection has everything from summer cookout menu ideas to weekday sandwiches.
- Grilled meats: No barbecue feast is complete without a filling potato salad and grilled protein. Serve my Chicken Shish Tawook for a juicy, bold Middle Eastern meal. If you want a light seafood option, prepare my recipes for Grilled Sockeye Salmon, Shrimp Shish Kabob, or Grilled Dolphin Fish, and your tastebuds will thank you.
- Air-fried chicken or turkey legs: Fried chicken and redskin potato and egg salad is a classic menu combination. However, you can take out the mess of oil frying and prepare healthy poultry half the time by making my Air Fried Chicken Legs or Air Fryer Turkey Legs instead.
- Sandwiches or burgers: Satisfy your appetite and cravings by spooning your red potato salad with bacon alongside a hearty sandwich. My favorite pairings include a fresh Chicken Caprese Sandwich, a flavorful Tuna Melt Sandwich, and a restaurant-ready Bacon Avocado Burger.
- Pasta Salads: Pair it with classic summer sides like my Caprese Pasta Salad, Mexican Corn Pasta Salad, or Orzo and Shrimp Salad.
Expert Tips
There’s no secret to making a deliciously savory and tender bacon red potato salad. Everyone can whip up this fan-favorite side using my beginner-friendly cooking suggestions.
- Cooking potatoes: The trick to making the best red potato salad recipe ever is correctly cooking the potatoes. Begin by filling your pan with cold water and letting your potatoes heat up in the pot. Doing so allows the potatoes to cook in gentle heat resulting in more evenly cooked creamy potatoes. Additionally, this soaking process will reduce boiling time and ensure your potatoes have a tender texture.
- Dress properly: I recommend letting your potatoes reach a lukewarm temperature before adding the additional ingredients. If your potatoes are too hot, they will absorb the added liquid, which may result in a mushy potato salad. However, the temperature at which you add your ingredients is entirely up to your preference.
- Presentation tips: One of the biggest complaints about potato salad is that it looks bland. My solution is to reserve some of the ingredients used in the recipe and sprinkle them on top when mixed with the dressing. A redskin potato salad topped off with bacon bits, fresh herbs, and bright veggies is a treat for the eye.
- Let it rest: While optional, I recommend letting your potato salad rest for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. This resting time will allow your ingredients to mix their flavors thoroughly so that every bite tastes perfectly balanced.
- Eggs: When you make this red potato salad with eggs, it’s up to you how you prefer to mix them. I like adding the eggs as a topping to keep them from getting buried in the mix. However, you could also add them along with your other dressing ingredients so that they appear evenly throughout the potato salad.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold: As it is with most potato salads, this red potato and egg salad can be served lukewarm, at room temperature, or cold. However, if you are serving it as a part of your summer barbecue menu on a hot day, it is advised to place it above a bowl filled with icy water to maintain its coolness.
FAQs
Wondering whether red potatoes are good for potato salad or how to prepare your veggies? This handy guide answers all your questions about this delicious potato salad recipe.
Yes! Not only can you make potato salad with red potatoes, but I also highly recommend it. Red potatoes hold their shape better than other potatoes during the boiling process, and they bring a sweet, buttery flavor to your potato salad.
The time it takes to cook red potatoes may vary depending on their sizes. However, after cutting them into one-inch cubes and letting your water boil, your potatoes should only need to cook for 7-8 minutes until they are fork-tender. Keep in mind that there is a direct correlation between the size of your potato cubes and cooking time. To check for doneness, insert a knife into the center of a potato piece. If it enters and exits easily, your potatoes are ready.
Not at all! I prefer to leave the skin on when I make this red potato salad recipe with bacon. Not only does this add color to the potato salad, but it also ensures you keep the nutrients present in the red potato skin. However, you can peel your potatoes first if you’d prefer not to include the skin.
Whether you use red or white potatoes in your potato salad is up to personal preference. I love making this recipe with red potatoes because of their rich, sweet flavor. However, you can use any potato you prefer as long as they are waxy potatoes that can hold their shape during the boiling process, such as Yukon Gold potatoes.
Other Potato Recipes You Might Like
Whether you are a Pioneer Woman’s Potato Salad fan or have always made your cherished family recipe, I hope you try our red skin potato salad recipe. And if you happened to have any leftover potatoes, here are a few other potato recipes you might also like:
- Leftover Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
- Air Fryer Baby Red Potatoes
- Smashed Fingerlings
- Muffin Tin Potatoes
If you try this Red Skin Potato Salad recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It is a great help to others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Red Skin Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 strips turkey bacon*, roughly chopped – or regular bacon
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- ¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced or red onions
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into ½ inch cubes – optional
- 3 tablespoons chopped dill pickles – optional
Instructions
- To cook the potatoes: Place the cubed potatoes in a large pan and fill them with cold water, making sure that the water covers the potatoes plus an additional inch. Cover the pan.
- Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat to medium and let it simmer for 7-8 minutes* or until fork tender (but not falling apart.)
- Remove from the heat and drain. Transfer it to a large salad bowl and let it cool slightly.
- To cook the turkey bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top of the lined tray. Place the strips of turkey bacon on the wire rack, ensuring the strips do not overlap.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Let them cool slightly, and then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- While the potatoes and bacon are cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and pepper. Add the chopped dill and give it a good whisk.
- To assemble the red potato salad: Add chopped celery, scallions, dill pickles (if using), and turkey bacon into the bowl with the boiled potatoes.
- Drizzle them with the dressing and gently toss them, ensuring that the dressing is distributed throughout.
- If using, add the hard-boiled eggs on top*. Serve right away or cover with stretch film and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes about 6-7 cups of salad if you cut your potatoes into 1-inch cubes. The nutritional values below are per serving.
- Cook time for potatoes: Please keep in mind that there is a direct correlation between the size of your potatoes and cooking time. The best time to check doneness is by inserting a sharp knife into a potato cube. If it comes in and out easily, it should be cooked.
- Bacon: I used turkey bacon, but regular bacon can be used. If you are new to cooking bacon in the oven, be sure to check out my detailed post on Baked Turkey Bacon.
- Eggs: If you are using eggs, you can place them on top at the end or chop them up and incorporate them into the salad with the rest of the ingredients.
- Make ahead instructions: You can prepare this salad one day in advance. However, if you plan to include eggs, I recommend adding them to the mixture just before serving.
- Storage: Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and they will stay fresh for up to 1-2 days. Because the flavors may settle or change during storage, I recommend stirring the mixture before serving and tasting it so that you can adjust its seasoning as necessary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
PHENOMENAL. Tasted great with dairy free Mayo by primal kitchen. Many friends asked for the recipe. Fresh with the dill, great crunch from the bacon, celery, pickles and green onion. Will definitely make again!
Hello Heather,
This is music to my ears. I appreciate you sharing the recipe with your friends. I am so happy to hear that everyone liked it.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to share your experience.
Best,
Aysegul