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This single serving potato salad is creamy, flavorful, and easy to make. With just one potato and a few simple ingredients, it comes together quickly for a perfect side dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect Size – Made for one, with no waste or leftovers.
- Quick and Easy – Comes together easily with a handful of ingredients.
- Creamy and Flavorful – A rich, smooth dressing paired with crisp bits of onion and celery.
- Doubles Well – Easily make enough for two.
This potato salad is one I come back to again and again. It’s simple, comforting, and hits all the right notes—creamy, flavorful, and made with just one potato. It’s the kind of recipe that feels just right when you want something easy and satisfying.
If you enjoy this one, you might also like these single serving salads: Macaroni Salad for a classic creamy side, crunchy Broccoli Salad, bold Mexican Street Corn Salad, or Chicken Salad for a protein-packed option.
Ingredients
If you have any leftover ingredients from this small batch potato salad recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Potato: Use a medium russet potato (7 to 8.5 ounces) or red potatoes. Bake russets for the best texture; boil red potatoes since they hold their shape and have a creamy texture. Got extras? Use them in Twice Baked Potato Casserole, Clam Chowder or Hungarian Goulash.
- Onion and Celery: Add crunch and flavor. Also great in Split Pea Soup, Chicken and Dumplings, and Tomato Sauce.
- Mayonnaise: Swap with Greek yogurt or sour cream for a lighter, tangier version.
- Dijon Mustard: Yellow or stone-ground mustard can be used if you don’t have Dijon.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: White or red wine vinegar are good substitutes.
- Seasonings: I use dried dill, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Feel free to experiment with other spices you like.
How To Make Potato Salad
Bake a scrubbed, fork-pierced russet potato at 400°F (200°C) for about 50 minutes, or until tender. Let it cool, then cut into bite-sized cubes.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add the potatoes and gently toss to coat. I like to chill the salad for at least an hour before serving—it lets the flavors come together and tastes even better.
Expert Tips
- Leftover Potatoes: Have a baked potato on hand? Just chop it up and add it—no need to cook.
- Add-Ins: For extra flavor and texture, mix in pimentos, pickle relish, fresh herbs, hard-boiled eggs, or crumbled bacon.
- Chill Time: Let the salad chill for at least an hour before serving to help the flavors come together.
- Peeling: I leave the skins on for texture and flavor, but feel free to peel them if you’d rather.
What To Serve With Potato Salad
This potato salad pairs well with:
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it actually tastes better after chilling for a few hours. You can make it up to a day in advance.
It’s best eaten within 2 days for the freshest taste and texture.
Absolutely! Just double the ingredients for a potato salad that serves two.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this single serve potato salad recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Potato Salad For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (6 to 8 ounce) russet potato
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Scrub the potato, pat it dry, and prick it several times with a fork.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50–60 minutes, until the skin is dry and the inside is soft. Let cool, then cut into 1-inch cubes.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add the potato and toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Leftover Potatoes: Have a baked potato on hand? Just chop it up and add it—no need to cook.
- Add-Ins: For extra flavor and texture, mix in pimentos, pickle relish, fresh herbs, hard-boiled eggs, or crumbled bacon.
- Chill Time: Let the salad chill for at least an hour before serving to help the flavors come together.
- Peeling: I leave the skins on for texture and flavor, but feel free to peel them if you’d rather.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Also, I microwaved the potato, then wrapped it in foil to finish cooking, let cool and then continued with the recipe. Took 50 minutes off the prep time.
Made today, flavorful and delicious! Added radishes and bread and butter pickles, and parsley instead of dill..
Had air fryer salmon fillet and mandarin oranges to go with it. Tasty!
Why not boiled potatoes? Just curious.
I bake the one russet potato in this recipe because it gives the potato a slightly firmer texture and richer flavor, which I really enjoy in potato salad. That said, you can absolutely use boiled potatoes if you prefer—both methods work.
Potato salad is cultural, traditional, geographical and oh-so familiar. I love how versatile this recipe is.
Thank you Joanie for providing a basic potato salad recipe for one that can be created with ingredients I have on hand! I didn’t have celery so I swapped out baby spinach and arugula, added a hard boiled egg and black olives. I’m so looking forward to this treat because I haven’t made potato salad and probably 40 years!
Where’s the sugar? Anytime you add vinegar to a recipe you need sugar. I put sugar in my salad even though I don’t add vinegar because I use Miracle Whip instead of mayo.
We don’t feel the salad needs sugar but you can certainly add it if you like.
I made this with a baked 8 oz. Yukon gold potato and Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise (didn’t have any and didn’t want to go to the store or make some). It was yummy and made plenty as written for the two of us
I have several cooking for one books but your recipes are by far the best. Most are not too complicated but yet are so delicious. Wish you would publish another cookbook. Big fan of you.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m thrilled that you enjoy the recipes and find them simple yet delicious. Your encouragement about another cookbook is truly motivating and gives me plenty to consider for the future.
Thank you for being such a fantastic supporter!
I have been making various ones of your recipes for a few years using microwave and slow cooker thank you. I have now bought a small air fryer and wondered if you have any ideas on how to adapt your recipes to this new method of cooking.
Thank you from UK.
I’m so happy to know you are enjoying our recipes. Our recipes are not tested with an air fryer but an air fryer is just a small convection oven so anything that can be made in a regular oven can be made in an air fryer. You’ll just need to reduce the cooking time as convection ovens cook faster due to how they circulate heat using a fan.
Terrific recipe.
Easy to put together and yummy to eat!