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Herbed Potato Salad (no mayo!)

This healthy potato salad recipe is full of fresh flavor. It's mayo-free and so easy to make. It'll be a big hit at your next party! Vegan and egg free.

Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 13, 2025

338 Reviews

815CommentsJump to recipe

I never truly loved a potato salad, until I made this one. This potato salad recipe is a riff on classic French potato salads, which contain no mayo and lots of herbs. I opted for lemon juice instead of vinegar for a super fresh-tasting salad. Chopped celery offers some welcome crunch. 

Unlike standard potato salads that are drenched in mayonnaise, this salad is lightly creamy yet miraculously mayo-free. It calls for red potatoes instead of Yukon Golds or russet potatoes, which hold their shape and absorb flavors well.

This potato salad recipe is special diet friendly, too. It’s vegan, egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free for all to enjoy. Can I go ahead and call it the perfect potluck potato salad?

This recipe is surprisingly quick and simple to make. I hope this potato salad becomes your go-to potluck recipe, as well as a standard side dish at your dinner table. It goes great with burgers, sandwiches, and much more.

Potato Salad Tips

After some trial and error, I’ve discovered some key tips to making great potato salad.

1. Slice your potatoes before boiling, rather than afterward. That way, the potatoes don’t break down into mush when you’re tossing the salad later. Plus, your potatoes cook faster this way (in just five minutes!). We can thank the experts at America’s Test Kitchen for this technique.
2. There’s no need to rinse the potatoes after cooking. The starch on the potatoes contributes to this potato salad’s lovely texture once it’s all stirred together. 
3. To make the best mayo-free potato salad, reserve some potato cooking water before draining the potatoes. Then, blend the herbs and olive oil with the starchy reserved water. You’ll end up with a creamy emulsification that infuses the potatoes with fresh flavor.

Watch How to Make Potato Salad

Looking for more fresh side dishes? You’ll find more side dish recipes here. Here are a few that would go well with this potato salad:

• Healthy (Mayo-Free) Coleslaw
• Favorite Quinoa Salad
• Fresh Bean Salad
• French Carrot Salad
• Lentil Salad

Please let me know how you like this potato salad in the comments! I love to hear from you.

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Herbed Potato Salad

• Author: Kathryne Taylor
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 6 side servings
• Diet: Vegan

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 338 reviews

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This healthy potato salad recipe is full of fresh flavor. It’s mayo-free, easy to make, and sure to be a hit at your potluck! This salad is vegan, egg free and gluten free. Recipe yields 6 side servings.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus about 2 tablespoons more for garnish
• ⅓ cup roughly chopped green onions, plus about 2 tablespoons thinly sliced for garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 stalks celery, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine sliced potatoes and salt. Cover with room temperature water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are easily pierced by a paring knife and pulled out with little resistance, about 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain. Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
3. In a small food processor or blender, combine the olive oil, ⅓ cup parsley, ⅓ cup green onions, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Process until the herbs and garlic have been chopped into little pieces. Then, while running the food processor, pour in the reserved cooking water and process just until blended. (If you don’t have a food processor or blender, just finely chop the parsley and onions and whisk the dressing together until the oil is fully incorporated.)
4. Drizzle the potatoes with the herbed olive oil mixture and gently mix to combine. (It will look like you’ve poured in too much dressing, but don’t worry, the potatoes will soak it up!) Let the potatoes rest for ten minutes, gently tossing every few minutes.
5. Add the celery to the bowl, along with a couple tablespoons each of additional chopped parsley and green onions. Toss again. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. This salad is best served within a few hours, but will keep in the refrigerator for about three days.

Notes

Recipe roughly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook and The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon.

Suggested equipment: I love my 11-cup Cuisinart food processor (affiliate link).

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Salad
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: French