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Lemony Potato Salad

Image may contain Food Meal and Dish
Photo by Quentin Bacon
  • Active Time

    15 min

  • Total Time

    45 min

This riff on classic potato salad will surprise you with its zing. Lemon, both juice and zest, helps lighten the mayonnaise dressing, and plenty of celery adds crunch.

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

3 pounds small boiling potatoes
1 cup chopped celery (about 4 ribs)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
  1. Step 1

    Cover potatoes with water in a large pot and season well with salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, 12 to 20 minutes.

    Step 2

    While potatoes cook, stir together celery, mayonnaise, chives, lemon zest and juice, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

    Step 3

    Drain potatoes and cool completely, then halve or quarter. Add to dressing and toss to coat.

  2. What to drink:

    Step 4

    Artezin Mendocino
    Zinfandel '07 or
    Château de Chamirey
    Mercurey Rouge '07

Cooks' note:

Potato salad can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Reviews (63)

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  • Delicious and bright. Used assorted fingerling potatoes and Veganaise. Used extra celery, which was delicious and crunch in the dressing.

    • archiey

    • 7/6/2017

  • This is the best potato salad! The recipe is perfect as is although I leave out the sugar as I don't think it's necessary.

    • julieannwalker

    • London, UK

    • 5/19/2017

  • I love this recipe! The lemon juice & lemon zest are the key ingredients. I used both celery and scallions, and substituted dill to taste for the chives. I also used vegenaise instead of mayo.

    • laura_burgund

    • Bedford, MA

    • 9/15/2016

  • A few variations.... Incredible! Chop pototes in chunks. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain, dry and while still hot, put in a large bowl with juice of 2 lemons and olive oil and a few teaspoons of garlic paste. Add sea salt and pepper, ground rosemary and sage. Dice a fennel bulb and add to taste. Then chives. After it cools for 30 minutes add 1/4 cup or less of mayo. Stir. Refrigerate overnight. Add a few handfuls of celery before serving. This is truly the best. Serve a piece of halibut on top, or use as a side with filets.

    • maa718

    • Pittsburgh, PA

    • 8/28/2016

  • Nice change to your typical potato salad. Even with the mayonnaise it is light and refreshing with an added crispness in the celery.

    • doughgirl

    • 8/2/2016

  • Not crazy about potato salad, but I made this for a BBQ and loved it. Easy, brightly flavored and not a gut bomb like many potato salads. I'm intrigued by the radish suggestion, I'll try that next time. And there will be a next time.

    • mcgordon

    • SLC, UT

    • 3/30/2016

  • Yes please! This potato salad comes together quickly and has a great, bright flavor. I added a bit of dill and it is over the top yummy. My new go-to recipe.

    • egerdahl

    • Seattle, WA

    • 2/28/2016

  • Simple, light, refreshing twist on an old standby. I also opted for scallions instead of chives, and added finely sliced radish to augment the celery. The recipe doubles easily and I brought it to a neighbourhood pot luck. Everybody raved,

    • pamlab

    • Port Hope Ontario, Canada

    • 8/17/2015

  • For some reason the website won't let me do 4 stars, but I made this for a picnic and someone told me it was the best potato salad they'd ever had. I definitely will make this again.

    • weezerific2

    • boston, ma

    • 6/1/2014

  • oops, forgot the forks. FOUR!

    • ericamrosen

    • 4/16/2014

  • Delish! Pretty darn easy and very yummy.

    • ericamrosen

    • SF, CA

    • 4/16/2014

  • Just made this. So very good!! Love the lemon zest in it. I forgot the celery, but it was fine without :-) This is a keeper.

    • dtlyme

    • 8/10/2013

  • This was delicious! I used low-fat mayo and nobody seemed to notice :-). A big hit for me, my family and our guests. I got so many requests for the recipe.

    • mallarys

    • Montreal, Qc

    • 7/29/2013

  • 我使用2柠檬汁和热情因为我爱勒mons. Used scallions instead of chives (and added more) and also added in 3 tbsp fresh flat italian parsley. I also used the celery leaves in it. It's so good I've made it twice now in a week, and it's even better the next day after the lemon has soaked into the potatoes. It's also a very pretty salad!

    • ssbdw

    • Coral Springs, FL

    • 7/8/2012

  • My husband and I both agreed that this was the best potato salad we've ever tasted. It's very fresh and bright, with just the right amount of creaminess. Plus, it's a snap to make. Will definitely make again!

    • sassycrafter

    • Gainesville, FL

    • 3/19/2012

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