Nothing welcomes warm weather quite like an irresistible potato salad, and this dill pickle potato salad is at the top of our list for what to bring to picnics and BBQ’s all summer long! It’s made with baby yellow potatoes, thinly sliced red onions that are lightly pickled in vinegar, pickle brine, and two kinds of mustard (YUM), celery, fresh chives and dill, a mayo-based dressing, and of course – dill pickles! It’s fresh yet satisfying thanks to the herbs and the briny pickles, and such a fun & yummy dairy-free take on a favorite side dish!
A creamy dill pickle potato salad that’s perfect for all your backyard BBQ’s!
The midwest part of my heart will always love potato salad.
And when potato salad meets DILL PICKLES?! Well then I’m really in heaven.
I love a generously herbed potato salad (hence the fresh dill and chives in this recipe!), with lots of bold and bright flavors, varied textures, and creamy boiled potatoes.
YES PLEASE YUM.
And while I also love a mayo-less potato salad, for this dill pickle version I thought the creaminess of mayo in the dressing would be the perfect counterpart to the tangy dill pickles without adding any dairy.
🌿 My favorite part of this potato salad, besides the dill pickles and fresh herbs? The thinly sliced, lightly pickled red onions! While the potatoes cool after cooking, the red onions are tossed together with the vinegar, dill pickle brine, and two kinds of mustard to quick pickle them and take away a little bit of the raw onion-y bite. And they are SO good. A total all-star pairing to everything else in the bowl!
If you love a good picnic-friendly salad as much as we do be sure to check out our crave-worthy recipes for Dairy Free Coleslaw with Mayo Dressing, Creamy 30-Minute Deviled Egg Salad, Our Favorite 15-Minute Chicken Salad, The Easiest Chickpea Feta Salad, and Classic Tuna Salad!
Key ingredients
👉🏼 This potato salad brings some seriously big flavors thanks to all the fresh / punchy / briny additions! Because the absolute LAST thing potato salad should be is boring. Don’t ya think?
Baby yukon gold potatoes
I love using a baby potato like yukon gold to make potato salad for a couple of reasons.
- They’re easy to prep! All you have to do is cut them in half or into quarters for the perfect bite-sized pieces.
- Their waxy texture holds up well (aka they don’t fall apart during mixing + stirring), but they still have a lovely creaminess that’s total perfection.
Dill pickles + pickle brine
Obviously! My personal favorite for this potato salad are the Grillos dill pickle chips. They’re already in flat round discs so they’re easy to dice and the brine is so bright and vinegary!
The dill pickle brine is added to the dressing base and really highlights the dill pickle flavor that we’re going for.
Two kinds of mustard
Dijon mustard and whole grain mustard have distinct flavors, and I love the combination of the two for potato salads and salad dressings alike.
If you only have one or the other feel free to use what you have on hand.
Red onion
To take away some of the sharp red onion bite the thinly sliced red onion is briefly marinated in the pickle brine, vinegar, and mustard to lightly pickle it. The result is SO yummy and brings a little extra brightness to the recipe.
Fresh herbs
Fresh dill and fresh chives are such a welcome complement to the briny and rich elements in this dish.
I’d say that if you’re going to pick on or the other to go with the fresh dill for the dill pickle vibe, but both together is just *chefs kiss*!
Mayonnaise
This potato salad does not use a ton of mayo. Just enough to add some creaminess to the dressing!
How to assemble this potato salad
🌿 The most time consuming part in making this potato salad is waiting for the potatoes to cool after boiling. So a lot of the prep time is hands off as you let them chill in the fridge. If you’re planning to serve this dish later in the day I’d recommend starting it as soon as you have some time in the morning, or make it the night before!
👉🏼 My favorite trick for more flavorful potatoes? By adding the still-warm potatoes to the vinegar / pickle brine / mustard + onion mixture and tossing to combine before thoroughly chilling, you give the potatoes a chance to soak up some of the flavor in the dressing ingredients as they cool!
If you enjoyed this creamy potato salad we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place for questions, and super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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Dill Pickle Potato Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing
- Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Nothing welcomes warm weather quite like an irresistible potato salad, and this dill pickle potato salad is at the top of our list for what to bring to picnics and BBQ’s all summer long! It’s made with baby yellow potatoes, thinly sliced red onions that are lightly pickled in vinegar, pickle brine, and two kinds of mustard (YUM), celery, fresh chives and dill, a mayo-based dressing, and of course – dill pickles! It’s fresh yet satisfying thanks to the herbs and the briny pickles, and such a fun & yummy dairy-free take on a favorite side dish!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds yellow baby potatoes, cut in half or quarters (depending on the size)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle brine
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2–3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)
- 2–3 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup finely diced dill pickles
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes. Wash and cut the potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size – ideally, they should be no thicker than 1/2 inch. Add to a large pot with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and enough water to cover by 1-2 inches. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, with the lid on, until just fork tender – about 11-13 minutes. Drain and allow to sit in the colander to release steam for 10-15 minutes.
- Marinate the onions. While the potatoes are cooking, in a large bowl (the larger the bowl, the easier it will be to mix and assemble the potato salad), whisk together 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons dill pickle brine, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until thoroughly combined. Add the thinly sliced red onions and toss to coat, lightly pickling them. Set aside.
- Add potatoes to the onion mixture. When the potatoes have cooled slightly and have mostly stopped releasing steam, add them to the bowl with the onion mixture and gently toss to combine, being careful not to break apart the tender potatoes too much. Move to the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. This step can be completed more quickly if you chill the potatoes in the freezer instead, removing them to gently stir every 5 minutes or so until they are mostly cool to the touch.
- Finish assembling the potato salad. Once the potatoes are fairly cold, add 1/2 cup mayo, 2-3 tablespoons chopped dill, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, diced celery, and diced dill pickles to the bowl and gently fold everything together to combine until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or up to overnight, until you’re ready to serve!
Notes
I recommend using the biggest bowl that you can in order to help the potatoes cool faster, and to give yourself extra room in the bowl for gently mixing everything together.
To make an entirely plant based version of this recipe simply swap the regular mayo for vegan mayo.
Nutritional information is for 6 servings, though depending on what else you’re serving, the recipe could be enough for up to 8.
While the amount of salt listed in the recipe is significant (2 teaspoons), all of that salt will not end up in the potato salad. It’s added to the boiling water to impart some flavor into the potatoes as they cook.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
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