Classic Summer Potato Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing
This Classic Summer Potato Salad is creamy, flavourful and packed with tender baby potatoes, crispy bacon, crunchy dill pickles, fresh herbs and a tangy mayo-sour cream dressing. It comes together in about 35 minutes and can be made ahead, making it an easy potato salad recipe for summer BBQs, picnics, potlucks and family dinners. Naturally gluten-free and even better after chilling, it’s a classic side dish everyone will want seconds of.
Why You’ll Love This Classic Summer Potato Salad
- Creamy but full of texture – this recipe uses tender baby potatoes and they’re combined with crispy bacon, crunchy dill pickles, celery and red onion for plenty of flavour and texture.
- A flavour-packed dressing – Mayo and sour cream create a rich, creamy base, while Dijon mustard, a little pickle juice, white wine vinegar, garlic and fresh dill add flavour and tang.
- Easy to make ahead – This potato salad can be prepared a day or two in advance making preparation seamless, and the flavour improves even more after chilling.
- Perfect for summer gatherings – It’s an easy side dish for sharing with larger crowds at BBQs, picnics, potlucks and family dinners.
- Naturally gluten-free – The recipe uses naturally gluten-free ingredients, making it an easy option if you’re attending summer gatherings with gluten-sensitive friends.
Around here, most summer potlucks include a large bucket of potato salad from Costco, and hey I get it, it’s easy, quick to grab and pretty good! Imagine though, bringing a fresh, homemade potato salad with all real, good quality ingredients and unreal flavour instead. I promise there won’t be any leftover! Everyone loves creamy potato salad and homemade, all the more. The recipe is straightforward and it only takes about 30-35 minutes total.
This easy Summer Potato Salad recipe is one of my favourite things to have in the fridge during the summer months. I love that it actually keeps in the fridge for more than a day, unlike most salads. So, you have the option to make it a day or two in advance to save time if needed. I actually find it’s even better once it’s been chilled!
Recipe Notes & Ingredient Tips
Here’s a list of ingredients that you will need:
- Baby potatoes – I find that baby potatoes work the best! They’re buttery in texture and flavour and you don’t have to do any peeling. Any colour works.
- Bacon – You can’t have a potato salad without bacon! To make things easier, I like to dice up the bacon before cooking so that I can cook a larger amount at a time. It’s much more efficient, especially if you are going to chop it afterwards anyways. Try to find bacon that has no added hormones.
- Herbs – I love the addition of fresh herbs to this salad! They add a beautiful tinge of green colour as well as delicious flavour. I added both chives and dill to this recipe. Fresh parsley would also be delicious.
- Mayonnaise – Be sure to use a really good quality mayonnaise that is made with real ingredients like avocado oil, olive oil and eggs. Using real mayonnaise will make a big difference in the overall flavour of the dressing.
- Sour cream – The sour cream adds a desirable bit of tartness. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the most creamy, delicious flavour.
- Garlic – No salad dressing is complete without garlic. I love to add fresh garlic for the best flavour.
How to Make Homemade Potato Salad
Step 1: Boil the potatoes.
Bring a medium-sized saucepan filled halfway with water to a boil over high heat on the stovetop. Once boiling, add the baby potatoes. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until they’re fork tender. Then, drain them and set them aside to cool.
Step 2: Cook the bacon.
Dice the bacon. Heat a medium-sized stainless steel or cast iron pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add the diced bacon. Cook, stirring frequently until browned and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to cool.
Step 3: Make the dressing.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, pickle juice, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper until completely combined. Add the chopped pickles, celery, purple onion, chives and dill and mix again until combined.
Step 4: Assemble the potato salad.
Add the chopped potatoes to a large mixing bowl along with the bacon and then pour the dressing over top, using a spatula to get every last drop of that goodness! Mix gently with a wooden spoon or spatula until all of the potato chunks are coated in the dressing.
Step 5: Chill the potato salad.
Cover the bowl or transfer to a storage container with a lid and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Enjoy!
FAQ:
Yes! This potato salad can be made 1–2 days ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator. In fact, making it ahead allows the flavours to develop, so it can be even more flavourful the next day.
Baby potatoes work best for this recipe because you don’t need to peel them. They are also deliciously buttery in texture and flavour. You could also use fingerling and just chop them horizontally into chunks rather than quarter them
Yes, if you want to make it vegetarian you can simply omit the bacon.
Yes, plain greek yogurt won’t give quite the rich and tasty flavour thats intended, but it would also work if you prefer a more light version.
This classic summer side dish goes perfectly with grilled meats, burgers or smokies. Ideal for summer potlucks and backyard bbq’s.
Homemade potato salad will keep for 3–4 days in the refrigerator when stored in a sealed container.
Yes, dried dill can be used in a pinch although it wont bring as much vibrant flavour as fresh dill would.
Classic Summer Potato Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing
Ingredients
For the potato salad:
- 5 cups yellow (or multi-coloured) baby potatoes
- 185g uncooked bacon
- 1/2 cup dill pickles diced
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red or purple onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill packed, finely chopped
For the creamy dressing:
- 1/2 cup avocado mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- First, boil the potatoes: heat a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Cook the bacon: Dice the bacon and add it to a medium-sized stainless steel or cast iron pan, cooking over medium heat until brown and crisp, draining the fat as you go. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar, pickle juice, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper until combined. Set aside.
- Add the chopped pickles, celery, purple onion, chives and dill and mix again until combined.
- Once the potatoes have cooled, cut them into quarters. Add the potatoes and bacon to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour over the dressing and gently mix again until the potatoes and bacon are completely coated in the dressing.
- For optimal results, cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. Otherwise, serve semi-warm and enjoy!