Creamy, crunchy, spicy Cajun Potato Salad is a bolder version of the picnic favorite! With tender potatoes, ample hard-boiled eggs, the holy trinity of Cajun cuisine (green pepper, onion and celery), and a spicy kick, it’s irresistible.
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Cajun Potato Salad is a backyard BBQ staple across southern Louisiana, where it’s just as likely to be scooped right into a hot bowl of gumbo as it is to be served with grilled meat and cold beer. The flavor relies on the holy trinity of Cajun cooking: green pepper, onion and celery, with a tangy, spicy dressing that pulls everything together.
“I’ve made this recipe several times in the past year. It’s easy and very tasty. I don’t always add the eggs and sometimes use less Cajun spices but it’s always good.”
Susan
Table of Contents
Recipe at a Glance
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling
- Yield: 10 servings
- Skill Level: Easy
Cajun Potato Salad Ingredients
- Yukon gold potatoes: white potatoes, red potatoes or new potatoes are also options
- Mayonnaise: good quality store bought or homemade mayonnaise
- Whole Grain Mustard: yellow mustard, Dijon mustard or Creole mustard are also options
- Green Bell Pepper: one small
- Onion: yellow or white
- Celery: chop up and add the celery leaves if you like as well
- Dill Pickle Relish: or sweet pickle relish
- Parsley: flat leaf parsley
- Hard-Boiled Eggs: large or extra-large, steamed or boiled for ~12 minutes then plunged immediately into ice water for easy peeling
- Cajun Seasoning: or Creole seasoning (You can also add cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper for more spicy flavor without added salt.)
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper: ideally freshly ground
Recipe Options
Consider this Cajun Potato Salad recipe as a great starting point, but don’t be afraid to make it your own. If hard-boiled eggs aren’t your thing, reduce the number or leave them out. Prefer sweet pickle relish to dill? Use it instead. Want a spicier kick? Add a big pinch of cayenne pepper along with the Cajun seasoning. For the mustard, use your favorite: yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, or Creole mustard are all great stand-ins for the whole grain mustard I’ve called for. You can even chop some crispy bacon to stir in as some Louisiana restaurants do.
How to Make Cajun Potato Salad
Cover cubed potatoes with enough cold water to cover by 1-inch in a large pot and bring to boil (uncovered) over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until just fork tender (6-10 minutes). Drain well and let cool 5 minutes or more.
Whisk dressing ingredients in a very large bowl (mayonnaise, mustard, Cajun seasoning, kosher salt (optional) and pepper) until smooth. Stir in bell pepper, onion, celery, dill relish and parsley. Gently fold in partially cooled potatoes and eggs until well combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days before serving.
Pro Tips
- Cool potatoes before you dress them: Be sure to partially cool the cooked potatoes before you fold them into the dressing. Hot potatoes can cause the dressing to break and turn oily.
- Season the cooking water with salt: A generous pinch of salt in the boiling water seasons the potatoes from the inside and makes a noticeable flavor difference in the finished salad.
- Taste before adding salt to the dressing: Cajun seasoning brands vary widely in saltiness. I like to whisk the dressing first, taste, and then decide whether to add more salt.
- Immediate ice-bath for the boiled eggs: Plunging hard-boiled eggs straight into ice water makes them peel easily and stops the cooking before the yolks turn chalky.
- Chunky or creamy is your call: I love this salad with the potatoes mostly intact for texture, but if you prefer a softer salad, fold a little more aggressively and let some of the potatoes break down.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Cajun Potato Salad is especially versatile, ideal for all kinds of backyard BBQs, get-togethers and picnics. It’s easy to make, ready in 30 minutes or less, and you serve it after just 1 hour of chilling or refrigerate for up to 3 days. If you’re making it the day before a gathering, gently stir it just before serving and taste for salt and spice; chilled salads often need a small adjustment. I don’t recommend freezing potato salad; it changes the texture of both the potatoes and the dressing.
FAQ
Yes, and in southern Louisiana it’s a tradition. A scoop of cold, creamy Cajun potato salad goes right into a hot bowl of gumbo. The cool, tangy potatoes against the rich, spicy broth is one of those combinations that sounds odd until you try it.
Either work well for making potato salad. It is easier to overcook potatoes when boiling, but less of a concern when using waxy or semi-waxy potatoes. With either method, it’s important to cook just until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork so they hold their shape in the salad.
Waxy or semi-waxy potatoes like Yukon gold potatoes, white potatoes, red potatoes and new potatoes are best for potato salad recipes because they hold their shape (and don’t need to be peeled!) Peeled russet potatoes are more likely to fall apart.
Yes! Green bell pepper is common, particularly in Cajun potato salad. It adds mild flavor and crunch.
