Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Pickle juice replaces vinegar in this dill pickle potato salad, adding zippy flavor and irresistible crunch to the creamy salad.
If you’ve ever tasted a dill pickle, you understand its power. Dill pickles are briny, tangy and fresh, making them serious flavor enhancers for everything from basic turkey sandwiches to juicy cheeseburgers and savory barbecue sliders. Now, fellow pickle fanatics can add potato salad to that list. This recipe for dill pickle potato salad is a pickle-riffic twist on classic, creamy potato salad recipes.
To make this potato salad recipe with dill pickles, we added chopped dill pickles to the traditional potato salad trifecta of potatoes, hard-boiled eggs and fresh celery. But we don’t stop there! Mixing a splash of pickle juice into the potato salad dressing packs punchy dill flavor into every bite.
Dill Pickle Potato Salad Ingredients
- Potatoes: When it comes to potato salad, not all spuds are created equal. We recommend using waxy potatoes, like Yukon Golds or red potatoes. Their low starch content means that they won’t break down and turn into mashed potatoes when you mix them with dressing.
- Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs bump up the protein content in potato salad. This recipe calls for chopping the eggs, but you can also grate them for a lighter, fluffier texture.
- Celery: Crunchy celery balances the soft, tender texture of the potatoes and eggs, and its freshness brightens the rich mayo-based dressing. Plus, it adds a pretty hint of green.
- Green onions: Like celery, sliced green onions deliver fresh flavor and a pop of color.
- Dill pickles: Our star ingredient! You can use spicy or garlic dill pickles for an extra kick. Chips or full-size pickles work here; just chop whatever pickles you have into bite-sized pieces. Dill pickle relish works in a pinch, and spares you some chopping.
- Pickle juice: Don’t toss the brine when you polish off a jar of pickles. It’s a secret weapon for perking up everything from salad dressings (like we’re doing here) to marinades and even cocktails. Pickle juice also thins the mayonnaise to the right consistency to evenly coat the potato salad.
- Mayonnaise: Our creamy dressing contains just a handful of ingredients, starting with mayonnaise. Since it’s the dressing base, use a mayo brand you love, or try homemade mayonnaise (one taste and you may never go back to store-bought).
- Mustard: A healthy dollop of prepared mustard adds another layer of tanginess and sharpness. Plus, we like the golden hue that yellow mustard gives to potato salad recipes.
- Pantry spices: The dressing is seasoned simply with celery seed, salt and pepper. If you don’t have celery seed, omit the salt and use celery salt instead.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the potatoes
Place the potatoes in a Dutch oven or large kettle and add enough cool water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover the pot and simmer the potatoes until they’re tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the water and let the potatoes cool.
Editor’s Tip: Remember to salt the cooking water; it’ll season the spuds from the inside out. The potatoes will firm up and become easier to handle as they cool, making them less likely to fall apart in the following steps.
Step 2: Prepare the potato salad
Peel the potatoes, then cut them into bite-sized cubes. Place the cubed potatoes in a large bowl. Add the chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery, green onions and dill pickles.
Step 3: Make the dressing
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with pickle juice, mustard, celery seed, salt and pepper until they’re blended.
Step 4: Dress the potato salad, then chill
Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and mix well to coat the potatoes. Cover the potato salad or transfer it to an airtight storage container and refrigerate it for at least four hours. If desired, serve the dill pickle potato salad in a lettuce-lined bowl and garnish it with extra dill pickle slices.
Editor’s Tip: The tanginess from the pickle juice and mustard loses its punch over time. If you’re preparing dill pickle potato salad more than a few hours in advance, refresh the flavor by stirring in an extra splash of pickle juice or a teaspoon of mustard just before serving it.
Dill Pickle Potato Salad Variations
- Change up the pickles: Give your potato salad a twist by using different types of pickles. Try bread and butter pickles for a sweet and tangy twist, or spicy pickles for bold flavor and heat.
- Try another protein: Swap diced ham, crispy bacon crumbles or shredded cheese for the hard-boiled eggs to give your salad a different flavor profile. Or make an extra-hearty potato salad with eggs and meat or cheese.
