Classic Gluten-Free Potato Salad
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Our classic American-style potato salad recipe is naturally gluten-free and full of homestyle flavor. It’s the perfect classic side dish for potlucks, picnics, and summer barbecues.
Potato salad can be a polarizing summer side dish, but it’s definitely a classic!
Especially if you grew up in the Midwest or South, potato salad might be a staple at every barbecue, cookout, potluck, or church picnic you attend in the summer!
As for me, potato salad is one of those things I like to make a few times in the summer. We’ve shared several mayo-free potato salad recipes here over the years, like our French Potato Salad with vinaigrette or German Potato Salad with Bacon Dressing.
But today, it’s all about classic, American-style potato salad. The kind with tender potatoes, a tangy, creamy dressing, and a few flavor tricks to make it extra delicious. It’ll totally scratch that nostalgic itch whether you whip it up for a crowd at your 4th of July BBQ or serve it on a weeknight.
Here’s what you need to make our easy potato salad recipe…
Our Gluten-Free Potato Salad Recipe, At A Glance:
Here’s What You need To Make This Classic Potato Salad:
- Potatoes. I most often use Yukon Gold (yellow) potatoes for potato salad. They’re thin-skinned, hold their shape, and taste great with our creamy dressing. You can swap them for red potatoes if you prefer, but I don’t recommend Russet potatoes since they have a tendency to fall apart.
- Vinegar. My favorite vinegar for potato salad is rice vinegar. It’s lightly seasoned and a bit more mellow than some other varieties. If you don’t have it on hand, feel free to use classic white vinegar or white wine vinegar instead.
- Boiled Eggs. If you’re not into eggs in your potato salad, feel free to skip them! For me, I finely chop 3 eggs to go into the salad, then I slice the last one for garnish. It feels extra kitsch and nostalgic to me to serve it this way!
- Mayonnaise. Yep. We’re doing it. Classic mayo dressing! Popular mayo brands are Duke’s or Hellman’s/Best Foods, but you can use whatever brand your family likes.
- Mustard. I like regular yellow mustard in potato salad, but you can use half Dijon and half yellow for some extra kick, if you like!
- Dill Pickles Or Relish. Chopped dill pickles with a splash of pickle juice add great flavor to this salad! If you’re more of a sweet pickles or sweet pickle relish person, feel free to use that instead.
- Red Or Green Onions. VERY finely diced red onion adds savory flavor without overpowering the dish (and your breath!). If you prefer, you can use green onions instead.
- Salt & Pepper. Don’t be shy! It’s key for great potato salad!
- Paprika & Chives. A pretty, easy garnish.
Is Potato Salad Gluten-Free? Most potato salad recipes are naturally gluten-free, so long as you use gluten-free mayonnaise & pickles.
How To MAke Gluten-Free Potato SAlad, Step By Step:
- Prep The Potatoes. Wash the potatoes well (and peel if desired) and cut the potatoes in half or quarters, so that the potato chunks are all about the same size. Place potatoes in a large saucepan or large pot and cover with cold water.
- Cook The Potatoes. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes 10-15 minutes, or until fork-tender. (This means a fork can easily pierce through to the center, but the potatoes still hold their shape. They haven’t turned mushy.)
- Finish The Potatoes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and rinse with cold water for a few seconds. Peel the potatoes, if desired (if you haven’t already), and dice the potatoes into small bite-sized pieces. I like mine in 1/2-1 inch cubes. Add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Let this soak in while you mix up the dressing. (This trick helps add flavor!)
- Mix Up The Dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayo, Greek yogurt, pickles, pickle juice, mustard, 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir until the dressing is well blended and uniform.
- Build The Salad. To the potatoes, add chopped boiled eggs, celery, onion, and the potato salad dressing. Gently stir to combine until everything is well coated in the dressing. (It may seem like a lot at first, but the dressing will soak in a bit as the salad sits.)
- Chill, Garnish & Serve. Cover and refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2-3 hours up to 1 day in advance. (I love it best made 1/2-1 day before!) When you’re ready to serve, stir the salad once more, then garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, fresh chives, and the sliced boiled egg, if you like.
- Store Properly! Store leftover potato salad up to 4 days in the fridge. Potato salad should only be out at room temperature up to 2 hours, and up to 1 hour outside in the heat. Return potato salad to the fridge as soon as possible after serving, or put the bowl on ice to keep it cold.
Variations To Try.
You can play with the flavors a bit with one of these yummy twists:
- Fresh Herbs. Garnish with fresh parsley or fresh dill!
- Cajun Seasoning. Add a dash of Cajun seasoning to the dressing (or use instead of paprika to garnish!)
- Lemon. Swap the vinegar in the dressing out for lemon juice. It adds yummy fresh flavor!
