The best easy vegan potato salad is loaded with tender potatoes, crunchy vegetables, fresh lemon, dill, and Dijon mustard. It’s plant-based and gluten-free and though made with vegan mayonnaise, you can absolutely make it with no mayo! It’s quick and easy, and tastes just as good, if not better, than traditional potato salad.
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I love all things summer, especially the amazing vegan food we get to eat at all those summer picnics and barbecues. For your next outdoor gathering, be sure to take along this awesome-licious (my new word) vegan potato salad recipe with fresh lemon, dill and Dijon mustard.
It’s sure to be a big hit that your entire crowd will love and nothing goes better with my Barbecue and Picnic Recipes, like this Grilled Chilean Vegetable Kabobs with Basil Chimichurri Sauce or my Grilled Carrot Dogs 4 Ways. It also goes great with my Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger . my Vegan Street Corn and my Purple Cabbage Slaw.
🥔 Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Fresh dill – this fresh herb makes the dish, but if you don’t have fresh dill, you can easily substitute with 1 teaspoon dried.
- Orange bell pepper – you can use any color bell pepper you have on hand, including green or red.
- Potatoes – I used Yukon Gold for this recipe, but you can use any kind of potatoes that you want. Just be sure to use more potatoes in the recipe if using smaller ones, like red potatoes.
- Red onion – recipe doesn’t have to include red onion. You can use any type onion you please, including yellow or white onion.
- Vegan mayonnaise – I use Vegenaise but you can use any kind of vegan mayonnaise you have available. Check out the variations section below for options to make recipe without mayonnaise.
- Lemon juice – fresh or bottled is fine; if you don’t have a lemon on hand, you can substitute with equal amounts of red wine vinegar or another milder vinegar.
- Sweet pickle relish – in the USA, sweet pickle relish is usually green. However, that’s not the case in all countries. If you’re pickle relish is dark brown, or another dark color, that’s fine. Just know that it may alter the color of the potato salad without affecting the taste.
- Dijon mustard – although Dijon mustard brings a more intense, complex flavor than yellow mustard to vegan potato salad recipes, it’s ok to use whatever type of mustard you have on hand.
🔪 How to Make Vegan Potato Salad
Step 1 – Peel the potatoes and then slice them into halves or quarters. Place in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil until fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Step 2 – Drain and leave out to cool. For faster results, place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to complete the cooling process.
Step 3 – Add chopped celery, onion, bell pepper and minced garlic to a bowl.
Step 4 – Chop cooled potatoes into ½ to ¾ inch cubes. Add to the vegetables.
Step 5 – Add vegan mayonnaise, pickle relish, Dijon mustard, fresh dill, lemon juice, spices, sea salt and pepper to bowl.
Step 6 – Mix until all ingredients are well-combined
Step 7 – For best results, chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Step 8 – Remove vegan potato salad recipe from refrigerator. Sprinkle with a fine layer of paprika and garnish with lemon slices and more fresh dill. Serve immediately.
⭐ Why Make This Recipe
- Diet-friendly – contains only 225 calories and has 3 grams of fiber per serving. Suitable for most diets, including vegan, vegetarian and low-calorie.
- Healthy & flavorful – the combination of fresh vegetables, including celery, orange bell pepper and red onion, adds loads of crunchy flavor to the recipe with tons of plant-based fiber. And let’s not forget about the nutritious deliciousness of fresh dill, an excellent source of Vitamins A and D, and calcium and iron. Read more about how fresh dill can help improve heart health and Type II diabetes.
- Quick and easy – simple ingredients, many of which you may already have on hand; takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Be sure to check out the video below in the recipe card to learn how to make vegan potato salad perfectly every time.
- Budget-friendly – total cost of ingredients is around $15 USD, less if you already have some ingredients on hand.
📖 Variations
- No mayo option – if you’re looking for a recipe with no mayo, look no further. You can easily leave out the vegan mayonnaise in this recipe by replacing it with tahini, vegan walnut pesto, plain, unsweetened non-dairy yogurt, olive oil, or basic vinaigrette. Whichever substitute you choose, add in a little at a time until the recipe is the right consistency (creamy but not runny).
💭 FAQ
If you use vegan mayonnaise in this recipe, it’s absolutely vegan.
Yes, as long as it’s sealed in an air-tight container, it can be. Just be sure to thaw in the refrigerator overnight instead of thawing at room temperature, as this can turn your potato salad into mush.
Stored in an air-tight container, this vegan potato salad can last in the fridge for up to 4 days.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Make This Recipe Quicker
To make this recipe quicker, cool the potatoes after draining them in your refrigerator. This cuts about 30 minutes off your time.
How To Store Vegan Potato Salad
Store vegan potato salad in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to Freeze Your Leftovers
You can freeze this recipe in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months. When thawing, it’s best to thaw in the refrigerator overnight instead of thawing at room temperature, which may turn your potato salad into mush.
Avoid Overcooking the Potatoes
Unless you want mush, avoid overcooking the potatoes. You want them to be fork-tender – meaning you stick a fork in them and the fork glides out easily – but they shouldn’t break apart with the fork test.
Let Your Potatoes Cool Down
Prior to adding any other ingredients in this vegan potato salad recipe, it’s best practice to let your potatoes cool down. This keeps your potatoes from turning to mush when you mix the other ingredients in.
🌽 What To Make With This Recipe
Have you tried this? Why not leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and sign up for my newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Best Easy Vegan Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 extra-large potatoes
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- ½ medium orange bell pepper finely diced
- 3 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice fresh is best
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and slice them in halves or quarters. Place in a large pot of boiling water and boil until fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and set aside to completely cool. For faster results, you may cool them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
- Add chopped celery, onion, bell pepper and minced garlic to a large bowl.
- Once the potatoes are cool, chop them into ½ to ¾ inch cubes. Toss in the bowl with the veggies and garlic.
- Add vegan mayo, sweet relish, fresh dill, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, cumin, paprika, sea salt and pepper.
- Mix thoroughly until everything is coated with mayo.
- For best results, chill for an hour in the fridge prior to serving.
- When ready to serve, remove from fridge. Garnish with a fine layer of smoked paprika, lemon slices and more fresh dill. Serve immediately
Video
Notes
- Please note: nutrition information is an estimate.
- To make this recipe quicker, cool the potatoes after draining them in your refrigerator. This cuts about 30 minutes off your time.
- Store vegan potato salad in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze this recipe in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months. When thawing, it’s best to thaw in the refrigerator overnight instead of thawing at room temperature, which may turn your potato salad into mush.
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