- Boost the flavor with herbs: Turn up the dilly vibe by stirring fresh chopped dill into your potato salad. Minced chives or flat-leaf parsley also makes a vibrant, herby addition.
- Make a spicy version: Add fresh or pickled jalapenos for heat, or substitute spicy mustard for the yellow mustard. You can also stir a dash of hot sauce into the dressing.
- Lighten the dressing: Give the potato salad dressing a healthier spin by swapping plain Greek yogurt for half or all of the mayonnaise. I recommend using whole milk yogurt for the richest flavor and creamiest texture.
How to Store Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Cover the potato salad and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve it. If you’re making it a day or two in advance, or if you have leftovers, transfer the potato salad to an airtight container before refrigerating it.
How long does dill pickle potato salad last?
Dill pickle potato salad will stay fresh for up to four days in the fridge. The tangy flavor lessens the longer it’s stored, but there’s an easy workaround: Mix the potato salad with pickle juice or extra mustard before serving to freshen up the flavor.
Can you make dill pickle potato salad ahead of time?
Dill pickle salad is an awesome make-ahead dish. You can prepare it a day or two before hosting a barbecue or make a batch on the weekend to enjoy with lunch all week long. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
Dill Pickle Potato Salad Tips
What do you serve with dill pickle potato salad?
Serve dill pickle salad with barbecue recipes like burgers, ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, bratwursts or smoked brisket. Pair it with other barbecue sides, too, like coleslaw, corn on the cob, watermelon, esquites and pasta salad. Cold sandwiches, like those you’d take to a picnic or the beach, are also fantastic with dill potato salad.
How do you make perfect hard-boiled eggs for this recipe?
To make perfect hard-boiled eggs, place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, then add enough cold water to cover the eggs by an inch. Cover the pot, then quickly bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Let the eggs stand for 15 minutes, then plunge them into ice water until they’re completely cooled. Remove the shells and chop them up.
What are the best potatoes for dill pickle potato salad?
Waxy potatoes, like Yukon Golds or red potatoes, are best suited for potato salad recipes. They hold their shape better than starchier russet potatoes, which tend to fall apart in salads.
Should I cut potatoes for potato salad before or after boiling?
Honestly, you can cut the potatoes before or after cooking them; it depends on personal preference and the size of your potatoes! I recommend cutting the potatoes before boiling them if you have a bag of spuds that contains small and large potatoes. Uniformly cut potatoes will cook more evenly than whole potatoes of varying sizes. Cut potatoes will also cook faster than whole potatoes, so time is another consideration.
If you’re cooking whole potatoes, cool them in an ice water bath or pop them in the fridge for a few hours before cutting them. They’ll firm up as they cool, making for cleaner cubes and less crumbling.
Do you have to peel the potatoes for dill pickle salad?
Peeling the potatoes makes for a smoother potato salad, but you don’t have to remove the skins if you don’t want to. Yukon Golds and red potatoes have thin, tender skins that can be left on for a rustic appearance.
How do you make this dill pickle potato salad vegan?
Make a vegan-friendly dill pickle potato salad with just a few plant-based swaps. Omit the hard-boiled eggs and use chopped white button mushrooms or cubed firm tofu to mimic their texture.
Traditional mayonnaise contains eggs, so choose a vegan mayonnaise for the dressing. Several popular mayo brands make vegan versions. You can also whip up homemade vegan mayonnaise with pantry staples and the liquid from canned chickpeas (aquafaba).
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes (about 8 medium)
- 6 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, chopped
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 2 medium dill pickles, finely chopped
- 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
- 4-1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Optional: Leaf lettuce and dill pickle slices
Directions
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1Place potatoes in a Dutch oven or large kettle and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain and cool.
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2Peel and cube potatoes; place in a large bowl. Add eggs, celery, onions and pickles.
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3In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, celery seed, salt and pepper until blended. Pour over potato mixture; mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. If desired, serve in a lettuce-lined bowl and top with pickle slices.
