Instant Pot Potato Salad is the best Southern recipe that’s perfect for summer. No boiling necessary – all you need is a pressure cooker and creamy mayonnaise, mustard, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, and dill relish to pull together this easy dish. After trying it, you will never want to bring another side to a BBQ picnic, July 4th, Memorial Day, or Labor Day party again!
Having lived in the South my entire life, you’d think I grew up eating potato salad at every potluck or July 4th BBQ.
But in fact, I never really cared much for the mayonnaise-laden side dish with hints of vinegar and other ingredients.
That is, until I married my husband and tasted his family’s classic Southern potato salad.
See, theirs doesn’t mask the flavor by dousing boiled potatoes in a tub full of mayonnaise.
Oh no. Its flavors are perfectly balanced with just the right amount of Dijon mustard and dill pickle relish to offset the rich and creamy mayo.
Not to mention, the chopped-up hard-boiled eggs and crumbled bacon bits really take your taste buds on a delicious potato salad journey.
So much so, that dare I say this is the BEST Southern potato salad you’ve probably ever had?! And thanks to the Instant Pot, it’s made so much easier and faster!
If you do not want to make it in the Instant Pot, follow these instructions for how to boil potatoes and how to boil eggs to make it the traditional way.
Ingredients
The simple ingredients you need to make this Instant Pot Potato Salad Recipe include:
- Potatoes. Unlike other recipes that tout waxy potatoes are the best for potato salad, we’re using good ole’ fashioned russet potatoes. These are starchier and break down more easily. They’re also incredibly tender when cooked.
- Eggs. These will be hard-boiled in the Instant Pot with the potatoes (much like we do when making Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs)
- Mayonnaise. The type you get really matters. Duke’s is recommended to get the most authentic, Southern taste, but Hellman’s may also be used. If you’re not sure, make sure to taste the mayo before you try it to see if you like it. Miracle whip can also be substituted but will make the finished dish slightly sweeter.
- Mustard. Regular yellow is best. But you can change it up with some Dijon. Steer clear of spicy mustard as it will overpower the salad.
- Relish. Dill is recommended, but sweet can be used. You can also chop up dill pickles if you don’t have any relish available.
- Bacon. You want this to already be cooked and crumbled. Try either this Air Fryer Bacon or simply Bake Bacon in the oven. You can leave out if vegetarian.
How to Make Potato Salad in the Instant Pot
These are the steps to follow to make this Instant Pot Potato Salad recipe:
Peel and Cube Potatoes
Rinse and scrub potatoes to remove any visible dirt. Be sure the potatoes are clean before proceeding.
With a vegetable peeler, remove the skins. Use a sharp knife and a cutting board to chop the potatoes into 1-inch pieces, or no bigger than 2 inches.
A little tip: add the water to the pot and turn the Instant Pot to sauté while peeling and chopping potatoes so it heats it up more quickly.
Pressure Cook in Instant Pot
If you haven’t already added the water to a 6-quart Instant Pot, do that now.
Set either a trivet or a steamer basket inside. This makes it easy to remove the potatoes after cooking. Most pressure cookers come with trivets. A steamer basket is a worthwhile purchase if you like to use your Instant Pot regularly.
Add potatoes to the bottom of the cooker. Carefully place eggs on top of them. Secure the lid, ensure the Instant Pot is in the sealed position, and set the timer for 5 minutes. When the timer is up, turn the valve to quick release to immediately release the steam.
Drain and Mash
Once the eggs and potatoes are cooked, remove the basket or trivet from the pot. Carefully pour out the water.
Set the eggs in a bowl of ice water to cool.
Add the potatoes back into the pot. Using a potato masher or a large fork, break apart the potatoes into smaller chunks, being careful not to over-mash them. You want to see larger pieces still. Remember, this is not mashed potatoes.
Whisk Sauce
Add mayonnaise, mustard, relish, salt, and black pepper to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk ingredients well to thoroughly combine.
It is best to make the mayonnaise mixture while the potatoes are cooking. That way, you have everything ready to combine when they’re done.
Peel and Dice
After the hard-boiled eggs have soaked for 5-10 minutes in the ice bath, check to see if they are cool to the touch.
If the eggs are ready, carefully remove the shells by first cracking the bottom on the counter. Then, roll the egg to crack it all over. The shell should come right off. If you are struggling, run them under water while peeling.
