19 Potato Salad Recipes for Cookouts, Weeknights, and More

There’s simply no way to crown a single best potato salad recipe. Some belong next to a platter of sliced grilled porterhouse, others alongside stovetop burgers, hot dogs, and a cooler packed with beer. Some potato salad recipes are creamy and classic, built to anchor the side dishes at a summer cookout. Others skip the mayo entirely in favor of sharp mustard, fresh herbs, chile heat, or punchy vinaigrettes. No matter the vibe, potato salads always show up for the function.

So whether you’re hosting a backyard cookout, packing a picnic, or figuring out dinner when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, here are 19 of our favorite potato salad recipes. We’ve got smashed potatoes loaded with bacon and sour cream, a potato salad with spicy Caesar dressing, another that channels the flavors of an everything bagel (yes, with lox), and even one topped with crunchy potato chips. Frankly, potatoes have range.

Classic Potato Salad

Every cookout needs at least one classic potato salad recipe, and this one checks every box: creamy dressing, crunchy celery, hard-boiled eggs, and plenty of mustardy tang.

Muffuletta Potato Salad

The joy of New Orleans’ favorite sandwich, but make it potato salad. It’s packed with deli meat, pickled peppers, briny capers, and (of course) plenty of olives.

Dill Pickle Potato Salad

If you’re the type to snack straight from the pickle jar, this tangy potato salad belongs in your regular summer rotation. Fresh herbs, briny dill pickles, and red onion keep every bite punchy.

Sour Cream and Onion Potato Salad

Inspired by everyone’s favorite potato chip flavor, this creamy potato salad recipe piles Yukon Gold potatoes high with sour cream, chives, and crunchy crushed chips for maximum snack energy.

Grilled Potato Salad With Chiles and Basil

Like a German potato salad that spent the afternoon hanging around the grill, this smoky, herb-packed version gets extra depth from fish sauce, charred chiles, and plenty of basil.

Spicy Caesar Potato Salad

This potato salad borrows everything we love about a great Caesar salad recipe: anchovies, Parmesan, lemon, garlic, and enough black pepper and hot sauce to keep things interesting.

Potato Salad With Old Bay and Potato Chips

Creamy potatoes plus crunchy potato chips equal a potato salad recipe with built-in contrast. Old Bay seasoning adds just enough spice to make the whole thing deeply snackable.

New Potatoes With Parmesan, Black Pepper, and Gribiche Dressing

Roasted potatoes are already hard to resist, but the real star here is the gribiche: a punchy French dressing packed with hard-boiled eggs, capers, and cornichons.

Crispy Potato Salad With Chiles, Celery, and Peanuts

This crunchy, Thai-inspired potato salad recipe gets brightness from lime and heat from chiles, while celery and peanuts bring the kind of texture that keeps you going back for seconds.

Potato Salad With Lox and Everything-Bagel Spice

A deli-counter fever dream in potato salad form, this recipe combines smoked salmon, everything seasoning, herbs, and creamy potatoes into one extremely brunch-friendly situation.

Potato Salad With Mustard Sauce and Watercress

This bright, mayo-free potato salad leans sharp and peppery thanks to mustard sauce and fresh watercress, making it especially good alongside grilled steak or other rich mains.

Potato Salad With Bacon and Eggs

Somewhere between potato salad and egg salad, this hearty side dish folds crispy bacon, olives, and tomatoes into a creamy dressing that tastes even better after a little fridge time.

Korean Potato Salad

Creamy, slightly sweet, and loaded with crunchy vegetables, Korean potato salad pairs especially well with spicy mains like bulgogi short ribs.

Grilled Purple Sweet Potato Salad

Jewel-toned sweet potatoes hit the grill for smoky char before getting drizzled with sesame dressing and showered with scallions and sesame seeds for extra crunch.

Herby Salmon and Potato Salad

Layered on a sheet pan for easy assembly and even easier cleanup, this salmon and potato salad works equally well for laid-back lunches or low-effort summer dinners.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes With Charred Scallion Mayo

Sweet potatoes and scallions both get deeply caramelized on the grill before the onions are blended into a smoky mayo you’ll want to put on everything.

Chaat-Style Potato Salad

Inspired by Indian papri chaat, this boldly flavored potato salad recipe combines potatoes with crunchy pita chips, tangy tamarind chutney, herbs, and cooling yogurt for maximum contrast.

Smashed Potato Salad With Chorizo, Aioli, and Scallions

Crispy smashed potatoes meet smoky chorizo, garlicky aioli, and fresh scallions in this rich, spicy potato salad recipe that absolutely earns a spot at the cookout table.

Buttered Potatoes With Salted Lemon

Not every potato salad recipe needs mayo. This simple side tosses warm potatoes with butter, preserved lemon, and herbs for a bright, deeply summery finish.