Herbed Potato Salad (no mayo!)

Name: Herbed Potato Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds; 1 tablespoon fine sea salt; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1/3 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus about 2 tablespoons more for garnish; 1/3 cup roughly chopped green onions, plus about 2 tablespoons thinly sliced for garnish; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 3 stalks celery, chopped

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I never truly loved a potato salad, until I made this one. This potato salad recipe is a riff on classic French potato salads, which contain no mayo and lots of herbs. I opted for lemon juice instead of vinegar for a super fresh-tasting salad.

Unlike standard potato salads that are drenched in mayonnaise, this red potato salad is lightly creamy yet miraculously mayo-free. This potato salad recipe is special diet friendly, too. It’s vegan, egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free for all to enjoy.

Can I go ahead and call it the perfect potluck potato salad?

This potato salad is for my fellow last-minute people. When you’re scrambling to make yourself look decent, trying to scrounge together a side dish worth sharing, and letting the dog out all at the same time… Potato salad to the rescue!

This recipe is surprisingly simple and quick to make. I hope this potato salad becomes your go-to potluck recipe, as well as a standard side dish at your dinner table. It goes great with burgers, sandwiches, and much more.

Potato Salad Tips

After some trial and error, I’ve discovered some key tips to making great potato salad.

To make the best mayo-free potato salad, reserve some potato cooking water before draining the potatoes. Then, blend the herbs and olive oil with the starchy reserved water. You’ll end up with a creamy emulsification that infuses the potatoes with fresh flavor.
Another trick is to slice your potatoes before boiling, rather than afterward. That way, the potatoes don’t break down into mush when you’re tossing the salad later. Plus, your potatoes cook faster this way (five minutes!). We can thank the experts at America’s Test Kitchen for this technique.

Please let me know how you like this potato salad in the comments! I love to hear from you.

Looking for more fresh side dishes? You’ll find more side dish recipes here. Here are a few that would go well with this potato salad:

Watch How to Make Potato Salad

Herbed Potato Salad

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Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 side servings 1x
Category: Salad
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: French

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4.8 from 311 reviews

This healthy potato salad recipe is full of fresh flavor. It’s mayo-free, easy to make, and sure to be a hit at your potluck! This salad is vegan, egg free and gluten free. Recipe yields 6 side servings.

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Ingredients

2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus about 2 tablespoons more for garnish
⅓ cup roughly chopped green onions, plus about 2 tablespoons thinly sliced for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 stalks celery, chopped

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Instructions

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine sliced potatoes and salt. Cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are easily pierced by a paring knife and pulled out with little resistance, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain. Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
In a small food processor or blender, combine the olive oil, ⅓ cup parsley, ⅓ cup green onions, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Process until the herbs and garlic have been chopped into little pieces. Then, while running the food processor, pour in the reserved cooking water and process just until blended. (If you don’t have a food processor or blender, just finely chop the parsley and onions and whisk the dressing together until the oil is fully incorporated.)
Drizzle the potatoes with the herbed olive oil mixture and gently mix to combine. (It will look like you’ve poured in too much dressing, but don’t worry, the potatoes will soak it up!) Let the potatoes rest for ten minutes, gently tossing every few minutes.
Add the celery to the bowl, along with a couple tablespoons each of additional chopped parsley and green onions. Toss again. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. This salad is best served within a few hours, but will keep in the refrigerator for about three days.

Notes

Recipe roughly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook and The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon.

Suggested equipment: I love my 11-cup Cuisinart food processor (affiliate link).

▸ Nutrition Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

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