Herbed Potato Salad (no mayo!)
This healthy potato salad recipe is full of fresh flavor. It's mayo-free and so easy to make. It'll be a big hit at your next party! Vegan and egg free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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
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.
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
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
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.
I expected to love this but I actually didn’t enjoy this recipe. It did not keep well at all, and even just the serving I had fresh just had a funky, off flavour.
I’m sorry to hear that! Thanks for your feedback, Alyssa.
Loved it! Big success with friends and family at a recent gathering.
Great recipe Kathryne. I dislike mayonnaise so was happy to find this. I didn’t have parsley so I added dill and mint instead. Also for colour and nutrition I put in a kumera (if you are from New Zealand) otherwise known as sweet potato.
Thanks, Elizabeth
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review, Elizabeth!
Greetings from NIcaragua!!!
We’re doing the Super Bowl my house this year. I will try this recipe, sounds delicious.
Thank you! All of my friends loved it. They even asked for the recipe. Go Bucs!!! 33607. Awesome potato salad.
2nd time making it and my family loves it! I added a little more Dijon this time and it gave a nice zippiness. Thank you, I absolutely hate mayo and this will be my go to recipe now
That’s great, Vanessa!
Love this idea! Wondering how many red potatoes equal a pound? Also, if I make it the day before, will it be good to bring to a potluck the next night? Thanks so much!
All potatoes are different sizes and densities, so I think it would be hard to gauge exactly how many equal a pound without weighing them. I think the best thing to do is to either invest in a kitchen scale (Amazon has good inexpensive ones and so does TJ Maxx or Marshalls), or weigh individual potatoes in the scale at the supermarket (They are hanging up in virtually every produce section) until you get the desired amount. (if you do this often enough, it also helps you develop an idea of what a pound feels like)
Plus, if you invest in a kitchen scale, you’ll have better baking success- weighing your ingredients works SO much better than going by volume!
This is something new to try. I love potatoes and what’s great is that you don’t need a mayo! awesome! thanks a lot for sharing this!
My boyfriend and I loved this recipe! Honestly the best potato salad I had ever made.
I’m 69 years old with high blood pressure. The sodium content in this recipe is very high. It’s a very flavorful recipe, so I doubt that it would suffer from cutting the added salt to 1 tsp rather than the 2 Tb. specified.
Hi Heather, yes adjust as you need to.
I never add salt to my cooking.
and a million tastebuds cried.
Amazing recipe! Loved it, eating it right now. Have been following you since 2011 and it’s been lovely to see you and the blog grow over the years.
Thank you, Jess!
Wow I love potatoes will try this.
I hope you love it!
I liked this fresh version of potato salad – one happy surprise was that I made too much of the sauce and used it on some salmon for my meal and it was perfect! Will be making the sauce again, potatoes or not!
Great recipe, made it for Christmas and it was a big hit.
I made this for our picnic and it was a delicious and healthy alternative to the usual potato salad. it was lived by all. I reduced the amount of oil as I am trying to eat less fat and it worked great. Thank you for this recipe.
I just threw away a huge bowl of this. It was terrible tasting. Way too much parsley. It was the only flavor we could taste I’m not sure if I did something wrong or what. I’m sorry for the bad review, but I was sincerely disappointed in this recipe.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Amy.
Sounds like a you problem
I’ve made this twice now for get-togethers, and it was well-received both times. In addition to the flavors and textures, I like the simple ingredients and straight-forward preparation. It works so well for my vegetarian and non-mayo friends. Win, win!
This was delicious! My go-to potato salad from now on. Thank you!
I have a huge bag of russet potatoes I’m trying to use up. Would I ruin the recipe if I subbed the red potatoes with russet?
Thanks
Hey Jeri! I haven’t tried. I know Russets have more starch, but I think they’d work. If they’re large potatoes, you’ll want to quarter the rounds so they’re closer in size to what a red potato would be in diameter. I know Russets work great as potato wedges, breakfast potatoes and hash browns, if you’d like to give those a try!
Loved the recipe! I love parsley so I used extra :) it’s delicious.
I am looking for a non-mayo potato salad to make ahead for a crowd of 50. Do you have any suggestions on making this potato salad ahead of time – possibly the morning of the party? Should I wait to mix the dressing with the potatoes until we are ready to serve?
Hi Jodie! The potatoes soak up the dressing when they’re warm, so I would make it as directed and refrigerate it. Before serving, perhaps stir in some chopped fresh herbs (and salt to taste) to liven it up.
Very good salad. I am not vegetarian but all family love it.
I made this for myself (altering the amounts/measurements) as a main course since I’m regulating my portions. Very good and satisfying.
Has anyone tried warming this recipe? Would it be good warm as well?
This was more delicious than expected! I love it and plan to make again. Thank you!
Good stuff. I did a few things different. Added dried parsley instead of fresh. Also used white onion instead of green. Included some yellow and red peppers too. Stay at home order makes you use what you have. I was impressed that I had enough to make this and we all liked it!
I discovered your website roughly 3 weeks ago & I have made 10+ recipes. I am in love.
This recipe looked amazing and it did not disappoint! I used 3/4 Italian parsley and it made it very green and delicious.
Loved this recipe. It was a big hit with my family. Will definitely be making it again..
This is delicious! It’s bright, fresh, and I love the crunch of the celery. For any if the previous comments about it not tasting good or too grassy, my thought is they need to make sure to use a high quality light olive oil. Makes all the difference in dressings. Well done!
This turned out amazing. My husband said it was the best potato salad he had ever had.
