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If you love dill pickles, this potato salad is definitely for you! It’s creamy, a little crunchy and loaded with pickle flavor in every bite. Perfect for BBQs, potlucks or any meal that could use a seriously delicious potato salad.
3 Reasons I Love This Dill Pickle Potato Salad
- It’s packed with pickle flavor (so good!): This is THE potato salad for pickle lovers! Tender baby potatoes, crunchy pickles, fresh dill and a few other tasty things all tossed together in a super flavorful, creamy dill pickle dressing. And if you love pickles like I do, make sure to also try my dill pickle pasta salad recipe too.
- It’s great for making ahead: This potato salad tastes best after it hangs out in the fridge for a couple hours. The flavors have time to mingle and soak into the potatoes which makes it extra delicious.
- It’s always a hit: Serve it with grilled foods, bring it to a BBQ or potluck and don’t be surprised when everyone asks for the recipe.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this dill pickle potato salad recipe:
Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.
- Baby Potatoes: I love using baby (or mini) potatoes since they cook quickly, hold their shape nicely and have thin skins so there’s no need to peel them (always a win!).
- Dill Pickles: Use whatever dill pickles you love. Just give them a chop and toss them in!
- Dill Pickle Juice: Don’t pour out that pickle juice! We’re going to use it in two places. First, a little gets drizzled over the warm potatoes so they soak up all that tangy flavor. Then it also gets used in the creamy dressing to give it that pickle taste.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Roughly chop them up. Here are my 2 favorite cooking methods for perfect hard boiled eggs.
- Celery: Along with the pickles, celery adds some nice texture and crunch to the potato salad.
- Onion: Use white or sweet onion since they are mild and add flavor without being overpowering.
- Fresh Dill and Chives: Fresh herbs really brighten everything up. The dill and chives add a pop of fresh flavor that works perfectly with the pickles.
- Dressing: This creamy dill pickle dressing is a mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, sea salt and black pepper. For an additional umami flavor boost, you could also add a bit of bouillon powder or soy sauce too.
How To Make Creamy Dill Pickle Potato Salad
This dill pickle potato salad is super delicious and easy to make! Let’s walk through it step-by-step.
Step 1: Cook the potatoes
Cut 1½ pounds (680 grams) of baby potatoes in half or quarters depending on size. Place in a pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, salt the water, then reduce the heat to keep it at a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender (about 10-12 minutes).
Drain well and spread them out on a baking sheet. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of pickle juice and ½ teaspoon sea salt, toss gently and let cool to room temperature or pop in the fridge to speed things up.
Step 2: Make the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons pickle juice, ½ teaspoon ground mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder and ½ teaspoon paprika. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Want to give it a little extra savory boost? Add in a teaspoon of bouillon powder or soy sauce.
Step 3: Combine everything
Place the cooled potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add in 1 cup chopped dill pickles, 3 roughly chopped hard boiled eggs, 1 cup diced celery, ¼ cup finely chopped white or sweet onion, ¼ cup chopped fresh dill and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives. Pour over the dressing and gently toss everything together.
Step 4: Chill and serve
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors can really come together. Give it a quick taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, and serve!
Variations
- Add extra veggies: This potato salad is easy to customize. Try mixing in shredded carrots, chopped radishes, bell peppers or whatever crunchy veggies you have on hand.
- Give it a little kick: Want some heat? Add some minced jalapeno or pickled jalapenos.
- Use larger potatoes: Swap the baby potatoes for larger thin-skinned potatoes like red potatoes or Yukon Gold. Just chop them into bite sized pieces before cooking.
- Add some cheese: Stir in some shredded or small cubes of cheese like cheddar, havarti or smoked gouda.
- Skip the eggs: Not a hard boiled egg fan? Feel free to leave them out.
- Add ham or bacon: Sprinkle some crispy crumbled bacon over the top before serving or mix in some diced ham (a great way to use up leftovers!).
A Few Tips
Helpful Tips
- Salt the water: Potatoes really need salt to taste their best so make sure to generously salt the water once it comes to a boil. And definitely don’t skip drizzling a little pickle juice and salt over the warm potatoes – it soaks right in and adds tons of flavor.
- Let the potatoes cool: Make sure the potatoes have cooled to room temperature before adding the creamy dressing to prevent it from melting and becoming oily.
- Save time while you cook: While the potatoes are cooking and cooling down, you can chop the other ingredients and whisk together the dressing.
- Give it time to chill: Potato salad always tastes better after it hangs out in the fridge a bit. Aim for at least an hour so the flavors have time to come together.
FAQ
Absolutely! This is one of those recipes that gets better after it has had a couple of hours to chill in the fridge. You can make it up to a day ahead or prep everything (cook the potatoes, chop the other ingredients and mix together the dressing) and store it separately in the fridge. Then just toss it all together at least an hour before serving and keep it chilled until you’re ready to dig in.
Baby potatoes (or mini potatoes) are my go-to here because they are quick to prep, cook fast and hold their shape well. But Yukon Gold or red potatoes would work great too – just cut them into bite-sized chunks and continue with the recipe.
Starting your potatoes in cold water helps them cook evenly with a consistent texture all the way through. If you toss them straight into hot water, the outsides cook way too fast and can get mushy while the centers are still too firm.
Leftover dill pickle potato salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
More Salads To Try
Did you make this creamy dill pickle potato salad recipe? I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment below.
Creamy Dill Pickle Potato Salad
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 35 min (plus chill time)
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad, Side Dish
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
If you love dill pickles, this potato salad is definitely for you! It’s creamy, a little crunchy and loaded with pickle flavor in every bite. Perfect for BBQs, potlucks or any meal that could use a seriously delicious potato salad.
Ingredients
For the potato salad:
- 1 ½ pounds baby potatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size for bite-size pieces)
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice, from the pickle jar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
- 3 hard boiled eggs, cooled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup diced celery
- ¼ cup finely chopped white or sweet onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
For the creamy dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- optional flavor boost: 1 teaspoon bouillon powder or soy sauce
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, salt the water, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender (about 10-12 minutes).
- Drain and season potatoes: Drain well and spread them out on a baking sheet. Drizzle over the pickle juice and a sprinkle of sea salt. Toss gently, spread out again and let the potatoes cool to room temperature or pop in the fridge to speed things up.
- Make the dressing: Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Combine everything: Place the cooled potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients (chopped dill pickles, hard boiled eggs, celery, onion, dill and chives). Pour over the dressing and gently toss everything together.
- Chill and serve: Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors can really come together. Give it a quick taste, adjust seasonings if needed and serve!
Notes
- Baby Potatoes: I love using baby potatoes (or mini potatoes) because they are quick to prep, hold their shape nicely and have thin skins so there’s no need to peel them (always a win!). But Yukon Gold or red potatoes would work great too. Just chop them into bite-sized chunks and continue with the recipe.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: If you need a tutorial, here is my method for perfect hard boiled eggs.
- Storing Leftovers: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Make Ahead: This is the perfect make ahead recipe since it gets better after it has had a couple of hours to chill in the fridge. You can make it up to a day ahead or prep everything (cook the potatoes, chop the other ingredients and mix together the dressing) and store it separately in the fridge. Then just toss it all together at least an hour before serving and keep it chilled until you’re ready to dig in.
