Potato Salad with Spring Onions

This potato salad with spring onions combines the classic goodness of potato salad with the fresh flavors of spring onions. With tender potatoes and a creamy dressing, it’s a mouthwatering blend of textures and tastes. This recipe takes 20 minutes and 10 ingredients to make. A hearty and flavorful plant-based potato salad!

🥔 Why You Should Try This Potato Salad with Spring Onions

• It’s a hearty salad that can be made ahead. This potato salad can easily be made ahead and tastes even better served cold.  
• Perfect for many occasions. A potato salad can be served all year round as an appetizer with other crudités or as part of a main dish. It also makes a filling side dish that you can serve at picnics, BBQ, or parties.
• It’s vegan and gluten-free. Since this salad doesn’t contain eggs or wheat and the mayonnaise is replaced with vegan mayonnaise, this potato salad is naturally plant-based and gluten-free.

🧅 Ingredients for Potato Salad with Spring Onions

This potato salad is made in 20 minutes with 10 simple ingredients. Here is what you will need:

• New Potatoes: These small and tender potatoes are the perfect choice for this salad. These potatoes are a bit creamy and combine very well with the dressing. You can check out the FAQ below for more tips on picking the best type of potatoes.
• Salt: To flavor the water for boiling the potatoes.
• Spring Onions: Finely sliced spring onions, also known as scallions, bring a mild and fresh onion flavor to the salad, adding a pleasant crunch and vibrant color.
• Vegan Mayonnaise: A creamy and rich vegan mayo coat the potatoes with a rich flavor.
• Wholegrain Mustard: The addition of wholegrain mustard brings a tangy and slightly spicy element to the dressing. 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil enhances the depth of flavor.
• Lemon Juice: The fresh flavor of lemon juice brightens up the salad that, balances the richness of the dressing, and adds a refreshing element.
• Cornichons: These small pickled cucumbers offer a tangy and slightly sour taste, and a contrasting texture to the creamy potatoes.
• Capers: Drained capers contribute a briny and salty note.
• Fresh Herbs: I used flat-leaf parsley and chives to add a pop of freshness and a delicate herbal flavor to the salad, but you can use other herbs such as cilantro, dill basil, or tarragon. 
• Potato Water: A little bit of the water used to boil the potatoes can be added to the dressing to adjust its consistency and thin it out if needed while also infusing it with a subtle potato flavor.

🥣 How to Make Potato Salad with Spring Onions

Preparing this potato salad is easy peasy:

Step1 – Boil the potatoes. 
Start by washing the potatoes and placing them in a pot. Cover them with water, add a pinch of salt, and let simmer for about 20 minutes until fork-tender.

Step 2 – Prepare the dressing.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the vegan mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Step 3 – Drain the potatoes. 
Check if the potatoes are fork tender and reserve a bit of the potato water.  

Step 4 – Slice the potatoes.
Drain the potatoes and let them cool for 20 minutes. Slice the potatoes into thick slices. 

Step 5 – Toss with the dressing. 
Combine the sliced boiled potatoes with the dressing until all potatoes are coated.

Step 6 – Flavor the salad and serve.
Finally, add the capers, finely chopped cornichons, spring onions, parsley, and chives with the potato salad and toss to coat. Taste and adjust the saltiness and serve at room temperature or chilled.

This salad is delicious on its own, but also great with Whole Roasted Cauliflower or Charred Tomatoes with Cold Yogurt.

Make sure to check the recipe card for the full recipe with the exact quantities and information on all the ingredients.

📔 Tips

• Don’t overcook the potatoes – Boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender, but be careful not to overcook them. Overcooked potatoes can become mushy and affect the overall texture of the salad.
• Salt the water – To enhance the flavor of the potatoes, add a good amount of salt to the boiling water. This will infuse the potatoes with a subtle saltiness as they cook.
• Peel the potatoes – If you don’t like the texture of the skin of the potatoes, you can peel them.
• Let the salad rest – If you give this salad a bit of rest in the fridge (at least an hour), it will allow the dressing to infuse the potatoes.
• Taste – Because of the capers, you basically don’t need to add salt, but you can skip the capers and salt the salad if you like.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

Which type of potato is best for this salad? 

While I suggest using small new potatoes or waxy varieties like Yukon Gold, you can experiment with other types of potatoes based on your preference. Keep in mind that different potatoes may vary in texture and may require slight adjustments in cooking time.

Can I prepare this potato salad in advance? 

This potato salad can be made ahead of time to save time. If you’re going to serve it within a day, you can make it in advance and keep it in the fridge until you need it. But if you plan to make it 2-3 days ahead, it’s best to mix it with the dressing 1 hour before serving to keep it fresh and maintain its texture.

How long can I store this potato salad? 

You can store this potato salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s important to keep it properly covered in an airtight container to maintain its flavor and quality. Before serving any leftovers, give the salad a toss and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Can I use other seasonings and herbs?

You can experiment with different seasonings and herbs. Feel free to get creative and add herbs like dill, basil, or cilantro for added freshness and flavor. Additionally, you can incorporate spices like paprika, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper to give the salad a bit of a kick. You could also use red onion instead of spring onions.

How do you prepare spring onions for a salad?

To prepare the spring onions, remove the root ends and any wilted outer layers. Rinse with cool water, pat dry, and choose one of these methods: finely slice both the green tops and white parts for a consistent flavor, separate the green tops for a milder taste and finely chop the white parts, or slice the white parts into rings and chop the green tops for a stronger onion flavor.

🍲 Other side dishes you might enjoy:

• Pickled Red Onions
• Garlicky Green Beans

📖 Recipe

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