50 Potato Salad Recipes Perfect for Your Next Cookout (2024)

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Anyway you slice it, these potato salad recipes are perfect for your summer barbecue!

Mama’s Potato Salad

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This old-fashioned potato salad recipe doesn’t have many ingredients, so it isn’t as colorful as many that you find nowadays. But Mama made it the way her mother did, and that’s the way I still make it today. Try it and see if it isn’t one of the best potato salads you have ever eaten! —Sandra Anderson, New York, New York

Southern Potato Salad

This potato salad with a Southern twist is perfect for a church supper or potluck. The pickles add an extra sweetness. —Gene Pitts, Wilsonville, Alabama

Sicilian Potato Salad

Fresh basil is the star of this mayo-free, Italian-inspired take on potato salad. It’s one of our favorite light potato salad recipes. —Sue Falk, Warren, Michigan

Cleo's Potato Salad

My mom, Cleo Lightfoot, loved cooking all kinds of recipes, but her favorite meal was one she made when hosting backyard barbecues in the summer. She would make her famous ribs, baked beans and this delicious potato salad. —Joan Hallford, North Richland Hills, Texas

Potato Salad with Bacon

My family was tired of the same old potato salad at family functions, so I created this potato salad with bacon. Now I’m always asked to bring it to potluck gatherings. —Tami Gallagher, Eagan, Minnesota

Dill Pickle Potato Salad

This creamy dill pickle potato salad makes a flavorful and attractive addition to a Fourth of July picnic or church supper.—Nancy Holland, Morgan Hill, California

Healthy Potato Salad

We love red potato salad recipes. And this summer cookout star is crunchy-delicious with a brilliant zesty dressing. —Brittany Allyn, Mesa, Arizona

Chipotle Sweet Potato Salad

I love the velvety taste and texture of sweet potatoes. A friend served sweet potatoes cooked with peppers, and they tasted so delicious together. I took those flavors and developed them into this creamy, smoky potato salad. —Carolyn Eskew, Dayton, Ohio

Dilled Potato Salad

What’s a picnic without potato salad? This recipe will add delightful new flavor to yours. The spices make the difference. —Cam Cox, Hemet, California

Tex-Mex Potato Salad

I created this Tex-Mex potato salad for one of my cooking classes, and it was a hit. It’s perfect for a cookout or potluck. The secret ingredient is pickled jalapenos—they add so much interest and flavor! Add a can of black beans for more protein. —Dianna Ackerley, Cibolo, Texas

Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

My mother used to make this sweet potato salad recipe. We all liked it back then—and now my family likes it, too! —Willard Wilson, Woodsfield, Ohio

Grilled Firecracker Potato Salad

I can eat potato salad like crazy. A little spice is nice, so I use cayenne and paprika in this grilled salad that comes with its own fireworks. —Ashley Armstrong, Kingsland, Georgia

Potato Salad with Apples

This potato salad with apples is a wonderful variation on an American summertime standby. Since Idaho is the potato state and a lot of apples are also grown here, I thought this would be an excellent recipe to represent my area. —Mary Pipkin, Melba, Idaho

Potato Salad with Kalamata-Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Potato salad tossed with vinaigrette has a lighter taste than traditional mayo versions. I add velvety avocado and hazelnuts for cool texture and crunch. —Laurie Bock, Lynden, Washington

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

I revamped my mother's potato salad to taste more like baked potatoes with all the fixin's, which I love. This loaded baked potato salad is now the most requested dish at family gatherings. Even my mother asked for the recipe! —Jackie Deckard, Solsberry, Indiana

Herb-Vinaigrette Potato Salad

This is a great way to celebrate early produce from the garden. To add some more crunch, sprinkle with croutons. —Debra Keil, Owasso, Oklahoma

Hot German Potato Salad

This hot German potato salad is a deliciously downsized version of a favorite picnic salad. —Jennie Voigt, Marathon, Wisconsin

Grandma’s Potato Salad

Our Fourth of July feast wouldn’t be complete without this chilled old-fashioned potato salad. It’s my grandma’s treasured recipe. —Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

Homemade Potato Salad

This homemade potato salad recipe doesn’t have many ingredients, so it isn’t as colorful as many that you find nowadays. But Mama made it the way her mother did, and that’s the way I still make it today. Try it and see if it isn’t one of the best-tasting potato salads you have ever eaten! —Sandra Anderson, New York, New York

Grilled Three-Potato Salad

Everyone in our extended family loves to cook, so I put together all of our favorite recipes in a cookbook to be handed down from generation to generation. This recipe comes from that cookbook. It's a delicious twist on traditional potato salad. —Suzette Jury, Keene, California

Everyone has a favorite potato salad, and this is mine. As a young bride, I was eager to learn how to cook and make things that my husband would love. I combined my mom's and his mom's recipes, and this potato and egg salad the delicious result. —Angela Leinenbach, Mechanicsville, Virginia

Grilled Potato Salad

To avoid turning my oven on in the summer, I grill just about everything—including this creamy grilled potato salad. My friends have dubbed this ‘The Best Potato Salad You’ll Ever Put in Your Mouth!—and I love that! —Gayle Robinson, Carrolton, Georgia

Cajun Potato Salad

Here in Louisiana we have a lot of get-togethers, and if you want your dish to be chosen over all of the rest, it has to have a kick! This does the trick. —Amanda West, Sibley, Louisiana

Red and Sweet Potato Salad

Two types of potatoes help this creamy side dish stand out at warm weather get-togethers. People love the spicy mustard dressing. —Mary Relyea, Canastota, New York

