This creamy potato salad recipe is deliciously light and tangy, made with quick pickled cucumbers, fresh dill, and a lightened-up yogurt dressing. Vegan-adaptable & gluten-free.
Here’s a healthier potato salad made with quick pickled cucumbers, fresh dill, and a creamy yogurt dressing. The creamy dressing is lightened with Greek yogurt and just a bit of mayo. Crunchy celery and red onions add a nice crunch, while mustard adds depth. The pickled cucumbers elevate and bring a zesty kick. This salad is perfect for summer barbecues or picnics.
Why You’ll Love This Potato Salad Recipe!
- Lightened-up version! Refreshingly tangy, this recipe has a lighter dressing than classic potato salad, thanks to Greek yogurt.
- Bold flavors and texture. Pickled cucumber, fresh dill, crunchy celery and red onions, and a hint of mustard.
- Perfect for summer gatherings! A satisfying and colorful side dish to bring to barbecues or picnics.
Creamy Potato Salad REcipe Ingredients
- Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes and/or red potatoes. Leave the skins on for the fastest prep!
- Greek yogurt, mayo, and dijon: To make the lightened-up potato salad dressing. Sub yellow mustard if you prefer. Feel free to use vegan mayo and vegan yogurt!
- Red onion and celery stalks: Diced small to add a crunchy texture to the salad.
- Fresh dill: For distinct fresh, summery, herby flavor!
- Cucumbers: We make quick pickled cucumbers here for a little extra vibrant flavor.
- White wine vinegar: To pickle the cucumbers. Sub apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
- Mustard seeds and garlic cloves: Give the pickled cucumbers a bit of punchy flavor.
- Sugar: Balances the acidity in the pickled cucumbers, adding some sweetness.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Creamy Potato Salad
Step 1: Make the quick pickled cucumbers. Slice cucumber into 1/2-inch pieces. Add vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil. To a pint jar or bowl, add garlic, mustard seeds, and fresh dill. Add the cucumbers, then pour the hot vinegar mixture over top. Easy!
Step 2: Cook potatoes. Add chopped potatoes and salt to a large pot and cover by an inch with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and let cool to room temp.
Step 3: Make the yogurt dressing. In a large bowl, mix yogurt, mayonnaise, pickle brine, dijon, salt, and pepper.
Step 4: Mix potato salad. To the bowl with the dressing, add onion, celery, dill, and cooled potatoes. Mix together, then refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to one day). Keep the quick pickles in their separate jar in the fridge, or if you prefer a milder pickle, taste and see if you’d like to add them to the salad now.
Step 5: Serve. Mix in the pickled cucumbers. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, or pickle brine. Garnish with more fresh dill and chopped chives.
Chef’s Tips
- Use the right potato! Waxy potatoes like Yukon gold or red potatoes work best. However, if you use russet potatoes, peel them first. Russets are more likely to break down and will result in a creamier salad.
- Make the pickles ahead of time: We love pickling them for just an hour to retain their crisp, freshness, but to save time and achieve a bolder pickle flavor, you can make the pickled cucumbers a few days in advance.
- If using regular canned dill pickles: Reduce the pickle brine to 2 tablespoons.
- Add hard-boiled eggs: Add a couple of hard-boiled eggs for even more flavor, protein and a bit of indulgence!
- Make it vegan – use vegan mayo and vegan yogurt.
Serving suggestions
This Creamy Potato Salad makes a great side for summer mains like burgers or grilled protein. Enjoy it as a side with any of our 50 Best Grilling Recipes for Summer!
- Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Salmon Burger
- Healthy Delicious Bison Burger
- The BEST Veggie Burger
- Huli Huli Chicken
- Grilled Branzino
- The Best Grilled Chicken
FAQs
When making potato salad, always chop the potatoes first before adding them to the pot to boil. If you boil the potatoes whole, the exterior will be too soft and crumbly.
This helps remove excess starch, which allows the potatoes to cook more evenly and avoid gummy, mealy texture.
Use cold water when filling the pot! This way the water and potatoes have a chance to warm up together, which prevents the outside from cooking faster than the inside.
