This healthy potato salad recipe is perfect for picnics and BBQs! A creamy, tangy dressing coats tender potatoes, fresh herbs, and crunchy veggies.
This healthy potato salad recipe is a fresh riff on classic creamy potato salad. Over the last few summers, it’s become a new favorite on our picnic table. It’s just as creamy, savory, and tangy as the traditional kind, but it has a lighter Greek yogurt dressing, no hard boiled eggs, and plenty of veggies tossed in for crunch. It couldn’t be more perfect for potlucks and BBQs, because it tastes best when you make it in advance. We’ll have it on repeat all summer long, and I hope you will too!
Healthy Potato Salad Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthy potato salad recipe:
- Potatoes, of course! Look for Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes. Their creamy texture makes them perfect for this potato salad recipe.
- Celery – It offers a delicious crunchy contrast to the creamy dressing and potatoes, and it infuses the salad with savory flavor. A pinch of celery seed brings out the savory flavor even more.
- Radishes and red onion – For extra color and crunch.
- Capers – Many classic potato salad recipes call for dill pickles or sweet pickles, but I love using capers instead. They add a punch of briny flavor to the salad.
- Fresh dill and chives – Their fresh flavor balances the creamy dressing and starchy potatoes. If you don’t have chives on hand, thinly sliced green onions would work here too.
- And the dressing – It’s creamy, tangy, and bright! To lighten it up, I use part Greek yogurt and part mayo instead of the traditional all-mayo, Miracle whip, or sour cream base. I round out the dressing with fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. You can also stir in turmeric for color, but it’s completely optional. The salad still tastes great without it!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Healthy Potato Salad
This healthy potato salad recipe couldn’t be simpler to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, chop the potatoes. Try to cut them to a similar size, into about 1/2-inch chunks, so that they cook evenly.
Next, cook them. Place the chopped potatoes in a large pot, and cover them with cold water by one inch. Bring the water to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the cooking water and set the cooked potatoes aside to cool.
While the potatoes cool, whisk together the dressing. If you try the dressing on its own, it will taste strong and salty. Don’t worry! The flavor will balance once it’s on the starchy potatoes.
Finally, pour the dressing over the potatoes, add the remaining ingredients, and toss to combine. Season to taste. That’s it!
If you’re serving the potato salad right away, garnish it with extra radish slices and more fresh herbs. Otherwise, store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’ll taste even better on days 2 and 3!
Recipe FAQs
- Can I use a different type of potatoes? I recommend sticking with Yukon Gold potatoes here. They’re fairly waxy potatoes, which means that they hold their shape well after cooking, but they still give the salad a great creamy texture. Steer clear of starchy potatoes like russet potatoes and red potatoes here. Because of their high starch content, they’ll turn to mush as you stir the salad together.
- How can I make this recipe dairy-free? This recipe is best with regular whole milk Greek yogurt. For a dairy-free potato salad, check out this vegan potato salad recipe!
- Can I make this healthy potato salad ahead of time? Totally! The salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. I actually like it best on days 2 and 3, after the flavors have had a chance to meld.
What to Serve with Healthy Potato Salad
This healthy potato salad is a great addition to a summer cookout. Serve it with any of these veggie main dishes:
- Best Veggie Burger
- Easy Black Bean Burger
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
- Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Vegan Hot Dogs
Round out the meal with grilled vegetables or grilled corn, vinegar coleslaw, and a fruit salad. Serve brownies for dessert, and don’t forget the lemonade to drink!
More Favorite Summer Salads
If you love this healthy potato salad recipe, try one of these delicious summer salads next:
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Greek Salad
- Classic Caprese Salad
- Three Bean Salad
- Carrot Salad
- Or any of these 37 Best Salad Recipes!
Healthy Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- ½ cup diced red onions
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 4 red radishes, halved and thinly sliced, reserve some for garnish
- ⅓ cup chopped chives, reserve some for garnish
- 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh dill, optional
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed, optional
Dressing
- ¾ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, I like Stonyfield Grassfed
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, I like Sir Kensignton's
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric, optional, for color
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 1-inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, set aside to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, turmeric, if using, and several grinds of pepper. Note: this will taste strong and salty at this step; it’ll balance once it’s mixed with the potatoes.
- Pour the dressing over the potatoes and stir to coat. Stir in the celery, red onions, capers, radishes, chives, and dill and celery seed, if using. Season to taste and garnish with the reserved radishes and chives.
The recipe is absolutely amazing and refreshing.
Thank you for sharing!
I just shared the recipe with my daughter.
I will make this recipe again! Can’t wait to try them all.
Keep up the great job!
My family loves this potato salad recipe. Perfect combination of ingredients. I use a crisp kosher dill pickle instead of capers. Love and Lemon recipes are easy to follow, healthy and always a hit.
I’m so glad it’s been a hit!
I love how this potato salad turned out. I really wasn’t sure what I would think of the radish but they were a great extra element for crunch!
What to sub for the Greek yogurt in the dressing? Could I just double the Mayo?
^ I have the same question
I made the recipe both ways… one batch with yogurt and one batch with only mayo. I liked the mayo only much better, but I do not like the sour taste in sour cream.
wonderful recipes
I would like all
Looks delicious ! Can’t wait to make it ! Quick question : how far ahead can I make this ? Like the day before would the potatoes still taste fine as well as overall taste ?
Hi Katherine, you can make it the day before – the potatoes taste great on day 2 (even day 3)… if you want to make it pretty, save some of the chives to garnish as you serve. I hope you enjoy!
This potato salad is delicious. My husband and I both like it a lot. I do not agree that it screams “classic potato salad” though. I think it is the most different potato salad I have ever had. It is very spicy. I don’t think anyone would think it is a classic potato salad.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! Ha, well I guess it’s classic to me compared to my grilled potato salad and vinaigrette-based potato salads 🙂
Just made this today…AMAZING! Got to use fresh radishes, chives, and dill from my garden! A new summer favorite!
This potato salad gets better with time. The capers do make a big difference Jeanine, and I think the dill is also compulsory.