Instant Pot Potato Salad

Boiling potatoes and eggs together is possible now. When done you can mix it all together to make a totally loaded potato salad in no time! It’s probably our favorite side dish in our Instant Pot recipes roundup page.

Of course potato salad is made to taste. If you love a lot of mustard then load it up. If you don’t like celery then just leave those out. The cook time depends on their size. I used baby potatoes like you find in a bag that are multi colored. I think that is easiest since those take the same cook time as the eggs so you can throw them in together.

You can use your Ninja Foodi pot or Crockpot Express too. With this pot you will use the lid that is not attached and can use the basket that came with the machine to hold the eggs.

There are basically two main items of this popular side dish, eggs and potatoes. Use the variety of taters that you love, each has their own qualities, tastes and textures to them. The size will make the biggest difference, not the type you use. From there you prep them after cooked, and add the cold ingredients for the sauce.

What kind of potatoes should I use for potato salad?

I like using baby russets or red potatoes. You can find in a bag at your local grocery store. They work perfectly for this recipe. If you can’t find them or prefer baking potatoes just ensure that they’re bite sized so the eggs and potatoes are done perfectly at the same time.

A good gage for sizing is if you have a regular bag red potatoes I would cut them in fourths or just small enough to barely slide each piece into the bottom tier of your vegetable steamer with the top steamer attached as you see here.

Petite potatoes work the best to just slice into smaller bite size pieces which is ideal for this dish. I like either red potatoes or russet for the texture and flavor.

Are white or brown eggs better for potato salad?

White Eggs are easiest to peel and the only time I do buy something other than organic free range because of the ease. Older is better believe it or not so the shells slide right off. Biggest tip when done is to immediately submerge into a bowl of ice cold water.

Ingredient Notes

Mayonnaise is the base of the creaminess, plain Greek yogurt is an alternative. I love Best Foods vs. Miracle Whip because of it’s flavor. You will want some yellow Mustard or some prefer a bit of apple cider vinegar.

There are several ways to tweak this basic dish. Onions diced are optional, and so is chopped up Celery is too. At the end add a pinch of Salt and pepper to taste

How Long to Make Potato Salad in Instant Pot

You need 5 minutes for a cook time but 5 minutes also to release the steam slowly which continues cooking the ingredients so cannot be skipped. With the time it takes for the pot to reach pressure you need a total of 15-20 minutes to steam the main two ingredients.

What can you use instead of a steamer basket?

Yes you can either use a standard vegetable basket and lay the eggs on top of the potatoes, or put them this way on top of a trivet. We use this same device when boiling potatoes in Instant Pot. The main point is you need to keep them out of the water in order to steam both of them vs. boiling. The potatoes will become too soft and break apart that way.

Now you could use a regular trivet to set the taters on with the eggs rested on top. Issue may be that those could roll off and crack but not a huge deal since you are peeling them anyway. 2-Tier Vegetable Steamer does a great job to make 5-5-5 Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs too.

Can potato salad be made in advance?

Yes, and this is a great option if you’re having a barbecue or during the holidays. I actually think it is better the day after I make it. Mix all ingredients together well, cover with plastic wrap or foil and allow to get nice and chilly in your fridge.

Other easy Instant Pot side dish recipes you’ll love

If you’re looking for other Instant Pot side dishes when you’re done with this one you should try this Instant Pot cauliflower mash . The best Instant Pot cheesy bacon ranch potatoes. We love Pressure cooker baked potatoes

The main thing you’ll learn here is how to cook two things together in your Instant Pot. It is quicker than you probably think! If you have never done this it is totally possible. Once you get the hang of this you’ll want to do all the things for dinner next. Ok so you can’t make the whole thing, you wouldn’t want hot mayonnaise, mustard and celery inside. Those will stay cool until the main items are tender and perfect.