Classic, creamy, and delicious, this vegan potato salad is a must for your summer picnics and parties! A flavorful dressing, dill pickles, and crunchy celery and onion make this recipe a favorite.
One of my favorite things about summer is a casual get-together with friends or family. A sunny day, something tasty on the grill, and lots of delicious and easy side dishes. Those are the ingredients for a perfect summer party.
And of course, every summer barbecue needs some side salads. Vegan macaroni salad, Texas caviar, or this classic vegan potato salad.
This is the kind of potato salad that my mom made for us when we were growing up. It’s creamy and flavorful, and so good on hot summer days.
There are so many different variations on potato salad, but this vegan potato salad has a little mustard, and also dill pickles for a bit more flavor.
This potato salad is really so easy to make, and there isn’t a big difference at all from the classic recipe.
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Potato Salad for Vegans
It’s easy to make potato salad suitable for a vegan diet – just choose a vegan mayonnaise. And make sure to leave out any chopped eggs or bacon of course.
That’s the only change that I had to make to adapt my mom’s recipe – just using vegan mayonnaise in place of regular mayonnaise. I prefer the Earth Balance brand, but go ahead and use your favorite brand, or if you aren’t dairy or egg free, just use your favorite regular mayo.
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes – Red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes are my favorite varieties for potato salad. They hold their shape well after boiling, and they are delicious in a cold salad.
- Vegan Mayonnaise – I like Earth Balance Vegan Mayo, but there are many different choices available. Use the brand that works for your dietary needs.
- Mustard – I love the taste of a little bit of mustard in this dressing. If you can’t have mustard, you could leave it out. Just add a little more pickle relish for flavor.
- Onions – I used a sweet onion, because I prefer the milder flavor of this variety. If you want a stronger onion flavor, you can use a red onion or even green onions.
Step by Step Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes.
- Boil until fork tender, then let them cool down.
- Chop the onions and celery.
- Put the cooled potatoes in a large bowl, then add the chopped onions and celery, plus the dressing ingredients.
This classic potato salad recipe is loved by vegans and non-vegans alike.
Optional Add-Ins
You can make this recipe your own by adding some other ingredients. Try:
- Fresh herbs like dill, cilantro, or parsley
- Finely shredded carrot would also be a nice pop of color
- Finely chopped sweet pepper or pimentos to add more flavor and color
Tips for Success
- Don’t overcook the potatoes – boil them for too long and you will have mashed potatoes
- Check the potatoes as they boil – they should be tender when pierced with a fork, but not falling apart
- Let the potatoes cool fully before mixing the potato salad
- Taste the potato salad after mixing, and add more salt, pepper, or pickle relish if desired
More Potato Salad Recipes
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Recipe
The Best Classic Vegan Potato Salad.
This classic vegan potato salad is creamy, flavorful, and easy to make. This is a favorite barbecue side dish!
Ingredients
- 8 potatoes peeled and diced into smallish cubes (for about 7 cups diced potatoes)
- ¾ cup sweet onion chopped
- ⅔ cup celery chopped
- ⅓ cup dill pickle relish or finely chopped dill pickles
- ⅞ cup vegan mayonnaise more if desired
- 3 teaspoons mustard
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- paprika optional
Instructions
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Place the diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil the diced potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender. Don’t overcook the potatoes – they should be tender but not mushy.
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Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain the water out of the pan.
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Let the potatoes cool before mixing on the other ingredients. If you are in a hurry, you can rinse with a few changes of cold water to speed up the cooling process.
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Put the cooled potatoes, onions, and celery in a large bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, pickles, sugar, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. The amount of mayo will vary depending on the size of the potatoes. Add more or less if needed.
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Sprinkle with a dash of paprika before serving if desired.
Recipe Notes
You can use any type of potato you like. I prefer to use Red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes.
If you can’t have mustard, just leave it out and add a little more pickle relish.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator. They should be good for up to four days.
Serving size is about ¾ cup.
This recipe was originally published in May 2014. It has been updated with new photos and new text.
connie
I also add dried cranberries and use sweet potatoes. It is sooooo good
Kelly
This was really yummy! Thank you for the recipe. I used sweet relish instead of the dill relish and omitted the sugar.
Kelly Roenicke
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Chelle Thompson
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!
Clareese
Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful recipe. I need gluten-free and dairy free as well as egg free, but my family doesn’t. I made this and my family absolutely loves it. They devoured this potato salad. Thank you again.
Tenessis Gomillia
Wow look good am try it for Thanksgiving dinner questions can I use sweet relish instead of dill relish.
Kelly Roenicke
Use any relish you like! It’s a personal preference. I hope you enjoy it! :)
Brian
Wow, what a delicious recipe. The best potato salad I’ve had in ages. And it was so easy to follow your instructions on how to make it. Thanks
Kelly Roenicke
So glad you liked it!
Samantha
When people say “best potato salad ever” I am interested but very skeptical, but after trying it, I have to say, they are not wrong. This is sooooo good. Thank you for an excellent recipe.
Kelly Roenicke
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! We love it over here!
connie
This looks really good am going to make this but with sweet potatoes
Linda
What is 7/8 cup ?? I’ve never heard of that and I work as a chef. Can you please simplify the recipe and use standard measurements?
Kelly Roenicke
1/8 of a cup is 2 tablespoons so it is one cup minus 2 tablespoons. If that bothers you, you can use a full cup. A full cup was just a bit too much mayo for me.
Megan
Question! I am making this recipe for a party and making at least a few batches (need about 50 4oz servings) to make a total of 200 oz- do you by chance know how many cups or oz this recipe makes?
Kelly Roenicke
I would say it makes about 48 ounces or so!
Ronda
Oh, this would be a perfect recipe this summer. My son loves potatoes, so he would surely like to try this. Thank you!
Cat
How many cups or pounds of potatoes since they vary in size?
M
I wound up using 7 cups. Hope that helps~ The author seems reluctant to clear up the confusion.
Kelly Roenicke
It winds up being about 6-7 cups or so!
Stephanie
I love this recipe! I made some modifications due to what I had on hand –
I used half bread and butter half dill pickles
Dijon mustard
Half the amount of mayo
But it’s so good and so simple.
Sherri
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for this! I just made it today and it turned out really beautifully. I love how simple it was and how yummy. My vegan daughter is thrilled to have standard recipes made healthier. Thank you again!
Lindsay
This recipe was so yummy! I have been craving potato salad all week and it was perfect!
Igor
This recipe is fantastic! I was looking for a good option for a party, and that was 5 weeks ago. I have ben making this each week since then. My advice is to chop the potatoes a bit larger so they don’t break as easily.
Kelly Roenicke
So glad you liked it!
Doug
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing. I substituted 1 sweet potato to add a little color to my potato salad and added some parsley as well. I will be making this again and again.
Kelly Roenicke
So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Becky
This is the first time I’ve tried potato salad since becoming vegan. Your recipe is fabulous! It really hit the spot. I did boil my potatoes whole with the skins on and chilled them overnight before peeling and cubing them because that was how my mom always made it. I can’t stop eating it and my non-vegan husband also loved it. Thank you very much for this recipe!!!
Jessica Neely
Am I the only one that thought this called for 7-8 cups of mayo??? Oops! Lol
Kristen
I thought so too! How much mayo did you use?
Debbie
What kind of wet mustard did you use?
Kelly Roenicke
Just regular yellow mustard!