You can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Enjoy the Creamy Potato Salad and let us know what you think in the comments! xoxo
More BBQ Side Dish Ideas!
Creamy Potato Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Creamy Potato Salad recipe uses quick pickled cucumbers, fresh dill, and a lightened-up creamy yogurt dressing, elevating traditional potato salad with refreshing tanginess.
Ingredients
Quick pickles
- 2 cups cucumbers, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (or use apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or red wine vinegar)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- large sprig of fresh dill
For the Salad
- 2 pounds potatoes (yukon gold potatoes or/and red potatoes skins left on)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 3–4 tablespoons pickle brine (from the quick pickles) *see notes
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard (use yellow mustard if you prefer)
- 1/2 salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh dill
Instructions
- Make quick pickles- Slice cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces. Bring to a boil vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Fill a pint jar (or a bowl) with garlic, mustard seeds and fresh dill, add the cucumber. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the top. Set aside. *See notes.
- Cook potatoes- Put chopped potatoes and salt in a large pot and cover by about an inch with cold water (see notes). Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and let cool to room temperature.
- For the potato salad dressing- In a large bowl, mix together yogurt, mayonnaise, pickle brine, dijon, salt and pepper.
- Mix it together- Add onion, celery, dill and cooled potatoes to the dressing. Mix and refrigerate 1 hour or up to one day. Refrigerate the quick pickles in their jar separate from the salad (or taste first and if you like a milder pickle add them now-my preference!).
- To serve, mix the pickled cucumbers in with the salad. Adjust seasoning adding salt, pepper or more pickle brine as desired. Sprinkle with more fresh dill and chopped chives.
Notes
Cold water allows for a gradual temperature increase, providing consistent texture and doneness throughout the potato.
Cooking the potatoes in salted water adds a lot of flavor, and since you are not using the liquid, the sodium content will not be equivalent to the 2 teaspoons the recipe calls for.
The quick pickles can be made a few days before, the longer they cure the stronger the pickle flavor. However, for this salad I prefer them made fresh to retain some of the cucumbers freshness. 1 hour is perfect. Adjust to your taste!
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4 days in a sealed airtight container.
If using russets, peel first. Russet potatoes will break down a little producing a creamier salad.
Feel free to add a couple of hard-boiled eggs!
If using regular canned pickles reduce the pickle brine to 2 tablespoons.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 199
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 335.1 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.9 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 6.3 g
- Cholesterol: 9.8 mg
Fabulous recipe….I added crispy fried capers and eggs to the recipe as well. So delicious!!!! Yes the pickled cucumbers are a must to add. Thanks so much 🙂
Sounds yummy!
Best potato salad ever! I had multiple people at a gathering turn down my offer to have some, but when pressed to try it, each of them exclaimed how amazing it was. The secret ingredient, pickled cucumbers, make this salad soar! The red onion and celery also help set it apart from more traditional versions.
So glad you gave it a try Karen! I agree the cucumbers really elevate.
Best potato salad ever! The only change I made was not using as much mayo and yogurt as we prefer our food a little bit more on the dry side. It was absolutely perfect. My guests went nuts over it, and I’m making it again for another get together this weekend. Outstanding!
So glad to hear this Arlene! Thank you for the review!
The bomb! Absolutely delicious…new favorite.
Awesome!
I have great luck with your recipes. Much, much appreciated.
Quick question- can this potato salad be made a day ahead?
Thanks Jodi. Yes, this salad works great to make ahead!
Seems to be delicious
great!
Hey Sylvia,
Your Creamy Potato Salad was a hit!! I’m sure the pickles in the recipe would have been better but I was pressed for time so I used “store bought” dill pickles. Delish!! I will go by the recipe next time! Thank you for another terrific recipe!
So glad you gave it a try Sandra!
I don’t see how much pickle goes in the salad. Ty
The whole batch of the quick pickled cucumbers.
In your listing of salad ingredients the word “cup” was left out in the Greek yogurt line. Otherwise this recipe sounds so good as written and will be putting it together for a potluck. Thank you for your terrific recipes!
Oh! Thanks Sandy!