Herbed Potato Salad (No Mayonaise, No Eggs)
Loved it. Simple to make. Very lemony which is a nice twist on potato salad. Judy
Herbed potato salad is a flavorful side dish that comes together quickly with the fresh, bright flavors of lemon, garlic, and plenty of fresh herbs. It never fails to get rave reviews at picnics, potlucks, or backyard barbecues.
I’m not a big fan of a mayo potato salad. I prefer a vinaigrette dressing, which seems lighter and fresher somehow.
What to expect
The lemon, Dijon, garlic, and fresh herbs are bright flavor boosters, making this one of my favorite potato salads. Based on the number of requests I get for the recipe, it’s definitely a hit with friends and family, too.
Since it’s mayo-free and egg-free (and fully vegan), it’s perfect for potlucks, easy to transport, and doesn’t require reheating.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Here are the key ingredients and a few variations and substitutions to try based on your personal preference and what you have on hand.
- Potatoes: I generally use baby red potatoes (new potatoes). If the baby potatoes are on the larger side, cut them in quarters instead of halves. If you can’t find baby potatoes, buy other waxy potatoes with thin skins such as Yukon gold potatoes or fingerling potatoes. Just cut them into small bite size chunks. Here is an article on different kinds of potatoes and how to use them.
- Herbs: Use whatever you love. Good ones for this recipe are parsley, dill, chives, basil and/or tarragon. Cilantro for some would be excellent, too, but people tend to love it or hate it. For some quick basic information on how to to keep herbs fresh for weeks, see our post on Herb basics (for cooking purposes).
- Dressing: I love the lemon-garlic-Dijon-herb combination, but almost any type of vinaigrette will do. You can certainly replace the lemon with white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Step by step instructions
Shortcuts
- In a pinch, replace the vinaigrette dressing in the recipe with your favorite store-bought vinaigrette dressing such as zesty Italian or Mediterranean dressing.
- If I double or triple the recipe, I use a small food processor to chop the garlic and herbs and make the vinaigrette. Much quicker.
What to serve with potato salad
This potato salad goes really well with any vegetarian, meat or fish main dish.
I love to serve it with juicy grilled pork chops, sous vide New York strip steak, Canadian maple cedar plank salmon, roast beef sliders, sous vide corned beef, grilled chili lime chicken wings or chicken burgers with mango salsa.
Most of these recipes with grilled chicken thighs work great with potato salad too.
Other potato recipes you might like
- Indian potatoes
- Fried onions and potatoes
- Crispy smashed potatoes with gremolata
- Grilled hasselback sweet potatoes
- Grilled veggies and potatoes
- Best instant pot potatoes and carrots
Please leave a 5-star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe. Thank you so much!
Herbed Potato Salad (no eggs, no mayo)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half, Note 1
- 1/3 cup chives or green onions, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup herbs, chopped, Note 2 (fresh parsley, dill, chives and/or basil)
- zest of 1/2 lemon
Vinaigrette, Note 3
- 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- BOIL THE POTATOES: Place potatoes in a pot of cold water. Use just enough water to cover the potatoes. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to boil, lower to medium heat and cook the potatoes until easily pierced with a fork, about 8 minutes. Drain and put potatoes in a large bowl.
- MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: Whisk the lemon, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil and whisk until well blended.
- COMBINE: Pour all the vinaigrette over the warm potatoes (or slightly cooled potatoes). It might look like more than you need, but it will be absorbed into the potatoes for great flavor. Add the green onions (or chives), herbs and lemon zest. Toss gently to coat the potatoes well. Serve warm or at room temperature. I often make the dish an hour or two ahead to let the flavors develop at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- Kind of potatoes to use:
- If the baby potatoes are on the larger side, cut them in quarters instead of halves.
- If you can’t find baby potatoes, buy other waxy potatoes with thin skins, such as Yukon gold potatoes or fingerling potatoes. Just cut them into small bite size chunks.
- I suggest not using russet potatoes as they don’t hold their shape as well and would need to be peeled.
- Herb options:
- Use whatever you love such as parsley, dill, chives, basil and/or tarragon. Cilantro is great if you love it (many people hate it).
- If you don’t have green onions, you can substitute red onion.
- You can also use part fresh herbs and part dried herbs (or frozen cubes). 1 tablespoon fresh = ~ 1 teaspoon dried.
- Dressing variations:
- Instead of the herb dressing in the recipe, almost any type of vinaigrette will do.
- You can replace the lemon with white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Or, for a shortcut, use a store-bought Italian dressing or an olive oil dressing (add lemon zest to it to make it a tangy dressing).
- Make Ahead: Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days, then bring to room temperature when ready to use. If you are making the herb potato salad earlier in the day to serve that evening, just let it sit on the counter at room temperature.
My husband will not eat potato salad with mayonaise, so this recipe is my go to. The vinaigrette is also great on grilled or roasted veggies!
I prefer potato salad without mayo too. Thanks for leaving a comment Karen – much appreciated.
Delicious and what a nice change from the mayo based potato salads! I reduced the olive oil to 1 tablespoon and added celery for crunch. My household loved it. This is the first recipe of yours I’ve made and it won’t be the last. We eat a whole food plant based diet and I think a lot of your recipes will be a perfect fit!
Love your tweak with the celery crunch. And yes, you’ll find lots of vegetarian recipes since my daughter/partner is vegetarian – hope you enjoy them too 🙂
Great recipe!
I’m not really a “recipe person”, but wow, every weekly newsletter has so many easy delicious sounding dishes, that I’ve become a “recipe person”!Can’t wait to try the mayo/egg free potato salad!
Thanks Tuula! I am honoured you are becoming a recipe person! Hope you like the potato salad 🙂
Loved it. Simple to make. Very lemony which is a nice twist on potato salad.
Happy you loved it. Thanks for leaving a comment Judy – much appreciated.
Another WINNER!!!!!!