Potato salad with egg: a cold dish whose real risk is the picnic table

Nobody has studied potato salad with egg as a dish, so everything about its effect on blood sugar is borrowed from potato and egg trials. The closest one is a randomized crossover trial in 30 women with raised fasting glucose. 8.8 oz (250 g) of baked then chilled potato cut glucose by 9.2 percent and insulin by 22.6 percent at 30 minutes against boiled potato, while the total glucose area did not differ, and a salad uses boiled potato. What we can say firmly is what a portion holds. Made with regular mayonnaise it has 157 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), and with light mayonnaise 111 calories. A survey cup of 9.7 oz (275 g) of the regular version carries about 432 calories and 905 mg of sodium, 39 percent of the Daily Value, a figure scaled from one recipe rather than weighed. The label serving is 140 g, about half that cup.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Potato salad with egg made with regular mayonnaise has 157 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), while the light mayonnaise version has 111 calories. — US dietary survey food coding for potato salad with egg (n = 2 dataset entries) Evidence E source
  157 vs 111 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Per 100 g, mayonnaise potato salad with egg carries 329 mg sodium and 9.4 g fat. — US dietary survey food coding for potato salad with egg (n = 1 dataset entry) Evidence E source
  Sodium 329 mg, fat 9.4 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• One cup of mayonnaise potato salad with egg weighs 9.7 oz (275 g) and carries about 432 calories and 905 mg sodium, about 39 percent of the 2300 mg Daily Value. — US dietary survey portion coding for potato salad with egg (n = 1 dataset entry) Evidence E source
  1 cup 275 g = 431.8 calories, 904.8 mg sodium, 25.9 g fat
• For US labels FDA sets the reference serving of potato salad at 140 g, about half the 275 g cup used in diet surveys. — US food labeling reference amounts Evidence E source
  RACC 140 g

What your body absorbs

• In a 2026 randomized trial, hard-cooked potato replacing a third of rice carbohydrate kept more resistant starch and lowered the glucose response, while soft-cooked potato raised glucose variability. — adults eating rice-potato mixed meals Evidence B source
  Lower iAUC glucose, peak glucose and glycemic excursion with hard-cooked potato, size not in abstract
• In a randomized crossover trial in 15 healthy men, adding 25 g of egg white protein to rice raised the insulin response but did not significantly lower blood glucose. — fifteen healthy Chinese male participants (n = 15) Evidence B source
  Insulin significantly higher, glucose not significantly lower vs rice alone

What it does to your health

• In a randomized crossover trial in 45 adults with high blood lipids, two whole eggs a day for 8 weeks on a DASH diet did not significantly raise LDL cholesterol versus the same diet without eggs. — 45 adults with hyperlipidemia (n = 45) Evidence B source
  LDL difference 4.2 mg/dL, p = 0.317

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a 2009 Connecticut reception outbreak, eating potato salad was strongly linked to Salmonella illness, with an odds ratio of 84. — Nine case-patients and 14 control subjects (n = 23) Evidence C source
  OR 84.0
• At a Quebec banquet where 25 of 36 guests fell ill, potato salad was implicated and Bacillus cereus was found in its mayonnaise, with poor temperature control as the cause. — 25 of 36 attendees (n = 36) Evidence C source
  70% attack rate, B. cereus 10(3) per gram in mayonnaise
• Among 57 Staphylococcus aureus outbreaks in southern Brazil, potato salad with homemade mayonnaise was the vehicle in 11 percent, and poor temperature control was a main cause. — 57 foodborne outbreaks (n = 57) Evidence C source
  11% of outbreaks

Who this works differently for

• In a randomized crossover trial in 30 women with raised fasting glucose, 8.8 oz (250 g) of baked then chilled potato cut glucose at 30 minutes by 9.2 percent and insulin by 22.6 percent versus boiled potato. — Thirty females with elevated fasting glucose and insulin (n = 30) Evidence B source
  Glucose -4.8% and -9.2%, insulin -25.8% and -22.6% at 15 and 30 min
• In a randomized crossover trial in 20 prediabetic men, swapping 0.88 oz (25 g) of a 100 g glucose load for 1.5 whole eggs lowered the glucose and insulin response, while egg yolks alone did not. — prediabetic men (n 20) (n = 20) Evidence B source
  Lower glucose AUC and insulin AUC with whole egg or egg white, not with yolk

What is still unknown

• No study and no USDA retention factor covers potato salad with egg itself, so its glucose effect and nutrient losses are inferred from potato and egg studies. — USDA retention table and PubMed corpus Evidence E source
  0 corpus records, 0 retention methods

The bottom line

On cholesterol, the one egg trial here is reassuring but narrow. In a randomized crossover trial in 45 adults with high blood lipids, two whole eggs a day for 8 weeks on a DASH diet did not significantly raise LDL cholesterol against the same diet without eggs (difference 4.2 mg/dL, p = 0.317). That was eggs in a DASH diet, with no mayonnaise. In 20 prediabetic men, swapping 0.88 oz (25 g) of a 100 g glucose drink for 1.5 whole eggs lowered the glucose and insulin response, and egg yolks alone did not. In 15 healthy men, adding 25 g of egg white protein to rice raised insulin and did not significantly lower glucose. A 2026 trial found that potato cooked to a firm bite, replacing a third of the rice in a meal, kept more resistant starch and lowered the glucose rise, while soft potato made glucose swing more. Its abstract gives neither the number of people nor the size of the effect. Who should be careful is anyone serving it at a party. At a 2009 reception in Connecticut, eating the potato salad was strongly linked to Salmonella illness (odds ratio 84, from 9 cases and 14 controls), and staff were seen handling ready food with bare hands. At a Quebec party, 25 of 36 guests fell ill, the potato salad was implicated and Bacillus cereus was grown from its mayonnaise. Among 57 Staphylococcus aureus outbreaks in southern Brazil, potato salad with homemade mayonnaise was the vehicle in 11 percent, and poor temperature control and hygiene were the main causes found. Each of these is one outbreak or one registry, and none measured how long the salad sat out. Keep it cold and do not leave it on the table for the afternoon. We have no card on egg allergy here. The dish contains egg by name, so it is not one for anyone allergic to egg.