Just discovered you website and would love to try this recipe. My husband isn’t a big fan of parsley and was wondering if cilantro would be a good substitute. Thanks
Hi Julie! Sure, you could try cilantro or dill. I’m not entirely sure how much the overall flavor will be impacted. I typically associate cilantro’s flavor profile with Mexican food, so it’ll yield an atypical potato salad—would be great with tacos!
Hi Kate had a dinner party last night and all my dinner guest love the Potato herb salad.that you much appreciate love. LEONIE FORD.
I have been searching the universe for a delicious non-mayo potato salad and this is it.
The herby, zesty dressing is incredibly fragrant and so tasty. I added double the dijon mustard for extra whatever. (I’m a dijon mustard fan) Another great thing about this salad is the pretty presentation. The yellowish/green tinted herbed dressing, along with the sprinkle of green garnish makes it look like it could enter a potato salad beauty pageant.
This was delicious. I used russet potatoes. I peeled, sliced, and soaked them in cold water before cooking. I didn’t have a lot of parsley, so I added some celery leaves and chopped a little celery for the salad as well. Loved it, and will make it often!!!
thank you for sharing this recipe. I give credit to you my husband loved potatoes now. This is the 2nd time i made this.
I was looking for a healthy potato salad recipe without mayo and other junk, when I found this winner. Love all the fresh ingredients and how easy it is to put together. I made it with one russet potato and one sweet potato… my boyfriend and I loved it! The flavors all melded together and it was a great accompaniment for our little backyard barbecue. Thanks, Kate!
This potato salad is SO delicious I can’t stop eating it. Of course my results were “off” from the original recipe because of what I had available to work with. I used Russet potatoes instead of red. I had cilantro in the fridge so I put that in with the parsley. I accidentally spilled some of the cooking water into the bowl so instead of 1/4 cup I ended up with closer to 3/4 cup.I served it with a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of fresh chopped chives. I’m going to have to make this often. It is super creamy; a true comfort food.
Really enjoyed this potato salad! I’m not the biggest fan of parsley so swapped that out for coriander and mint and it tasted delicious! Thank you!
Have been making quite a few of Kate’s recipes, and this is another great one! Will add capers next time for some extra acidity. Love the method of making the sauce with the cooking water.
Would it be weird to add hard boiled egg to this recipe??
I think that could be nice, Abby! Let me know if you try it.
It was so delicious I didn’t even bother! Made it last night and did By mistake 2 tbsp (not tsp) of mustard, slightly less oil and salad. It was a huge hit and I will definitely make it again. Can’t wait for leftovers today. Thanks for the great recipe!
LOVE this recipe! Lighter and more flavor than traditional potato salad.
Yum! What a great lighter (healthier?) take on potato salad. I only had one pound of potatoes so just halved everything. The sauce came together great in the food processor, all with common and fresh ingredients. I topped it with fresh dill. Came out perfect!
I’m glad you loved it, Julia!
I’ve made this before and love it. I am wondering if the sauce can be made several days in advance or at least the day before without mixing in the potatoes?
Hi Genevieve! I’m not sure I would recommend it. This one does make great leftovers!
I’ll definitely put this in the rotation of summer recipes. Fresh, tasty and feels so much lighter than a mayo version. Great recipe!
This potato salad receipt is delicious. I did not have red potatoes so I used the small Yukon gold that I had. I did cut them smaller and they worked great. I do have to have fill in my potato salad so substituted dill for the onion. Will definitely make again!!!!
Delish!
I doubt you’re reading this on the 4th but I’m going to try! Would you triple this for 12 people? Don’t want to not have enough but I have a tendentious overdo things too.
Hi Lacy! Sorry for my delay. How did it end up turning out?
It turned out GREAT. I added more Dijon mustard and added fresh dill in addition along with more salt/pepper. We have a friend who is known as “the cook” in the group…the authority. She asked ME for my recipe. So pat yourself on the back, lol. Can’t wait to make this again. So easy and so good!!
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Lacy!
Love this recipe. Tastes so fresh and light! Because the dressing is an emulsification, it does taste a bit creamy, but not in that heavy dripping-with-mayonnaise kind of way. I will be making this regularly. I used a mix of different colored fingerling potatoes, which worked nicely.
Thank you. Love your website and your recipes – work with them all of the time and enjoy them tremendously. I will buy your book soon! Your comments are also generous, gracious and I appreciate your attention to all that is going on in the gloomy world. All the best!
My husband and I love this recipe! The first time I made it I just dumped all the dressing ingredients onto the potatoes without blending before — big mistake! I’ve since blended with a food processor, and then w/an immersion blender. It turned out perfectly the last two times!
Really liked it! Great alternative for a lighter, fresher tasting potato salad. I did add just a touch of sugar/sweetener to balance out some of the other flavors. Will definitley make again and want to try it out with veggies instead of potatoes (maybe parcooked cauliflower?)
Thank you for sharing, Andrea! You will have to let me know if you try it with cauliflower. I’m curious!
I made this over the weekend for some festive holiday food. I know I can rely on you for recipes and this one didn’t disappoint. While the ingredient list is simple, I didn’t miss the mayo. Super yummy hot and cold! The only thing I’ll note is that this makes a ton! Probably more like 8 servings if you’re eating it alongside other dishes.
My mom used to make a similar potato salad but with green beans added. I got a bunch of green beans from a farm share box the other day (along with parsley which is what originally brought me to this recipe) and it was delicious with the addition!
Also, I had to sub the lemon juice with apple cider vinegar but still so good.