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Amish Potato Salad

Amish potato salad features sweet, creamy potatoes tossed with hard-boiled eggs and a tangy-sweet mayonnaise dressing. It’s a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch-style salad with a gentle fold for a tender, creamy 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: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil in a Dutch oven, then boil the peeled and cubed potatoes until tender, 10-15 minutes. Visual cue: the cubes break easily when pierced with a fork.
  2. Drain the potatoes and spread them out to cool. Visual cue: they should feel warm-not-hot before combining.
Build the salad
  1. Combine the cooled potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, and finely diced onion in a large bowl. Visual cue: the mixture should look evenly speckled with egg and vegetables.
  2. Mix mayonnaise, sugar, yellow mustard, white vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Visual cue: the dressing looks glossy and fully combined.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until everything is coated. Visual cue: the salad becomes a creamy white with visible yellow egg pieces.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours or overnight to let the flavors meld. Visual cue: it firms up slightly and looks thicker when chilled.
  2. Before serving, garnish with paprika. Visual cue: a light dusting adds a classic speckled top.

Notes

For best texture, cool the potatoes fully so the mayonnaise dressing stays creamy instead of runny. Refrigerate covered for 3-4 days; freezer is not recommended. If you want a lighter option, swap in light mayonnaise for some or all of the mayonnaise while keeping the same dressing amounts.