- Dijon. Use half yellow mustard and half dijon mustard for a big more kick.
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Potato Salad:
Food Safety Tip! Potato salad should not stay at room temperature longer than 2 hours or 1 hour in the sun to avoid the risk of any food borne illness. When possible, keep potato salad in the fridge until right before serving, or put the serving bowl on ice to help keep it cold. Return the salad to the fridge as soon as possible.
What Are The Best Kind Of Potatoes For Potato Salad? I recommend red skin or Yukon Gold potatoes since they hold their shape better. If you prefer a softer potato salad, you can use Russet potatoes; Just be sure to peel Russet potatoes first, since their skins are tough.
Do You Have To Peel Potatoes For Potato Salad? It’s totally a personal preference, but I usually do NOT peel my potatoes since I use yellow potatoes/Yukon Gold potatoes, which have thin, tender skins. If you use Russet potatoes, you SHOULD peel them, since the Russet potato skins are tough.
Make Ahead Tips. Potato salad actually tastes MUCH better after its had a while to sit, so I recommend mixing it up at least a few hours (up to 1 day) ahead of time to let the flavors meld. You can also get ahead a bit by mixing up the dressing and chilling it in the fridge so you just need to cook the potatoes & chop the veggies.
More Barbecue Side Dishes To Try:
- Honey Lime Fruit Salad (The BEST!)
- Gluten-Free Pasta Salad
- Easy Homemade Guacamole
- Settlers Beans (BEST Baked Beans Ever!)
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles (SUPER Easy!)
- Fresh Watermelon Fruit Salad
- 12 Flavors of Perfect Deviled Eggs (Paleo Approved!)
⭐ Don’t forget to leave a star review and comment below when you make our Gluten-Free Potato Salad recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
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Classic Gluten-Free Potato Salad
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: about 10 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Our classic American-style potato salad recipe is naturally gluten-free and full of homestyle flavor. It’s the perfect classic side dish for potlucks, picnics, and summer barbecues.
Ingredients
For The Potato Salad:
- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes, quartered or halved*
- 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar (or white vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3–4 hard-boiled eggs (I dice 3, then slice 1 to garnish the top)
- 1/2–1 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons minced chives or sliced green onions
- additional salt or pepper, to taste
- paprika, to taste
For The Dressing:
- 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (can use more mayo instead for dairy-free)
- 1/2 cup dill pickles, finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon pickle juice
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more, to taste)
Instructions
-
Prep The Potatoes. Wash the potatoes well (and peel if desired) and cut the potatoes in half or quarters, so that the potato chunks are all about the same size. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.
-
Cook The Potatoes. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes 10-15 minutes, or until fork-tender. (This means a fork can easily pierce through to the center, but the potatoes still hold their shape. They haven’t turned mushy.)
-
Finish The Potatoes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and rinse with cold water for a few seconds. Peel the potatoes, if desired (if you haven’t already), and dice the potatoes into small bite-sized pieces. I like mine in 1/2-1 inch cubes. Add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Let this soak in while you mix up the dressing.
-
Mix Up The Dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayo, Greek yogurt, pickles, pickle juice, mustard, 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir until the dressing is well blended and uniform.
-
Build The Salad. To the potatoes, add chopped boiled eggs, celery, onion, and the potato salad dressing. Gently stir to combine until everything is well coated in the dressing. (It may seem like a lot at first, but the dressing will soak in a bit as the salad sits.)
-
Chill, Garnish & Serve. Cover and refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2-3 hours up to 1 day in advance. (I love it best made 1/2-1 day before!) When you’re ready to serve, stir the salad once more, then garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, fresh chives, and the sliced boiled egg, if you like.
-
Store Properly! Store leftover potato salad up to 4 days in the fridge. Potato salad should only be out at room temperature up to 2 hours, and up to 1 hour outside in the heat. Return potato salad to the fridge as soon as possible after serving, or put the bowl on ice to keep it cold.
Notes
*WHEN TO PEEL. You can absolutely peel the potatoes first before quartering or halving them, then dice them after boiling. It’s my personal preference to peel them after boiling since the skins can come off easily when the potatoes are soft. You can also absolutely leave the skins on! (I do this all the time!) Yukon Gold’s have a delicate, thin skin that won’t end up chewy or thick like Russet potato skin does.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Can you just chop the potatoes into smaller pieces before cooking them? Or do you need to do that step after cooking for a specific reason? I feel like I can do a neater chop job before they are cooked but I don’t want to ruin it!
Kirsten – you totally can, if you prefer. I do that for my other potato salad recipes. In American-style potato salad, sometimes, you want that slightly undone, imperfect look, but that’s the only reason I peel and chop them after boiling in this one. It’s 100% a cosmetic thing! Feel free to dice and boil if that’s easier for you!