Instant Pot Potato Salad. Classic potato salad is quick and easy to make if you have a pressure cooker.
It’s time for a summertime side dish. Dare I say the summertime side dish? (Yes, I dare.) Here is my Instant Pot Potato Salad recipe.
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This recipe is a straightforward potato salad, the basic version I think of when I say "potato salad." If you're looking for a fancier potato salad, check out my Instant Pot Mustard Potato Salad or Instant Pot Ranch Potato Salad.
Why Pressure Cook Potato Salad?
Why pressure cook potato salad? Because the Instant Pot makes it easy. I set the timer on the cooker and cook the potatoes and eggs together in the pot. Then, once they cool down, I toss them with celery, red onion, and a mayo-based potato salad dressing. And there you have it, a quick, easy homemade potato salad.
Ingredients
- Baby red potatoes
- Eggs
- Mayonnaise
- Cider vinegar
- Fine sea salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Celery
- Red onion
- Fresh parsley
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Instant Pot Potato Salad
Everything in the pot
Pour 1 cup of water into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Add a vegetable steaming basket, then fill the basket with the baby red potatoes. Set the eggs on top of the potatoes.
Pressure Cook for 6 minutes with a quick pressure release
Lock the pressure cooker lid. Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure. Once the pressure is released, unlock the pot, opening the lid away from you to avoid the hot steam.
Chop the potatoes and eggs, and mix the potato salad
Take the eggs out of the pot and cool them under cold running water. Carefully lift the vegetable basket of potatoes from the pressure cooker and set it aside to cool. Whisk the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the diced celery, diced red onion, and fresh parsley. Peel and dice the boiled eggs and stir them into the bowl of dressing. Cut the baby potatoes into ¾-inch chunks, then fold them into the bowl of dressing until coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir again to re-coat the potatoes, serve, and enjoy!
Substitutions
- What kind of potatoes: I like to pressure cook smaller potatoes in their skins. The smaller potatoes cook quickly, and their skins help keep them from overcooking. Baby potatoes, new potatoes, or fingerling potatoes all work well in this recipe. If you can't find new potatoes, use a waxy potato like red potatoes, white potatoes, or Yukon gold potatoes, and cut them into 1½ -inch chunks. The only type of potato I wouldn't recommend is russet potatoes; they crumble when they're cooked and fall apart in potato salad.
- Mayo: If you prefer Miracle Whip, you can use it instead of the mayonnaise.
- Onions: Red onions are my favorite, but green onions (scallions) are a close second. You can also use sweet onions (like vidalia onions). I find regular white onions and yellow onions to be a bit too sharp for this recipe.
- Vinegar: If you don't have cider vinegar, then rice vinegar or white wine vinegar are my favorite substitutions - they are both mild flavored vinegar. Red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar give the potato salad a weird taste. Plain white vinegar is too tart, but you can use it if that's all you have.
Tips and Tricks
- Peeled potatoes: I use baby red potatoes with their skins on them because I like the hint of color the red skins add to the salad. If you want peeled potatoes, don't get baby potatoes; get regular-sized potatoes, peel them, and cut them into 1½ -inch chunks.
- Steamer basket: The steamer basket keeps the potatoes out of the water so they cook evenly. If you don't have a steamer basket, you can use the rack that came with your pressure cooker or skip it and live with some of the potatoes being a little soggier than others. (They'll break down and thicken the potato salad, which isn't bad.)
Storage
Potato salad lasts a day or two in the refrigerator or two hours at room temperature. (If you leave it out on the picnic table: Let's be careful out there. Keep it chilled until you are serving, and don't leave it out for more than two hours.)
What to Serve with Instant Pot Potato Salad
Potato salad is a perfect side dish for summer barbecues. Grilled hamburgers? Rotisserie Pork Loin? Barbecued chicken? Potato salad works with anything that comes out of a grill or smoker.
It's also great with any of my "fake barbecue" Instant Pot recipes, like Instant Pot Spareribs, Instant Pot Beef Brisket, or Instant Pot Pulled Pork.
Instant Pot Potato Salad Recipe
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 quart of potato salad 1x
Description
Instant Pot Potato Salad. The classic summertime side dish, made easy with pressure cooking.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds baby red potatoes
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup diced celery (about 1 celery stalk)
- ¼ cup diced red onion (about ¼ of a large red onion)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Everything in the pot: Pour 1 cup of water into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Add a vegetable steaming basket, then fill the basket with the baby red potatoes. Set the eggs on top of the potatoes.
- Pressure Cook for 6 minutes with a quick pressure release: Lock the pressure cooker lid. Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure. Once the pressure is released, unlock the pot, opening the lid away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Chop the potatoes and eggs, and mix the potato salad: Take the eggs out of the pot and cool them down under cold running water. Carefully lift the vegetable basket of potatoes from the pressure cooker and set it aside to cool. Whisk the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the diced celery, diced red onion, and fresh parsley. Peel and dice the eggs and stir them into the bowl of dressing. Cut the baby potatoes into ¾-inch chunks, then fold them into the bowl of dressing until coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir again to re-coat the potatoes, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Potato salad lasts a day or two in the refrigerator or two hours at room temperature. (For those of you leaving it out on the picnic table: Let’s be careful out there.)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker
Steamer basket
Scaling
This recipe doubles easily in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half, and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same time to cook each potato.
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Instant Pot Loaded Smashed Red Potatoes
Pressure Cooker Corn Soup
Instant Pot Minestrone
Instant Pot Potato Soup
My other Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Paula Kay says
We look for simple, good and easy clean up recipes for our RV trips (and often for home, too). This fit the bill! What a great concept, cooking the potatoes and eggs together in the instant pot. Saved so much work and dishes. I was afraid the egg wouldn't be hard cooked enough at 6 minutes, as usually I make them for several minutes beyond that, but it was perfect. The only change I made was to add some pickle juice, which I like in potato salad for added flavor. Thank you so much. 🙂
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome, glad it worked so well for you in your RV!
Cathy says
Loved it! Perfect size for my smaller family and quick enough for a weeknight meal. I tweaked the dressing a bit using rice vinegar instead, and red onions. It’s what I had buts it’s what we had. Will make again.
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you! And good for you for improvising with what you had on hand.
Mike from Austin says
Made this last night and it worked perfectly! It's my method going forward!
Mike Vrobel says
Great! Glad it worked for you.
Laura says
Excellent idea Mike. I think that I will always use this recipe instead of the "boil-on-the-stove" method. The potatoes were perfect as I tend to overcook mine sometimes. I am so glad I found your site. I have found so many good tasty recipes on here. Thank you!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Prudence says
Ok, I will Never go back to making Potato Salad the stove top method. It was quick, and easy. Didn't heat up the house, nor did it stunk like eggs and potatoes 😉 It was delicious to the boot, the potatoes were such a nice mouth feel to them - creamy and smooth. The ingredients and flavours just blended in perfectly. Thanks Mike, we really appreciate your recipes. Keep up the great work!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks, Prudence!