
Potato and egg salad is a classic comfort food, and my version combines the creamy texture of potatoes with crunchy cucumbers and savory ham to level up the classic potato salad recipe. Adding boiled eggs not only boosts the protein but also makes it hearty enough to enjoy on its own or sandwiched between slices of bread. Whether you're looking for a perfect summer picnic dish or a versatile side, this homemade potato salad with eggs will not disappoint.
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Why this recipe works
- Including boiled eggs adds enough protein to this salad that you could sandwich it between bread and turn it into a meal.
- Boiling the carrots with the spuds not only makes them tender but also brings out their sweetness.
- Salting the onions and cucumber tames the onions while removing excess water from both vegetables. This gives them an extra crunchy texture while preventing watery potato salad.
- Starchy potatoes like russet or yukon gold potatoes results in a creamier texture.
- Adding warm potatoes to the dressing ensures they get seasoned to the core.
Ingredients for Potato Salad
- Potato - While you can use any potato for potato salad, I like starchy potatoes such as Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet potatoes. This gives the salad a smoother, creamier texture. Waxy potatoes such as Red Bliss, Fingerlings, or White Potatoes will work if you want the chunks of potatoes to retain their shape.
- Carrot - Many Japanese Potato Salad recipes call for adding raw slices of carrots to the mixture, but mine already has plenty of texture from the onions and cucumbers. I like to boil relatively big chunks of carrots with my spuds. This improves the nutritional content of the salad while giving it a great color and mild sweetness.
- Onion - Raw onions can be pretty pungent (even if you use sweet onions), so I tame them by salting them first. This takes the harsh edge off of them while giving them a great texture. For a little more color, you could also use green onions or red onions. If you don't like the flavor of onions, you could use a crunchy celery stalk.
- Cucumber - Adding salted cucumber is the key to the great texture of Japanese Potato Salad. You want to use a cucumber with tender skin and not too many seeds, like Japanese, Persian, or English. Salting them draws out excess water from the slices, which not only keeps your salad from getting soggy but also turns their crisp texture crunchy (kind of like pickles). Dill pickles or sweet pickles are other good options here.
- Ham - Ham lends some salt and protein to this salad while giving it an extra splash of color.
- Boiled Egg - adding boiled eggs to the salad, makes it more colorful while adding a ton of protein. I prefer my eggs soft-boiled, but hard-boiled eggs will work too.
- Mayonnaise - I like using a Japanese-style mayonnaise like Kewpie brand. Tastewise it's more like homemade mayonnaise with a more tangy and eggy flavor than regular mayo.
- Rice vinegar - Although Japanese mayonnaise tends to have a more tangy flavor than its Western counterparts, it's still pretty rich, so I add rice vinegar to keep the salad from becoming too cloying. Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar will also work here, and yellow mustard is another good option to add more flavor.
- Other seasonings - The other seasonings are to taste, but I usually add some extra salt and sugar to the dressing. I like adding white or black pepper to my potato salad for a little spice, but paprika or celery seeds are other good options.

How to make Japanese Potato Salad
You first want to wash and peel your spuds (you can leave them unpeeled if you like potato skins). Be sure to keep them submerged in water, so they don't discolor. Cut them into ¾-inch sized pieces. They don't have to be perfect since they're going to get mashed up, but you want to get them to roughly the same size, so they cook through at the same rate. Put the cut potatoes into a pot of cold water.
Peel the carrots and cut them into ⅓-inch cubes. Add these in with the potatoes, then put the pot onto a stove over high heat.
When the water comes to a boil, turn down the heat to maintain a simmer and cook the spuds until they are fall-apart tender. This will take about fifteen minutes. Slightly overcooking the potatoes is the key to a creamy potato salad, but be careful you don't have the heat up too high, or they'll disintegrate in the boiling water.
While they cook, you want to slice up your cucumbers, chop the onions, and salt them. This will cause them to release excess moisture, keeping your salad from getting watery. It will also mellow out the onions' pungency.
To make the creamy dressing, whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
When the spuds are tender, drain them well and then add them to the dressing while still hot. Now, you can mix this together. If you've cooked the spuds long enough, they should partially dissolve, leaving small chunks behind. Be careful not to mash the carrots.