Slice the eggs in half, lengthwise, and then again into quarters. Coarsely chop until you have smaller chunks.
If you’d prefer, you can also make potato salad without eggs.
Mix and Serve
Add the mayo-mustard sauce, crumbled bacon, eggs, potatoes, 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, and a dash of pepper to a large mixing bowl. Save dishes by using a container with a lid so you can store the potato salad in it.
Stir until everything is just mixed. If you overwork it the potatoes will fall apart.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least 2 hours to serve chilled. Sprinkle with freshly chopped dill and enjoy!
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: This dish is even better the next day. Either make the whole potato salad up to 1-2 days ahead of time. Or, cook the eggs and potatoes the day before.
- To Store: Keep potato salad in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- To Freeze: It is not recommended to freeze as the texture will be different upon thawing.
FAQs
To keep the potatoes from getting mushy, do not overcook or over-mash them. Using a steamer basket will also keep the potatoes from getting water-logged and ending up soggy, as well.
You will need 1 to 1 ½ cups water depending on how many potatoes you are using.
If you peel and cube the potatoes, they should cook in less than fifteen minutes in the Instant Pot. This allows about 10 minutes to come to pressure and five minutes to cook.
You need potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, eggs, bacon, and fresh dill. Russet potatoes are recommended, but you can use Yukon golds or red potatoes. To add a different kick, try including chopped celery, onion, or garlic powder.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Clean and dice. Be sure to thoroughly wash the potatoes before peeling and chopping them.
- Not too small. Choose large eggs to make sure you get enough flavor.
- Dill is best. Sweet relish can be used, but dill gives the most taste.
- Don’t over-mash. The salad will get mushy if you work the potatoes too much.
- Chill out. This dish gets better after a day in the fridge.
Make it a Meal
If you’ve got the grill going then you’ll definitely want to check out these Salmon Burgers, Pellet Grill Ribs, or Country Style Ribs!
Feeling some seafood? Try this Lemon Garlic Baked Salmon and Air Fryer Salmon.
Or try it with this Honey Mustard Chicken, Garlic Parmesan Wings and Air Fryer Hamburgers!
More Potato Recipes
If you can’t get enough potatoes, try one of these delicious sides next:
- German Potato Salad
- Loaded Hasselback Potatoes
- Duchess Potatoes
- Easy Scalloped Potatoes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Mashed Potato Pancakes
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
- 1 ½ cups water
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. mustard yellow or Dijon
- ⅓ cup pickle relish dill
- 1 ½ tsp. salt to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper to taste
- 4 oz. bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Rinse and scrub potatoes to remove any visible dirt, and then peel using a vegetable peeler. Cut the potatoes into 1- to 2-inch chunks.
- Pour the water into a 6-quart Instant Pot and set either a trivet or a steamer basket inside. Add the potatoes and then place the eggs on top.
- Set the Instant Pot to high pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Immediately release the pressure as soon as the timer goes off.
- While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, salt, and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
- Once cooked, remove the basket or trivet from the pot and pour out the water. Add the potatoes back into the pot. Using a potato masher or a large fork, break apart the potatoes into smaller chunks, being careful not to overly mash them.
- Let the hard-boiled eggs soak in an ice water bath for 5-10 minutes, or until cool to the touch. Peel and then coarsely chop them.
- Add the mayo-mustard sauce, crumbled bacon, and eggs to the potatoes. Stir until everything is just mixed.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least 2 hours to serve chilled. Sprinkle with freshly chopped dill and enjoy!
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Notes
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: This dish is even better the next day. Either make the whole potato salad up to 1-2 days ahead of time. Or, cook the eggs and potatoes the day before.
- To Store: Keep potato salad in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- To Freeze: It is not recommended to freeze as the texture will be different upon thawing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much is in a serving?? One Cup??
One person’s idea of a serving is often different to another person!
This recipe makes 10 servings.
Shoot. I tried this and 6 minutes REALLY overcooked my potatoes. I used yukon gold and even measured to make sure they were 1/2 in. Looks like we are having mashed potatoes instead. Next time I will try 3-4 minutes.
Thank you for your feedback, Terri! I’ll be re-testing this recipe soon so will update with any changes I find. But to help troubleshoot, did you happen to leave the potatoes in much past the timer?