This Creamy Potato Salad with olives and dill pickles is absolutely my favorite potato salad recipe ever. So much so that for BBQ-inspired family gatherings, this is the dish I am always requested to bring. This twist on the classic Southern potato salad has dill pickles, olives, and eggs which gives this potato salad a tangy and zesty flavor. With its classic mayonnaise-based dressing, this easy recipe has been a family favorite for years!
Potato salad with olives, dill pickles, and eggs is a great side dish served alongside pretty much anything you can grill up. Stuffed Cheeseburgers, chili dogs, grilled chicken, or ribeye steaks. You name it. It just goes well together.
Every family has its own secret ingredient that makes theirs the best. Mine is the combination of green olives, dill pickle relish, and hard-boiled eggs.
I’ll admit, my family had never had such a combination in their traditional potato salad recipes but once they tried it, they were hooked. As a test, I made a big batch and brought it up to my husband’s fire station for a catered Pulled Pork dinner I made. Everyone who tried it liked it. Even some who didn’t think they would like it were converted.
Potato salad with olives, dill pickles, and eggs — it’s the BEST potato salad ever! (I may be a little biased here).
Ingredients for Potato Salad with Olives
- Potatoes – Yukon Gold, Russets, or red potatoes work best for boiling.
- Mayonnaise – Store-bought or homemade mayonnaise or sandwich spread all work well in this recipe. Reach for whichever one you like the best, that will always be the best-tasting based for your salad. My Easy 5-minute food processor mayonnaise is practically fool-proof and tastes amazing in this recipe. If you like a sweeter spread, add a little extra sugar — it’s the bomb!
- Dry mustard – This gives the salad some extra tanginess but if you do not have dry mustard you can use prepared mustard or omit it altogether.
- Apple cider or white vinegar – Apple Cider or white (distilled) vinegar works best in this recipe but if you like red wine vinegar you can use that as well. Balsamic would not be a good substitute for this recipe.
- Hard-boiled eggs – The yolks of the hardboiled eggs give the dressing a certain creaminess as well as help it to thicken. If you are egg-free, feel free to omit them without substitution.
- Dill pickles or dill pickle relish – Dill pickles give the salad a zesty flavor. If you wanted to use sweet pickles, or bread and butter pickles those would also work but have a flavor difference.
- Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives – The chopped olives are what set this potato salad apart. If you are not a fan of olives, feel free to omit them.
- Green Onions (scallions) – Also called shallots in Australia, the green onions add a nice onion flavor with a nice green color.
- Fresh parsley – Freshly chopped parsley gives the salad a bright, fresh flavor. The bright flavor is very noticeable.
- Salt & Ground Black Pepper – You will want to add this incrementally to your desired taste.
How to Make Potato salad from Scratch
- Boil the potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Boil in salted water until fork-tender, about 12 to 15 minutes depending on size. Drain. Over-cooked potatoes can turn your potato salad into a mash.
- Toss with Vinegar. While the potatoes are still hot, toss them with the vinegar and then season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large mixing bowl [paid link].
- Make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl [paid link], prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper gradually until you reach your desired taste.
- Mix. When the potatoes are sufficiently cooled, pour the dressing over the top of the potatoes and toss to mix.
- Garnish. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or celery leaves.
Variations
- Southern Potato Salad – Omit the green olives, green onions, dry mustard, and parsley. Add 1 cup diced onions and 1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard (more or less, to taste).
- Warm with Vinaigrette – Here’s a link to a great recipe from the New York Times.
- German Potato Salad – Here’s a link to a recipe from Five Heart Home.
- Bacon and Sour Cream – Omit the green olives and dill pickles. Add 1/2 cup sour cream, 8 strips of cooked, crumbled bacon, 1/2 cup celery.
- Ultimate – To the original recipe, add 8 pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon, 1/2 diced onion, 1/2 cup diced celery. Mix well.
- Smashed Potato Salad – Omit the olives and pickled and add 1 heaping teaspoon prepared yellow mustard, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, and 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots. Smash the potatoes a little while combining the ingredients to your desired texture.
FAQs
Should I Boil Potatoes whole?
