Don’t Use the Wrong Potatoes in Your Potato Salad—Here’s What Works Best

A good potato salad starts with quality potatoes—everything else is important, sure, but only as good as its tender, yummy potato base. But how do you know which variety is best for your recipe? Let’s break the types of potatoes, the significance of starch content, and how to know which type of potato is best for your favorite type of potato salad—from parsley potatoes to its creamier, mayo-based counterpart.

Best Potatoes for Potato Salad

In the culinary world, potatoes are categorized based on their starch content. Here’s the lowdown on each of the three main categories (waxy, all-purpose, and starchy) and whether they’ll work in your potato salad:

Waxy Potatoes

Waxy potatoes are low in starch, but high in sugar and water content. This means they hold their shape even after they’re cooked and they’re less grainy than starchy potatoes. Plus, they have thin skin that doesn’t necessarily have to be peeled. This is perfect for people who are short on time or who like a little bit of extra texture in their potato salad. Waxy varieties result in a denser potato salad than other types of potatoes.

What to Look For:

New potatoes
Fingerling potatoes
Red potatoes

All-Purpose Potatoes

These in-between potatoes are perfect for, well, all purposes. They have medium starch content and medium moisture content—they’re considered the “Goldilocks” of the spud world. Their perfectly balanced texture works in all sorts of potato dishes.

What to Look For:

Yukon Gold
Purple Majesty
All Blue

Starchy Potatoes

These aptly named potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture. Since starchy potatoes are super absorbent, they’re great for soaking up other ingredients like milk or butter. They tend to fall apart during cooking, so they work well for mashing. Starchy varieties result in creamy potato salads that soak up dressing well.

What to Look For:

Russet potatoes
Idaho potatoes
Sweet potatoes

The Bottom Line

So, what are the best potatoes to use for potato salad? It depends on your taste.

Waxy potatoes are generally considered the best for classic potato salad because they retain their shape, do not have to be peeled, and have a smooth texture. People who prefer a creamy potato salad that soaks up dressing like a sponge, though, opt for a starchy potato.

If you’re unsure, it’s best to go with a middle-of-the-road option like an all-purpose potato (you can’t go wrong with a Yukon Gold).

Tips and Tricks for Selecting Potatoes

No matter what variety you choose, there are a few things you should lookout for when buying potatoes:

Potatoes should be totally firm when you give them a gentle squeeze. There shouldn’t be any give at all.
Look for potatoes with smooth, relatively clean skin. There should be little or no bruising, wrinkling, or discoloration.
Try to pick potatoes that are uniform in size and shape. They’ll cook evenly, which will keep the texture consistent.