Really Simple Vegan Potato Salad

Here’s a simple vegan potato salad that proves why this dish is a classic. When summer rolls around, and by summer, I really mean Memorial Day weekend, it’s the start of potato salad season.

Potato salad is a must-have for outdoor meals and picnics, and is a classic companion to grilled foods. While you can get pretty creative with potato salads (why not?), sometimes it’s good to stick with the basics. 

Dress in vinaigrette, vary with vegan mayo: This particular recipe is dressed in vinaigrette, which makes it not only sturdy, but completely plant-based.

You likely know how hard it is to find vegan potato salad outside your own kitchen — it’s usually doused in non-vegan mayo. That said, this recipe has a vegan mayo variation, and I’m all for dousing it with that kind!

What to serve with vegan potato salad

• This is a great side dish with veggie burgers and other kinds of sandwich meals — even vegan quesadillas.
• Or, serve as a side-by-side with another substantial salad like Chickpeas and Green Beans with Balsamic Mushrooms.
• This potato salad is also excellent with grilled tofu or other plant proteins like tempeh or seitan. Either way, round out a summery meal with fresh corn on the cob and refreshing melons.

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Yield: 6 to 8

Really Simple Vegan Potato Salad

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Here's a simple vegan potato salad that proves why it’s a classic. It's great for outdoor meals, to serve with veggie burgers, and more.

Prep Time 18 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 medium-large golden or red-skinned potatoes
• 1 cup frozen green peas, completely thawed
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing, bottled or homemade (see link in Notes), as needed (or see variation)
• 1/2 cup chopped green pimiento olives
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. If you’d like to keep the skins on the potatoes, scrub them well. In either case, microwave in their skins until done but still firm. Don’t overdo it — otherwise you’ll wind up with a mushy potato salad.
2. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature (you can speed up the process by plunging them into a bowl of ice water).
3. If you prefer to use peeled potatoes in the salad, slip their skins off when they’ve cooled. Cut the potatoes into approximately 3/4-inch chunks, and place in a serving container. 
4. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine.

Notes

Variation: For a creamy potato salad, eliminate the vinaigrette and use about 1/2 cup of vegan mayonnaise, or as you’d like. Add a teaspoon or two of mustard as well.

Here's our Basic Vinaigrette.

Optional add-ins: If you’d like add something more to the mix, you can try any of these:

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• A few sprigs chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 medium bell pepper (any color), diced
• 2 tablespoons or so toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 199mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 3g

Nutrition data is always an estimate depending on program used to calculate and exact products used. This is given for informational purposes only and accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

If you like this potato salad, you might also enjoy …

Potato Salad with Red Beans and Artichokes

• See more salads & sides.
• And more tasty vegan potato salad recipes.