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
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 lbs small potatoes (chopped into ½" cubes)
- ¼ cup fresh dill (stems removed + finely chopped)
- ½ cup red onions (diced)
- 3 stalks celery (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (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 tablespoon pickle juice
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon 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 (estimated)
More scrumptious vegan BBQ 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!
SV Scott
Oh.My.Goodness! The Potato Salad was sooo delicious!
Monica
A different kind of potato salad, which we knew going in from the recipe, but was so good and just plain yummy! Loved crunch and flavors to this salad, but did add sea salt for some additional flavoring. So fun to make and share something different with my husband for dinner! Glad he's open minded and willing to do this challenge with me! It's fun to share.
Heather Ford
Overall, pretty good potato salad. I may add some avocado mayo next time to make creamier version. I will definitely be making it again.
Sue Garrard
I really enjoyed this salad but it was more dill than I'm used to. I will definitely make it again with a few variations.
Traci Ziebarth
This salad was absolutely amazing!! I didn’t add the mustard but will with my second serving tomorrow!!! The dill and olives were such a great flavor combo!!
Terry
I liked it but felt like it was missing something. Maybe the Dijon mustard would have helped. I did not add because it wasn’t in the Recipe link that I followed that was different from what is listed here. I’ll have to try it next time because it is something that I would make again.
Simple Green Smoothies
SO glad to hear it, def try it with the Dijon mustard.
Jane
Well I have to say, I was surprised at how good it was. My husband really liked it as well. I forgot to add radishes on my shopping list. It’s a keeper. Thank you!
Diana G
Very nice blend of flavors
Martha Silbaugh
I did t miss the Mayo based dressing at all in this salad. It was more Mediterranean and very delicious!
Meg
This potato salad is delicious! Lots of flavor and lots of crunch—a winner!
Jackie Sanders
I will always be a fan of soul food style potato salad but was a tasty alternative. Not a fan of olives or radishes A good recipe but not sure if I would make it again.
Meagan
Honestly this was much to be desired. I think it needs more veggies plus more dressing. It was bland and mostly tasted like a plain potato. I think I’ll add more pickle juice and probably lemon. Lemon pretty much fixes everything
Simple Green Smoothies
Feel free to make it your own. Try it will a little Dijon mustard to liven it up.
Simple Green Smoothies
I'm so glad you gave it a try. Keep rawkin the 10-Day Salad Challenge!
Cheryl Herfurth
Well, it is a very interesting salad, but I have to admit I had to doctor it up a bit with, yes, I admit it, a little bit of real mayo. I’ll have to get some vegan mayo the next time I’m at the store. One small change at a time. Also, I am seriously thinking about adding slices of a boiled egg the next time I make this salad.
Simple Green Smoothies
Small steps lead to big changes. You got this!
Nidia Gago
Best potato salad without any mayonnaise. Love the pickle
Kari Thom
Delicious, fresh taste and great textures! It's a winner!
Carol
A fun crunchy alternative to classic potato salad! I substituted sweet pickles for dill and added red pepper in for more color. Might try adding shaved brussel sprouts next time and doubling the dressing amount. It was a challenge to go without mayo & eggs, but definitely worth experimenting with again!
Grace
I love potatoes! Most traditional potato salads are way to slimy for me, and I don’t like mayonnaise, so this recipe is a great alternative! I skipped the olives because I’m not a fan. The raw veggies, especially the celery and radishes (I used extra) gave it a nice crunch. I’m curious to know how it would have tasted with Dijon mustard as this ingredient was left out of the version in the current salad challenge. It was just a tad bland, although the dill and pickles gave it a little salt/flavour. Look forward to making this for a family bbq.
HB
This was a close tie with the Taco Salad. Really enjoyed both.
I do find it frustrating that the recipe sent in the email is different from the recipe and info in the link where we do the review. Little unsure of which one I'm suppose to follow.
CATHERINE READ
I liked the crunch of this potato salad. I had never seen a recipe to add the radish and I think it complemented the salad nicely. The Dijon mustard, left out of the 10 salad challenge recipe would definitely have helped.
Lynne L
Not a fan of potato salad of any kind. And I don’t like olives and radishes. It had a good flavor though.