Green Goddess Vegan Potato Salad

Don’t be fooled by the green color—this vegan potato salad is absolutely delicious! It’s perfect for potlucks and for those with dietary restrictions. —Laura Wilhelm, West Hollywood, California

Pressure-Cooker Potato Salad

I used to rarely make potato salad because it can be somewhat time-consuming, but because of this easy pressure-cooker potato salad recipe, I’ll be making it more often! We prefer this salad with unpeeled red potatoes but you can use any potato—with or without the skin. —Courtney Stultz, Weir, Kansas

Tossing the cooked potatoes with stock and wine right after you drain them infuses them with flavor. The liquid absorbs like magic. —George Levinthal, Goleta, California

Mexican Roasted Potato Salad

My husband is the No. 1 fan of this south-of-the-border potato salad. The leftovers make an awesome late-night snack, straight from the fridge. —Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, Utah

Italian Potato Salad

You'll want to take this simple-to-assemble potato salad to all your picnics and outings. It's always on the menu when my tomato plants yield a bumper crop. Feel free to improvise by adding other fresh vegetables.

German Potato Salad Recipe

This authentic German potato salad recipe came from Speck’s Restaurant, which was a famous eating establishment in St. Louis from the 1920s through the ‘50s. I ate lunch there almost every day and always ordered the potato salad. When the owner learned I was getting married, he gave me the recipe as a wedding gift! —Violette Klevorn, Washington, Missouri

Fried Potato Salad

This recipe began with leftover fried potatoes I had on hand. We liked it so much that now I fry potatoes just to make this unique potato salad. Sometimes I add grated sharp cheddar for a cheesy twist. —Leann Stallard, Dryden, Virginia

Polish Potato Salad

When my in-laws from Poland visited, I made this Polish potato salad with sausage for them, knowing their fondness for sausage and potatoes. They liked it enough to request the recipe, and I gained the reputation of a good cook. —Odette Dallaire, Los Alamos, New Mexico

French Potato Salad

French potato salad is vinegar-based instead of creamy, made with Dijon mustard, olive oil, scallions or shallots, and fresh herbs. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Grilled Southwestern Potato Salad

This salad is perfect with a grilled steak for a Tex-Mex meal, and most of it can even be prepared out in the backyard. Poblanos and cayenne make it pop. —Johnna Johnson, Scottsdale, Arizona

Tzatziki Potato Salad

My son has an egg allergy, so this potato salad is perfect for him. For extra color, add radish, apple and garlic dill pickles. —Cindy Romberg, Mississauga, Ontario

Cauliflower Potato Salad

Cauliflower in potato salad? You bet, along with carrots, olives and other yummy surprises. —Mike Schulz, Tawas City, Michigan

Grandma's Potato Salad

This salad is a must for the Fourth of July feast. The red potatoes hold their shape and texture even after they are boiled. —Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

Warm Potato Salad

My mother-in-law was from the Bahamas and famous for her cooking, including this warm potato salad. Everyone knew her affectionately as ‘Momma’. Every Sunday after church she set out a feast not just for her family, but for anyone who was hungry in her neighborhood. —Pamela Vitti Knowles, Hendersonville, North Carolina

White Ale Potato Salad

Take this one outside! My grown-up recipe uses beer instead of mayo, so you don't need to worry about keeping it cool. It's a really popular recipe on my blog, girllikestoeat.com. —Jenny MacBeth, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sour Cream Potato Salad

Italian dressing and horseradish make this sour cream potato salad different from most, plus those ingredients really add some zip! It’s perfect for picnics or potlucks. —Veda Luttrell, Sutter, California

Ranch Potato Salad

I make this creamy ranch potato salad with cheese, bacon and ranch salad dressing. My sister asked for the recipe as soon as she tried it. —Lynn Breunig, Wind Lake, Wisconsin

Red Potato Salad Recipe

This flavorful red potato salad recipe with egg is the perfect side for summer cookouts. The red potatoes really dress it up. —Margaret Blomquist, Newfield, New York

Creamy Potato Salad Recipe

My grandma makes the best potato salad, but she doesn’t use a recipe! So I watched while she put together “a little of this and a little of that” and jotted a creamy potato salad recipe that comes close. The dressing also works well for making deviled eggs. —Jill Steiner, Hanco*ck, Minnesota. If you love experimenting with classic recipes, then you need to try out this deviled egg potato salad.

Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

We live at the edge of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, where there are lots of small farms. Country markets are plentiful here, so potatoes are a staple. I use them up in this delicious old-fashioned potato salad recipe. —Nancy Grove-Nichols, Dillsburg, Pennsylvania

Loaded Potato Salad

Get a load of this loaded potato salad with sour cream, bacon, shredded cheddar, green onions and more. The ingredients come together to give you all the richness of restaurant potato skins at your next picnic. —Monique Boulanger, Greenwood, Nova Scotia

Potato-Bean Salad with Herb Dressing

My veggie garden inspired this creamy combo of beans, potatoes and fresh herbs. I toss them with a ranch-style dressing sparked up with Creole mustard. —Chris cumme*r, Rincon, Georgia

Lauren Cahn is a New York-based writer whose work has appeared regularly in The Huffington Post as well as a variety of other publications since 2008 on such topics as life and style, popular culture, law, religion, health, fitness, yoga, entertaining and entertainment. She is also a writer of crime fiction; her first full-length manuscript, The Trust Game, was short-listed for the 2017 CLUE Award for emerging talent in the genre of suspense fiction.