Potato salad with egg is a classic side dish for summertime cookouts! The addition of hard-boiled eggs to the creamy potato salad adds a delicious protein boost and a unique texture that complements the potatoes perfectly. The dressing is the perfect combination of mayo, vinegar, mustard and a few simple spices.
Potato salad is a classic American dish that is often served at picnics, barbecues, and potlucks. I get asked to make this and bacon ranch pasta salad often when going to cookouts. They are a hit with people of all ages.
We make ours with eggs, but some people prefer to make it without. This recipe can be made without the eggs with no modifications, just leave the eggs out!
The ingredients
This potato salad with egg also has peppers which is different from many recipes, but we love it with the peppers and think you will too!
The vegetables
The potato - Russet potatoes are our favorites to use here for their texture, but you can use any potato.
Peppers - I add in stop light peppers - red, yellow and green bell peppers. If you only have one pepper or do not like one of these peppers, you can mix it up to your liking. If you prefer no peppers, you can leave them out or replace them with celery. But we think the peppers make it so much better!
Carrot - I shred the carrot which gives it a thicker sliver, but you can also grate the carrot. Grating it will spread more orange throughout your salad, but the taste will still be close to the same.
Scallions - It is recommended you use scallions here due to their mild flavor, but you can use about one third cup finely chopped red onion or leeks in it's place. Note that red onions are stronger in flavor then scallions. Other onions are not recommended.
Eggs - Hard boiled eggs add a great taste and texture to the salad, but they are optional if you want or need to leave them out.
The dressing
What makes the best potato salad the best is the dressing you put on it. You don't want it too sweet or too tangy, but just right.
Mayo - Use your favorite brand real mayo here, but note that this recipe is written for mayo and NOT Miracle Whip.
Mustard - Spicy or Dijon mustard is best, but you can use regular yellow mustard if you prefer.
Vinegar - We use unfiltered apple cider vinegar, but you can use regular apple cider vinegar. I do recommend the unfiltered, but personal preference.
The spices - they are common spices and I don't recommend any substitutions because any substitutions here will change the flavor.
- Salt - can use table salt or sea salt
- Black pepper - can use ground pepper or grind your own peppercorns
- Garlic powder
- Sugar
- Celery seed
- Paprika - we use regular and have not tried it with smoked paprika. It is used as a garnish but also adds flavor to the potato salad.
- Parsley - can use fresh chopped or dried. It is a garnish and only adds a slight amount of flavor - very slight.
Boiling Potatoes for Potato Salad
Have you ever wondered how some people get perfectly cooked potatoes in their potato salad with egg? Well I am going to tell you the secret and no worries, it's super easy!
The best way to boil the potatoes is whole with the skin on. Yes that is the big secret - boil them whole. I try to use potatoes that are close in size here but not a huge problem if they are not. If you have a few potatoes quite larger then the others, they will just need a few more minutes. You will cook them to fork tender. Sorry I cannot say exactly how long as it depends on the size of the potatoes, type of potato (some cook faster then others) and even your stove.
Why do we cook the potatoes whole? Reason is they will cook more evenly and they cook better. When you cut potatoes, it is hard to get them the exact size which results in some being undercooked and some overcooked. Then you have crunchy pieces and mushy pieces, yikes!
To boil them - wash them with a vegetable brush (recommended) and put them in a large pot of water. Be sure the water is covering all the potatoes completely. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.
After boiling them, remove from the water and allow them to cool down before removing the skin and cutting them. Once they have cooled completely, peel and cut them into bite sized pieces.
Boiling the eggs
Boil your eggs while your potatoes are boiling. Place your eggs in a pot of cold water and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes remove from the heat and drain. Add in cold water for the eggs to cool down to a temperature that they can be handled.
Once the eggs are cooled enough to handle, peel them and place them in a container (or bag) in the fridge to cool down all the way. It is often easier to peel eggs that are still slightly warm then after they have been in the fridge so I peel them before cooling all the way down.
Prepare the Dressing
For the potato salad with egg to have the best flavor, I recommend making the dressing before cutting the potatoes and other veggies.
This gives the time for the flavors of the spices and scallions to fully flavor the mayo. I don't make this hours ahead, just mix it before cutting all the veggies.
Mix all dressing ingredients together in a prep bowl - mayo, spices, vinegar, mustard and scallions. Set aside.
Assembling and Serve
Assembling the potato salad with egg is pretty easy. Once the potatoes have cooled completely, peel and cut them into the bite size pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl. Chop the peppers and shred the carrot, add to the potato pieces and mix well.
Pour the dressing mixture over the vegetables and stir well. You can serve right away or chill for an hour before serving.
Just before serving, sprinkle a little paprika and parsley over your salad as a garnish. This is optional but recommended!
Frequently asked questions
While you can, I don't recommend it. Many of the ingredients will change their texture after being frozen and upon thawing it will likely be a very different texture.
It will be good if stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. Anything beyond that will get a different taste and the texture will be different.
Yes you can! You can make it the day before or even in the morning of the day you will be eating it. It does take time to make with cooling the potatoes so allow for the cool down time. The salad can be completely assembled ahead of time or just before serving as long as the potatoes have cooled.
You may also like
If you like our potato salad with egg recipe, you may also enjoy these delicious side dishes!
- Creamy Italian pasta salad
- Ranch pasta salad
- Broccoli salad with bacon
- Grilled loaded potatoes in foil
Recipe
The Best Potato Salad With Egg Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds potatoes whole, unpeeled
- 5 eggs hard boiled, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 1/2 yellow pepper chopped
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika for garnish
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley for garnish
The Dressing
- 3 scallions chopped greens and all
- 2 cups mayo
- 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Boil potatoes whole with the skin on until you can stick a fork into them fairly easily but you don't want them mushy. Drain and cool completely - can cool in fridge.5 pounds potatoes
- Just before chopping potatoes -in a small bowl mix together the dressing ingredients - scallions, mayo, mustard, vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic and celery seed. Set aside.3 scallions, 2 cups mayo, 1 tablespoon spicy mustard, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon celery seed
- Once the potatoes are cooled, peel and cut them into bite size cubes.
- Add in the chopped peppers, shredded carrot, and chopped eggs. Stir well.5 eggs, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, 1 carrot
- Stir the dressing into the potatoes and mix well. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley as a garnish. Serve or refrigerate immediately. Refrigerate leftovers.1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon dried parsley
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