Raha
I absolutely hate mayonnaise and the standard potato salad. Seeing as this potato salad avoids a creamy dressing, I actually liked it quite a bit. I don't like pickles, so I used pickled daikon and vinegar as substitutes. Overall, it was quite tasty and better than I was expecting.
Stephanie
This recipe was a hot at my house. Everyone loved it!
Kathy S
Winner! Very flavorful and a great preview for a summer bbq side dish!
Maggie Golding
Pretty good for potato salad - great alternative to the traditional version drowning in mayonnaise. I’m not really a potato salad person so jumped at the idea posted by a fellow Salad Challenger to use steamed Cauliflower (I included both potato and cauliflower) - definitely preferred the cauliflower parts. It was reminiscent of an antipasto - I could lean into swapping all of the potato next time for roasted (or grilled) veggies. The dressing was flavourful and paired well with the other ingredients. Olives are a hard on for me so I substituted red bell pepper for colour and crunch.
Simple Green Smoothies
Your salad sounds amazing, I love the idea of swapping out the potatoes for cauliflower!
Lynne
I loved the triple dill flavoring, fresh dill, pickle juice and diced pickles. We are pickle hounds here though.
I thought the radish and celery added a nice crunch.
Nikki O
Unfortunately the pickle juice flavor was not my favorite. I like the other veggies in the potatoe salad gave it a nice crunch.
Linnea
I loved this! I wish I could try it with pickles but I’m not eating salt right now or oil so I subbed tahini and added some celery seed.
Jennifer Alexander
This is great for a side dish, but general family consensus is that it’s bland. I ended up playing with the dressing by adding some extra dijon, a splash of rice vinegar and some maple syrup. This gave it a little extra zing and made it more to my liking. I don’t miss the mayo one bit, however.
Troy
Sorry I just can't do that vinegary/acidy, but I'm out voted by 2/3 of the household. They love it. I have to omit pickles, radishes, olives, and raw garlic. I keep the celery and like the idea of cucumber for crunch. Red potatoes, red onion only after soaking in water at least 10 mins. little cider vinegar, avo and infused olive oil, s&p, cayenne, paprika.
Marcella
Wow! My favorite so far, by far. My husband ate the second serving "even though it doesn't have mayonnaise". This will be a reoccurring recipe for us!
Loyda
Was easy to make, great flavor another recipe added to my collection
Pam
I did not like this potato salad recipe. I will be sticking to my family recipe.
Kay Davis
Sorry to say I didn’t care that much for it. I missed the tang of my mayonnaise. One likes everything else though.
Lisa
It was an interesting one. I never thought to add dill to my salad.
Jessica
We really enjoyed this one. We left out the black olives though.
Jody
I had my 12yo help make this on his dinner day. He said he thought the dressing ingredients were an unexpected combination, yet surprisingly tasty.
Simple Green Smoothies
I love his review! Way to go on incorporating him with dinner prep!
Cory Conner
Delish, easy and perfect for people who don’t want the mayo
Beth
Had the potato salad as a side with chicken. Totally different type of potato salad than I've ever had. Really good with the texture and flavor combinations.
Rose
So delicious! We all loved it. We'll definitely be making this again. Thank you for getting us to try something new.
Rhoda Asante
This recipe is definitely a 5 star!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amy Mace
Day 3 ✔️ Fresh Vegan Potato Salad
I liked it. I thought it needed a little mustard. Then I read it was supposed to be included in the recipe.
This is a great side with any protein. Or just add sunflower seeds.
Rhoda Asante
I enjoyed the vegan potato salad very much. The fresh dill, and spiciness of the red onions and fresh minced garlic ties all the flavors together nicely. Another win for me!!
Debb
I'm a southern gal so always mayo & mustard & eggs in our potato salad. Honestly, this was delicious and loved the fresh potato salad without mayo.
Simple Green Smoothies
Way to step out of your comfort zone and try new things!
