Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Chives (Gluten Free, Egg Free)

If you LOVE potato salad, then this will be your new favorite recipe. If you haven’t quite landed on your favorite potato salad recipe yet, then this is the recipe that will make you a believer. This mayo-free, egg-free potato salad is so full of tangy flavor, creamy and crunchy textures, and the freshest ingredients, that you’ll hesitate to share it with others. But you should. Everyone will ask you for the recipe and you’ll be the celeb at every picnic, cookout and summer BBQ. Just asked Jessica. This Blue Cheese Potato Salad even made her late to her own wedding! 

This recipe was originally published August 21, 2016; Updated May 27, 2022.

Here’s How This Blue Cheese Potato Salad Made Jessica late to her own wedding.

Jessica catered her own wedding. She’s not sure if that’s a testament to her love of cooking or the fact that she was so poor and couldn’t afford to hire a caterer. It was probably a little of both. She had RSVPs from 65 guests, so she was planning enough food for 85 meals. But when more than 125 guests showed up, she started to panic wondering how she was going to feed everyone.

“Here comes the bride … trying to get her apron untied.”

So that’s how Jess was nearly 15 minutes late to her own wedding because she and her mom were still in the kitchen putting the final touches on the meal and hors d’oeuvres. Her poor husband was said to be getting a little worried up there on the altar waiting for his bride-to-be to show up – though he blames that sweat on the sun and not nerves or worry. Poor guy, he learned that day that Jess will always be the one lingering in the kitchen in pursuit of perfection when her food is going to take center stage.

Despite her late arrival to the aisle, their guests were having a grand time already. Someone had spotted the coolers of home-brewed beer under the gift table and pulled them out to fill the awkward space that happens when the bride hasn’t yet arrived at her own wedding. Imagine her surprise when she finally did arrive to see a sea of friends and family pre-celebrating her nuptials with the fruits of her brewing labors. The rest, as they say, is history, and Jess and her husband still love to share this tale whenever this famous Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Chives shows up on the menu. 

Ingredients to make Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Here’s what you’ll need to gather to make this Easy Potato Salad with Blue Cheese recipe: 

• red potatoes – this type of small, tender potato is creamy and blends so nicely with the blue cheese dressing; you can also use small yellow or Yukon gold potatoes
• red onion – may sub in shallots or small diced yellow onion, if desired, though the red onion provides nice color
• celery – gives this salad a wonderful crunch
• fresh chives – can also sub in finely chopped scallions or green onion
• sour cream – you won’t find the standard cup mayonnaise in this recipe; instead we call for full-fat sour cream for a nice tangy dressing and an egg-free, no mayo potato salad (mayonnaise contains eggs); could also sub in full-fat Greek yogurt
• whole milk – this helps thin the dressing to the right consistency; can also use 2 tbsp of buttermilk
• apple cider vinegar – this splash of acid helps brighten all the flavors; can sub 2 tsp of white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
• crumbled blue cheese – use any favorite brand or, if available, use a blue cheese from a local dairy
• salt and black pepper – you’ll need 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

This recipe also tastes delicious when you add some cooked and crumbled bacon plus a garnish of chopped green onions, scallions, or fresh parsley. Scroll to the recipe card below for the ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and complete nutrition information (include calories, carbohydrates, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, protein, and more. 

How to Make Blue Cheese Potato Salad 

This No Mayo Potato Salad is a twist on classic potato salad. Here’s how to make it: 

1. Prep the potatoes: Scrub, dry, and cut the potatoes into chunks (approximately 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes). Place potatoes in a large saucepan or large pot over medium heat to medium-high heat. Cover potatoes with water, and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes cook in boiling water until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl (no need to plunge into cold water). Add the red onion, celery, and chives to the potatoes; toss gently.
2. Make the dressing: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir in the blue cheese crumbles. 
3. Toss it all together: Final step, pour the blue cheese dressing over the potatoes and toss gently until well coated. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Before serving, garnish with another tablespoon or two of blue cheese crumbles and more chopped fresh chives. 

Should Potato Salad be Served Warm or Cold? 

This is a common question we get about potato salad, and the answer is – it depends! Most picnic-style potato salad side dishes are served chilled or at room temperature. However, German-style potato salad, which has a sweet bacon dressing, is traditionally served warm.

Occasions to Serve Blue Cheese Potato Salad

A flavorful potato salad like this can easily take center stage of any potluck or meal. Here are some ways and occasions we think it would be a perfect fit on your table: 

• potlucks, picnics, and BBQs – this non-traditional, no may potato salad will be fun, fresh, and different – just the thing to get everyone talking and asking you for the recipe
• baby showers, bridal showers, and weddings – read above for how this potato salad is so good that it even made Jessica late to her own wedding! 
• paired with a steak – blue cheese, potatoes, and steak just go together. We think pairing this potato salad with our Grilled Steak Kabobs or Balsamic Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce is just about perfection on a plate. It also tastes perfect with a Marinated Grilled Pork Chop
• holidays and parties – this easy side dish is made special from the addition of tangy blue cheese and fresh chives, making it just the thing to serve or bring to a holiday gathering like the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and more 

Can potato Salad Be Made Ahead of Time? And How to Store Leftovers

Yes, you can prep this Blue Cheese Potato Salad up to two days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. To allow the flavors to fully meld together, prep the recipe from start to finish and combine potatoes and dressing in a covered bowl in the fridge. For a more fresh-tasting salad, you can cook, drain, and combine the potatoes in a bowl with the celery and red onion. Store the prepared dressing in a separate bowl in the refrigerator, and then combine the potatoes, dressing, chives, and blue cheese 1 hour before serving. 

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

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Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter. 

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