By now, your cucumbers and onions should have released a bit of water, but you want to release even more liquid by massaging them with your hand. Then, you can gather them up and squeeze them to remove as much liquid from them as possible.
Add these to the potato mixture along with the ham, and then stir it all together until everything is evenly distributed.
The boiled eggs go on top of the potato salad to garnish it, and you can finish it off with a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper or paprika.
📖 Recipe


Units
Ingredients
For potato salad
- 700 grams potatoes (peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes)
- 140 grams carrots (~ 1 carrot, peeled and cut into ⅓-inch cubes)
- 100 grams cucumber (~1 Japanese or Lebanese cucumber, sliced)
- 25 grams onions (~⅛ small onion, finely diced)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 80 grams ham (cut into ¼-inch squares)
For dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons evaporated cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 hard boiled eggs (peeled and quartered
- Black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Put the bite-sized pieces of potato and carrots into a pot filled with cold water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook the spuds until they are tender (about 15 minutes).
- Put the sliced cucumber and onions in a medium bowl and sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir this together to ensure the veggies are evenly coated, then let them sweat.
- Prepare your dressing by whisking the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together.
- When the potatoes are soft enough to easily fall apart, drain them well and add them to the dressing while still hot.
- Stir this together until the spuds are mostly mashed up, but don't mash the carrots.
- Massage the cucumbers and onions until they turn translucent, and then squeeze them between your hands to remove any excess liquid.
- Add the squeezed cucumber, onions, and ham to the potato mixture. Stir everything together until well combined.
- Plate the potato salad and then top with the boiled eggs and a generous amount of black pepper.
Isaak says
I made it with Polish mayonnaise as its much more rich than the other western ones and still, it tasted amazing! I did add an extra tiny splash of rice vinegar like you said. I really enjoy your blogs about each recipe as well. Love the humour and knowledge. Thank you for your effort ありがとうございました!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Isaak, I'm glad you were able to find a good substitute! Thank you so much for the kind words!😀
Niki Tennant says
My absolute favorite potato salad!!!
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it Niki!
Gi says
Can this salad be kept in the fridge for consumption later? If yes, how long can it be kept refrigerated? Can’t wait to try this recipe. =)
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Gi, yes it can be stored in the fridge for a day or two but the acidity in the dressing will change the color of the cucumbers, so you may want to consider keeping them separate and mixing them in when you're ready to serve it. Also, I personally prefer potato salad at room temperature so if it were me I'd take the potato salad out of the fridge half an hour before serving it to let it come up to room temperature, but this just a personal preference.
Amanda Lo says
Marc this recipe is wonderful and captures all the crunchiness and flavor I’ve come to miss about these sandwiches!
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it Amanda, thanks for letting me know!
Joey & Quynh says
EXCELLENT recipe, Marc! This is my wife's new favorite salad. We've swapped the ham for Korean spam (Chef's Crown), but otherwise stayed true to your recipe.
We've made it twice in one week, so far she says "Easy 5 star, always a do-again!". Welp, that's pretty awesome if you ask me! Thanks for the great recipes.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Joey & Quynh, I'm glad to hear you guys enjoyed it!
Eileen says
Is there a way to print the recipe without the photos?
Eileen says
I just made this yesterday. Delicious! Thanks for another great recipe.
GI says
This recipe is definitely worth a try. It’s so yummy and balanced as a meal. Absolutely great as a side too. I love all the tips and can’t wait to make it again. Thanks, Marc =)
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to report back.
Elena Zapassky says
Mark, thank You for this wonderful salad - it is very good for hot weather. Thank You for some tricks: salting the cucumbers and onions? it is new for me.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Elena, you're welcome! In Japan we salt vegetables a lot to improve their texture and to reduce their water content. It's essentially a form of quick-pickling.
arlene says
um of course ham is not vegan. i don't eat mammals. any suggestions for ham substitute?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Arlene, there are plant-based hams, but in this case there's enough going on that you don't have to add the ham, same goes for the eggs. That being said if you want to add more protein, you can add boil some silken tofu with the potato and carrots (add it in at the last minute). This removes any excess water, and you can mash it together with the potatoes.