15 easy ways to make your potato salad even better using things you already have in your kitchen

• Potato salad is one of the most popular summer cookout foods, but there are simple hacks to making it better.
• Adding things like avocado, chopped pickles, blue cheese, or even crunchy potato chips will take any potato salad to the next level.
• You can also switch up the potatoes themselves by roasting them or using sweet potatoes instead.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Summer cookout season is finally here, and that means one thing — potato salad.

Potato salad is one of the cheapest and most delicious summer foods, but many cooks tend to stick with classic recipes.

However, there are quite a few creative additions like avocado, vinegar, bacon, or Thousand Island dressing that can elevate a simple potato salad.

Here are 15 easy ways to make your potato salad even better, using things you already have in your kitchen.

SEE ALSO: 12 easy ways to make your margaritas even better using things you already have in your kitchen

Roast your potatoes instead of boiling them.

One easy hack to elevating your potato salad is to roast the potatoes instead of boiling them. This will make your potatoes crispy and add an interesting texture to the dish.

Plus, by roasting your potatoes with seasonings like garlic salt, cayenne pepper, or onion powder, you're locking in extra flavor.

You can also use sweet potatoes for a different taste.

You can use sweet potatoes instead of red or golden potatoes. This will make your potato salad taste slightly sweeter, and mixes well with additions like a little brown sugar.

You can also go the spicier or more savory route, depending on which seasonings you choose.

A splash of vinegar adds much-needed tang to potato salad.

Vinegar is a common addition in potato salads, but many forget to include it. You can use any kind of vinegar you want, depending on the flavor profile of the dish — apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or even some balsamic vinegar.

Be sure not to use too much, however. Potato salads only call for a splash of vinegar to achieve the desired level of tang.

Sour cream elevates a traditional mayonnaise-based salad.

When making potato salad, a base of two-parts mayonnaise, one-part sour cream ensures the dish will have the right balance of sour tang and creaminess.

Thousand island dressing adds a creamy, tangy flavor.

Instead of sour cream, you can also add a dollop or two of Thousand Island dressing to give tons of zesty flavor to your potato salad.

Blue cheese is another great addition.

Blue cheese crumbles can seriously elevate the flavor profile of your potato salad while adding extra creaminess.

Bacon goes well in everything, and especially potato salad.

To add a salty, slightly fatty — but delicious — taste to potato salad, fry up some bacon and chop it up along with any other vegetables you want to add.

Avocado adds extra creaminess to potato salad.

Avocado will add extra creaminess and flavor to your potato salad. Plus, if you're not a fan of mayonnaise, it can even serve as a substitute.

Pickles make a crunchy, sour addition.

Finely chopped up pickles add a sour, crunchy taste to classic potato salads, and mix well with dill and other vegetables.

Green and red onion are classic additions, but they are important to making potato salad the best it can be.

Red and green onion add much-needed flavor and crunch to potato salad — they're typical ingredients for a reason.

Dill is another more classic addition that's a must-have in many potato salad recipes.

Dill adds a herbaceous, fragrant, and fresh flavor to potato salad, and mixes well with other ingredients.

Potato chips add a crunchy texture.

If you're looking to up the ante of your potato salad, consider sprinkling some potato chip crumbs onto your potatoes. This will add some delicious crunch and, depending on the flavor of chip you choose, tons of flavor as well.

Barbecue, sour cream and onion, and even sea salt and vinegar chips can greatly enhance this classic dish and add a surprising texture.

Sriracha adds extra spice to potato salad.

A drizzle of Sriracha hot sauce adds a kick to potato salad, and mixes well with mayonnaise to create a spicy sauce.

Chipotle in adobo also brings up the heat.

Chipotle in adobo sauce is a great addition for a spicy potato salad.

To add, simply blend one or two peppers and a spoonful of sauce, to taste, with your mayonnaise, sour cream, and vinegar in a food processor.

Whole-grain mustard is another great addition.

Mustard is a common addition to potato salad, but cooks often use Dijon or even honey mustard.

However, the grainy texture of whole-grain mustard will greatly enhance the overall taste and each seed will be bursting with flavor.

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