This dill pickle potato salad recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember. It's creamy, tangy, crunchy, and smooth with eggs, pickles, potatoes, and more. Enjoy it this summer with your next BBQ!
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My mom always made a huge batch of this pickle potato salad for family gatherings and even purchased a huge bowl specifically to hold the many servings needed. For reference, her potato salad bowl is about 4 or 5 times the size of an average large mixing bowl.
If that doesn't tell you how much we loved eating it growing up, I'm not sure what would, haha.
She was not a fan of mayonnaise and always added mustard to help hide the taste. This is why recipes like this potato salad with pickles and her easy egg salad are both creamy and tangy.
From the tender potato chunks to the acidic pickles and shredded egg in every bite this potato salad is simply perfect. We love to add onions to it for a nice crunch, but feel free to omit them if desired. It tastes great either way!
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's very simple. We don't need a lot of ingredients or process steps to make this recipe turn out great. Pair with summer favorites like Oven Baked Brats or Honey Orange Glazed Ham for the holidays.
- You can scale it up or down. Make a large batch for a party or reduce it down to a few servings.
- The pickle taste isn't overwhelming. This dish would be great for pickle lovers and non-pickle lovers because the flavor is present but subtle and not too overpowering. Perfect for everyone to enjoy together!
🛒 Ingredients
Dill pickle spears- Truthfully, you can dice up any dill pickle (hamburger sliced, whole, spears, etc.), but these pickles will add a nice flavorful crunch to our salad.
Pickle juice- Reserve a little pickle juice from the jar. This will keep our potato salad from feeling dry and help to incorporate a little more flavor throughout. If you still have juice left over, try our Pickle Lemonade!
Hard boiled eggs- You will need some hard boiled eggs for this recipe. Check out my Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs for a fool proof recipe!
Russet potatoes- Always russet. They give the best texture and consistency throughout the salad. Other potato varieties like red or yellow will not work nearly as well.
White or Yellow Onion- This is an optional ingredient but one that we all love. When making potato salad for the kids, we usually portion out a few servings without onion into a mixing bowl and then just mix onion into the remaining portion for the adults.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Dill pickle relish. If desired, you can skip the chopping and simply use dill pickle relish instead. This will give you much smaller chunks of pickles and save you a little effort.
Potatoes. I love russet potatoes because they soften enough to break down a little when stirred, which I feel totally adds to the overall texture of this potato salad recipe. Letting the potatoes chill in the fridge or cold ater will help them to break down less when stirred.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use Russet potatoes: They are one of the cheapest potato options and work great for classic potato salad.
Stretch with eggs: Eggs add protein and bulk at a low cost, helping the salad go further.
Buy store-brand condiments: Generic mayo, mustard, and pickles taste the same and save money.
🥄 Instructions for Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Step 1: Wash and peel your potatoes.
Step 2: Boil until fork tender in a large pot of water and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Then dice into .5-1inch-sized cubes.
Step 3: Place diced potatoes in a bowl with grated eggs.
Step 4: Add the mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, onion, and chopped pickles.
Step 5: Add in one tablespoon of pickle juice.
Step 6: Mix well and add more if desired.
Step 7: Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before serving.
Step 8: Garnish with additional paprika before serving.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Adjust to Taste: Customize the mayo, mustard, and pickle juice to your preference. Add more for creamier, tangier flavor or less for a lighter dressing.
- Why Pickle Juice Works: Pickle juice adds creaminess, salt, and balance. It brightens the flavors and ties everything together.
- Shred the Eggs: Shred hard-boiled eggs on a cheese grater instead of chopping. It creates a creamier texture and distributes yolk evenly throughout the salad.
- Instant Pot Convenience: You can make potato salad start-to-finish in the Instant Pot to cut down on dishes. Cook eggs using the 5-5-5 method, then wash, peel, and cube potatoes.
- Instant Pot Potatoes: Cook cubed potatoes for 1 minute on High Pressure, Quick Release, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Assemble the salad as usual.
❄️ Storage and Make Ahead
Storage: Store Dill Pickle Potato Salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Stir before serving, as a little separation is normal. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Make Ahead: Boil potatoes and eggs ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to assemble. After mixing the salad, chill for 1-2 hours before serving so the flavors blend and the salad cools properly.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Serve Dill Pickle Potato Salad alongside grilled meats, burgers, hot dogs, or sandwiches. It also pairs well with baked beans, corn on the cob, or fresh fruit at picnics and potlucks.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes, this potato salad recipe is 100% dairy free as mayo is made with eggs and not milk. None of the ingredients in this recipe normally contain dairy, so it's perfectly safe fo those avoiding dairy.
I do not recommend freezing potato salad- ever. The consistency and textures when thawed are not the same as when the potato salad is freshly made.
Yes. Feel free to prep this salad the afternoon or evening before an event and keep it well stored in the fridge. It should taste wonderfully and be nicely chilled in time for serving.
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🐝 If you tried this Dill Pickle Potato Salad, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½ to 1-inch cubes - ($1.38)
- 6 large hard-boiled eggs, shredded - ($0.90)
- ½ cup mayonnaise - ($0.45)
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard - ($0.06)
- 1 teaspoon paprika - ($0.08)
- 1 small onion, diced, about ½ cup - ($0.46)
- 3 spears dill pickle spears, finely chopped, about ½ cup - ($0.33)
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice - ($0.02)
Instructions
- Cook potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork-tender, about 20 to 25 minutes if boiled whole or slightly less if diced first.
- Cool and dice. Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Once cool enough to handle, cut into ½-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add eggs. Shred the hard-boiled eggs using a box grater and add them to the bowl.
- Add dressing ingredients. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, diced onion, chopped pickles, and pickle juice.
- Mix. Stir gently until everything is evenly combined. Taste and add additional pickle juice if desired.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve. Sprinkle lightly with paprika just before serving.
Notes
- Adjusting flavor. The amounts of mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle juice can be adjusted to taste and desired creaminess.
- Egg texture. Shredding the eggs instead of chopping creates a creamier salad, especially when the yolks are fully grated.
- Storage. Store covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Stir before serving.
Nutritional Information
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Chrissy says
My grandma made this potato salad her entire life. She passed it to my Mother and she passed it to me. Not many people seem to know of it but it is my favorite! I have never shredded the egg but I am definitely going to give it a try.i think it sounds like a great idea. I also found that instead of white or yellow onion I like to add chopped green onions once in a while.