Best Country Vegan Potato Salad
This Vegan Potato Salad is excellent for family gatherings and picnics. No one will ever realize it’s a low-fat, healthier version. I promise, if my family can’t tell, yours won’t either.
This potato salad is so delicious because it’s creamy and flavorful, made with a tangy dressing that perfectly complements the tender potatoes. Being dairy-free and egg-free, it offers a lighter, plant-based twist on the classic, making it a hit for everyone at the table. The secret ingredient is my homemade vegan mayo!
We have many other plant-based side dishes that are great for picnics and family dinners like this vegan coleslaw, my dairy-free broccoli salad, and our delicious low-fat black bean corn salad.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Creamy and Flavorful: This vegan potato salad delivers a rich, creamy texture with a delicious blend of flavors, making it a perfect plant-based alternative to the classic dish.
- Dairy-Free and Egg-Free: Made without dairy or eggs, this potato salad is a healthier option that’s ideal for vegans and those with dietary restrictions.
- Easy to Prepare: With simple ingredients and minimal prep, you can whip up this tasty vegan potato salad in no time, perfect for picnics, barbecues, or quick meals.
- Versatile and Customizable: You can easily customize this salad with your favorite add-ins like fresh herbs, crunchy veggies, or tangy pickles, making it adaptable to your taste preferences.
Ingredients needed
- Potatoes- I like to use Russett potatoes, and I have also used red-skinned potatoes. Any variety of potatoes will work.
- Onion- Purple onion makes the color pop, but any onion type will be a good option.
- Pickle relish- This may sound strange, but in the South, we always include sweet relish in our potato salad. Just try it!
- Mayonnaise- I make homemade Low-Fat Vegan Mayo that keeps the calorie count of this dish much lower.
- Mustard- Yellow mustard is what I recommend for potato salad. Others might work, but they will change the taste slightly.
- Seasonings- Garlic powder, smoked paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper are the Southern seasonings that work best.
Tips and substitutions
- Potatoes- This vegan potato salad can be made with many different types of white potatoes. Traditionally, Russets or even yellow potatoes. Sometimes I make this with red potatoes and leave the skins on for a more nutritional bang!
- Cook time- Don’t overcook the potatoes because they will become too soft and mushy–more like mashed potatoes than potato salad.
- Secret ingredients- The Vegan Eggless Mayo along with the perfect amount of salt and pepper are key ingredients here. After you’ve made it, if it needs a little tweaking to suit your taste preference, these are the three ingredients to adjust.
How to make vegan potato salad
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Begin by making my homemade vegan tofu if you aren’t using your own. Open the silken tofu container and drain the water it has been packed in. If you’re using shelf-stable tofu which doesn’t need refrigeration, you shouldn’t need to set it on paper towels because it isn’t packed with much water. However, the refrigerator-type soft tofu will need to be drained and allowed to sit on a dishcloth or a few paper towels before use. This article, Easy Tofu Recipes, has more information on the different types of tofu and how to use them.
STEP #2: Simply put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You will only need 2-3 tablespoons for this recipe, so there will be plenty left over for sandwiches and other recipes like my vegan coleslaw and dairy-free ranch dressing.
STEP #3: Peel, wash, and dice the potatoes into bite-sized chunks that are about 1″ in size.
While you’re chopping, now is a good time to go ahead and dice up the onion. I really love to use red or purple onion when making this because it makes the dish stand out beautifully, but you really can use almost any other onion such as white or yellow.
STEP #4: Add the diced potatoes (but NOT the onion) to a large pot of boiling water, and allow them to cook on medium-high until they are tender–approximately 15-20 minutes.
Be sure not to overcook the potatoes. You want them soft enough for a fork to go through easily but not cooked to the point of being mushy or falling apart easily.
STEP #5: Once the potatoes have finished cooking, use a colander to drain the cooked potatoes.
STEP #6: Add all other ingredients–onion, low-fat mayo, mustard (this is the refrigerator kind, not dry ground), garlic powder, parsley flakes, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Recently, I began adding a little Indian black salt to mine because it gives it just a hint of eggy flavor that the traditional potato salad has. It’s a great option to kick it up a notch.
STEP #7: Mix together thoroughly and serve or chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to serve cold. We love to make this no-egg potato salad for picnics and family gatherings.
*Originally published August 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
We like to pair it with my Black Bean Burgers or a pasta dish like this Quick & Easy Pasta Salad. If you are taking it to a picnic or family gathering, I recommend making our Vegan Coleslaw which is great for outdoor barbeques and functions.
To prevent sogginess, be sure to drain and cool the potatoes completely before mixing them with the dressing. Also, avoid overcooking the potatoes, as this can cause them to break down and become mushy.
Yes, vegan potato salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. In fact, the flavors often improve after sitting for a few hours or overnight.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. It will not freeze well.
