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Creamy Potato Salad

Creamy potato salad with classic ingredients and rich, ultra-creamy dressing. Russet potatoes are boiled tender, mixed with hard-boiled eggs, and chilled until the texture turns smooth and velvety for a traditional party salad.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 690
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potato salad base
  • 3 lb russet potatoes Peel and cube for even cooking.
  • 5 hard-boiled eggs Chop after boiling and cooling.
  • 0.5 cup celery Finely dice so it blends into the creamy texture.
  • 0.25 cup onion Finely dice.
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish Adds classic sweetness and tang.
Rich creamy dressing
  • 1.5 cup mayonnaise Provides the ultra-creamy consistency.
  • 0.25 cup sour cream Balances richness with mild tang.
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard For classic flavor.
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar Brightens the dressing.
  • 1 tsp sugar Rounds out the tanginess.
  • 0.5 salt To taste.
  • 0.5 pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil in a Dutch oven, then add the peeled and cubed russet potatoes. Boil for 12-15 minutes, until a knife slides in easily with little resistance, and cover becomes slightly translucent around the edges.
  2. Drain the potatoes and cool them on a sheet pan for 10 minutes. Let the surface lose steam so the salad stays creamy rather than watery.
Mix the base
  1. Add the cooled potatoes to a mixing bowl, then fold in the chopped hard-boiled eggs, finely diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish. Stop when everything looks evenly distributed and no dry pockets remain.
Make the rich dressing
  1. In the same bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, yellow mustard, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth. The dressing should look glossy and pourable with no mustard streaks visible.
Combine and chill
  1. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until every cube is coated. Keep folding slowly so the potatoes hold their shape while the texture turns very creamy.
  2. Cover and refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours before serving. Chill until cold in the center and the dressing thickens to a smooth, clingy coating.

Notes

For extra-creamy texture, cool the potatoes to room temperature before mixing so the mayonnaise doesn’t loosen. Refrigerate in a covered container for 3-4 days; for best texture, stir once after 1 hour of chilling. Freezing isn’t recommended because mayonnaise and sour cream can break and become grainy. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise and plain low-fat sour cream (texture will be slightly less rich).