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Amish Potato Salad

Amish potato salad with sweet-tangy creamy dressing, tender cubed potatoes, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch-style salad that chills until thick and scoopable for potluck-ready texture.
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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: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes
  • 5 lb potatoes
Eggs
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs
Vegetables
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 0.5 cup onion
Dressing
  • 1.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup sugar
  • 0.25 cup yellow mustard
  • 0.25 cup white vinegar
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
  • 1 paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Boil and cool
  1. Boil the potatoes in a Dutch oven of water until tender, about 20 minutes, until a knife slides in easily (visual cue: cubes soften uniformly). Drain and spread them on a sheet pan to cool completely, about 10 minutes, so the salad stays creamy instead of watery.
Make the mix
  1. Combine cooled potatoes with chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, and finely diced onion in a large bowl (visual cue: eggs are evenly distributed throughout the potatoes).
Make the dressing
  1. Mix mayonnaise, sugar, yellow mustard, white vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth, stirring until the mixture looks glossy and fully combined (visual cue: no sugar or mustard streaks remain).
Assemble and chill
  1. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until every piece is coated (visual cue: the salad turns a uniform pale creamy color).
  2. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight, 180–480 minutes, so the flavors meld and the salad thickens (visual cue: it holds shape when scooped).
  3. Garnish with paprika right before serving for a classic speckled look (visual cue: pinkish-red dusting over the top).

Notes

For the best texture, cool the potatoes fully before mixing so the dressing doesn’t thin out. Refrigerate covered for 3–4 days; freeze not recommended. For a lighter option, use Greek yogurt plus reduced mayonnaise (about half) while keeping mustard and vinegar the same for the classic tang.