More Healthy Vegan Side Dishes
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
Vegan Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 6 medium-large potatoes
- 1 small onion (purple onion makes it prettier)
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish with a little juice
- 2-3 tablespoons low-fat vegan mayo Homemade Mayo Linked
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (not dry mustard)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
- 1 pinch smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt or to your taste preference
- Black ground pepper
- 1 pinch Indian black salt optional for eggy flavor
Vegan Eggless Mayonnaise
- 1 12 oz package silken tofu soft, firm, or extra firm
- 1 tablespoon pure cane sugar date sugar, maple sugar, etc
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or other vinegar or lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Begin by making my homemade vegan mayo if you aren't using your own. Open the silken tofu container and drain the water it has been packed in. If you’re using shelf-stable tofu which doesn’t need refrigeration, you shouldn’t need to set it on paper towels because it isn’t packed with much water. However, the refrigerator-type soft tofu will need to be drained and allowed to sit on a dishcloth or a few paper towels before use. This article, Easy Tofu Recipes, has more information on the different types of tofu and how to use them.
- Simply put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You will only need 2-3 tablespoons for this recipe, so there will be plenty left over for sandwiches and other recipes like my vegan coleslaw and dairy-free ranch dressing.
- Peel, wash,, and dice the potatoes into bite-sized chunks that are about 1″ in size. While you’re chopping, now is a good time to go ahead and dice up the onion.
- Add the diced potatoes (but NOT the onion) to a large pot of boiling water, and allow them to cook on medium-high until they are tender–approximately 15-20 minutes. Be sure not to overcook the potatoes. You want them soft enough for a fork to go through easily but not cooked to the point of being mushy or falling apart easily.
- Once the potatoes have finished cooking, use a colander to drain the cooked potatoes.
- In a large bowl, add all other ingredients–onion, low-fat vegan mayo (try my homemade version), mustard (this is the refrigerator kind, not dry ground), garlic powder, parsley flakes, paprika, salt, and pepper. Just recently, I began adding a little Indian black salt to mine because it gives it just a hint of eggy flavor that the traditional potato salad has. It’s a great option to kick it up a notch.
- Mix together thoroughly and serve or chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to serve cold.
Video
Notes
-
- Potatoes- This potato salad can be made with many different types of white potatoes. Traditionally, Russets or even yellow potatoes. Sometimes I make this with red potatoes and leave the skins on for a more nutritional bang!
- Cook time- Don't overcook the potatoes because they will become too soft and mushy--more like mashed potatoes than potato salad.
- Secret ingredients- The Vegan Mayo and the perfect amount of salt and pepper are key ingredients here. After you've made it, if it needs a little tweaking to suit your taste preference, these are the three ingredients to adjust.
- Make ahead- Vegan potato salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. In fact, the flavors often improve after sitting for a few hours or overnight.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Just made the potato salad and it’s fantastic. I must have had bigger taters because the mayo mixture wasn’t enough. Just added more. Thank you thank you for your recipes! I love them.
Hi Judy- You can’t go wrong with more mayo in my book, lol! I’m so glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
Is this a typo on the amount of mayo?It seems like it would be really dry with only 1 T of mayo for that many potato
Hi JoAnn- It’s actually a ‘heaping’ tablespoon of mayo which would equal out probably to be more like 1.5-2 level tbsp. It’s really just for flavoring and does quite well. I would suggest starting with 1 heaping Tbsp and taste testing for your preference. You can always add more if desired. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi! Thanks for sharing your recipe! Are the parsley flakes dried or fresh? Thanks!
Hi Dawn- The parsley can be either dried or fresh. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can this Country Potato Salad be made the day before?
Yes, it sure can. I like even better a day or two after making it. Enjoy!
I must be missing the mayo recipe, can’t find it?
The link can be found by clicking on the photo of the mayonnaise in the blue dish. A number of people mentioned not being able to find it, so I also added the link to the recipe card to make it a bit easier. Here’s a direct link to it. https://eatplant-based.com/mary-mcdougalls-low-fat-eggless-mayo/
Oh my dear, I absolutely love potato salad… I made this recipe, & It’s oh so good!!!! Thank You for a wonderful healthy way to make it?
Yay! That’s awesome to hear! I’m with you–serious potato salad lover here. 🙂
Making this tomorrow! It looks exactly like my Mom’s – I could eat my weight in it! She added a small amount of Italian dressing to the potatoes after “drying” them over the still warm burner. An additional layer of flavor!
This was great! I did a few tweaks for personal preference. Definitely will be making this over and over. Thank you! 🙂
Is it really just 1 tablespoon of mayo for all those potatoes? Thanks, it looks really good, but it doesn’t seem much!
Ha! Admittedly, I do add a ‘heaping’ tablespoon full (which is probably closer to 2 Tbsps) because I love the creamy texture and taste. 😀
For the silken tofu, is it a pound (meaning one package plus some of another) or one package?
Hi Cindi, yes, it just means one package of tofu. They do come in slightly different weights, but I haven’t found that to be a problem.
OMG Terri! That is a wonderful recipe! I have been using the eggless mayo on so may vegetables. Thank you!
Ha, Nadege! I LOVE your excitement, it’s so encouraging! I really enjoy the guiltless mayo too. 🙂