This lightened up dill pickle potato salad, made with olive oil instead of mayonnaise, is the best summer salad recipe! The creamy potatoes are punctuated by chopped dill pickles and scallions then smothered in a bright, simple dressing using brine, vinegar, and mustard. It’s one of those dishes you’ll make on repeat for cookouts and picnics all season long.

Dill pickle potato salad in a serving bowl next to ingredients, napkin, and plate with fork.

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Lizzie’s Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Tips and Tricks
Make It Your Own
What to Serve With It
Storage
More Summer Salad Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Lizzie’s Notes

While I’m biased and love all of the dishes I post here, I’m happy to report that this dill pickle potato salad recipe received rave reviews from my neighbors after I shared the leftovers from recipe testing. So don’t just take it from me! This one really deserves a spot on your summer menus.

What makes it so unique is how it differs from old fashioned versions of this recipe. Instead of drowning in mayo and sour cream, the ingredients and their amounts were carefully selected to highlight the punchy kick of dill pickles. Olive oil, scallions, mustard, and fresh dill all serve as supporting characters that enhance the star ingredient instead of stealing the show.

Not only are the flavors fresh, bright, and so darn summery, the combo of textures is just perfect. Crunchy dill pickles really liven up the soft, red skinned potatoes and make it more interesting to eat. I’m telling you, you’re going to love it! If you’re craving even more pickles, check out the Dill Pickle Hummus Recipe while you’re here.

Mustard, oil, pickle brine, scallions, pickles, dill, vinegar, salt and pepper, and potatoes in bowls.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Red potatoes: I think these are the best choice for potato salads intended to be chunky (like this one). They have less starch than other varieties and therefore hold their shape better during boiling. You can use regular or baby red potatoes, and you don’t need to peel them. The skin provides a great pop of color. Yukon gold potatoes or fingerling potatoes are also good substitutes. I don’t recommend russet potatoes.
Dill pickles (and their brine): Store-bought pickles offer the strongest brine, but you can use homemade pickles and brine if needed. I really liked the Woodstock Organic Dill Pickles I used when testing the recipe.
Scallions (green onions): Substitute chives for less of an onion flavor or red onion for more of that taste.
Fresh dill: This boosts the star flavor of dill pickle potato salad, but you can sub fresh parsley if that’s what you prefer. You can use fresh or dried dill. Although I recommend fresh, dried works in a pinch. Use one to two tablespoons of dried in place of the ¼ cup fresh in this recipe.
Extra virgin olive oil: If the flavor of olive oil is too strong for you, substitute a light olive oil or avocado oil.
White wine vinegar: Sub additional pickle brine, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar if you don’t have it.
Dijon mustard: Sub whole grain mustard. If you don’t have either mustard, whisk 1 teaspoon ground mustard into the dressing instead.
Salt and pepper: I like using regular table salt for potato salads, but you can sub kosher salt. Use about a teaspoon and a half of kosher salt, since you need more of it due to the crystals being larger.

How to Make Dill Pickle Potato Salad

The full recipe card is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.

Chopped red potatoes being poured into a pot to be cooked for potato salad.

After cleaning the potatoes and removing any dirt, cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large pot. Cover with cold water by about one inch.

Cooked red potatoes in a wire skimmer over a pot of other potatoes.

Boil the potatoes, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil. You want small bubbles on the surface consistently but not a rolling boil. Stir occasionally and cook for 7 to 10 minutes until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander or use a spider strainer/skimmer to transfer to a bowl.

Woman adding chopped fresh dill to a bowl with potato salad ingredients.

Add the dill pickles, scallions, and fresh dill to the bowl with the potatoes.

Woman whisking olive oil and dill pickle brine dressing in a measuring cup.

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a measuring cup or separate bowl until creamy and emulsified.

Woman pouring oil dressing over ingredients for potato salad in a bowl.

Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients.

Woman mixing dill pickle potato salad with a spoon in a glass bowl.

Gently stir until all of the ingredients are coated in the dressing. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired.

Tips and Tricks

Start the potatoes in cold water. This ensures they cook evenly on the inside and outside. If they go straight into boiling water, the outsides will cook too quickly and you risk them getting mushy or falling apart.
Don’t overcook the potatoes. Check them for doneness as early as 7 minutes by poking them with a fork. The fork should be able to easily glide through them without them immediately falling apart.
Chop pickles small. Cut the pickles into tiny pieces so that they get evenly distributed throughout the salad. That way, you avoid getting any big chunks with too much pickle flavor at once.
Serve chilled or warm. Since this recipe has an olive oil dressing instead of one that’s dairy-based (and would separate when mixed with hot potatoes), you can eat dill pickle potato salad warm! However, you can certainly chill the dish for an hour or a few in the refrigerator for a more classic potato salad feel. It will get even more flavorful as it soaks up the dressing!
Use a spider strainer (skimmer) if you have one to drain and transfer the potatoes. This helps prevent them from squishing each other as they are poured into the colander.

Make It Your Own

Make it spicy or smoky. Use spicy pickles. You can even chop up one of the peppers in the jar and add it to the salad for some extra heat! Alternatively, add a dash of hot sauce or a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Increase the protein. Add hard-boiled eggs and/or bacon to make a complete meal. Chop them up and add at the same time as the scallions, pickles, and dill.
Boost the crunch factor. Add finely chopped celery or red bell pepper.
Change the potato prep. Use roasted potatoes for a little extra flavor and crispy texture. Adding ¼ to ½ cup of crushed potato chips is another fun way to mix it up.
More pickle flavor. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of my sweet relish.

Potato salad with dill pickles and olive oil dressing being scooped with tongs.

What to Serve With It

Dill pickle potato salad is a versatile side dish for summer gatherings, potlucks, and cookouts. It goes well with veggie burgers, grilled vegetable skewers, grilled cod and veggie packets, salmon burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, barbecue chicken, beef burgers, and hot dogs.

Storage

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Since the potatoes will absorb more of the dressing over time, it may seem a bit dry when you want to eat it at a later time. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of pickle brine, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice to freshen it up before eating. I don’t recommend freezing potato salad, since the texture will get mealy during thawing.

Dill Pickle Potato Salad