This delicious deli-style Classic Vegan Potato Salad makes the perfect side dish to any BBQ, cookout or sandwich. This crowd pleasing favorite is made with tender red potatoes, creamy vegan mayo and mustard dressing. Topped with crunchy celery and spices, this vegan potato salad recipe is ready in 30 minutes.
Nothing is as classic as potato salad. Growing up in the north, summer cookouts always consisted of burgers, slaws and potato salad. This reinvented classic vegan potato salad will bring back many childhood memories with tender potatoes, creamy vegan mayo dressing and crunchy celery. Making this old-fashioned potato salad is pretty simple to make and easy to store. The recipe is versatile, meaning you can vary the ingredients, dressing and spices without compromising on taste.
Vegan Potato Salad is my go-to side dish for outdoor parties, family gatherings, holidays and weeknight dinner. Making this dish takes about 30 minutes and most of the time is waiting for the potatoes to boil! As always, this recipe is dairy free so you don’t have to worry about the potato salad sitting for long periods of time at parties. This recipe for Classic Vegan Potato salad is a real crowd pleaser and it will taste just like the one Mom used to make!
Why I love this recipe
- Quick and easy: you only need 6 ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry
- Versatile: classic vegan potato salad makes for a delicious side dish for parties, lunch and dinner
- Storage: potato salad stores quite well in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Vegan: you don’t need milk or eggs for this recipe
- Family treat: this recipe sticks to your healthy lifestyle but feels like you’re having a naughty meal
- Adjustable serving size: easily make more potato salad for more people by keeping the same ingredient ratio
Ingredients You’ll Need
In this recipe, red potatoes are chopped, boiled until tender and tossed in a creamy dressing made with vegan mayo, mustard and apple cider vinegar. Here are all the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.
- Potatoes: the best potatoes to use for this salad are Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes because they are able to maintain the integrity of their structure when cooked. Russet potatoes tend to fall apart when boiled.
- Vegan Mayo: use store bought vegan mayo or make your own. Whichever you prefer is fine. Sometimes I like to add a splash of water or broth to store bought vegan mayo to thin it out a bit.
- Mustard: this adds a little tang to the vegan mayo dressing. The slight mustard flavor compliments the potatoes quite well without it being overbearing. My favorite mustard is stone ground mustard, but you can use yellow or dijon as well.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: vinegar is used in most traditional potato salad recipes. It adds a little tang and freshness to the dressing. If you don’t have vinegar, substitute with lemon juice (1/2 lemon.)
- Celery: a classic ingredient for potato salad. I prefer to dice the celery up into tiny pieces for a crunchy texture
- Spices: I like to add garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to the dressing. When serving, I enjoy a sprinkle of paprika on top.
How to make Classic Vegan Potato Salad
Time needed: 30 minutes.
Step-by-step instructions for preparing vegan potato salad
- Boil the potatoes
Start by cutting the potatoes into quarter size cubes and place into a large pot.
Next, add in enough cold water so that all of the potatoes are completely submerged. Place the heat on medium-high and cover to cook for 15-20 minutes. Test that the potatoes are completely cooked by sticking a fork inside a piece. If the fork easily slips in, then the potatoes are done cooking.
Drain and rinse the potatoes under cool running water to stop the cooking process. This ensures that the potatoes do not turn to mush.
- Make the dressing
While the potatoes cool, prepare the dressing by combining the vegan mayo, mustard, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix with a spoon until all of the ingredients are mixed well.
- Assemble the potato salad
In a large mixing bowl, add the cubed potatoes, diced celery, dressing and mix until combined.
Optional Add-Ins
You can vary this vegan potato salad recipe by adding in extra ingredients or spices. Here are some ideas below.
- Veggies: add in chopped olives, capers, onions, green onion, diced bell peppers, english cucumber or radish.
- Herbs: The most commonly used fresh herbs in potato salad are parsley, chives, and dill. I have also tried this recipe with cilantro and rosemary. I usually start with small amounts and add more as I go.
How to store and serve vegan potato salad
- Storage: vegan potato salad lasts up to 5 days in the fridge. Store the salad in an air-tight container.