The holy trinity is the base of green bell pepper, onion and celery that flavors most Cajun and Louisiana Creole dishes. It’s the Cajun answer to French mirepoix (carrots, onion and celery) and a close cousin to Spanish sofrito. In this potato salad, the trinity is what makes it taste distinctly Cajun rather than just spicy.
They’re often used interchangeably, but the traditions are different. Creole cuisine started in New Orleans and tends to be more refined, with rich sauces, herbs, tomatoes and seafood drawn from French, Spanish, West African and Caribbean traditions. Cajun cuisine comes from the Acadians who settled in southern Louisiana and is typically meat-centric, robustly flavored, and rarely tomato-based.
More Cajun and Louisiana Recipes
- Brabant Potatoes (A lightened up version of the classic Louisiana side dish of crispy, creamy potatoes smothered in a garlic butter sauce.)
- Cajun Potatoes (Crispy, spicy on the outside and creamy within!)
- Shrimp Creole (Succulent, spicy shrimp in a buttery tomato-based sauce.)
- Cajun Shrimp (A flavor loaded, 15-minute meal!)
- Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta (A rich and spicy pasta that’s weeknight easy.)
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya (Meaty, decadent and so easy when made in your slow cooker. The closest thing to gumbo on the site, and a natural pairing for this potato salad.)
- Corn Maque Choux (A side dish you’ll want to serve with everything when corn is at its summer peak.)
- Skillet Cornbread (With all those crispy edges, this is truly the best skillet cornbread ever.)
- Remoulade Sauce (Spicy and delicious Louisiana style dipping sauce!)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes or new potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning or more to taste (recipe note #1)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt optional, (recipe note #2)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small green bell pepper diced small
- 1 small white onion diced small
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 1/4 cup dill pickle relish
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus more for garnish if desired (recipe note #2)
- 6 hard-boiled eggs chopped
Instructions
- Place cubed potatoes in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover by 1-inch with cold water. Bring to boil uncovered over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, skimming off foam as needed, 6 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are just fork tender. Drain potatoes well in a colander and let cool at least 5 minutes.
- In the bottom of a mixing bowl large enough to stir the salad, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, Cajun seasoning, salt (optional) and pepper until smooth. Stir in bell pepper, onion, celery, dill relish and parsley. Add partially cooled potatoes and eggs and gently toss until well combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- If you increase the amount of Cajun seasoning, reduce or omit the kosher salt to taste. To kick up the spice without adding salt, add cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper to taste.
- You want the dressing to be boldly flavorful, but not too salty. I recommend tasting it before adding the kosher salt as Cajun seasoning brands vary in their level of saltiness.
- Sliced green onion also makes a great garnish and adds another flavor layer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made this recipe several times in the past year. It’s easy and very tasty. I don’t always add the eggs and sometimes use less cajun spices buts it’s always good.
I love to hear that, Susan! Thank you.
Potato salad is a big part of summer gatherings and your version sounds like a real winner.
Thanks so much, Karen!
Doubled the Cajun spice and omitted the salt. Very nice alternative to my German or Southwestern potato salads.
So glad this was a hit, Mike, and that you made it your own!
Oh, this recipe is totally calling my name! You know me and Cajun food, and I also happen to love potato salad. The flavors in this version are spot-on, Marissa!
I thought you might like this one, David! So excited for you to taste it.
Cajun cuisine-potato salad is such a unique and intriguing idea! Loving all the textures going on, and it must be so delicious with the addition of the
Cajun seasonings.
Thanks, Ben!
Hi Marissa, I just joined and like your approach to cooking. My wife and I have lived in Louisiana for nearly 20 years (before that in Eugene, OR), and are dedicated cooks. Here is a thought with respect to the difference between Creole and Cajun cuisines; my understanding is that they historically divide by their use of cooking fats. The Creole cuisine used and continues to use butter, lots of butter, like the historical French haute cuisine that was brought to the city of New Orleans by the French governors and their household staff. On the other hand, the poor Acadians who lived in and off the plant and animals of the bayous and woods, and they relied on (and still do) lard or vegetable oils for cooking fat. That being said, the Creole and Cajun lines are somewhat blurry these days, like most things that involve cuisine. These days NOLA has a strong influence of Viet cuisine, and yes, it is phenomenal that you can get Cajun Viet Creole dishes. Come visit and eat.
Welcome, Phil! And that you so much for this interesting insight. We haven’t been to Louisiana in several years and definitely need to return!
Can I boil the whole potato, then cube them? Or the texture will be different cooked this way?
Hey, Angie! You can, it’s just a bit trickier to get the potatoes evenly cooked. I recommend cubing them first and, with Yukon golds, there’s no need to peel them!
You must have known that I just made a batch of Cajun seasoning, which I want to use for prawns….now I have to add this one to the list too. Love that dressing!!
I love the idea of making this with your own Cajun seasoning blend!!