German Potato Salad
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Skip the mayo! Creamy potatoes, pickled red onions, and a zingy vinaigrette make this German potato salad a summer standout.
I am a big fan of German-style potato salads, which are quite different from the American potato salad what we’re used to here in the States. German potato salads swap the usual mayo dressing for a zingy vinaigrette, making them lighter, brighter, yet still super filling. This particular recipe, inspired by David Hagedorn’s version in the Washington Post, is a keeper. Not only does it make a big batch, but it also seems to get tastier as it sits—a total win for potlucks or picnics.
The salad is made with new potatoes, which keep their shape and have a delightful creaminess to them. Plus, a bonus: no peeling required. The recipe calls for a whole raw red onion, which might seem like a lot. However, once those onions are slightly pickled in the vinaigrette, they lose their bite and turn tangy-sweet. They are honestly the best part of the salad, and that’s coming from a long-time raw onion-phobe.
Table of Contents
“This is crave-worthy! The short ingredient list had me wondering, but it’s a home run!”
What You’ll Need To Make German Potato Salad
- Baby Gold or Red Bliss Potatoes: Tender, waxy potatoes that provide a creamy texture and hold their shape well. Feel free to use a mix of red and gold if you’d like the color contrast.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds richness to the vinaigrette, ensuring the salad is flavorful without relying on mayo.
- Rice Vinegar: Provides acidity and tanginess to the vinaigrette, balancing the richness of the potatoes and oil.
- Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to complement the tangy vinegar and enhance the overall flavor profile.
- Smoked Paprika: Infuses a smoky depth of flavor to the salad.
- Red Onion: Adds a sharp, tangy bite and vibrant color, while the pickling process mellows its flavor.
- Parsley: Adds freshness and brightness to the salad.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, place the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill the pan with enough cold water so that it covers the potatoes by about 1 inch. Add one tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the oil, rice vinegar, sugar, remaining tablespoon salt (I know that sounds like a lot; feel free to add less and season to taste at the end but keep in mind that potatoes require a lot of salt), pepper, smoked paprika, red onion and parsley.
Stir to combine. Set aside, stirring occasionally and allowing the onions to marinate and pickle in the dressing while the potatoes cook.
Drain the potatoes in a colander. While they are still hot, cut them bite-size into halves, thirds, or quarters, depending on the size, and place in the bowl with the dressing.
Using a large rubber spatula, toss the potatoes with the dressing, being careful not to break up the potatoes too much. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally until the potatoes soak up all the vinaigrette.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, stir well and taste to adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with more smoked paprika and parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! It keeps nicely for up to 3 days stored in the fridge. Just be sure to give it a gentle toss before serving to redistribute the dressing.
Sure, I’d recommend 3 to 4 slices, crumbled. See my instructions for how to cook bacon in the oven to make easy work of it!
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German Potato Salad
Skip the mayo! Creamy potatoes, pickled red onions, and a zingy vinaigrette make this German potato salad a summer standout.
Ingredients
- 3½ pounds baby gold or red bliss potatoes
- 2 tablespoons salt, divided
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped parsley, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill the pan with enough cold water so that it covers the potatoes by about 1 inch. Add one tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue cooking until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the oil, rice vinegar, sugar, remaining tablespoon salt (I know that sounds like a lot; feel free to add less and season to taste at the end but keep in mind that potatoes require a lot of salt), pepper, smoked paprika, red onion and parsley. Stir to combine. Set aside, stirring occasionally and allowing the onions to marinate and pickle in the dressing while the potatoes cook.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander. While they are still hot (as hot as you can handle), cut them bite-size into halves, thirds, or quarters, depending on the size, and place in the bowl with the dressing. Using a large rubber spatula, toss the potatoes with the dressing, being careful not to break up the potatoes too much. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally until the potatoes soak up all the vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, bring the potato salad to a cool room temperature. Stir well, then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or sugar, if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with smoked paprika and parsley.
- Potato salad should be left out for no more than two hours (or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees). Leftovers should be promptly refrigerated.
- Make Ahead: This potato salad can be made and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 3 days ahead of time.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cup
- Calories: 355
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 591 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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I have two bags of russet potatoes that I didn’t get to use over Christmas. Would peeled russets work here?
Hi Jane, the texture will be a mealier with russets, but they will work. Please LMK how what you think if you try it!
It came out great, and the texture was fine too. Thanks Jenn for yet another winning recipe!!
Glad you enjoyed it and didn’t find that the russets impacted the texture — thanks for reporting back!
Hi, I made the recipe as written, delicious taste, but too much oil. The next time I’ll start with half the amount and take it from there…..we enjoyed it anyway!
This is crazy delicious! I can’t stay out of it while it’s chilling in the refrigerator. I followed the recipe as written except used avocado oil because that’s the most neutral oil I had in the pantry.
Hi Jenn! Could I use the regular gold potatoes? Or should I specifically use baby gold for this recipe? I may or may not have picked up the wrong potatoes at the store 🤦♀️
Sure, Lilee, regular yellow potatoes are fine. They’ll just take a little longer to cook. Enjoy!
Well, it’s an interesting rendition on German Potato Salad, but traditionally things like paprika, parsley are not used, potatoes are always sliced and marinate in beef stock, vinegar and chopped onion. Later they are drained, a little oil is added, some pepper, chopped chives, and that’s it in the south of German. The Northern variety typically also includes mayonaisse and may include some chopped eggs, chopped bacon, pickles, etc. Overall, it’s a pretty simple dish.
Too much oil. 10+tbls
Could I sub parsley with cilantro here? Have cilantro that I need to use up. Thank you!
Sure!
This was bland to me. I added plenty of salt, but I think the rice vinegar is too mild for me. I like to taste acid in recipes. I’m the only one eating it, a few leftover bites at a time. Maybe I’ll whisk the dressing with Dijon to punch it up. Won’t make again.
I added more vinegar and it tasted amazing!
Excellent! I had it with a grilled garlic gruyere chicken sausage for lunch today and it was the best lunch ever!