Quick Instant Pot Potato Salad

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This Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Potato Salad is a one-pot recipe that cooks the diced potatoes and hard-boils the eggs at the same time. With a flavorful, creamy, and a bit tangy dressing, this is the PERFECT easy potato salad recipe! 

white bowl of Instant Pot potato salad with slices of hard boiled eggs in it

Potato salad is a classic summer dish that’s always perfect for a barbecue. And with an Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker, potato salad takes only 20 minutes from start to finish. Not to mention it’s a one-pot recipe!

This recipe pairs well with BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Pressure Cooker Kalua Pork, and Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Update: Summer is here, and we’re making Instant Pot potato salad more than ever. We’ve updated this post to answer more of your questions to ensure that your potato salad is a winner. 

titled photo (and shown): Quick and Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad

How to Make Potato Salad

This Potato Salad recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL

My favorite part about this pressure cooker potato salad is that you can cook the potatoes and hard boil the eggs at the same time!

Place the peeled and diced potatoes in a steamer basket in the pressure cooking pot, then gently nestle the eggs on top. (No need to crack them, just take them from the carton to on top of the potatoes.) 

Cook for 4 minutes on high pressure, use a quick release, then remove the lid for perfectly hard-boiled eggs and tender potatoes. 

While the potatoes are cooking, make the potato salad dressing. I like to mix up the dressing ingredients right in the bowl I’ll serve or store my potato salad in. Add the cooled potatoes and eggs, mix everything together, and there’s no need to dirty another dish. 

Take the eggs to an ice water bath to cool and allow the potatoes to cool. 

ingredients for quick pressure cooker potato salad: mayonnaise, dijon mustard, fresh herbs

How to Make Homemade Potato Salad Dressing

Now, I know people have strong feelings about potato salad dressing. (Duke’s Mayonnaise or Hellmann’s, anyone?) 

The great thing about my method is that you can adapt it to work with your favorite mayo and seasonings.

My dressing is a traditional potato salad recipe, based on how my mom made hers. Fresh parsley adds freshness and a bit of green to the dish, while pickle juice is the secret to zippy, tangy potato salad dressing. I usually go with French’s yellow mustard for the most classic flavor. 

Dressing Flavor Variations

I like to use reduced-fat mayonnaise, which makes the dressing a bit healthier. (Of course, you can use whatever mayonnaise you have on hand and your favorite flavor of mustard.)

Many readers have shared their favorite alterations to this potato salad recipe, so feel free to experiment with any of these great dressing mix-ins:

  • Chopped dill pickles 
  • Diced celery
  • Dijon or flavored mustards
  • Jalapeño peppers (or substitute pickled jalapeño juice for pickle juice for a bit of a kick)
  • Vinegar
potatoes and whole eggs inside pressure cooker

Common Questions about Pot Potato Salad

What if I don’t have a steamer basket: If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can still make this Instant Pot potato salad! However, your potatoes may not have the same firm texture you’ll get with a steamer. Your second-best bet is to pile the potatoes in a pyramid on top of the trivet that came with your Instant Pot/ Pressure Cooker. 

What size to cut the potatoes: To avoid overcooked potatoes, be sure to cut your potatoes to a uniform size. Don’t cut the potatoes any smaller than 1-inch pieces, as they can turn gummy in the pressure cooker. 

white bowl of quick instant pot potato salad with mayonnaise dressing and hard boiled eggs

What Type of Potato to Use for Potato Salad?

The type of potato you use for this recipe matters! The best potatoes for Instant Pot potato salad are Russets (aka Idaho potatoes). Yukon golds and red potatoes will also work well. 

These potatoes are starchy and dry, so they cook up nice and firm in the pressure cooker. 

Other potato varieties may contain more water, which means they’re more likely to turn into mush under pressure. 

overhead of a white mixing bowl where instant pot poato salad is being mixed with homemade mayonnaise dressing

Can You Make Potato Salad Ahead of Time?

Yes! I feel like this pressure cooker potato salad tastes best when it’s chilled in the dressing for several hours. I like to make it in the morning or late the night before, and pop it in the fridge. Then the mess is cleaned up when you’re ready to eat. 

If you’re really planning ahead, you can make this potato salad up to 2 to 3 days before serving. (Keep in mind, the texture of the potatoes will change the longer they sit.)

Alternatively, you can keep the cooked potatoes and unpeeled hardboiled eggs in the fridge for up to 5 days. Then you can mix up the dressing and assemble the salad the day you serve it. 

side view of instant pot potato salad with hard boiled eggs and fresh parsley infront of an electric pressure cooker

How to Store Instant Pot Potato Salad

💡 You can save this potato salad for up to 3 days in the fridge. It’s best to store this Instant Pot potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freezing isn’t a great option, as the potatoes will not defrost well.

Can This Recipe Be Doubled or Halved?

As long as you cut the potatoes to the same size, you can easily double or half the potato salad ingredients. There’s no need to change the pressure cooking time in either case. 

overhead of a white serving bowl with instant pot potato salad with hard-cooked eggs

What to Serve with Instant Pot Potato Salad

This easy pressure cooker potato salad is a perfect side dish for grilling favorites like chicken, steak, or burgers. I also like to serve it with Easy Grilled Lemon Pepper Pork Chops from Barbara Bakes. 

More Easy Pressure Cooker Side Dish Recipes

Looking for more classic summer sides? Rely on your pressure cooker to make some more of our most popular Instant Pot side dish recipes:

See all of our Instant Pot Side Dish Recipes and more of our favorite Summer Instant Pot Recipes

pressure cooker quick potato salad with hard boiled eggs in front of an instant pot with a wooden spoon in the background

Instant Pot Quick Potato Salad

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours 6 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
This Instant Pot Potato Salad Recipe is so easy, you’ll want to make it all the time! Cook hard-boiled eggs and potatoes together in the pressure cooker for quick, perfectly cooked eggs and potatoes every time. This is the best Instant Pot potato salad recipe!
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Ingredients

  • 6 medium russet potatoes peeled and cubed**
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
  • 1 tablespoon mustard I use French’s yellow mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Put the steamer basket in the pressure cooker pot. Add the water, potatoes, and eggs. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure, 4 minutes cook time, and press start.
  • When the cook time ends, turn off pressure cooker and do a quick pressure release. When the pressure valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
  • Remove the steamer basket from the pressure cooking pot. Put the eggs into ice-cold water to cool. Allow the potatoes to cool separately. 
  • In a large bowl, combine the onion, mayo, parsley, pickle juice, and mustard. Add the cooled potatoes and gently mix the mayonnaise mixture into the potatoes.
  • Peel and dice three of the cooled eggs and stir into potato salad. (If needed, add more mayonnaise to achieve desired consistency.) Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Chill at least one hour before serving. Just prior to serving, top with slices of remaining hard-boiled egg.

Notes

*The total time for this recipe includes the minimum chill time. I prefer to make it several hours before I want to serve it.
**About 3 pounds of russet potatoes. Readers have used Yukon Golds and red potatoes successfully as well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 344mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g

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collage of an Instant Pot and potato salad in a bowl
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