Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Cooking 101
  3. How to Make Potato Salad

How to Make Potato Salad

By Susan Russo May 11, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Reinvent this popular staple by replacing saturated fat with heart-healthy options and slashing sodium without losing flavor.
Start Slideshow

1 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

How to Make Potato Salad

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Americans can definitely agree on one thing: Potatoes are our favorite veggie. Each of us eats about a whopping 130 pounds per year. During the summer months (if not year-round), you can safely bet that loads of potatoes find their way into the ubiquitous potato salad. Honestly, can you have a cookout or picnic without one? Despite regional interpretations, there's really one basic way to make this popular dish. And here, we'll show you how to master the technique and turn out a variety of unique, healthy salads.

  • See More: 22 Potato Salad Recipes

1 of 5

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step One: Cut to Size

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Cut potatoes into uniform shapes and sizes so they'll cook evenly. If they're different sizes, some will become mushy while others still have an undesirable crunch. Low-starch varieties, like red potatoes, work best in potato salads.

2 of 5

3 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Two: Start in Cold Water

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Be sure to start with cold water when boiling potatoes. This works to solidify the outer surfaces and helps prevent them from getting too soft as the interior cooks, so the potatoes will hold their shape nicely in a potato salad.

3 of 5

Advertisement

4 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Three: Add Dressing

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Make the dressing while the potatoes cook, and toss them with the dressing while they're still warm so they'll absorb maximum flavor. If using dairy products, like sour cream, allow the potatoes to cool slightly before tossing to prevent curdling.

4 of 5

5 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Four: Add Additional Flavors and Ingredients

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Customize your salad. For example, add your favorite veggies, fresh herbs, or salad greens. You can even give the salad an international flair: Lemongrass adds Thai flavor; chutney lends an Indian taste.

 

5 of 5

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Susan Russo

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 5 How to Make Potato Salad
    2 of 5 Step One: Cut to Size
    3 of 5 Step Two: Start in Cold Water
    4 of 5 Step Three: Add Dressing
    5 of 5 Step Four: Add Additional Flavors and Ingredients

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    How to Make Potato Salad
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.