Certainly you can do this but it results in a very soft potato as the potato does not cook evenly. For best results, peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks for even, controlled cooking.
What do you do when potatoes are too soft for potato salad?
This happens to everyone at some point. You can either start over or make the best of it by adding some extra crunchy vegetables like chopped celery and onions and mix as gently as possible to keep the potatoes as whole as possible. Alternatively, you can embrace this mistake and make it into the ever-popular u0022mashed potatou0022 salad listed in the variations.
How can I make potato salad better?
To amplify the flavors in the mayonnaise base, add fresh herbs. Here we use fresh dill, parsley, and celery leaves which add a bright, fresh flavor to the salad.
What kind of potatoes are good for potato salad?
The best potatoes for potato salad are starchy that hold their shape after boiling. I typically use Russets but Yukon Gold, Round White, or Red potatoes are also good choices for boiling. Russets are a good all-purpose potato most people already have in the pantry.
Creamy Potato Salad with Olives and Herbs
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Stockpot
- Mixing Bowl [paid link]
- Serving bowl
- Silicone Spatula [paid link]
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Potatoes , Yukon gold, Russet, or red
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar , may substitute with red wine or apple cider vinegar
- Salt & Ground Black Pepper to taste
Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard optional
- 3 large eggs , hard-boiled, peeled, chopped
- 1/4 cup dill pickles or dill pickle relish , diced small
- 1/3 cup pimiento-stuffed green salad olives , sliced
- 1/4 cup Green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp celery leaves chopeed [optional]
Garnish
- 1 tsp dill, fresh optional as garnish
Instructions
- Add cold water to a pot and add salt. Set aside on the stove.
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add potatoes to the COLD water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until fork tender — about 12 to 15 minutes. However, do not rely on the timer alone. Be sure to check the potatoes for doneness periodically by piercing with a fork or the tip of a knife. Once the potatoes are tender, immediatley remove from the stove and drain completely.
- While the potatoes cook, prepare the salad dressing. In a small bowl mix the salad dressing ingredients and put in the refrigerator to chill until the potatoes cool.
- While the potatoes are still hot, toss them with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Once drained, place the potatoes in a large serving bowl. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
- Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, pour the dressing mixture over the potatoes and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Garnish with fres dill or parsley.
- Chill for atleast 30-minutes but up to 2 hours before serving. If serving at an outdoor event, be sure to keep the salad chilled in a cooler or over a bowl of ice.
Notes
- Variations:
- Southern Potato Salad – Omit the green olives, green onions, dry mustard, and parsley. Add 1 cup diced onions and 1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard (more or less, to taste).
- Warm with Vinaigrette – Here’s a link to a great recipe from the New York Times.
- German Potato Salad – Here’s a link to a recipe from Five Heart Home.
- Bacon and Sour Cream – Omit the green olives and dill pickles. Add 1/2 cup sour cream, 8 strips of cooked, crumbled bacon, 1/2 cup celery.
- Ultimate – To the original recipe, add 8 pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon, 1/2 diced onion, 1/2 cup diced celery. Mix well.
- Smashed Potato Salad – Omit the olives and pickled and add 1 heaping teaspoon prepared yellow mustard, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, and 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots. Smash the potatoes a little while combining the ingredients to your desired texture.
Fantastic! Loved it. This will be my go-to potato salad recipe. Thank you for sharing!!!
Wow , I love potato salad it is great food at night time. Thank you for posting.
Absolutely amazing work. Thank you so much for sharing and inspiration.
Served this for an outdoor dinner and my guests all thought it was amazing. Even the kids liked it.
Got this recipe in my email. We made it yesterday. It’s even better the next day! Thanks for sharing.
Made this for our Memorial Day dinner and it was fantastic. I took the time to read the post and found it informative.
I lOVED this potato salad even though I do not care for the olives, so I picked them out. The olives were not overpowering in this recipe so I think it was amazing. Share this with your friends and family. (I think they will like it!!!)
Took this to a BBQ this weekend. It was a huge hit! Thanks for the recipe.
Didn’t think I’d like it but it was great