Instant Pot Sober Potato Salad–old fashioned, classic potato salad like Grandma used to make! It’s made easier with the help of your Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Sober Potato Salad
Hello Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of summer! And hello to potato salad coming to all the events. If you’re looking for a good old fashioned recipe for potato salad then look no further! I have a great recipe to share with you today. The cool thing about this recipe is the potatoes and the hard boiled eggs are cooked at the same time. This cuts down on time, steps and dishes. And you don’t even have to peel the hard boiled eggs! What?!?! Way cool, right?!
So why is this recipe called sober potato salad? As I mentioned the other day my husband, Greg, works as a U.S. probation officer. He works in a couple specialty courts where he has a lot of contact with a group of around 35 people. He gets to know each person on a personalized, individual basis over the year(s) that he works with them. One of his “rock star” ladies has really overcome a lot and is in recovery. This recipe is from her. She says, “so my daughter has had me make her potato salad every year since she was little for her birthday. As she got older she knew when I was drunk or high in how good (or bad) the potato salad turned out. The first year in my recovery I made it as usual (or what I thought was as usual) and she told me, ‘Mom this is the BEST sober potato salad you have ever made!'” So here’s to staying clean and eating some kick butt potato salad!
Tips for making the best Instant Pot Sober Potato Salad
- Add vinegar to the warm potatoes. By adding a bit of vinegar to the warm potatoes the potatoes absorb the vinegar better and it gives the salad a punched up flavor.
- By adding diced garlic dill pickles to your potato salad you’ll add a crunch and flavor that can’t be beat. To me a potato salad without dill pickles is a potato salad I don’t want to eat.
- Don’t skip the celery seed. The celery seed is an essential part of the flavor profile.
- If you have time, let the flavors meld. If this potato salad is for dinner try making it at lunch time or even the day before. I definitely noticed that the potato salad tasted better the second day.
What Equipment Do I Need to Make Instant Pot Potato Salad?
- 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot*.
- Steamer basket. I like the Avokado Steamer Basket* because it’s big enough to fit all the potatoes and it’s silicone and dishwasher safe.
- A small oven safe dish for your eggs. I used a glass pyrex dish.

You’ll also like…
- 10 Instant Pot And Slow Cooker Potluck Side Dishes
- Instant Pot Summer Sides
- 7 Summer Dump and Go Instant Pot Recipes
Want More Tried And True Instant Pot Recipes?
- Sign up to receive daily Instant Pot recipes (it’s FREE)
- Join the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes Facebook group
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel
- Buy the 365 Days of Pressure Cooking Cookbook


Instant Pot Sober Potato Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
Description
Old fashioned, classic potato salad like Grandma used to make! It’s made easier with the help of your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
- 5 eggs
- 3 Tbsp white vinegar
- 6 green onions, diced
- 1/2 cup diced garlic dill pickles
- 2 ribs of celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Place a baking sheet in the freezer to chill. Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Add potatoes into a steamer basket and drop the basket into Instant Pot. Crack the eggs into an oven safe dish/bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dish on top of the potatoes.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Remove the egg bowl and the potatoes.
- Place the potatoes on the chilled baking sheet. Sprinkle the vinegar over the potatoes. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to let potatoes cool for about 10-15 minutes. Place the eggs in the refrigerator to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl stir together the green onions, pickles, celery, mayo, mustard, celery seed, kosher salt and pepper.
- Dump the eggs onto a cutting board and chop. Add the eggs in with the mayo mixture.
- Once potatoes are cooled add them into the bowl and toss well until all potatoes are coated with dressing.
- Eat and enjoy! Save leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
If your eggs are not completely cooked after pressure cooking with potatoes just pressure cook the eggs in their dish on top of a trivet for an extra minute with a quick release.
- Category: Side
- Method: Instant Pot

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Excellent potato salad. Very easy to make. A big hit with family and friends.
PS Step 5. Should it read “add eggs to mayo mixture”?
★★★★★
oops yes that’s right…just corrected it
J JO asked how many cups 3 pounds of potatoes are, since she does not have a scale. Almost ALL grocery stores have a scale in their produce sections. Weigh the potatoes there before you bring them home. Problem solved. Hope this helps everyone.
Hi Karen! When I cook my potatoes for potato salad in the instant pot, I always cook them whole or halved, and then cut them up after cooking. I’d love to try this recipe, but I’m not sure what size to cube the potatoes.
Can you advise?
Thanks.
I would say half inch cubes
If I could, I would give this recipe 10 stars. It was fabulous. I made the dish for the first time for a potluck I was going to. Everyone, and I mean everyone, said it was the best potato salad they ever had. The story was a hit also.
I did go out to buy the Yukon Gold potatoes as stated in the recipe, but was wondering if I could have used the Russets I had in the fridge? Is there a significant difference? I certainly wouldn’t want to mess up such a fabulous recipe. The only “slight” deviation I did was use Mt. Olive Dill Relish with some fresh chopped dill as well and a sprinkle of garlic powder since I didn’t want to chop up the garlic pickles, and Mt. Olive is the best in my opinion. Hardly any liquid and packed full with chopped dill pickles. I use it in my tuna and egg salad as well. Never use sweet relish. Like the tang of the dill.
Keep the great recipes coming. I use your site exclusively and have yet to have a bad meal!
★★★★★
I think that Russets would be just fine too! I am so glad you got such good reviews of your potato salad! That always feels good!!
Hi, Karen, Could you please help me with the volume of potatoes. In your description you have “3 pounds of potatoes.” Could you tell me ….HOW MANY CUPS that would be? I don’t have a way of weighing 3 lbs.
Thank you so much,
Ja
I believe it would be about 6 cups
Just use the scale in the market when you pick out the potatoes, BEFORE you come home. All markets havee a scale in the produce section,
Not much different from what I do….. I don’t add regular vinegar to the potatoes but I do add pickle juice to my dressing (it thins it down nicely). I always add chopped dill pickles and sometimes even some dill. If I have some fresh carrots, I might add some grated, just for colour. And I agree, celery seed is a must. I have heard of egg loafs like this but never tried it. next time!
I do love the pickles in my potato salad!! mmmmm!
Excellent potato salad. Did my eggs separately but followed rest of recipe to a tee. Great taste, easy fast recipe and a keeper for all year. Thank you for posting. Love the vinegar sprinkle and the dill pickles add great flavor.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sue! Thanks for the 5 star review!
The best potato salad ever IMO!
That is saying a lot from an east Tennessee
gal. The time in the instant pot is perfect for potatoes that are firm enough to toss but tender and delish . I will make this all summer.
Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it Judy! Thank you so much for the 5 stars.
CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE THIS POTATO SALAD.
★★★★★
It’s so good!
I usually put a tiny amount of vinegar in the cooking water for the IP to help keep the potatoes from becoming a mashed mess. I’ll have to try sprinkling vinegar on them after cooking as well.
It works great!
Can this recipe be made with liquid eggs?
No, I don’t think that would work…wouldn’t that just be like scrambled eggs?
Absolutely love the story with this recipe! I’ve been adding my eggs to IP nestled in with potatoes, not cracked…but I’m going to try this way. And I’ve never ever put celery in potato salad. In East Tennessee we add sweet pickle relish, Mayo, and a bit of mustard. I’m going to try sober potato salad because ‘momma’ deserves our solidarity to help her stay sober and make baby girl the best potato salad ever!!
Yes I used to do that with the eggs too but it’s nice not to have to peel them! And I bet your potato salad is wonderful! We all have our own tastes and opinions when it comes to potato salad!
Great story behind this one ❤️
Thanks Bonnie! I thought it was neat!