This simple vegan potato salad recipe makes for perfect side dish. Creamy, zesty, slightly tangy, full of fresh dill and with added cannellini beans, it's always a hit! Try it at your next potluck, picnic or BBQ.
I don't know about you but for me creamy, homemade potato salad is the ultimate Summer side dish! I always go for mayo based sauce and my other two non-negotiables are fresh dill and gherkins, oh yes!
Ingredients and how you can vary your vegan potato salad recipe
Potatoes - Any type of new/baby/salad potato will do here. I absolutely love Jersey Royals so use them when available.
Beans - I love adding beans to my potato salad for that extra substance, protein and creaminess. Cannellini beans work really well here but you could easily substitute them with butter beans, borlotti beans or even chickpeas. You can of course skip beans here but then why would you?
Herbs - My No1 herb for potato salad is fresh dill. I absolutely adore the stuff and in my opinion it's the best herb for this salad. However, if you're not a fan or simply don't have it on hand, you can substitute it with some fresh parsley or good old chives.
Onions - Couple of spring onions will never go amiss when it comes to potato salad. They could be substituted with chives or finely chopped shallot or some red onion (for a bit stronger flavour).
Gherkins - I absolutely adore pickles (I'm Polish after all). Sweet and sour gherkins are my absolute favourite and they do go really well here. I really like these ones from Biona*. If you're not a fan or fancy something different, chopped capers would be a nice substitution. You will need less of them though so start with couple of teaspoons first and go from there. They are also quite salty so make sure you taste your salad first, before adding any extra salt.
Vegan Mayo - I must admit I am a simple girl and have always loved mayo. Since we've gone plant based we've tried few different vegan mayo brands and found that Hellmann's Vegan Mayo* tastes just like the real thing. It's not the cheapest though unless you get it in a large tub which we do (don't judge).
Lemon Juice - Adding lemon juice to mayo creates this super simple and slightly acidic dressing. Apple cider vinegar will work here too in case you're out of lemons.
Dijon Mustard - An optional extra oomph to your dressing if you fancy!
Few tips for potato salad perfection!
- Don't overcook your potatoes! You want them to be tender (of course) but not to the point of completely falling apart.
- That brings me to the importance of keeping your potatoes uniform in size. Keep small potatoes whole and then halve or even quarter larger ones making them all roughly the same size which will ensure even cooking.
- Keep the skin on your potatoes! There really is no reason to peel them. Give them a good scrub and you're ready to go.
- Feel free to increase the quantity of your dressing. I like my salad creamy but not quite "swimming" in dressing so you might want to play with quantities here to suit your taste. Also remember that when you pour the dressing over warm salad, the potatoes will soak some of it up, just something to bear in mind.
Serving suggestions
Potato salad makes for such a versatile side dish to serve at a BBQ, potluck or take to the picnic.
I like to have it for lunch or light dinner during summer months (especially on hot days) accompanied by variety of fresh veggies. Think sliced radishes, cherry tomatoes, salad leaves and when in season my favourite oven roasted asparagus.
Try it as a side dish with my Vegan Tofu Fish, Portobello Mushroom Burgers or Chickpea and Carrot Falafel Burgers. Or how about our favourite Veggie Sausage Rolls.
If you're not a vegetarian or a vegan you might want to try some of my older recipes like this Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork (also with oven and slow cooker instructions), Easy Lamb Kofta Meatballs or Roast Chicken Traybake with Shallots & Wild Garlic Pesto. All of them would go really well with this humble potato salad.
Storing your potato salad
I love this potato salad still slightly warm but you can make it ahead and store in the fridge until needed. It tastes delicious either way.
When stored properly in the fridge it will last 3-5 days.
How to make vegan potato salad recipe - Step-By-Step Instructions
It really doesn't get any easier...
- Start with boiling your potatoes. Put your prepared potatoes in a large pan of salted water, bring to boil and cook until tender but holding their shape. Check your potatoes for doneness by piercing them with a knife. Once it goes in easily, your potatoes are ready. Drain and put them in a large bowl you'll be mixing your salad in to cool a little.
- Prepare your dressing by mixing together vegan mayo and lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar). You can also add some Dijon mustard to the dressing if you want.
- Once potatoes have cooled down add all of the remaining ingredients into the bowl, pour over the dressing and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper (if required) and some grated lemon zest.
- Serve and enjoy!
Have you tried my Vegan Potato Salad recipe?
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📋 Recipe
Vegan Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 g new potatoes scrubbed, skin on, small ones left whole and larger ones halved or quartered
- 400 g tin cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 30 g gherkins chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 2 spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoon (heaped) vegan mayo
- juice of half a lemon see notes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard optional
- zest of half a lemon optional garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put your potatoes in a large pan of salted water, bring to boil and cook until tender but holding their shape. Check your potatoes for doneness by piercing them with a knife. Once it goes in easily, your potatoes are ready. Drain and put them in a large bowl you’ll be mixing your salad in to cool a little.
- Prepare your dressing by mixing together vegan mayo and lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar). You can also add some Dijon mustard to the dressing if you want (optional).
- Once potatoes have cooled down add all of the remaining ingredients into the bowl, pour over the dressing and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper (if required) and some grated lemon zest.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving and should be treated as a guideline only.
- Cannellini beans can be substituted with butter beans or chickpeas.
- Feel free to use capers instead of gherkins. You might need to use less (start with couple of teaspoons first and go from there).
- Not a fan of dill? Not to worry, use fresh parsley or chives instead.
- Spring onions can be substituted with chives, finely chopped shallot or red onion (for stronger flavour).
- Lemon juice can be substituted with couple of tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Potato salad should be kept in the fridge where it will last 3-5 days.
- Keep your potatoes uniform in size and don't overcook them!
- Keep the skin on your potatoes.
- Feel free to increase the quantity of your dressing to suit your taste.
Nutrition
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Helene Brooks says
'So happy to stumble across your site, Jo, whilst looking for a vegetarian sausage rolls recipe. I'm particularly impressed with the comprehensive attention to detail you give to your recipes.
joskitchenlarder says
Hi Helene, Thank you so much for your lovely comment, it really made my day! 🙂