Vegetarian Recipes
Classic Southern Style Potato Salad
People take their potato salad very seriously here in the South. I learned that pretty quickly when I moved to Southern Louisiana over twenty years ago (omg, how has it been that long??). I was never a fan of potato salad in my youth, but it quickly became my favorite after eating it made the Southern way—with mayo and mustard. My version is rich, creamy, tangy, and with just the right amount of crunch. This Southern Style Potato Salad is pure comfort food, the kind that shows up at every cookout and makes you go back for seconds.
“I made it tonight and we really enjoyed it. Lots of levels of great flavors. Thanks!”
Hettie
Easy Recipe for Southern Style Potato Salad
This Southern style potato salad has a creamy and tangy dressing that has both mayonnaise and mustard, plus plenty of texture from the finely diced celery and sweet relish. Of course, every family has their own take on a Southern potato salad, but this is the one I was introduced to and the one I keep coming back to (I’m a little bit obsessed). 😉
I do like my potato salad with slightly less dressing, rather than super heavy or goopy, so if you like yours more “wet,” you may want to make more dressing. I’ve also shared some of my favorite substitutions and variations at the end if you want to make this recipe your own!
Classic Southern Style Potato Salad
Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.
Equipment
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Chef’s Knife
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White Cutting Boards
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Measuring Cups Spoons
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes 1,360g, $2.98 *
- 1 tsp salt $0.04
- 2 eggs large (chilled) $0.66
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise 6oz, $0.84
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard $0.02
- 1 Tbsp sweet relish $0.08
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar $0.09
- 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere’s seasoning $0.03 **
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.04
- 2 green onions thinly sliced, $0.27
- 2 ribs celery chopped (1 cup, 220g) $0.38
Instructions
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Peel, wash, and chop your potatoes into one-inch cubes. Rinse the cubed potatoes with cool water in a colander, and then place them in a large pot and cover them with cold water.
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Add 1 tsp of salt to the water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes until tender (about ten minutes). Pierce the potatoes with a fork to make sure they are tender, then drain in a colander. Rinse the potatoes again with cool water to cool them.
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While the potatoes are boiling, cook the eggs. Place the eggs in a small pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Let them boil for one minute before turning off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 15 minutes, then carefully pour out the hot water and run cool water into the pot to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, peel and dice the eggs.
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While the potatoes and eggs are cooking, make the dressing. Stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, red wine vinegar, Tony’s (or seasoning salt), and freshly cracked pepper.
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Add the cooked, cooled, and drained potatoes to a large bowl along with the diced celery, sliced green onion, diced eggs, and dressing. Stir until everything is combined and coated in the dressing. If you prefer a softer, less chunky potato salad, mash the potatoes slightly.
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Taste and adjust the mustard or seasoning to your liking, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Video
Notes
**I use Tony Chachere’s seasoning, which is a brand of Creole seasoning. You can use any seasoned salt you love, like Lawry’s.
Nutrition
How to Make Creamy Southern Potato Salad Step-By-Step Photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Prep the potatoes: Start by washing, peeling, and cubing 3 lbs. of potatoes. Now, rinse the potatoes briefly with cool water to remove excess starch. I find this helps stop your salad from getting dry and gluey and helps the dressing cling to the potatoes better.
Add the cubed potatoes to a large pot and cover with cool water. Add 1 tsp salt to the water and place a lid on the pot. Bring the water up to a boil over high heat and boil until the potatoes are tender (this usually takes about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes). I use a fork to pierce one of the larger pieces to test the doneness and make sure they are fully tender. There’s nothing worse than hard potatoes in your potato salad!
Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and rinse again briefly with cool water to cool the potatoes and remove leftover starch. I prefer my potatoes to be cooled when I mix them with the other ingredients. Let them drain well over the sink while you prep the rest of the salad.
Cook the eggs: You can get started on your boiled eggs while the potatoes cook. I use my fool-proof method for boiling eggs, which goes as follows:
Add 2 cold eggs (large) to a small pot and cover with cool water. Bring the pot up to a boil, and then let the eggs boil for one minute before turning off the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water with a lid on top and the heat turned off for 15 minutes, then carefully pour out the hot water. Immediately run cold water over the eggs to stop the cooking process. Once the boiled eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the eggs and dice them, then set them aside.
