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Amish Potato Salad

Amish potato salad is a sweet, creamy side dish with hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, and a tangy-sweet mayonnaise dressing. The potatoes are boiled until tender, cooled, then folded gently so the salad stays fluffy and creamy for church potluck style serving.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Amish potato salad base
  • 5 lb potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs chopped
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 0.5 cup onion finely diced
Tangy-sweet dressing
  • 1.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup sugar
  • 0.25 cup yellow mustard
  • 0.25 cup white vinegar
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 pot
  • 1 mixing bowl

Method
 

Cook and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the potatoes, and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes with steady boiling.
  2. Drain the potatoes and spread them on a sheet pan to cool completely for 10 minutes, keeping them from steaming.
Cook and chop the eggs
  1. Place the eggs in simmering water and cook until hard-boiled, 10-12 minutes.
  2. Chop the hard-boiled eggs once they’re cool enough to handle, ensuring bite-size pieces for even mixing.
Assemble the salad
  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled potatoes, chopped eggs, diced celery, and finely diced onion.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sugar, yellow mustard, white vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth, glossy, and fully combined.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until the potatoes look evenly coated without mashing.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight to let the flavors meld and the salad set, 180-1440 minutes.
  5. Just before serving, sprinkle paprika over the top for a traditional color cue.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the potatoes completely before mixing to prevent a loose, watery dressing. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freezing isn’t recommended because the mayonnaise-based dressing can separate. For a lighter option, use a reduced-fat mayonnaise (texture may be slightly softer but still creamy).