Sources

1. pswe-r7-01 · dietary survey nutrient dataset
   Potato salad with egg, made with mayonnaise Energy 157 KCAL per 100 g [fdc_id 2709532] / Potato salad with egg, made with light mayonnaise Energy 111 KCAL per 100 g [fdc_id 2709533]
   USDA FNDDS, food code 71601010 (FDC 2709532) and FDC 2709533 · checked 2026-10-03
2. pswe-r7-02 · dietary survey nutrient dataset
   Potato salad with egg, made with mayonnaise Sodium, Na 329 MG per 100 g / Total lipid (fat) 9.4 G per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS, food code 71601010 (FDC 2709532) · checked 2026-10-03
3. pswe-r7-03 · dietary survey portion dataset
   1 cup · 10205 275 / 1 cup 275 g 431.8 KCAL / 1 cup 275 g 904.8 MG
   USDA FNDDS, food code 71601010 (FDC 2709532) · checked 2026-10-03
4. pswe-r7-04 · Regulatory reference amount
   Pasta or potato salad....... 140 g
   FDA, Food Labeling: Serving Sizes, Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed, Federal Register 2016-11865 · checked 2026-10-03
5. pswe-r7-06 · RCT, acute
   HP and SP replaced one-third of rice carbohydrates. ... Results: HP retained more resistant starch (RS) and total phenolics than SP. ... HP + R significantly reduced postprandial glucose iAUC, peak glucose and glycemic excursion. SP + R increased glycemic variability despite reduced iAUCglucose.
   Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-10-03
6. pswe-r7-08 · RCT, crossover
   This study had a randomised, controlled, non-blind, cross-over design in which fifteen healthy Chinese male participants were required to come on non-consecutive days. ... The control meal consisted of 50 g of available carbohydrate, whereas all other test meals contained additional 25 g of protein. RWT was the only meal that showed significantly lower glucose response when compared with the control (P<0·05). RWF and RWE had significantly higher insulin response
   Br J Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-10-03
7. pswe-r7-09 · RCT, crossover
   The study was a randomized, controlled, single-blind, crossover trial involving 45 adults (mean age 59.5 years; 35 females, 10 males; 42 Caucasian, two African American, one Asian) with hyperlipidemia. ... They also received advice to exclude or include two whole eggs daily for 8 weeks in their DASH diet while displacing other foods based on instructions to maintain an isocaloric intake. ... Daily addition of eggs to the DASH (ΔI) compared with DASH without eggs (ΔC) did not negatively affect endothelial function (ΔI: 2.7 ± 10.8% versus ΔC: 3.7 ± 19.9% versus ΔI - ΔC = -1.1, p = 0.767) or LDL cholesterol (ΔI: 13.0 ± 23.5 mg/dL versus ΔC: 8.9 ± 19.6 mg/dL; ΔI - ΔC = 4.2, p = 0.317).
   J Am Nutr Assoc, 2026 · checked 2026-10-03
8. pswe-r7-10 · Case-control
   Nine case-patients and 14 control subjects were identified. Potato salad consumption was strongly associated with illness (odds ratio [OR] = 84.0). During the investigation, food service workers were observed to have bare-handed contact with ready-to-eat food.
   MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2010 · checked 2026-10-03
9. pswe-r7-11 · Retrospective cohort
   In the aftermath of a party, 70% (25 of 36) of attendees had gastroenteritis. ... The cohort study has shown that potato salad served at the party was significantly associated with the disease. The mayonnaise used to prepare the salad was analyzed and Bacillus cereus was isolated (10(3) bacteria per gram).
   Can J Public Health, 2002 · checked 2026-10-03
10. pswe-r7-12 · Observational, outbreak series
    S. aureus was identified as the responsible agent of 57 foodborne outbreaks ... The main involved food vehicles were meats servings (35%), followed by pastries (25%), cheese (23%), pasta (11%) and potato salad with homemade mayonnaise (11%). ... Inadequate control of temperature and failures in general hygiene practices were identified as the main factors responsible for the outbreaks.
    Braz J Microbiol, 2013 · checked 2026-10-03
11. pswe-r7-05 · RCT, crossover
    Thirty females with a mean BMI of 32.8 ± 3.7 kg/m2, fasting glucose of 110.5 mg/dL, and insulin of 10.3 µIU/L, completed this randomized, crossover study. A quantity of 250 g of boiled (low RS) and baked then chilled (high RS) russet potatoes were consumed on two separate occasions. ... Results showed that the chilled potato elicited significant reductions at 15 and 30 min in glucose (4.8% and 9.2%), insulin (25.8% and 22.6%), and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) (41.1% and 37.6%), respectively.
    Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-10-03
12. pswe-r7-07 · RCT, crossover
    A randomised, cross-over study was conducted in prediabetic men (n 20) who ingested isoenegertic meals (1674 kJ (400 kcal)) containing 100 g glucose (GLU), or 75 g glucose with 1·5 whole eggs (EGG), seven egg whites (WHITE) or two egg yolks (YOLK). ... GlucoseAUC and insulinAUC were also lower in EGG and WHITE only.
    Br J Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
13. pswe-r7-13 · Retention factor data
    «potato salad with egg»: no method, and not even FDC knows such a product.
    USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-10-03