Make the dressing: Add 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp sweet relish, 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere’s (or your favorite seasoning salt), and 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper to a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together, taste, and add more seasoning salt if desired. Remember, you want the dressing to be heavily seasoned because the flavor will become less pronounced once mixed with the potatoes.
Make the salad: Place the cooled potatoes in a large bowl along with the diced celery, sliced green onion, and diced eggs.
Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and then stir until everything is combined and coated in the dressing. To make everything slightly less chunky, you can mash the potatoes a little as you stir.
Taste and serve: Now have a taste and adjust the mustard or seasoning to your liking. You can serve it right away or store it in the fridge until needed. See my full storage instructions below, and enjoy!
Substitutions & Variations to try!
Potato salad is pretty flexible, and every family has its own special way of making it. In general, here are a few items that are pretty easy to substitute or add without straying too far from the Southern-style roots:
- Red onion in place of the green onion
- Apple cider vinegar in place of the red wine vinegar
- Lawry’s or another seasoning salt in place of the Tony’s Chachere’s
- Dill relish or chopped sweet pickles in place of sweet relish
- Mix in some crumbled oven-cooked bacon
- Creole mustard or Dijon mustard in place of yellow mustard
- Swap some of the mayo for sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Miracle Whip in place of mayonnaise for a sweeter finish
- Use your air fryer to make hard boiled eggs instead of on the stovetop
Storage Instructions
This recipe will stay good in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. If you can not finish a full 8-cup batch within that amount of time, consider making a half batch instead. Simply change the number of servings in the recipe card above, and all the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
Serving Suggestions
This Southern style potato salad is one of those sides that I bring to just about every summer gathering or BBQ. It’s creamy, tangy, and just feels right next to anything smoky or grilled. I personally love serving it with BBQ grilled chicken and a three bean salad when I fire up the grill on the weekend.
It’s also great with burgers (my black bean burgers are a delicious veggie option) and a big scoop of stovetop baked beans. And if you’re headed to a picnic or potluck, don’t forget the coleslaw. That crunchy, tangy bite always belongs on my plate with these creamy potatoes!
More Potato Salad Recipes
Our Classic Southern Style Potato Salad recipe was originally published on 3/12/2010. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 6/13/25.
The post Classic Southern Style Potato Salad appeared first on Budget Bytes.
Vegetarian Recipes
Cherry Blondies
Whenever I’m craving something sweet, but I’m sick of the same old same old, I whip up a batch of these fudgy, chewy, fragrant Cherry Blondies! The creamy white chocolate, tart cherries, and crunchy almonds make this recipe stand out. This is not your typical blondie! I don’t use almond extract too often, but pairing its flavor with cherries and white chocolate is just a no-brainer to me. (But a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly!)
Easy Recipe for Cherry Blondies
Blondies are like brownies, just without the cocoa. Instead, they’re made with brown sugar and vanilla, and have the BEST buttery flavor and chewy texture.
For these cherry blondies, I mix in canned cherry pie filling (it adds a sweet-tart cherry flavor without a lot of fuss or cost), slivered almonds, and white chocolate chips. I also brown the butter first to bring out a nutty, almost toffee-like richness that’s totally worth the extra few minutes. A mix of brown and white sugar strikes the perfect balance of moisture and structure, while a splash of almond extract adds a frangipane-style flavor. Bake them once, and you’ll see why I keep coming back to this combo. 😋
Cherry Blondies
Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.
Equipment
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8×8” Baking Dish
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Parchment Paper
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3 Mixing Bowls
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Sauce Pan
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Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour $0.28
- ½ tsp baking powder $0.02
- ¼ tsp salt $0.01
- 1 large egg $0.29
- 1 tsp vanilla extract $0.47
- ½ tsp almond extract $0.15
- ½ cup cherry pie filling $0.73*
- 1½ sticks salted butter cut into cubes, $1.48
- ½ cup granulated sugar $0.19
- 1 cup brown sugar $0.91
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips $0.42
- ¼ cup slivered almonds $0.87
Instructions
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Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350℉.
