BBC's Best potato salads (2024)

Whether you like yours fresh and herby with a light dressing, laden with creamy mayonnaise or dressed up to the nines with extra toppings, we've got the perfect potato salad recipe for you…

The internet is swamped with recipes claiming to be THE BEST, but here at BBC Food we think perfection is a very personal thing.Your best potato salad might be generously coated in creamy mayonnaise, but someone else will want something lighter with a fresh vinaigrette dressing and herbs.

There are so many delicious – but utterly different – ways to dress up your spuds. So why limit yourself to one type?

With that in mind we've pulled together seven delicious potato salad recipes and highlighted what is brilliant about each one – making it easy for you pick the recipe that will result in your own idea of perfection.

This easy creamy potato salad keeps things simple, but is also a good base if you like to freestyle as there's lots of ideas for taking it up a notch.

At its heart is a mayonnaise dressing brightened up with a dash of lemon juice. To further lighten the dressing, you could use reduced fat mayonnaise or swap half the mayonnaise for natural yoghurt.

Stirring the still-warm potatoes into the dressing helps them take on flavour, but, if you want to cook the potatoes in advance, you can just mix everything together with the cold potatoes.

If you use vegan mayonnaise and maple syrup instead of honey, this recipe is also suitable for vegans.

Potato queen, Poppy O'Toole, brings us an indulgent potato salad that's packed with bacon flavours. It's fabulous with roast chicken for simple summer dinners or as a showstopper side to take to a barbecue.

For something quite fancy, the ingredients list is surprisingly short and easy to shop for. Pancetta or bacon takes centre stage flavour-wise: not only as a crispy garnish, the fat from frying it is also used to give the creamy dressing extra oomph. Chopped spring onions, lemon zest and a dash of vinegar help to balance the richness while keeping things simple.

Deliciously crispy, smashed potatoes are social media's favourite side dish and they also make a sensational potato salad.

It's a bit more work than you're average potato salad, but the results speak for themselves. First, parboil floury potatoes (like King Edward or Maris Piper). Then, smash the potatoes to flatten them, drizzle with oil and roast until gloriously crispy and golden. Finally mix all the dressing ingredients together and pour over the still-warm potatoes.

Although you can eat this potato salad cold, it's best served when the potatoes are still warm as they lose some of their crispness as they cool.

This recipe is a sophisticated affair with a tarragon and honey dressing topped with buttery toasted walnuts for crunch. If possible, use Jersey Royal potatoes when they're in season as their creamy texture and slightly nutty flavour complements the dressing perfectly.

It's much lighter than potato salads made with mayonnaise dressings and the lack of mayo also means it can safely stay out of the fridge for much longer, making it great for party spreads and barbecues. It's also vegetarian (and easily made vegan) which is handy if you are catering for different dietary requirements.

There are as many ways of making a potato salad in Germany as there are in the UK, but this is the one that has kept its German identity as it’s travelled west. Traditionally the potatoes would be peeled, but feel free to leave the skins on if you're feeling rebellious (or lazy). Peeled potatoes do absorb the flavour of the dressing better though.

The dressing is a little different as it includes stock and fried onions, this makes it a little less summery so a great recipe for cooler days and it's especially good with sausages (no surprise considering Germany's love of bratwurst). A good punchy Dijon mustard is required, so if yours is a little underwhelming boost it with a little English mustard.

It’s important the potatoes are still warm when dressed, so they can soak up the flavour of the dressing. Don't worry if the potatoes break up a little as this simple dish is about flavour not presentation.

For some people eggs are an essential component of a potato salad, bringing a creamy richness and a boost of protein to an otherwise carby dish. If you are in team egg, this spicy number from Rachel Phipps is a fabulous recipe where the richness of eggs and mayonnaise is balanced with a little chilli and chives.

It's a complete meal in itself and great for making ahead. Perfect for packed lunches it's also especially suited to picnics and is just dreamy alongside a sausage roll.

A Scandinavian-inspired warm potato salad with smoked mackerel, lashings of fresh herbs and pickles. This one is not to be relegated to the supporting role of a side salad; it's a complete meal that's packed with nutritious ingredients.

It's a delicious way to get one of your weekly portions of oily fish and as smoked mackerel has a relatively long shelf life, it's a handy recipe to have up your sleeve when you need to buy ingredients for your summer dinners in advance.

We definitely don't want to malign white potatoes, which have plenty of health benefits to call their own, but sweet potatoes do have the advantage of counting towards your five-a-day. So, if you are looking for something more nutritious for packed lunches, this roasted sweet potato salad is a great option.

To boost the nutritional benefits further this recipe is topped with pumpkin seeds, which are a good source of healthy fats, fibre, antioxidants, magnesium and zinc.

It's a simple recipe to make in advance and the sweet potatoes could even be roasted in batches if you like to meal prep. To cook, first roast chunks of sweet potatoes tossed in spices and oil (either in the oven or an air fryer). Once they are tender, set aside to cool, then toss with fresh coriander, rocket, spring onions, lime juice and a little fresh chilli, if liked.

Other considerations

In the UK we typically use new potatoes in our potato salads as their waxy texture holds shape when cooked and the skins are very thin (so no need to peel). However, a lot of American recipes use all-rounder potatoes that are more 'floury' (a fluffy, dry texture when cooked) which makes them prone to breaking down when cooking. If you want to use more floury potatoes it's best to steam them (rather than boiling) to help them keep their shape.

Whether you peel the potatoes or not is entirely down to personal preference, but you'll find the dressing adheres to peeled and cut edges better, so there's an advantage to using larger new potatoes (rather than tiny bite-sized ones) and cutting them into smaller pieces after cooking.

When boiling or steaming new potatoes whole it can be tricky to know when they are cooked through. The cooking time will vary depending on the variety and size, but a good tip is to boil the potatoes just until ‘knife tender’. This is when you prick a potato with a knife and it falls off when you lift it from the water.

If you like to use homemade mayonnaise remember that the raw eggs mean it needs to be kept in the fridge. Commercial mayonnaise is less of a risk, but it will still form an unattractive skin if left in the sun.