You know the potato salad from the deli section at the grocery store—the one with a bright yellow dressing? Chances are pretty good it’s Amish potato salad. Much like any classic potato salad, a recipe for Amish potato salad contains soft potatoes, rich hard-boiled eggs, and crunchy onions and celery.
What makes this particular potato salad stand out is its noticeable sweet-and-sour character. The creamy dressing is so sweet that you may wonder if you accidentally added too much sugar! But the more you dig in, the cozier and more inviting it will feel.
What is Amish potato salad?
This Amish potato salad recipe is similar to classic potato salad but with a sweeter, tangier dressing. The traditional dressing recipe uses mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip and includes plenty of sugar. The added sweetness is balanced by yellow mustard and cider vinegar, giving the potato salad a unique sweet-and-sour kick.
To top off the salad, chopped onions and celery lend a delightful crunch that contrasts the tender boiled potatoes, and chopped hard-boiled eggs make this one of the heartiest Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired recipes we know.
Amish Potato Salad Ingredients
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are our go-to for potato salads. These all-purpose potatoes are starchy enough to soak up the dressing’s flavors yet waxy enough to hold their shape. We peel the potatoes to give them a refined look, but feel free to leave the skins on for a more rustic appearance.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise gives the dressing of this Amish potato salad its creamy texture. We recommend sticking with mayonnaise instead of substituting Miracle Whip because there’s a major flavor difference between Miracle Whip vs. mayonnaise. Mayonnaise tastes richer and eggier, whereas Miracle Whip is notably sweeter.
- Mustard: A healthy dose of prepared mustard gives the dressing its yellow color and tangy flavor. Yellow mustard is the traditional choice, but feel free to use Dijon mustard to add a hint of heat.
- Sugar: Sweetness is what differentiates a recipe for Amish potato salad from regular potato salad. You may feel tempted to reduce the amount of sugar, but the potato salad won’t be the same with less sugar.
- Cider vinegar: Vinegar’s acidity balances out the sweetness from the sugar in the sweet and tangy dressing. Cider vinegar is an excellent choice because of its slight fruitiness, but you could substitute another type of vinegar like white wine vinegar.
- Hard-boiled eggs: Chopped hard-boiled eggs add richness to Amish potato salad. If you don’t have a go-to method, learn how to make hard-boiled eggs on the stovetop, oven, Instant Pot or air fryer.
- Onion and celery: These vegetables add a crunchy texture to potato salad. If you don’t mind onion’s pungency, use red onions to add a pop of color. Otherwise, opt for the mellower flavor of white or sweet onions. And don’t forget to save the celery leaves when chopping the celery;