Potato Chip Salad Recipe (15 Minutes)

Name: Potato Chip Salad Is the Summer Recipe I Can’t Stop Making
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3/4 cup sour cream; 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 small head iceberg lettuce (about 1 pound); 2 medium apples, like Honeycrisp; 3/4 to 1 pound seedless red grapes; 5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled; 5 to 6 ounces salt and vinegar potato chips (3/4 of a 7.5-oz bag)

A plate of potato chip salad with grapes and apple slices on a yellow-red platter — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Recently, while sitting at the bar at Mr. Lyon’s, a Palm Springs institution, I spied something tucked into the bottom of the happy hour menu. I immediately ordered it, knowing we’d be going to dinner after. With a name like “Potato Chip Salad,” how could I not?

My husband was skeptical as soon as he saw it contained not one, but two kinds of fruit. He is not a big fan of fruit in a savory salad, but even he could not deny the magic that is potato chip salad. Salty, sweet, tangy, creamy, crunchy—it had it all.

I immediately started thinking about how to recreate the unique salad at home. Not only recreate it, but improve it by simplifying the ingredient list and adding a bit of savory punch (cheese!). And more potato chips. Because if we’re going to call this potato chip salad, it better deliver.

The result is a salad I’ve made three times since, and will continue to make it all summer long. It’s everything I want in a summer salad, and is excellent served with grilled fare like hot dogs, grilled chicken, and pulled pork. It’ll blow everyone away at your next summer gathering or potluck.

Bowl containing chopped apples, potato chips, lettuce, grapes, and cheese crumbles — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

The Key Elements of Potato Chip Salad

The chips: Go for salt and vinegar here, which add a nice extra hit of acidity and salt to the salad. I like ridges, but you do you. If you’re looking to use up a half a bag of family-size chips, then plain, salt and pepper, or pickle-flavored chips all work well.
The veg: Iceberg lettuce is a must. It’s the only thing that has the resilient crunch that you want in this salad, and it doesn’t interfere with the other flavors.
The fruit: Just trust me here. My husband was skeptical too, and he loves this salad. Choose a crunchy apple that won’t brown too fast. I like Honeycrisp. For the grapes, I go for seedless red grapes for a nice juicy snap. Green grapes would work, too.
The cheese: When I first tasted the salad that inspired this recipe, I felt like it was missing something. That something is blue cheese. It turns it into a bit of a blue cheese dressing situation, and pairs perfectly with the apples and grapes. You can go mild or funky according to your tastes. If you really don’t care for blue cheese, try crumbled goat cheese.

The dressing: I went with an easy sour cream dressing which pairs incredibly well with the fruit, lettuce, chips (like sour cream dip!), and cheese. It takes less than five minutes to make.

A bowl of salad with lettuce, grapes, and cheese, accompanied by a fork — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Potato Chip Salad

Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Servings 6 servings

Nutrition is calculated assuming use of all the dressing.

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For the dressing

3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the salad

1 small head iceberg lettuce (about 1 pound)
2 medium apples, like Honeycrisp
3/4 to 1 pound seedless red grapes
5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
5 to 6 ounces salt and vinegar potato chips (3/4 of a 7.5-oz bag)

Make the dressing:

Combine the sour cream, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a jar with a lid. Add 1 tablespoon of water and shake well. Add up to 1 more tablespoon of water to thin slightly, if needed. The dressing should be creamy and thick but pourable.
Prep the salad ingredients:

Core the lettuce and roughly chop; add to a big bowl. Core and cut the apples into thin slices and halve the grapes; add both to the bowl.
Assemble and serve:

When ready to serve, add about 2/3 of the dressing to the bowl. Toss, adding more dressing as needed (you might use it all). Add the blue cheese. Add the potato chips, roughly crumbling them as you add them by the handful, and reserving a few for garnish. Toss briefly, just to distribute. Garnish and serve immediately.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
420	Calories
27g	Fat
41g	Carbs
9g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	420
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g	34%
Saturated Fat 9g	45%
Cholesterol 35mg	12%
Sodium 592mg	26%
Total Carbohydrate 41g	15%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 13mg	67%
Calcium 178mg	14%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 695mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.