This vegan potato salad is fresh and summery, with a bright lemon dressing and lots of crunchy veggies. A perfect side dish for a picnic or cookout!
I served this vegan potato salad at our Father’s Day cookout a few weeks ago, and it was a huge hit. My family loved it, even though it’s not at all like the classic potato salad they’re used to. Instead of having an ultra-creamy dressing, it’s tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette. In addition to potatoes, it’s filled with herbs and lots of crunchy veggies. A drizzle of rich, tangy vegan sour cream takes the whole thing over the top.
All together, this vegan potato salad is fresh, flavorful, and summery. It’s one of my favorite salads I’ve made this season (and I’ve made a lot of them!). I think you’ll love it too.
Vegan Potato Salad Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan potato salad recipe:
- Potatoes, of course! Make this salad with the smallest yellow potatoes you can find. I used the Teeny Tiny Potatoes from Trader Joe’s.
- Green beans – For color and crunch.
- Fresh corn – For this recipe, you’ll slice raw corn kernels straight off the cob. They add a nice crisp texture and sweet flavor to the salad. I don’t recommend substituting frozen or canned corn.
- Red onion – It adds sharp, savory flavor.
- Olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and Dijon mustard – These ingredients create a light, bright dressing for the potatoes and other veggies.
- Vegan Sour Cream – Drizzles of this cashew-based sauce takes the salad over the top, adding creamy texture and tangy flavor.
- Chives – For garnish. They pair with the Vegan Sour Cream to give the salad a yummy sour cream and onion flavor.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop! I like to add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, too.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make This Vegan Potato Salad
You can think of this vegan potato salad recipe in three parts: making the dressing, cooking the potatoes and green beans, and tossing everything together. Here’s how it goes:
First, make the dressing. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in the bottom of a large bowl. (Hint: this bowl should be big – you’ll add the rest of the salad ingredients to it later on!) If you haven’t already made the Vegan Sour Cream, blend that up and set it aside.
Next, boil the potatoes. I like this salad best with really little yellow potatoes so that I can leave them whole. If you have larger potatoes, I recommend slicing them in half after you cook them. While the potatoes are still warm, toss them with the dressing in the bottom of the bowl. Set them aside.
Meanwhile, blanch the green beans. When they’re tender but still bright green, transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and place on a kitchen towel to dry.
Then, toss everything together. Add the green beans, corn, and red onion to the bowl with the potatoes, and toss to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
Finally, transfer the salad to a platter. Thin a few scoops of the Vegan Sour Cream to a drizzleable consistency, and drizzle it over the salad. Sprinkle on the chives and red pepper flakes, and enjoy!
Vegan Potato Salad Serving Suggestions
This vegan potato salad recipe is a picnic-perfect side dish. Serve it with a sandwich, like my Chickpea Salad Sandwich or Caprese Sandwich, or cookout fare like veggie burgers, portobello mushroom burgers, or black bean burgers.
If you want to get ahead, feel free to prepare the salad up to a day in advance. Just hold off on the chives and Vegan Sour Cream – the salad is best if you add them right before you eat.
When you’re ready to serve, season to taste with more lemon juice and salt – the potatoes can really soak up the seasonings in the fridge! Then add the sour cream, chives, and red pepper flakes, and dig in.
More Vegan Picnic Salads
If you love this vegan potato salad recipe, try one of these vegan salads next:
- Vegan Pasta Salad
- Vinegar Coleslaw
- Cucumber Salad
- Cowboy Caviar
- Panzanella Salad
- Summer Fruit Salad
- Or any of these 37 Best Salad Recipes!
Vegan Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2½ teaspoons sea salt, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds very small yellow potatoes
- 12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
- Kernels from 1 ear fresh corn, about ¾ cup
- Heaping ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 3 tablespoons Vegan Sour Cream
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, 1½ teaspoons of the salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until fork-tender, 10 to 14 minutes. Drain the potatoes, pat dry, and cut any larger potatoes in half. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.
- Refill the pot with water, bring it to a boil, and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the green beans into the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes, drain, and immediately immerse in the ice water to stop the cooking process. After 1 minute, drain and place on a kitchen towel to dry, then add them to the bowl with the potatoes along with the corn and onion, and toss. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to a platter.
- In a small bowl, mix the Vegan Sour Cream with about 2 tablespoons water and stir until it’s a drizzleable consistency. Drizzle over the salad and sprinkle with the chives and red pepper flakes. Season to taste and serve.
Made this for a Bday bbq yesterday and it was a hit. I did not read the recipe in full and made the part up to the vegan sour cream and stored it in the fridge to chillfor the day thinking I’d make it just before leaving. Oops missed the 4 hr set time, and brought the salad without the sour cream (no corn) and it was delicious even without the sour cream. I swapped out the green beans for framers market fresh sugar snap peas and topped it with sunflower sprouts and some fresh basil. I also used tri coloured mini potatoes and so it was both colourful and delicious.
I thought the salad was great! Easy to make with ingredients I had on hand plus it’s healthy without the mayonnaise and the addition of the cashew sauce. I used ALL of the vegan sour cream as a sauce with the addition of a little extra lemon and vinegar plus the corn and green beans and salt and pepper to taste. I basically eliminated the first four ingredients and cut back on the salt. It was creamy and delicious and my husband thought it was great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
We can’t do corn either… thanks for the suggestion Ila!
you can just skip the corn here if you’d like.
This was excellent I subbed red pepper fir the corn due to aller