Ami-Kate Wright
This is one of my favorite things ever! I did add a little tahini to the dressing, and celery seed plus red and green cabbage to make a "cole slaw potato salad" and it was perfect. The dressing is AMAZING! I don't like vegan mayo or any mayo type dressing, so this was such a win! I loved the combo with the cole slaw factor, but also on its own ( which I made and set aside to taste without the cole slaw components ). SO HAPPY!
Simple Green Smoothies
Wow that sounds so yummy!
Lynn
Great variation of the mayo potato salad standby! I followed the recipe except used two cloves of garlic because they were large and I added salt to my dressing. I also couldn't wait for my potatoes to get to room temp because I was starving! I think it may have been a plus that they were warm because they soaked in the dressing nicely. The leftovers will be a filling lunch tomorrow!
Simple Green Smoothies
I love it warm!
Judy
Tasty, easy to make and was the star of dinner tonight.
Lynnette Clancy
Creamy and delicious! Great side dish
Jessica Cicero
Super good and very refreshing. Had it as a side with our dinner tonight.
Phyllis Lipford
I loved the fresh vegan loaded potato salad. Anything with potatoes is a WIN for me I shopped, prepped and made the salad. #goal I enjoyed the salad as a side (finding the salads to be really filling, recipes more than enough). I loved the different textures and pops of crisp freshness from the celery, red onion and radish I made mine before I saw the mustard edit but it still was good. ⭐️
Tammie
Nice, great cold, Potato Salad, but did change one thing, exchanged black olives with Kalamata.
Terri
So easy to make this salad! I mixed with the potatoes still warm and it was delicious.
Wen
Right up my alley! This was tasty and loved the pickles. I added a bit more salt because I ate it right away and thought it needed it. I will be interested to try the 2nd half after it's had time to rest in the fridge. We aren't big on mayo in our family so this is a great alternative!
Lisa Walker
I’ve never put olives in my potato salad before! Awesome. Fresh dill makes so much difference!
Stephanie C
This was pretty good. I had to add a little sea salt and more Dijon mustard. The flavors will probably deepen as it sits overnight. I will probably add some capers too.
AlaskaOrBust
Loved idea of pickle juice, dill and radishes. Think our salad needed more spice and crisper potatoes. Liked alternative to mayo.
MELISSA CUELLO
Not a potato, corn or black bean fan. This is not one I will keep on my go to list. Great recipe, just not for me.
Simple Green Smoothies
Totally understand, keep on rawkin it!
Bonnie Ashcroft
I am so glad I signed up to participate in the salad challenge. Awesome recipe.
Alyssa
I really enjoyed this potato salad! I might leave out the radishes next time because the store only had a massive bag and I’m not the biggest fan so I have to google how to use up the rest of them.
Brenda
Roast them, my husband hates radish unless it's roasted!
Naomi Spinak
Delicious! We added tuna and eggs for a one dish meal.. so not so vegan any more. But great flavors.
Gio
Really liked the absence of mayonnaise. Much lighter tasting. The dill added a delicious fresh flavor.
Tanya
I really liked this potato salad, it is very similar to the one I usually make. Pickles are must for me every time. I prefer yellow mustard though so I used that and I left the radishes out.
Simple Green Smoothies
Yummy, way to make it totally you!
Brittany Olson
I did not care for this potato salad. I added more seasonings and more olive oil and just still didn’t really enjoy it. I think I will stick with Mayo and just let potato salad be a once in a while special treat
Shari
So yummy. Easy and so tasty.
Joanne Harrington
This salad was delicious: hearty due to the potatoes but refreshing due to all the bright flavors from the pickles and pickle juice and dill. My older son really enjoyed it as well!
Lisa
Delicious salad! Finally! This is a potato salad for those of us who don't like mayonnaise! And it is so much healthier. The dressing gives good flavor with the dill and the tang of the pepperoncini juice I used. This would be delicious at a summer picnic as well!
Sandra Kunze
I am always interested in what you can do with fresh dill and it, along with the pickles and pickle juice, made this a fantastic potato salad. Because most, not all, mayonnaises are made with soy oil (my allergy nightmare), I totally avoid potato salads, it is a big plus it's "hold the mayo". I love knowing what all the great ingredients are and it's all healthy and fresh. I am going to bring this one to the summer picnics and potlucks! Could have been my whole dinner, so delicious and filling!! Husband gave it 2 thumbs up!
