Best Amish Potato Salad Recipe (Homemade) - Amish Heritage (2024)

Homemade Amish Potato Salad

Summer calls for barbecues and picnics, and what better summer side dish than Amish potato salad? Pair it with baked beans for a perfect barbecue dinner.

And this recipe for the best Amish potato salad is deliciously sweet, tangy, and creamy. I can sit and eat a bowl full of classic potato salad all by itself because it's just so good!

But give me a juicy hamburger or a piece of barbecued chicken, baked beans, and watermelon to go along with my classic potato salad, and I call it an ideal summer meal.

Recipe for Amish Potato Salad

What is Amish potato salad? Amish potato salad is a delightful mix of cooked, diced potatoes with boiled eggs and chopped pickles, all coated in a tangy dressing made with Miracle Whip, sweet sugar, tangy vinegar, and yellow mustard.

The blend of these flavors and textures results in a distinctive taste that's widely appreciated. This cool and creamy dish is satisfying and beloved by many.

What is the Difference Between Amish Potato Salad and Regular Potato Salad?

Amish potato salad and regular potato salad differ mainly in their flavor profiles and ingredient choices.

Traditional Amish potato salad tends to be sweeter, often adding sugar, and has a tangy touch with vinegar and Miracle Whip. It can also include a higher quantity of hard-boiled eggs and mustard, as well as chopped dill pickles or relish.

In contrast, regular potato salad typically features a more standard mix of ingredients like boiled potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, and seasonings.

The variations in both types are diverse since families and regions have their own unique recipes. However, these general differences highlight the distinct qualities that set Amish potato salad apart from the more common versions.

Copycat Walmart Amish-style Potato Salad

I have always made my own homemade Amish potato salad and was very skeptical about buying ready-made potato salad.

However, last summer we had family visiting from out of state, and we had a busy week. So I decided to buy the Walmart Amish potato salad, hoping it wouldn't taste too terrible.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually quite delicious. And to my amazement, it tasted very similar to my Amish potato salad recipe.

So if you enjoy the Walmart potato salad and would like an Amish-style copycat recipe for a large gathering, then I believe this is the recipe you are looking for. You may enjoy it even more when you make it yourself.

Potatoes

I typically use Russet potatoes for making potato salad. However, Yukon Gold potatoes or red potatoes work as well. For a bit of variation in textures, you could even mix different kinds of potatoes.

How to Make Amish Potato Salad

There are a few steps involved in making homemade potato salad, but it's easy.

Cook potatoes: Begin by washing your potatoes and placing them into a large pot covered with water. Bring them to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature and cook potatoes until soft. It takes about 20 - 25 minutes. You don't want them mushy, just fork-tender.

When they are soft, drain the hot water and cover them with ice-cold water. Using a knife, pull off the skins and rinse them with clean water. Cool.

When the potatoes are cold, dice them into tiny bite-sized pieces. If you prefer, you can shred them. I've done it both ways, and I have even used my egg slicer to cut the potatoes before.

Using the egg slicer creates a big shred, and it's not as mushy as having them shredded but also finer than just cutting them. You can totally cut them into whatever size pieces that you want. But I prefer the cooked potatoes cut into tiny chunks.

How to Cook Hard-Boiled Eggs

Boil eggs: I like to use room-temperature eggs to make hard-boiled eggs because they will peel a lot easier.

If you have ever boiled cold fresh eggs, you will know what I mean when I say they are a pain to peel. I hate peeling an egg that falls apart when I'm trying to remove the peels. So I usually let my eggs sit on the counter overnight, so that they will be easier to peel.

Boil the eggs, covered in water, for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain the water, and chill them in ice water. Gently crack the hard-cooked eggs (I crush the eggs against the inside of my sink), peel, and rinse.

If you don't have an egg slicer, cut your eggs into little chunks with a knife. I like to use my egg slicer (affiliate link). I put the egg through both ways, creating little shreds of eggs.

Amish Potato Salad with Sweet Pickles

In my opinion, one of the key ingredients to a good potato salad is pickles. I am, however, not a fan of sweet pickles. I like dill pickles, and that is what I add to my potato salad recipe. (If preferred, you can use pickle relish instead.)

Dice the pickles and celery into tiny little pieces, you don't want big chunks. But the tiny pieces do add an extra crunchy texture that I love. (If preferred, you can use pickle relish instead.)

If you don't like to bite on any crunchy chunks in your potato salad, feel free to pulse the onion and celery in your chopper/blender.

Refrigerate

Potato salad is best if it is made at least several hours in advance. Mix it up in a large bowl and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight. It helps to incorporate the flavors. Stir before serving.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will be the best in the first 3-4 days, however, it should be good for up to a week.

Amish Barbecues

I think one of the most popular meats to barbecue, when I was growing up, was barbecued chicken. One of our Amish neighbors made a huge barbecue pit with a double rack.

We put the chicken on the grill and placed another grate on top. It was secured in place, then you could flip the rack. This way you didn't have to turn each piece of chicken.

It was an awesome set-up to grill lots of chicken. And they let any of us neighbors borrow it when we wanted to grill for a big crowd.

And about once a year, we had a big neighborhood barbecue. All the neighbors were invited for a summer picnic. The hosts grilled the chicken, and everyone else brought a side dish.

This delicious Amish potato salad is a perfect side with barbecued chicken.

You may also want to try my Amish baked beans recipe

Amish Potato Salad Recipe

Amish potato salad is a perfect side-dish for your summer barbecue! It is a cool and creamy dish made of potatoes, boiled eggs, and chopped pickles with a sweet and tangy dressing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 147kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 494mgPotassium: 535mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 182IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg