This creamy Chipotle Potato Salad is the most flavorful side dish and the perfect addition to your next barbecue. This potato salad is full of crispy bacon and crunchy bell pepper. The bold chipotle dressing pulls everything together for stunning potato salad that everyone will love!

The Most Delicious Side Dish

While traditional salad is always a great option, sometimes you need to switch things up a bit. This chipotle potato salad is a delicious twist on traditional potato salad. Crispy bacon, crunchy veggies, and plenty of fresh herbs all bring those baby red potatoes to life.

More Delicious Chipotle Recipes

Best Potatoes for Homemade Potato Salad

When it comes to potatoes for potato salad you want to pick a variety that is more waxy than starchy. While starchy potatoes like russets are great for mashed potatoes or French fries, they are a bit too starchy for a potato salad.

Russet potatoes will begin to break down and lose their shape after boiling and they also have a thick outer skin which does not make them the best candidate for potato salad.

Instead, grab a few pounds of a “waxy” potato like reds, fingerlings, or Yukon golds. These potatoes have less starch, a thin outer skin (which makes peeling an option not a requirement), and they hold their shape and won’t break down after boiling.

Simple Healthy Ingredients

Baby Red Potatoes: these are my favorite potatoes to use for potato salad. Be sure to cut them into halves or quarters for the perfect bite.

Green Pepper: this adds just the right amount of crunch and flavor to the potato salad.

Red Onion: you can’t have a good potato salad without a little red onion.

Bacon: this helps to add even more delicious smoky flavor to the salad.

Chives: I love to finish the potato salad with a bit of fresh chives.

How Long Do You Need to Boil Potatoes for Potato Salad?

The trick to good potato salad is not to overcook your potatoes. Depending on the size of the potatoes, twelve to fifteen minutes should be enough time to get them fork tender and perfect for potato salad. However, if you cut your potatoes into smaller pieces, it could take as little as eight minutes for them to be fully cooked and ready to use.

Remember, you are not making mashed potatoes. You want the potatoes to be able to hold their shape so they don’t disintegrate into pieces when you’re stirring the potato salad. If you can easily stick a fork into the piece of potato without resistance, they are probably done.

Creamy Chipotle Dressing

The star of this potato salad is really the creamy chipotle dressing.

Mayonnaise: The base of the dressing for this potato salad is mayonnaise. Pick a variety that is made with high-quality oil, like avocado oil, and does not have any added sugar. If you prefer, you can swap whole milk Greek yogurt for mayo.

Lime Juice: This adds a brightness to the dressing.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo: If you have never used chipotle peppers in adobo then you are in for a treat. They add such a unique flavor to the dressing.

Garlic:For the best results, use fresh cloves of garlic.

Cilantro and Green Onion:really help to amp up the flavor of the dressing.

How to Make Chipotle Potato Salad

Step One: Start by adding the potatoes to a large bot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and then add a generous sprinkle of salt. Let the potatoes boil in the salted water for 12-15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and let cool.

Step Two: Next, cook the bacon. Slice the bacon into lardons and then add them to a skillet heated over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy. Stir the bacon occasionally to make sure that it does not burn.

Step Three: Now it’s time to make the creamy chipotle dressing. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotle peppers in adobo, cilantro, green onion, garlic, and salt to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until the dressing is smooth and creamy.

Step Four: Once your dressing is made, and your potatoes are cool, it’s time to make the potato salad! Add the cooled potatoes, green bell pepper, red onion, and cooked bacon to a large mixing bowl. Pour on the chipotle dressing and toss to coat. Give the potato salad a taste and add more salt if needed. Garnish with crispy bacon and chives. You can serve the potato salad immediately or cover and refrigerate it before serving.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Potato Salad

Because red potatoes have thinner skin, there is no need to peel your potatoes before boiling. The red skin also adds a pop of color to the salad. Feel free to peel the potato skin if you prefer.
Try to cut your potatoes roughly the same size before boiling. This will help them to cook more evenly.
When boiling the potatoes, do not forget to salt the water. Potatoes can be pretty bland on their own and salting the water helps to ensure each individual piece of potato has some flavor.
If you are making this potato salad a day in advance but still want the bacon to be crisp when serving, I recommend making the salad without the bacon and storing it in the fridge. Once you are ready to serve, you can sprinkle the cooked bacon on top or stir it into the potato salad a few minutes before serving.
Store your potato salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

More Delicious Side Dishes You Will Love

I hope you give this Chipotle Potato Salad a try! It’s absolutely delicious and so easy to make.

If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.