Simple Green Smoothies
Yay!! Glad it was an overall win!
Wendy Pegues
Tart And Tangy, I Had Never Put Black Olives And Radishes Together With Potatoes, Until Now 🙂 I Have Enjoyed Each Ingredient Separately, And Now I Have A New And Interesting Flavor Combination To Explore. I Did Enjoy The Texture Change From The Softness Of The Potatoes To The Crunchiness Of The Radishes.
Cheryl Brueggeman
I wasn't sure how I'd like radishes and olives in my potato salad, but it was very good. I can't do onions and garlic anymore and I didn't have pickles or dill weed, so I improvised. I used some chives and some apple cider vinegar in addition to the mustard. I made it late in the afternoon, so the flavors didn't have time to meld, but it was still tasty. There was enough left over for tomorrow, so I'm sure it will be even better. Since I rarely purchase mayo, it was nice having a recipe that doesn't use it.
Simple Green Smoothies
Sounds like you chose some fantastic substitutes!
Jennifer Magsig
Surpassed my expectations by a lot!!! It is so, so good! Thank you!!
Amy
Double dilly dilly! How clever to include pickle juice as the acidic component in the dressing. This tater salad is fresh and fun! I felt it needed a little salt, but otherwise perfect.
Tiffany Law
Was okay. Didn't have dill pickles so I subbed pickled beets and banana peppers. Gave it more color, but not sure if it made it not as good.
Jan
Well... 3 for 3 salads completed. This didn't turn out as well as I thought it would. The recipe above lists dijon mustard, but the original recipe in the welcome to the challenge didn't list it. I used it. I also used sweet pickle juice instead of dill. So maybe that's why it was a weird-ish flavor. Might have to try another version of the dressing to add
Krista
Always looking for a good clean potato salad. This did not disappoint. The dill and pickles were key, that and I added a bit more salt:)
Suzi Rindfleisch
Delicious and full of veggies. Very light dressing
Tomasina
Interesting and savoury combination of flavours. Will make it again!
Jennifer Leinhos
I enjoyed this recipe quite a bit, but my husband didn’t like it. I think I might have made some missteps in following the recipe properly. It wasn’t quite as flavorful as it looked in the recipe. I will try it again and try to figure out what I did wrong.
Simple Green Smoothies
Not sure if you've seen the update on this salad, but when the book got printed, an ingredient was left out - Dijon Mustard. Fresh Vegan Potato Salad Check out the recipe here for the full list of ingredients. So sorry about that! Maybe the Dijon would have kicked the flavor up a notch.
Simple Green Smoothies
Feel free to make this recipe your own with the flavors your husband would enjoy as well.
Shannon Johnson
This was a delicious potato salad, didn't miss the mayo at all! Great combination of ingredients!
DJ Hartman
This was a simple recipe, Made in about 15 min using my Instapot. Ingredients blended well with flavors! Will do it again!
Tracy M
Overall, this potato salad was pretty good. There just seemed to be something missing. I followed the directions exactly except I used kalamata olives instead of sliced black olives. I just felt like maybe it needed more spice or something more savory. I tend to prefer a traditional, creamy potato salad with avocado oil mayo, or a Greek potato salad. I do think that any time you can eat a resistant starch like cold potatoes or fermented pickles, both for gut health, it’s a win-win!
Jean
This recipe is a keeper for me. I follow a vegan diet most of the time and this is the best tasting potato salad I have had that is vegan. Pickle juice was a great idea. My meat eating husband also loved it. The best part though is that it is easy to prepare.
Simple Green Smoothies
You gotta love easy recipes!
Amanda
I really enjoyed this potato salad. The only additions I made were some sea salt and a few more pickles. My kids even had a few bites and liked it! Though the pepperiness of the radish was a bit much for them. However, my husband and I loved it and will be making it again!
Simple Green Smoothies
Score! Love when the whole family likes it!
Melissa C
I prepared the potato salad and dressing a few days ago. Once blended, the flavors were delicious. I used the salad as a side dish. This recipe was different than the mayo based salad I am accustomed to making. I’ll try it again.
