If you want to be known as the family member with the best potato salad, then you need to read this.
This Is My Secret for Making the Most Flavorful Potato Salad
Published on May 02, 2025
No matter where in the United States you live, potato salad is a mainstay at just about every cookout and summer picnic. It’s cool and creamy, and it’s the ideal side dish to serve with all the best grilling recipes.
That said, everybody does potato salad a little differently. From selecting the type of potatoes for potato salad, dressing ingredients and other mix-ins, no two potato salads are exactly the same.
One of our most beloved and top-rated potato salad recipes has to be this Southern potato salad. The reason? It boils down to one special ingredient that takes this classic dish to all-new levels of yum: sweet pickles.
Why You Should Add Chopped Pickles to Your Potato Salad
Yep, a generous amount of chopped sweet pickles is the secret to this five-star potato salad. Most potato salad recipes feature plenty of salty, spicy and/or acidic ingredients like mustard, bacon, vinegar or chopped onion. While each ingredient brings tons of flavor and texture to a potato salad recipe, the finished product still lacks something. That’s where the sweet pickles come into play.
Unlike dill pickles, sweet pickles bring a necessary sweetness that contrasts with the other dominant flavors in a potato salad. In fact, many people who grew up eating southern potato salad claim it must have a hint of sweetness to be the real deal. While some say a bit of regular sugar is the way to go (like in this Amish potato salad), others swear that sweet pickles are the secret to success.
How to Make Potato Salad with Pickles
Making potato salad with pickles starts like other potato salad recipes. You begin by boiling the potatoes. Once tender, drain the potatoes and cool them completely in the refrigerator.
While the potatoes cool, finely chop the other ingredients (including the sweet pickles) and make a simple dressing with mayonnaise, mustard and spices. Once the potatoes are cool, toss everything together and mix until thoroughly combined.
Once mixed, the potato salad can be served immediately, or it can be returned to the refrigerator for several hours. Like tuna salad, potato salad tastes best once the flavors have had a chance to hang out together in the fridge and marinate.
More Ways to Punch Up Potato Salad
- Add a splash of pickle juice: Why stop at chopped pickles? Go ahead and add a few tablespoons of the pickle juice to your dressing. The brine helps the pickle flavor permeate the salad for maximum flavor.
- Toss in green olives: If you prefer a potato salad with a salty bite, green olives are one of our favorite ingredients to add to just about any recipe (like this Italian potato salad).
- Consider a bit of crunch: Some people don’t enjoy potato salad because they find the texture too mushy or gloopy. Counter this by adding crisp and crunchy ingredients to the mix for a burst of texture. Finely chopped celery, radish or green peas are just a few options to consider.
- Spice it up: For extra heat, add a few tablespoons of fresh or pickled chopped jalapenos or a dash of hot sauce.
- Don’t forget about herbs: It’s summer, meaning fresh herbs are readily available to add flavor and color to any dish. For potato salad, add a few tablespoons of fresh parsley, dill or chives.
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