Potatoes are a staple at my family gatherings in one form or another. Cheesy potatoes at Thanksgiving and Christmas, baked potatoes loaded with chili for Halloween, and the ever present potato salad at all summer events. I’ve never been a fan of any kind of mayo… so I took up the challenge to make a vegan potato salad recipe only using fresh herbs, mustards and olive oil to bring color and flavor to your next BBQ.
It’ll wow your tastebuds, trust me!
What Makes this Potato Salad Vegan?
Traditional potato salad has eggs either in the mayonnaise or hard boiled in the salad itself. My potato salad swaps the mayo for a delicious olive oil + mustard blend dressing, and loads up on fresh veggies.
Switching from a mayonnaise base to an olive oil one also lightens up the salad a bit. I find mayonnaise-based dishes are fairly heavy, while this lovely recipe remains light and bright… plus, it’s just SO colorful without that white sauce covering everything up!
Tips for Vegan Potato Salad Recipe
What are your must-have ingredients for potato salad? Mine include dill pickles, fresh dill, and black olives… because those were always in the salads of my childhood. Yet the original salads from my childhood weren’t vegan, so I love the new take this vegan potato salad recipe has on the classic dish.
I don’t peel the red potatoes for my salad, as boiling them with the skin on helps retain more nutrients. Dijon mustard elevates the flavor in this recipe, so that is my go-to in the dressing.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
I love recipes where I can easily sub in what I have on hand, and this potato salad is just such a recipe. If radishes aren’t your thing, then swap them with diced cucumbers or corn to keep in a bit of fresh crunch.
If you really want the feel of a traditional potato salad, then swap in a vegan mayonnaise. These tend to be more processed, yet can give you the feel of enjoying your family’s fav old recipe.
The pop of color in the red potatoes is super fun, yet feel free to use any potato you want (Yukon golds work great too!). If you really want a fresh change up, try using a white sweet potato… and then let me know how it turns out!
While I love using Claussen pickles for this recipe, I bet a lot of you have great local options you might prefer. I’m a true pickle lover, so tell me your fav kind and I’ll give it a try. For a less vinegary taste, try sweet pickles.
FAQs
Traditional potato salad has eggs in it, either in the mayonnaise or hard boiled. My potato salad swaps the mayo for a delicious olive oil based dressing, and loads up on fresh veggies.
I’ve had it both ways! The potatoes are cooked, yet I like mine to chill a bit in the fridge before serving. Honestly, letting the salad refrigerate overnight before serving will bring out the best flavor.
I love using red potatoes. They are super easy to slice up, and taste delicious. You can also use Yukon Gold potatoes for a buttery taste.
Fresh Vegan Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lbs small potatoes chopped into 1/2″ cubes
- ¼ cup fresh dill stems removed + finely chopped
- ½ cup red onions diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup black olives sliced
- 2 radishes halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dill pickles diced (Claussen are my go-to)
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp pickle juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- black pepper to taste
- smoked paprika
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot with cold water. Bring to boil then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes, set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, mix all dressing ingredients together.
- Add the potatoes and remaining vegetables and herbs into the dressing and stir well.
- Garnish with radishes and paprika.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Scrumptious Vegan Recipes
I’ve got so many great vegan recipes you can share at your next backyard BBQ. From side dishes to mains, pick the flavors that you want and get cookin’:
- Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
- Vegan Coleslaw
- Avocado Caprese Salad
- Black bean burgers
- Homemade Hummus
- BBQ Jackfruit Tacos
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Cabbage
Don’t forget to make this vegan potato salad and let me know in the comments how it turned out!
This is my favorite so far!! I love potato salad and I feel like this is much healthier than traditional potato salad with really big flavor
Not my favorite salad of the challenge so far. I felt it lacked in flavor. Up the spices maybe?
I skipped this one because diabetes on the family and too high carb count. Keeping the recipe to bring to summer gatherings though, because it sounds delicious!!
Absolutely feel free to change up the spices as you like. Try adding Dijon mustard if you didn’t try it yet.
Love the heartiness of this delicious potato salad! This is also a great recipe for a family picnic or summer barbecue as it encompasses a great mix of flavors.
Not my grandma’s potato salad. My arteries are thankful. But for me, potato salad needs to be my grandma’s and an occasional treat. I warmed this the second time and liked it better than cold. Capers might be an option instead of olives.
This is a great recipe
I ended up adding mayonnaise to get a little fat in it–as an ultra runner, fat is a critical part of the diet. I guess olive oil would have worked to keep it vegan, but it was quite good. I like the variety of flavors. I can see making this for a potluck.
Awesome…. I drizzled the oils on with the seasonings on the boiled, cubed potatoes .. and broiled them!! Then added the rest of the ingredients!! Yummalucious!
Chunky and creamy goodness all in one! Delish dish!
I’m a big fan of potato salad. I liked the olives and dill in it. I might leave red onion out if I made it again. It got a little over powering
I love how tangy this potato salad is! I think the olives are a little strange for me in this this recipe – so I’ll probably swap it out with something else in the future – like roasted carrots, green beans or extra celery. Thanks for a fun vegan twist on a potato salad!
Not only delicious to eat, but also lovely to look at-mouth watering and assuringly healthy!
Love potato salad. I used a mix of red and Yukon potatoes I had on hand. Delicious and a nice change from the vegan mayo based salad I usually make. Added bonus: these ingredients plus a hard boiled egg is how I make tuna salad for hubby. Made both!
Im not a fan of the potato salad
I guess that this is an acquired taste
I love potato salad and while I usually use vegan mayo, so I was happy to try this new and different recipe. I couldn’t find radishes so left them out, but included all the other ingredients. I liked the recipe for the most part, but I would leave out the red onions as well as radishes next time. I’ve never added black olives or pickles or pickle juice before. They are a nice change.
This is delicious—I love the ingredients. I suggest using fermented pickles to provide probiotics, though. Also, I added red pepper flakes because I like a little heat.
Loved this substitute for the unhealthy version!! Would be great for summer get together since it has no mayo!!
Very true! Bring on summer time get togethers!
So easy to make and so delicious
Loved this Potato salad, flavor is amazing. Will make this in place of the usual potato salad with mayo from now on.