Creamy, zesty and made with whole food ingredients, this Classic Vegan Potato Salad is the perfect side dish for all your spring and summer gatherings!
Creamy potato salad brings up so many nostalgic feelings for me. It was a family staple that was almost always present at our holiday meals, especially during the summer months. For years, I had forgotten about my love for potato salad, but just recently I rediscovered it. Man, is it good! This classic vegan potato salad is definitely going to be made on repeat during the upcoming summer month. It’s hearty thanks to satisfying potatoes, tangy from lots of lemon juice and vinegar, and full of texture from chopped celery, pickles and green onions (or whatever add-ins you want to include!)
Today I’ll show you how I make this dairy-free, whole-foods-based vegan potato salad. I hope you love it as much as we do! Oh, and can I just say that this salad gets better the longer it sits in the fridge, making it a great recipe to meal prep at the beginning of the week!
What is potato salad?
Potato salad is a side-dish made from boiled potatoes and an assortment of other ingredients, often including a creamy dressing, herbs and mix-ins. While it is believed to have originated from Germany, it is now a popular American side-dish.
Traditional potato salad ingredients
The ingredients used in traditional American-style potato salad can vary depending on region, but it often includes the following main ingredients:
- Potatoes
- Mayonnaise (or a similar, tangy substitute such as yogurt or sour cream)
- Herbs
- Vegetables (such as onions and celery)
Ingredients you’ll need to make vegan potato salad
This vegan potato salad is very similar to traditional American potato salad, but instead of using a store-bought mayonnaise or sour cream, we are going to be making our own creamy, tangy dressing. Below I’ll list out all of the ingredients you’ll need to make this amazing side-dish.
- White potatoes
- Apple cider vinegar
- Cashews, soaked if possible
- Water
- Lemon juice
- Yellow mustard
- Pickles
- Celery
- Green onions
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Should I cut potatoes before boiling them for potato salad?
For this specific recipe, I recommend quartering your potatoes before boiling them. Cutting the potatoes into quarters reduces the boiling time, yet also allows the potatoes to maintain their structure and not become too mushy.
How to make vegan potato salad (with step-by-step instructions)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If you have an electric tea kettle I find they help speed up the process!
Scrub the outsides of your potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place them into the boiling pot of water, along with 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and allow them to boil for 15-20 minutes.
Once the potatoes have cooked, drain them and place them in a bowl of ice water. Once cool, peel the skin off of the potatoes.
Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces, place them in a bowl and sprinkle over the 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the creamy, cashew dressing. Place cashews, water, lemon juice, sea salt and mustard into your blender and blend until smooth.
Once the potatoes are cooked and chopped and the dressing is made, combine everything together. Pour the creamy cashew dressing over the potatoes and add in the chopped celery, chopped pickles, chopped green onion and lots of black pepper.
Stir everything together. Taste and add more salt, black pepper, lemon juice or vinegar if desired.
Chill until read to serve!
How to store potato salad
Potato salad is really easy to store. Simply put it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days. The lemon juice and vinegar will help to keep it fresh!
Can you make potato salad in advance?
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, potato salad is a great make ahead side-dish as I find it gets tastier the longer it sits in the fridge. So yes, make it in advance and enjoy it throughout the week!
Looking for more delicious summer salad recipes?
Check out the recipes below for more great summer side-salads!
- Cilantro Lemon Quinoa Salad
- The Best Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- 4 Ingredient Italian White Bean Pasta Salad
- Trader Joe’s Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Salad
- Simple Black Bean and Corn Salad
Classic Vegan Potato Salad
Creamy, zesty and made with whole food ingredients, this Classic Vegan Potato Salad is the perfect side dish for all your spring and summer gatherings!
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs potatoes
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
CASHEW DRESSING:
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
ADD-INS:*
- 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped pickles
- Freshly ground Black pepper
Instructions
- In preparation for this recipe, you'll need to soak your cashews. If you have a high speed blender, you can soak your cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes. If you have a normal blender, soak your cashews in room temperature water for 4-6 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If you have an electric tea kettle, using it will help speed up the process.
- While your water is boiling, wash the outsides of your potatoes really well. Cut them into quarters.
- Salt the pot of boiling water and add in the quartered potatoes. Allow the potatoes to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender, but not too mushy.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the sauce by blending together all of the cashew sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Drain the potatoes and place them immediately into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Remove the skins of the potatoes, cut them into bite size pieces and place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar over the potatoes and stir to combine.
- Pour over the creamy cashew sauce and add in the celery, green onions, pickles and black pepper. Stir everything to combine.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. This salad tastes best when served chilled and gets better the longer it sits in the fridge!
Notes
You can use whatever add-ins you desire!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 234Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 622mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is a rough estimate provided by Nutrionix and should be used for informational purposes only.
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