Red, White, and Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Bacon

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You'll be ready for every summer bbq and cookout with this festive red, white, and blue cheese potato salad recipe. A gorgeous medley of red-skinned, white-skinned, and purple potatoes is tossed with blue cheese dressing, sour cream, and herbs, and is crowned with crispy bacon. It's the potato salad of my dreams, and the best news is that it's even better the next day, so it's the perfect make-ahead side dish.

Red, White, and Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Bacon in a ceramic bowl with blue design, wooden spoon, rattan mat, and blue cloth off to the side.

To me, potato salad screams summertime, and the patriotic theme of this version makes it ideal for your Memorial Day cookout, fourth of July celebration, and Labor Day get-together. That said, this delicious potato salad is great really anytime of year. You can also use just red potatoes, yellow potatoes, white potatoes, or purple potatoes exclusively instead of the mix.

Looking for more perfect side dish recipes for the summer? I've got a lot of great recipes to get you summer cookout ready! Try this delicious Green Bean Salad. My Roasted Beet and Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese is another delicious salad to bring to the neighborhood potluck. It's a gorgeous salad with juicy watermelon, red and yellow beets, arugula, goat cheese, and pepitas--a show-stopper for sure.

My Carolina Caviar can double as a dip or a side dish--it's a zesty blend of field peas, black beans, corn, and peppers all held together with a tangy cilantro vinaigrette. Finally, my Savory Green Tomato Pie is another delicious side dish recipe that's an ode to summer and can be served as a side or a meatless main dish. It's got all the flavors of fried green tomatoes, but in flaky pie form. It's a favorite for sure.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tasty tip
Frequently asked questions
Related
Even more
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Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this recipe:

baby red skin potatoes, white skin potatoes, and purple potatoes (look for different varieties often labeled as "gourmet blend")
kosher salt and black pepper
thick-cut bacon
blue cheese dressing
sour cream
green onions
celery
fresh parsley

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!

Salting the water in a red enamel pot full of baby potatoes.

First, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Season heavily with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender. Drain, and cool completely.

Removing cooked bacon from a cast-iron skillet with metal tongs.

Next, cook the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Chop.

Cutting a medley of cooked baby potatoes into bite-sized pieces on a wooden cutting board.

Then, cut the cooled potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a large bowl.

Folding chopped cooked bacon into potato salad in a large mixing bowl with a red spatula.

Finally, add the blue cheese dressing, sour cream, celery, green onions, parsley, and bacon. Toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Hint: For the best results, it's super important to salt the water the potatoes cook in. If you don't it will be very difficult to season it properly.

Substitutions

Need to make some ingredient changes? Here are some ideas:

Potato Medley - instead of the blend of golden potatoes, red-skinned potatoes, and blue potatoes, use another baby potato mix or just one type of potato. Waxy potatoes work best because they hold their shape, so be sure to choose those.
Sour Cream - use yogurt instead of sour cream if you'd like.
Vegetarian - to make this recipe vegetarian, just omit the bacon.

Variations

Here are some other variations to change things up:

Spicy - stir a little cayenne pepper into the dressing to make this potato salad a little on the spicier side.
Eggs - add chopped hard-boiled eggs to make this potato salad even more decadent.
Super Blue Cheese - are you a blue cheese fanatic? I love the mild hint of blue cheese from the flavorful dressing, but if you're a blue cheese lover, I say go for it. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles to take this potato salad over the top.

Equipment

To make this recipe, you'll need the following:

chef's knife
paring knife
dry measuring cups
medium saucepan
colander
large bowl
large skillet
metal tongs

Storage

Let me tell you a little secret: This potato salad is actually better the next day, so I recommend making it a day in advance. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

This potato salad does not freeze well.

Tasty tip

Allow the potatoes to cool completely before cutting them into chunks. If you don't you'll end up with mashed potato salad instead.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't you peel potatoes for potato salad?

You certainly can peel the potatoes for potato salad, but since I used small potatoes, that would've taken forever. Plus, I love the added texture and color the peel gives to the potato salad. If you want to use large potatoes, cook them in the skins, and then peel them if you'd like to.

How do you keep potatoes from falling apart when making potato salad?

The trick is to let them cool completely before cutting them into chunks. You can even boil them a day ahead of time and then cut them.

Is it better to boil potatoes whole or cut up for potato salad?

I recommend boiling the potatoes whole. They'll keep their shape better and you won't end up with mashed potato salad.

What's the best type of potato for potato salad?

Waxy potatoes are the best types of potatoes for potato salad. The potato medley I use in this recipe are all waxy potatoes. Yukon Golds are another great potato option.

Do you put potatoes in cold water then boil?

Yes. This ensures even cooking. If you were to start the potatoes in boiling water, then the skins and outsides would cook way too fast. The potatoes would be at risk of falling apart and causing a mushy potato salad.

Why put salt in water when boiling potatoes?

Salting the water is probably the most important step for this recipe. Because waxy potatoes are dense, it's harder for seasonings to penetrate them. Cooking them in heavily salted water ensures that the salt will reach the centers of the potatoes.

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