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Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
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In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and cherry pie filling. Mix together and set aside.
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Cube the butter and melt over medium heat until frothy, whisking once in a while to make sure the milk solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
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Once butter is browned, it will have a nutty aroma and darken in color. (Babysit it! Don’t let it burn!) Remove from heat.
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Combine browned butter with granulated and brown sugar.
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Mix with a hand mixer on low until combined. Then, add the wet cherry mixture and continue to mix until combined.
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Finally, gently mix in the dry flour mixture little by little until a batter forms.
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Fold in white chocolate and almond slivers.
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Transfer batter to greased and line baking dish and add some extra white chocolate and almonds on top, if you have them.
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Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting. The interior may still be a little gooey. These are chewier than your typical brownie! Enjoy.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
how to make Cherry Blondies step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350℉. Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper. Set this aside for now.
Mix the dry ingredients: Add 1¾ cups flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.
Mix the wet ingredients: In a different mixing bowl, combine 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, and ½ cup of cherry pie filling. Set this aside for now as well.
Brown the butter: Add 1½ sticks of cubed salted butter to a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until frothy, being sure to whisk it once in a while to avoid the milk solids from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Babysit it, and don’t let it burn! It typically takes about 5-8 minutes for butter to brown.
When the butter is browned, it’ll smell nutty and be darker in color. There will also be flecks of brown throughout (those are toasted milk solids, and they’re full of flavor). Remove it from the heat once done.
Make the batter: Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.
Use a hand mixer on low to combine the browned butter and sugars. Once mixed, add the wet cherry pie filling mixture and keep mixing until thoroughly combined.
Now, gently fold in the dry flour mixture a little at a time until a thick batter forms.
Finally, fold in ¼ cup white chocolate chips and ¼ cup slivered almonds.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. If you have any extra, top the batter with a few white chocolate chips and slivered almonds to make it look extra pretty.
Bake: Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. They’re done once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let your homemade cherry blondies cool for 20 minutes before cutting for the best results. They may still be a little gooey! They’re definitely chewier than your average brownie but just as delicious. Enjoy!
Tips for Browning Butter
I brown the butter in this cherry dessert recipe because it gives the blondies the most amazing, deep, nutty flavor that plain melted butter can’t match. You could skip this step and just melt it, but it definitely wouldn’t taste the same.
It’s honestly so easy to brown butter, and only takes about 5-8 minutes from start to finish! Here’s how to do it right (we also have a step-by-step breakdown with photos on how to brown butter you can check out, too!):
- Use a light-colored pan if you have one. It makes it easier to see the color change.
- Watch it closely. Browning happens fast, and it can burn before you know it. Stay nearby and use medium heat.
- It’ll start to froth. That’s normal. Just keep gently stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Look for brown flecks. Those are the milk solids toasting, which is exactly what you want.
- Pull it off the heat right away. As soon as it smells nutty and the color deepens, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat! It’s ready to use.
You can even make a big batch of browned butter and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and use it in future recipes. It’s obviously delicious in my cherry blondies recipe, but it’s also amazing tossed with plain pasta, drizzled over roasted veggies, or mixed into oatmeal.
More Recipe Success Tips
- Line your pan with parchment paper. It makes it way easier to lift the blondies out and slice them cleanly once they’ve cooled.
- Let them cool in the pan. As good as they smell fresh out of the oven, I let my blondies cool for at least 20 minutes to help them set up properly. They’ll slice neater, and the texture will be just right.
- Check for doneness with a toothpick. You’re looking for a mostly clean toothpick when inserted into your white chocolate cherry blondies. If you hit a cherry or a melty white chocolate chip, it might smear a bit, so try a second spot! Don’t forget, they may still be a little gooey on the inside rather than cakey.
Storage Instructions
Personally, I enjoy these cherry pie blondies cold! I like to keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and grab one whenever I need a sweet pick-me-up. They’ll be good for up to 3-4 days when stored this way. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
More Delicous Dessert Recipes
The post Cherry Blondies appeared first on Budget Bytes.
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