Want to make the best Dill Potato Salad? This creamy potato salad recipe is simple and quick to make with no special ingredients or equipment. Stir up a bowl and let it chill in the fridge until dinnertime.
Make a bowl of this dill potato salad to serve with meat in our Soy Ginger Meat Marinade and a side of Chopped Salad. Top off the meal with this easy Cherry Crisp!
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Do you love potato salad? Potato salad is my husband’s love language. Well, one of them, anyway. I can always make his tummy happy if there’s a bowl of potato salad in the fridge. Seriously, the man could eat the whole bowl if I let him.
Thankfully, after years of cooking from scratch to make ends meet, I’ve developed a rotation of potato salad recipes that keep him happy.
There’s the Red Potato Salad we served at our wedding reception. And the Loaded Potato Salad that suits any bacon cravings that german potato salad can’t handle. And there’s this Deli Potato Salad that’s great with sandwiches.
Total love language.
Then there’s this one, his favorite potato salad. The best potato salad with fresh dill and no eggs.
Why Make This
It’s affordable. These potato salad ingredients tick all the boxes for being on the budget grocery list. Potatoes, mayo, and sour cream are regular grocery staples to keep on hand at cheap prices.
It’s a great side. This classic dill potato salad is the perfect accompaniment to fried or grilled meats, making potato salad a perfect dish for the warmer months. Pack it with sandwiches for a picnic or serve it alongside a ham for an easier make-ahead Sunday supper.
It’s the best potato salad! I like to add the vinegar and mayonnaise while the potatoes are still warm. This seems to help them absorb the flavors better and helps the potatoes to hold together. I stir in a little sour cream at the end to add a little tangy creaminess. It’s perfection in a bowl!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make dill potato salad:
russet potatoes – Russets are some of the best potatoes for potato salad. They have plenty of starch and break down just a bit when cooked so that the flesh melds with the dressing and makes for total potato salad nirvana. You can use yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes if that’s what you have on hand. I look for potatoes on sale and buy as much as we can eat in a short amount of time.
white wine vinegar – Wine vinegar gives this a nice zing. I use white wine vinegar so it doesn’t get any pink hue to it that red wine vinegar would do. If you prefer a slightly sweeter potato salad, use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar.
mayonnaise – I find that the flavor of the mayonniase shines in a salad, so choose yours wisely. If you are particular about your mayo, it will matter in the salad. Homemade mayonnaise is nice, or Hellman’s/Best Foods is my commercial brand of choice, but if Miracle Whip is yours, by all means, go for it.
sour cream – I enjoy the combination of both mayo and sour cream in this potato salad dressing. Feel free to play with the ratios if you like.
seasonings – I use salt and freshly ground black pepper to flavor this old fashioned potato salad.
chopped fresh dill – Dill really brings the flavor game to this dill potato salad. Fresh dill is best for flavor and appearance, but I use dry dill often because it’s cheaper and more readily available. Just be sure to use ⅓ the amount in the recipe if you’re using dried. It has a more concentrated flavor. Dial up the dill by adding dill seed and/or dill pickles or pickle relish.
Save Money on Dill?
Dill is the key ingredient (besides potatoes) in this dill potato salad. You can save money on this flavorful herb by growing your own (or becoming friends with someone who does), buying it on clearance or sale at the grocery store, or using dry dill which is often a lot less money when purchased in bulk.
chopped celery – I love the fresh bit of crunch that chopped celery brings to this potato salad. Scroll down to the variations if celery isn’t your thing.
green onion – Green onion adds a little bite of spice without overdoing it. Sometimes red onion or white onion is just too much for homemade potato salad recipes. That said, if you’ve got sweet onion or shallots that need using, add them to the party. Spicy onion might benefit from deflaming before you add them in.
Variations: there’s lots of debate to be had about what makes the “best” potato salad. Try this dill potato salad as the recipe is written first, but then feel free to add your favorites of the following: chopped dill pickles or sweet pickles, sweet or dill pickle relish, hard boiled eggs, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, pickle juice, lemon juice, and/or celery seed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making creamy dill potato salad was never easier. Here’s how to make this classic side salad:
- In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until tender. They will break apart easily when pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes well and place them in a large bowl. Cool them just slightly.
- Drizzle the vinegar over the warm potatoes and allow that to soak in. Stir in the mayonnaise and distribute throughout. Season the potatoes with the salt, dill, pepper, and tarragon. Allow the salad to cool.
- Add the sour cream, celery, and scallions. Adjust the seasonings. Chill dill potato salad until ready to serve.
FAQs
Dill, either fresh or dried is an excellent flavor to combine with potatoes, either in a salad or in roast potatoes.
It depends on the texture you prefer. I like to use russets as they break down a bit and melt with the sauce. If you prefer potatoes to hold their shape, use a waxy potato like red rose.
Many potato salads are naturally gluten-free. Be sure to read the labels of the individual ingredients you use to prevent accidental inclusion of gluten or cross-contamination.
Most potato salads are dairy free unless you add butter, sour cream, or cheese to the dressing. To make this recipe dairy-free, use more mayonnaise and omit the sour cream.
More Cold Salads to Try
This Dill Potato Salad is a reader favorite. Be sure to try some of our other salad recipes to keep things fresh.
Tell us what you think!
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Dill Potato Salad
Equipment
- heavy stockpot
- colander
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 5 lb russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 2 green onion chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Cool slightly.5 lb russet potatoes
- Drizzle the vinegar over the warm potatoes and allow that to soak in. Stir in the mayonnaise and distribute throughout. Season the potatoes with the salt, dill, and pepper. Allow the salad to cool slightly.¼ cup white wine vinegar, ¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped), 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the sour cream, celery, and scallions. Adjust seasonings. Chill under ready to serve.1 cup sour cream, 3 ribs celery, 2 green onion
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on April 16, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Beth
Vinegar or mustard in the basic potato salad would earn dirty looks in my family. The favorite basic potato salad in our family is potatoes, eggs, mayo, salt, and pepper.
The loaded potato sounds like something I might have to try, though. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
One of the great things about potato salad is that you could easily mix two bowls so you can have it the way you want it. Love that.
Joshua Hampton
Potato salad is a staple at home. We love it so much. But while I do play with the recipe every once in a while, I always go back to the basic recipe because my kids love that more.
Micha
My favorite potato salad recipes are ones I use sliced jalapeño and homemade ranch dressing in or the one I make with bacon and sour cream in addition to mayonnaise.
Jessica Fisher
I have never heard of jalapeño and ranch! i will need to try that. Sounds yummy!
Trish
I like to use a waxier potato, and I always have trouble when I try to boil the potatoes. I cannot seem to get the timing right, so I either end up with very mealy potatoes, or underdone, rather hard potatoes. I have taken to baking them to get it right. But that is problematic because I hate to use the oven during our brutally hot summers. ack!!!
Jessica Fisher
How about cooking the whole potatoes in the crockpot? Then chop and make into potato salad. Takes some pre-planning, but that solves your oven issue.
Stephanie M.
We love potato salad too. It just screams Summertime! To my sliced potatoes, I add some chopped onion, hard-boiled eggs, mayo, yellow mustard, pickle juice, salt and pepper. The mustard gives it a little “zip” and gives the potato salad a nice color. I always use the Yukon Gold potatoes because whether the potatoes are in potato salad, mashed or any other way, they have such a nice golden color.
Sandi
I’ll second the vote for adding the mustard!
Jessica Fisher
I usually eat it with mustard on top. Weird? I dunno, but good.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds delicious!