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Amish Potato Salad

Amish potato salad is a sweet and creamy Pennsylvania Dutch-style side dish with tender cubed potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and a tangy-sweet mayo dressing. The flavors meld after chilling, creating a traditional, church potluck-friendly salad with a lightly sweet finish.
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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: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool
  1. Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil, then add the cubed potatoes and boil until tender, about 20 minutes (100°C/212°F). Visual cue: potatoes break apart easily when pierced with a fork.
  2. Drain the potatoes and cool them until no longer hot, about 10 minutes at room temperature (no heat). Visual cue: cubes look matte and firm, not steaming.
Mix the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine the cooled potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, and finely diced onion. Visual cue: the mixture shows evenly distributed yellow egg pieces.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, sugar, yellow mustard, white vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Visual cue: dressing looks glossy and uniform with no sugar granules visible.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until everything is coated. Visual cue: potatoes and eggs are lightly bound together without becoming mashed.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours or overnight (4°C/40°F). Visual cue: the salad thickens slightly and looks cohesive when you stir.
  2. Before serving, garnish the top with paprika. Visual cue: a light dusting of red specks contrasts with the creamy white salad and yellow egg.

Notes

For clean, tender bites, cool the potatoes fully before mixing so the dressing doesn’t thin out. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days; freeze not recommended because mayonnaise-based salads can separate after thawing. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise (same volume) to reduce calories without changing the sweet-tangy dressing profile.