Kamilee
To me, the salad was too wet. I think it would be really good with boiled egg added to it. I will make it again, though. It was really good. It was a fun twist on a classic.
Jill E.
I am not a recipe follower, I like to make it my way…I used sweet potato as we cannot have white potatoes, cause inflammation in us, I added cauliflower, purple carrot and cucumber as well as the celery, onion, radish and dill pickle of original recipe. I did make a little dresssing with Primal Kitchen Mayo, about 2tbsp, mustard, dill, everything bagel seasoning and 1/2 tsp of honey. It was so good hard to stop at one serving. I could have done without the mayo but not my hubby just yet.
Simple Green Smoothies
Love that you made it your own and working on moving your hubby to eat healthier. It's the small steps that count!
ellen
I was skeptical about the ingredients in this one... but it turns out that I really enjoyed the 'pickley' taste of this potato salad. I did leave out the radishes...I'm not a fan. Otherwise, this is another great dish for sharing at a summer picnic. I am glad I have some leftovers for tomorrow!
Becky A.
Not really my favorite.
Simple Green Smoothies
That's ok, they can't all be winners for everyone even thought that is what we strive for. Thanks for trying it and providing your honest feedback.
Miranda Wood
Can I just say I was kind of scared to try this potato salad during this challenge? Lol! I’m a Pennsylvania Dutch potato salad lover or Amish- creamy, mayonnaise , and have never put any of these ingredients except dill in my salad before. But my daughter and I really enjoyed it actually! My red onion was a tad too strong, so next time I’ll use a sweet onion, but it was really good!
Simple Green Smoothies
So happy you gave it a shot and that you both liked it!
Denise Orme
I'm not fond of potato salads but I liked the combination of pickle, dill and dijon mustard. I'm going to try it with roasted potatoes next time.
Chelsea
This was so simple and so good. I love dill so this was the perfect recipe for me.
Makenzie
This was super yummy!! However, I will probably add more olives next time. The turmeric and paprika gave this a yummy taste!! Love this salad! Will totally make again!
Debbie Roberts
I wasn’t sure about this recipe but it turned out to be pretty good. Interesting combination of ingredients but I liked it.
Tracy Kleparski
A little bland for my family. I made this 24-hours in advance hoping it would help flavors to all come together, but it was still just OK. We will eat it, but likely won’t make this one again.
Betty Dumont
This was good, next time will add some garlic to the dressing, maybe a little vinegar to go with the pickle juice, I like that you can throw in extra fresh veggies if on hand.
Laura Young
Super tasty! I ate it warm, since I was starving, and it was amazing! It reminded me of German potato salad; I will definitely be making this again! ❤️
Dawn
This was not my favorite recipe. I found this potato salad recipe bland, even with the Dijon mustard. Unfortunately, the onions overwhelmed the flavors, and the olives weren't complimentary either. But I did like trying a new recipe.
Darcy
Not too bad for a potato salad. However, I prefer a creamer salad made with yogurt and no oil.
Marlena
I haven't had potato salad in quite a while - it was pleasant memory made new again 🙂
Susan Sciannella
Delicious!! This will be our new potato salad recipe! Great flavor and texture without mayo.
My hubby had 2 helpings. We ate it as a side dish.
Deb Hamerly
I used roasted cauliflower, instead potato. Also, left out onion and radishes. Everything else I followed the instructions. Was really good.
Simple Green Smoothies
Cauliflower is a great sub for the potatoes! Nicely done!
SLG
Wow, enjoyed the textures in the potato salad today! Nice to really have something to bite into. I wouldn’t have thought to put this combination of ingredients together but it tasted great! Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow, yum.
Kenana
Tasted really yummy and was filling! Enjoyed it a lot.
Eva McGuire
Good side dish. The recipe left out the Dijon mustard which I think it needed. Tweak the seasoning to suit your tastes. I thought it could use a little more acidity so added a splash of vinegar. I also like my potato salad warm and this recipe adapted well.
Kimberly Ishoy
Nice blend of flavors. It is different from a creamy potato salad, and a nice alternative.
Onica
This is my favorite salad,I ate the whole bowl and wanted more.