This sour cream potato salad is a worthy side dish for just about any spring and summer meal. Light, flavorful and easy to make, this herbed potato salad is a welcome upgrade to the polarizing old-school side.
Easy Sour Cream Potato Salad
We wanted a no-mayo potato salad that strayed far from the classic versions we see at potlucks all summer long. To achieve that we relied on some of our favorite ingredients.
To start, we swapped out the mayo in favor of AE Dairy sour cream. The creaminess and tanginess of AE Dairy’s high-quality sour cream pairs perfectly with a trio of herbs. What makes it so high-quality? For starters, AE Dairy uses the freshest cream from Iowa farms (they receive fresh milk throughout each day).
AE’s recipe for sour cream was carefully developed with a team of Taste Testers using a higher butterfat (19%) than the industry standard. And finally, they take their time—it takes about 18-20 hours to culture the cream until it has the perfect smoothness and flavor.
Check the AE Dairy website for the list of grocers that offer their fresh dairy products. It’s the freshest sour cream you will find!
And finally, we turned to our absolute favorite potato, baby yukon gold! When cooked gently for 20 minutes, these little gems take on the silkiest of textures, perfect for getting tossed with herbs and sour cream.
Ingredients in Sour Cream Potato Salad
Potatoes: we use baby Yukon gold potatoes. They’re generally about the size of a golf ball or a bit smaller.
Sour Cream: if you’re in the Central Iowa area, then you know how good AE Dairy is. The thick, creaminess of their sour cream is unbeatable! Hands down, AE Dairy sour cream is what makes this no-may potato salad so good!
Herbs: a trio of herbs makes for the best herbed potato salad. We like a mix of chives, dill and parsley but feel free to try tarragon, cilantro, or scallions.
Celery: a bit of minced celery adds a welcome crunch to all the creamy ingredients. If you love crunch in your potato salad, feel free to add more than half a cup.
Capers: you can find capers (sun dried flower buds packed in vinegar) next to the olives and pickles in most grocery stores. We use the capers and their brine for the potato salad.
Dijon mustard: just a dollop adds a lovely depth of flavor. Spicy brown or whole-grain mustard can be substituted. Do not substitute with prepared yellow mustard.
How to Make Sour Cream Potato Salad Recipe
- Place the potatoes in a sauté pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.
- While the potatoes cook, whisk together the sour cream dressing.
- Drain the potatoes then cut them (halve smaller potatoes and quarter larger potatoes.
- Add the potatoes to the sour cream dressing and toss to combine.
- Season with salt, pepper and caper brine to taste.
Test Kitchen Tips
- A wooden or metal skewer is the easiest way to check for doneness. You’ll know the potatoes are done when a sewer easily slides in and out of the potato.
- The potatoes can be cooked up to 1 day ahead of time. Store the potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Wait to cut them until right before you toss them with the dressing.
- We don’t recommend using basil in this potato salad as it will brown if stored in the refrigerator as leftovers. If you don’t anticipate any leftovers then go ahead and use basil! Or use basil as a garnish for serving.
Variations:
- Bulk up the protein by adding chopped hard boiled eggs to the mix.
- Add some more freshness by adding some lemon juice and zest.
- Give it a bit more onion flavor, and color, with minced red onion or shallot.
- Use baby red potatoes.
More Potato Salad Recipes to Love…
- The uniqueness of this Miso & Za’atar Potato Salad is unparalleled. So much depth of flavor!
- If you want a vinaigrette-based potato salad, this French Potato Salad is for you.
- If you’re looking to use your Instant Pot, check out this recipe from Mom’s Dinner.
- We can’t get enough of Nagi’s German Potato Salad.
Sour Cream Potato Salad Recipe
Description
Ingredients
- 2 pound baby gold potatoes
- ½ cup AE Dairy sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped chives
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup minced celery
- 3 tablespoons chopped capers + 1 tablespoon caper brine
- 1 tablespoon Dijon
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a large sauté pan and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Place pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and transfer potatoes to a bowl to cool slightly.
- Whisk together ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup each chives, dill, and parsley, ½ cup celery, 3 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon Dijon, and ½ teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper.
- Halve smaller potatoes and quarter larger potatoes; add to bowl with dressing and toss to coat. Season with additional salt, pepper and caper brine to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was created in partnership with the AE Dairy. As always the thoughts, opinions, recipe, photos and content are all my own.
So good! I have a gallbladder issue and I currently have to eat a very low-fat diet. I made this with fat-free sour cream and it was still excellent.
I left out the celery to make the texture more simple for my six year old, and it was a hit!