This vegan German potato salad is rich, tangy, and full of flavor! It’s made with a delicious vinaigrette dressing, fresh dill and smoky seasonings, making it the perfect side dish for any occasion.
Vegan German potato salad is a delightful twist on a classic dish. Unlike American potato salad, German potato salad is typically made without mayonnaise. This dish is made with a light, vinaigrette dressing, fresh dill, sautéed onions, and smoky sea salt, balancing perfectly with the creamy potatoes.
What makes this vegan German potato salad stand out is that it’s served warm, making it perfect for cooler days or anytime you’re in the mood for something hearty and satisfying.
You will love this vegan German potato salad! It’s easy to make, rich, tangy, and has the perfect blend of textures – be ready to go back for seconds and thirds!
And if, like us, you love easy and delicious side dishes we recommend you check out our vegan broccoli salad, vegan sweet potato salad and vegan macaroni salad.
Ingredients you’ll need for vegan German potato salad
Ingredients notes
- Potatoes – Try to get potatoes that are an even size so they cook through at the same time. You can also cut potatoes into even-sized pieces before boiling them. If you can’t get red potatoes, then any waxy potatoes will work.
- Hickory smoked salt – We used Maldon smoked sea salt which adds a great smoky flavor to the salad.
- Crispy onions – This adds a delicious crispy texture to the salad. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Fresh dill – For this recipe fresh dill is best. However, if you only have dried dill on hand then you can add 2 teaspoons to your salad.
How to make vegan German potato salad
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Place the baby potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Add the salt and bring to the boil.
- Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are just cooked through but still slightly firm in the centre. (If you overcook them they will lose their shape and fall apart).
- Once cooked, drain the potatoes and set aside to cool.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, slice them into roughly ½ inch thick pieces.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and the red onion slices and cook for about 3 minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add the vinegar and maple syrup and bring to a simmer. Scrape the base of the pan to release any onion bits stuck to the pan.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the ¼ cup olive oil and Dijon mustard.
- Then add the potato slices and very gently toss for about 1 minute, until all the potatoes are well coated in the dressing and absorb some of the dressing. Make sure you don’t break the potatoes apart.
- Then add green onions, fresh dill, crispy onions and hickory smoked salt. Gently mix.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serving suggestions for vegan German potato salad
This salad is best served warm or at room temperature, making it wholesome, hearty and super satisfying. You can enjoy it as a side dish with some vegan sausage or grilled tofu, or you can eat it as a main meal.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can absolutely make this vegan German potato salad ahead of time as the flavors blend beautifully in the fridge and if anything, it just gets even tastier! So if you need to make it the night before, that’s perfect. Bring to room temperature or gently warm in the microwave to reheat before serving.
Leftovers keep perfectly for 4-5 days in the fridge.
More delicious sides
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lb Baby Red Potatoes , 1 kilogram raw weight
- 2 tsp Salt , for boiling the potatoes
For the dressing:
- 1 Red Onion , sliced
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil , to fry onions
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- ⅓ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Toppings:
- 2 Green Onions , sliced
- 3 tbsp Fresh Dill , finely chopped
- 4 tbsp Crispy Fried Onions
- ½ tsp Hickory Smoked Sea Salt
- Salt and Black Pepper ,to taste
Instructions
- Place the baby potatoes in a large pot of cold water.
- Add the salt and bring to the boil.
- Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are just cooked through but still slightly firm in the centre. (If you overcook them they will lose their shape and fall apart).
- Once cooked, drain the potatoes and set aside to cool.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, slice them into roughly ½ inch thick pieces.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and the red onion slices and cook for about 3 minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add the vinegar and maple syrup and bring to a simmer. Scrape the base of the pan to release any onion bits stuck to the pan.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the ¼ cup olive oil and Dijon mustard.
- Then add the potato slices and very gently toss for about 1 minute, until all the potatoes are well coated in the dressing and absorb some of the dressing. Make sure you don’t break the potatoes apart.
- Then add green onions, fresh dill, crispy onions and hickory smoked salt. Gently mix.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Potatoes – Try to get potatoes that are an even size so they cook through at the same time. You can also cut potatoes into even-sized pieces before boiling them. If you can’t get red potatoes, then any waxy potatoes will work.
- Hickory smoked salt – We used Maldon smoked sea salt which adds a great smoky flavor to the salad.
- Crispy onions – This adds a delicious crispy texture to the salad. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Fresh dill – For this recipe fresh dill is best. However, if you only have dried dill on hand then you can add 2 teaspoons to your salad.
- Storing – This potato salad will keep up to 5 days in the fridge. Bring to room temperature or gently warm in the microwave to reheat before serving.
In the recipe ingredients the dressing calls for 1/4 cup of olive oil. However, in the instructions it says to add 1/2 cup olive oil to the pan. Can you please clarify? Thank you!
Hi Gail! Thanks for spotting the typo. It’s 1/4 cup of olive oil and we made the correction in the recipe card.