- Serving at parties: I like to pour the entire salad into a large serving dish with a ginormous spoon so that everyone can serve themselves. Depending on the crowd, I will top it with sliced green onions and sprinkle some paprika on top for more flavor. Transporting in the car is easy too. I will spoon it all into a large serving tray and cover with tin foil for the ride.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes. To make the dressing without vegan mayo, follow this recipe below:
Blend 6 ounces of silken tofu, 1/3 cup neutral oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
The best potatoes to use are Yukon gold or Red potatoes. These types of potatoes have a waxy skin which help maintain the structure of the potato when it cooks. Potatoes like russet potatoes tend to fall apart when they cook, like mashed potatoes.
Also, it is important to use smaller potatoes when making this recipe because they cook faster. Larger potatoes take more time to cook (25-35 minutes) as opposed to 15-20 minutes.
This most likely happened because the potatoes were over cooked. Only boil the potatoes for 15-20 so that the potatoes don’t turn into mashed potatoes. Test that the potatoes are completely cooked by sticking a fork inside a piece. If the fork easily slips in, then the potatoes are done cooking.
I would not recommend freezing vegan potato salad.
I like to make vegan potato salad the day before a big party or serving. This gives all the flavors from the dressing time to marinate and allows the potatoes to soak up all the flavors.
Serving Suggestions
Here’s a few ideas of how to serve your potato salad. It’s great alongside a variety of main meals and side dishes.
- Garnish with chives and paprika before serving for extra flavor
- Pairs well with Mediterranean Chopped Salad , Lentil Salad with Ginger Dressing and Pan Roasted Broccoli
- Serve alongside Vegan Black Bean Burger, Vegan Chickpea Burger or Lentil Meat Loaf
- Great side dish with Roasted Red Chickpea Salad Sandwich or with a Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad Sandwich
I hope that this recipe brings you back to childhood memories like it does for me. If you try this recipe for Classic Vegan Potato Salad, let me know how it came out. Leave a comment below and tell me if you made any changes to your likings. Cheers.
CLASSIC VEGAN POTATO SALAD RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon gold or red potatoes, cubed
- ½ cup vegan mayo (see alternative in recipe FAQ)
- 1 tablespoon ground stone, mustard (or dijon or yellow mustard)
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or ½ juice of lemon)
- ½ cup celery, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Boil The Potatoes:Start by cutting the potatoes into quarter size cubes and place into a large pot.Next, add in enough cold water so that all of the potatoes are completely submerged. Place the heat on medium-high and cover to cook for 15-20 minutes. Test that the potatoes are completely cooked by sticking a fork inside a piece. If the fork easily slips in, then the potatoes are done cooking.Drain and rinse the potatoes under cool running water to stop the cooking process. This ensures that the potatoes do not turn to mush.
- Dressing:While the potatoes cool, prepare the dressing by combining the vegan mayo, mustard, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix with a spoon until all of the ingredients are mixed well.
- Assemble:In a large mixing bowl, add the cubed potatoes, diced celery, dressing and mix until combined.
Notes
OPTIONAL ADD-INS
You can vary this vegan potato salad recipe by adding in extra ingredients or spices. Here are some ideas below.- Veggies: add in chopped olives, capers, onions, green onion, diced bell peppers, english cucumber or radish.
- Herbs: The most commonly used fresh herbs in potato salad are parsley, chives, and dill. I have also tried this recipe with cilantro and rosemary. I usually start with small amounts and add more as I go.
HOW TO STORE AND SERVE VEGAN POTATO SALAD
- Storage: vegan potato salad lasts up to 5 days in the fridge. Store the salad in an air-tight container.
- Serving at parties: I like to pour the entire salad into a large serving dish with a ginormous spoon so that everyone can serve themselves. Depending on the crowd, I will top it with sliced green onions and sprinkle some paprika on top for more flavor. Transporting in the car is easy too. I will spoon it all into a large serving tray and cover with tin foil for the ride.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Here’s a few ideas of how to serve your potato salad. It’s great alongside a variety of main meals and side dishes.- Garnish with chives and paprika before serving for extra flavor
- Pairs well with Mediterranean Chopped Salad , Lentil Salad with Ginger Dressing and Pan Roasted Broccoli
- Serve alongside Vegan Black Bean Burger, Vegan Chickpea Burger or Lentil Meat Loaf
- Great side dish with Roasted Red Chickpea Salad Sandwich or with a Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad Sandwich
[…] it a classic summer meal with Classic Vegan Potato Salad or Mediterranean Chopped Summer […]