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If you’re in charge of bringing potato salad to a party, be warned– this one is always a huge hit, and you might be in charge of potato salad forever if you choose to bring it.
Instead of using mayo, it’s tossed with a fast herby dressing. (This also happens to make it a vegan potato salad, if you need an egg-free or dairy-free option.) I like to blitz the dressing in a blender to help distribute the herbs more evenly throughout the salad.
After it has had the chance to marinate, it becomes totally irresistible.
This is the perfect dish to make ahead for a party or potluck, but do make sure to taste it one last time before serving it chilled. Flavors tend to mellow as they cool, so sometimes you might need to add an extra pinch of salt right before serving.
Healthy Potato Salad Ingredients
- Potatoes. You can use Yukon gold potatoes, fingerling potatoes, or small red potatoes for this salad. Just be sure to pick a potato with a thin, waxy skin so you won’t have to peel any potatoes! (Russet potatoes will work, too, but you may want to peel them in that case.)
- Olive Oil. This is the base of the potato salad dressing, but you can use another oil if you prefer.
- Lemon Juice. Pairs with the olive oil to create a flavorful dressing. Don’t use bottled lemon juice here; fresh tastes a lot better.
- Dijon Mustard. This adds a bright, tangy flavor and helps emulsify the dressing. (Meaning it will be creamier when blended.)
- Fresh Herbs. I use both flat-leaf parsley and dill in this dressing. The fresh herbs 100% make this salad taste flavorful, as it came from a restaurant.
- Green Onion. This adds a mild onion flavor, but it isn’t as potent or crunchy as raw red onion.
How to Make Mayo-Free Potato Salad
Step 1:
Scrub 3 pounds of potatoes under running water, then slice them into 1/4-inch slices. For larger potatoes, you may want to also slice the circles in half, so they are bite-sized.
No one wants to pick up a huge potato slice while eating!
To cook the potatoes, add an inch of water to a large saucepan and arrange a steamer basket at the bottom of the pot. Add the potatoes to the steamer basket, and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
Once the water is boiling, lower the heat and cover the pot. Let the potatoes cook until they are fork-tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Be sure to check several potatoes with a fork for tenderness, to make sure they are all evenly cooked.
Cooking method Note
You can cook the potatoes whole, instead of slicing them first. However, it takes longer to cook whole potatoes to their center, especially since they are all different sizes. Then you have to wait for them to cool before you can slice them. It saves time to slice them before cooking.
Steaming the potatoes, rather than boiling them, also speeds the process along! With this method, you don’t have to wait as long for a full pot of water to come to a boil.
Step 2:
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While the potatoes are cooking, you can prepare the sauce. In a blender, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, 3 chopped green onions, 1/4 cup fresh dill, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
Add 2 tablespoons of the starchy potato cooking water (or regular water) to the blender. Then secure the lid and blend until the dressing looks relatively smooth.
The herbs don’t need to be totally pulverized.
Step 3:
When the potatoes are done cooking, remove the steamer basket or drain them in a large colander. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a large bowl to cool briefly.
Pour the blended dressing over the top and toss well to coat them evenly.
Place the bowl of potato salad in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. The olive oil will thicken up and stick to the potatoes better when it’s served cold.
Potato Salad Storage Tip
Store this healthy potato salad recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days if you’d like to make this in advance. The leftovers also make a delicious packed lunch when you stir in some white beans for extra protein.
Seasoning Note
Be sure to taste this salad before serving it again, as the salty and tangy flavor will mellow significantly once it’s cold. I usually add extra salt to my potato salad before chilling it. It will taste “too salty” at first, but it’s perfect once it has marinated in the fridge overnight.
No Mayo Potato Salad Recipe with Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red potatoes (or other waxy potato)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup flat-leaf Italian parsley
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 3 green onions , chopped (white & green parts only)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes under running water to remove any dirt, then slice them into ¼-inch pieces. If some of the potato circles are particularly wide, slice the pieces into smaller half-moon shapes, so they will be easy to bite into later.
- Fill a large pan with an inch of water and arrange a steamer basket into the bottom of the pan. Add the sliced potatoes to the steamer basket and bring the water to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water is boiling, cover the pot and let the potatoes steam until they are fork-tender about 10 to 12 minutes. You want the potatoes to be tender and creamy, without being mushy. Be sure to check several pieces for tenderness, so you know they are evenly cooked. (Under-cooked potatoes are miserable in a potato salad!)
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the dressing. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, parsley, dill, green onions, salt, and black pepper to the blender. Add 2 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth.
- When the potatoes are done cooking, use an oven mitt to lift the steamer basket from the pot and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the potatoes while they are still warm, and gently stir to make sure they are evenly coated. Sprinkle an extra ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt over the potatoes as you mix, to ensure the potatoes are well seasoned. (This may taste salty while the potato salad is still warm, but it will mellow significantly when it's chilled.)
- Place the potato salad in an airtight container and let it chill for at least 4 hours before serving, or overnight. You can make this salad up to 3 days in advance and serve it chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try this herbed potato salad recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it!
Another tasty recipe! This recipe couldn’t be any easier and is ready in
no time. I used fresh basil instead of parsley, and it was wonderful. This definitely has become a family favorite for the summer months!
Hi Megan, great recipe! What can I use instead of parsley in this recipe? Thank you!
You could use cilantro, if you enjoy that flavor (I know not everyone does!). Or just leave out the parsley and see if you like the flavor with just the fresh dill and green onion.
Thank you Megan! It was delicious! I left out the parsley and I actually added some celery leaves when blending the dressing. Everyone loved it!!
Looks amazing! Is there a good substitute for Dijon?
I also love this with spicy brown mustard, but if you’re not a mustard fan, I bet it’s still delicious without it.
Just made this tonight!
Thank you for the yumminess
This was absolutely delicious! I used purple potatoes fresh from the garden (high in antioxidants) and only half the salt as I am on a low salt diet and it was incredible. Thanks for a great recipe!
I would love to make this but I can’t digest oil. What can I substitute?.
I made this for 4th of July. It was so good. Even my friends who were skeptical of a healthy potato sald without mayo, loved it and were asking for the recipe. Thanks for another awesome recipe, Megan!
Omg this potato salad was OUTSTANDING!! I was a little nervous about going mayo free but this was 100x better than any potato salad I’ve ever had. So creamy and flavorful with all the wonderful fresh herbs (I also added a couple basil leaves from the garden.). Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Thanks for another winner!!
While this is a nice receipe, it is better with sunflower or sesame oil
. Also, add a dill pickle and don’t blend the herbs. The potatoes should be cooked whole, then peeled and cooled overnight. Did you know, that potatoes once cooled that way have less calories?
I have made this type of potatoe salad all my life, so did my mother!
Seed oils (such as sunflower) are horrible for your health.
Boiling potatoes whole snd letting them cook does not reduce calories. Cooled (and then reheated) potatoes are higher in resistant starch, which feeds beneficial bacteria in our guts. It may also reduce the glucose spike from eating potatoes, but that isn’t true for everyone. And I second that sunflower oil is not good for us. It is inflammatory.
I made this potato salad last night and just tasted it from the fridge this morning. It’s so delicious! I used yukon gold potatoes, because that’s what I had.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mary! Thanks for letting me know.