This vegan Greek potato salad recipe is a vegan version of my grandma's recipe. Full of Mediterranean flavors, it is tangy, savory, and simply delicious.
My grandma made the best Greek food I've ever eaten when she was alive. Regardless of the occasion, Greek food was always a part of our family meals. Even when we barbecued on the weekend, my grandma brought her famous Greek potato salad and lemon cookies. Lemon, as you may know, is a Greek staple. My version of grandma's Greek potato salad recipe is vegan, of course, and oil-free.
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Like a classic potato salad with potatoes, celery, and onions, my Greek potato salad adds grandma's favorite Greek ingredients but vegan style. My potato salad recipe is like grandma's except for the oil-free dressing, but it tastes exactly like her Greek version.
Greek Potato Salad Ingredients
Of course, my grandma is a better cook than I will ever be. Although I don't think she would approve of my vegan modifications, a vegan girl has to do what she must. That said, I use all the core ingredients of her Greek potato salad recipe.
- Baby Potatoes: New potatoes, also called baby potatoes, have been dug up from the ground before they are fully mature. They have a mild, sweet flavor that adapts well to just about any seasoning.
- Red Onion: These onions are colorful and spicy-to-mild flavor. Because of their bright color and crispy texture, they're great for salads, salsas, and other fresh recipes.
- Celery: Weirdly enough, celery is both mild and strong simultaneously. It's watery but also salty in an unusual way with a lingering bitterness. Celery also has a green sort of taste, the same way spinach does
- Grape Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are oblong and shaped like grapes. They're about half the size of cherry tomatoes, with thicker skins. Grape tomatoes aren't as sweet as cherry tomatoes; their flesh is meatier and less watery.
- Red Bell Peppers: Red bells are sweeter, not bitter, and often have a slight citrus flavor.
- Kalamata Olives: Kalamata olives have a similar bitter taste to black olives when first harvested. However, when they have undergone a curing process, the flavor profile of kalamata olives becomes rich, fruity, and meaty with a notable sharpness that other olive varieties don't have.
- Capers: The taste of a caper is reminiscent of the lemony tang and saltiness of green olives but with a smack of floral tartness. Because they're packed in brine, capers boast a bold salty, savory flavor profile.
- Fresh Dill: This fresh herb has an herbaceous, grassy, and slightly tangy flavor with notes of anise.
Since grandma's Greek potato salad is loaded with mayonnaise, lemon, and yogurt, I added my favorite hummus-based dressing.
Greek Hummus Dressing Ingredients
- Hummus: I used plain Engine Oil-free Hummus, but you can use any hummus brand you enjoy!
- Fresh Lemon Juice: I recommend using fresh lemon juice. Add a little lemon zest if you want even more lemon taste.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Red wine vinegar tends to be punchier, with a more vibrant grape flavor. The flavor is hot and robust, the opposite of delicate.
- Water: The water thins the dressing and acts as an emulsifier.
And, for a little added green on top of my Greek potato salad recipe, I added microgreens because I love microgreens.
Greek Hummus Dressing Ingredient Substitutions
- Tahini sauce is often used as a replacement for hummus in dressings.
- You can use bottled lemon juice when you don't have access to fresh lemon juice. However, an excellent way to keep fresh lemon juice on hand is to freeze fresh lemon juice, in season, in ice cube trays and thaw it for dressing and sauces.
- Balsamic or white wine vinegar often substitutes for red wine vinegar.
- Once the potatoes are cooked and cooled, add the other ingredients, dress, and place the potato salad in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
- As a result, the flavors of the dressing enhance the flavors in the Greek potato salad.
- When I serve my Greek potato salad, I sometimes add extra capers on the top and some pretty microgreens.
- My daughter, however, always adds mild banana peppers to give the salad a little kick!
Recipe FAQs
We recommend chopping medium to large potatoes into large chunks for potato salad before boiling. After they're cooked, chop them into bite-sized pieces: this helps the potatoes to cook more evenly and stay together.
Bring the potatoes to a boil, then generously salt the water. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the pot at a gentle boil.
Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Do not cover. (Covering changes the environment in the pot and can make the potatoes turn mushy.)
Tips
- Wait until the potatoes are cool before adding the other vegetables.
- Using a vegetable chopper is a quick and easy way to chop vegetables in uniform size.
- Leave the skin on the potatoes for maximum nutritional value as well as texture.
- Cut potatoes the same size to ensure even cooking.
- Place cut potatoes in cold water before bringing them to a boil for the best results.
- You can use a fork to test to see if they are tender enough. Your fork should easily slide through the potato when they're properly cooked.
Switch up the flavors in your potato salad and try this Greek potato salad recipe the next time you have a barbeque or picnic. It's a crowd-pleaser!
Try These Other Great Vegan Salad Recipes
If you love Greek potato salad recipe, give us a 5-star rating and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Greek Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby yellow potatoes skin left on, and cut into quarter bite-sized pieces (make sure they are similar sizes)
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- ¼ cup kalamata olives chopped
- ½ cup grape tomatoes cut in half
- ¼ cup dill chopped
- 2 Tablespoons capers
- Micro greens garnish
Oil-Free Greek Dressing
- ½ cup oil-free hummus or hummus of choice I used Engine Brand
- 2 lemons juiced ¼ cup
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- Cut baby potatoes in quarters (same size bite-sized pieces)
- In a pot, cover cut potatoes with water and add 2 teaspoons salt.
- Bring potatoes to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of pieces).
- The potatoes are done when they are soft when pierced with a fork.
- In the meantime, make the dressing by whisking the ingredients in a measuring cup; set aside.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and immediately rinse in cold water to stop cooking and cool potatoes.
- Transfer the cooled potatoes to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
- Pour dressing over the top and gently toss.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
- Serve in individual bowls and add microgreens as a garnish (optional)
Notes
- Begin with cold water before boiling potatoes.
- Cut the potatoes the same size for even cooking.
- Use a vegetable chopper for a quick and easy way to cut uniform-sized vegetables.
- Once the potatoes are cooked and cooled, simply add the other ingredients, dress them, and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
- As a result, the flavors of the dressing enhance the flavors in the Greek potato salad. When I serve my Greek potato salad, sometimes I add additional capers on the top as well as some pretty microgreens.
- My daughter, however, always adds mild banana peppers to give the salad a little kick!
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Dennis
Hi Kathy,
I just made the Greek Potato Salad and it was really tasty and delicious and very well liked at our house.
We will keep this as a regular meal option or side dish for party's.
Ty for sharing
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Dennis, I appreciate your feedback. I'm so glad your family enjoyed the potato salad. Let me know if you try any other recipes. I would love to hear from you.