Vegan Potato Salad

Classic potato salad with a plant-based twist – no mayonnaise or tofu.  With such creaminess and flavor, you won’t miss it!

Whether it’s a backyard BBQ, picnic, tailgate, potluck, and more – potato salad is always a welcome side dish. It goes with just about everything! And it makes a great accompaniment to my Plant-based Carrot Dogs, My Favorite Veggie Burgers, and Vegan Sloppy Joes. It doesn’t clash with any of the other BBQ side dishes either. I think that makes this potato salad the perfect team player.

Potato salad easily combines a variety of textures in a very satisfying way. There are crunchy bits of onion and celery with soft relish and potatoes all wrapped up in a thick and creamy blanket of tangy potato salad dressing.

Potatoes are obviously a major contributor since it is this salad’s namesake. But everybody knows it’s the dressing that really makes potato salad a creamy and tantalizing delicacy. Most potato salad dressings are flavored with mayonnaise, mustard, relish, sugar, and vinegar. It’s pretty standard fare – nothing complicated.

That is probably another reason why potato salad is so popular. I like to add both dijon and spicy brown mustards since they contribute more complex flavors.

Unfortunately, as the second main ingredient (potatoes being the first), most mayonnaise is comprised of unhealthy ingredients. Eggs contain a great deal of saturated fat and cholesterol while oil is straight-up saturated fat. It’s difficult to find commercial mayonnaise with out both or one of these primary ingredients.

And if you’ve read my post about salt, you know why I don’t normally add salt to recipes. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not going to shy away from using a teaspoon of Hellman’s vegan mayo or Just mayo on my veggie burger. Mayo tastes amazing and contributes moisture and flavor on a delicious veggie burger. But lately, I’ve turned to guacamole or hummus to top my plant-based burgers.

When a recipe calls for a cup or cup and a half of mayo, I have to find another option or make something else. It’s just the way I roll. In fact, mayo is the biggest reason I didn’t make potato salad for at least the first year after transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle.

But then I came across a recipe that uses garbanzo beans (chickpeas) to make a creamy Alfredo sauce. Seriously?! A light bulb lit up brightly in my head and I thought why can’t I use garbanzo beans in potato salad to create a creamy sauce (dressing). The beans give this dressing a complete overhaul. But I promise you can not tell there are beans in this Vegan Potato Salad. Pinky swear. And nobody else will know if you don’t tell them.

The one thing I will tell you is this Vegan Potato Salad recipe includes the incredible addition of tomato paste and smoked paprika. Both add tremendous depth and the tomato paste adds incredible umami flavor, as well as a slightly pink hue. But you get a little of that from the smoked paprika as well. So if you’re not sure you can enjoy a slightly different looking potato salad, feel free to reduce or omit the tomato paste and smoked paprika. You can always try it once to see if you like it or not. I think it’s kinda pretty. Don’t you?

So, I’m going to divulge one of my guilty pleasures with you. I love using potato chips to scoop up my potato salad (and baked beans). If I’m really gluttonous (and honest), it can (and has) become my entire meal. But since I don’t eat potato chips very often, it makes the entire experience a very special treat. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed eating the last of this Vegan Potato Salad with these potato chips.

Think about it. The potato chip is actually a crunchy potato spoon specifically designed to scoop up some creamy potato salad. If you haven’t tried it before, I’ll use my convincing powers of persuasion to urge you to try it when you make this Vegan Potato Salad. And do let me know what you think. It’s a delicious and satisfying combination – crunchy potato and soft potato in one tasty bite. Yum.

Ingredients

• 6-8 red or Yukon gold potatoes, coursely chopped*
• ½ cup diced celery (2-3 stalks)
• ½ cup diced purple onion
• ¼ cup pickle relish – sweet or dill

Dressing Ingredients

• 1 cup garbanzo beans**
• 1/2 -3/4 cup plant milk
• ¼ cup hemp seeds
• 2-3 Tbsp mustard (I used 1 Tbsp spicy brown and 2 Tbsp dijon)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup*** (optional)
• 1-2 tsp garlic powder
• 1-2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½-1 tsp dried dill (1 tsp fresh)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• salt to taste (optional)
• parsley or paprika to garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, until fork tender.
2. Drain the potatoes and cool completely.  Set aside.

1. In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend all of the dressing ingredients until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.  Add a splash of milk if it’s too thick.

1. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onions, celery, and relish.
2. Pour the dressing over the potatoes.
3. Stir together well to incorporate.

1. Store in a covered bowl or air-tight container in the refrigerator for up 4-5 days.
2. Garnish with parsley or paprika, if desired.

Notes

* You can use any kind of potato you have or prefer, but I like red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes in this.  Leave the skins on or take them off.  I always leave the potato skins on.

** I like using garbanzo beans in this dressing; but I’ve successfully used navy beans and great northern beans as well.  You can use any white or lighter colored bean.

*** I got the idea to incorporate a little tomato paste from All Recipes. It adds incredible a bit of umami flavor, though it does add a slightly pink hue (as does the smoked paprika). Feel free to reduce or omit the tomato paste if you’re not up to being different.

On the left is a photo of potato salad using Yukon gold potatoes, navy beans, no tomato paste, and a little more almond milk. The photo on the right is made with chickpeas, red potatoes, and tomato paste – both are delicious but the tomato paste adds so much umami flavor and is definitely worth trying. You’ve got to try it for yourself.

This vegan potato salad was inspired by Serious Eats that allowed me to replace the traditional mayonnaise dressing with chickpeas. And it’s a revolutionary upgrade – there’s no looking back now!