What I love about making vegan versions of comfort foods is that I often end up trying ingredients and flavour combos that are a little more interesting than the classic versions. This vegan potato salad is no exception. At first, I was going to use my trusty and delicious tofu based oil-free mayo for this recipe but I wanted to try something a little different. This tahini and pickle juice based dressing is a refreshing alternative to the classic.
Creamy
Full of flavour
Quick & simple to make
A refreshing alternative to the classic!
The Dressing For Vegan Potato Salad
The mayonnaise free dressing is where this recipe really deviates from the traditional. I use a combination of tahini (sesame seed paste) and pickle juice (right from your jar of pickles) to create the creamy base.
To the tahini and pickle juice dressing I add:
- Lemon juice
- Mustard powder
- Celery salt
- Garlic powder
- And a pinch of black pepper
Although I love my oil-free mayonnaise recipe, it does require a blender to quickly combine all the ingredients. This tahini and pickle juice dressing however, can be simply whisked in a bowl. That means, this recipe isn't any more complicated than mixing traditional mayonnaise with some seasonings!
The Salad Ingredients
The base of this salad is of course, potatoes. I love using baby red and yellow potatoes because they won't get too mushy and the thin skins don't need to be peeled!
- 2 pounds waxy potatoes (baby potatoes, little fingerling potatoes, or new potatoes)
- Chickpeas (my alternative to hard boiled eggs)
- Celery (use some celery leaves too for garnish)
- Red onion
- Pickles
- And fresh dill
Feel free to change up the additional ingredients in your salad! I love using chickpeas as an alternative to hard boiled eggs. They aren't the same as eggs, of course, but they do add some nice interest to the salad plus some extra protein.
Adding some crunchy ingredients provides a nice contrast to the soft texture of the potatoes. I've used chopped celery, red onion, and pickles.
Finally, fresh dill goes a long way for adding a really nice refreshing quality to this salad.
How To Make Vegan Potato Salad
Start by cooking your potatoes and allow them to cool. Ideally, allow the cooked potatoes to chill for one hour (or overnight) in the fridge before tossing them with the dressing.
While your potatoes cook (usually about 8-10 minutes), you can whisk up the dressing. Simply add the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. It's really that simple!
When the potatoes are cold, toss them with the dressing and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. This vegan potato salad keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Recipe Cost
Wondering how this vegan potato salad compares to a traditional potato salad in price? This recipe serves 4-6 and costs me just under $5 Canadian. If you've been following my recipes for awhile you likely know that one of my thrifty tips is to cook chickpeas from scratch! If I use canned chickpeas for this recipe my cost increases by about $1.
If I were to make this potato salad with ½ cup real mayonnaise, the mayo would cost me $0.85. The tahini and pickle juice combination comes in under $0.60.
Replacing the hard boiled eggs with chickpeas also reduces my cost by quite a bit. That means that this vegan potato salad can actually be a little more thrifty than the traditional.
Let me know in the comments below if you try this vegan potato salad and how you like the tahini/pickle juice dressing!
If you're a lover of mayo based salads then you have to try my tofu "egg salad"! If you have some leftover potatoes, try making my vegan home fries. You can even freeze them for a convenient weekend breakfast option!
Print
Creamy Vegan Potato Salad (No Mayo)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4 - 6 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Simple vegan potato salad made creamy without mayonnaise. Quickly whisk together tahini and pickle juice for a rich, flavourful dressing!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby potatoes (baby red or yellow, little fingerling, or new potatoes)*
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup pickle juice (right from your jar)*
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (usually half of a fresh lemon)
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon celery salt (if using celery seed make sure to add some salt)
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1 rib of celery, diced (use some leaves too)*
- ⅛ cup red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp pickles, chopped*
- 1 - 2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped*
- ½ tbsp maple syrup (optional, if needed to balance any bitterness)
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Rinse and scrub your baby potatoes but don’t peel them. Slice them in quarters or in half depending on the size. Add to a medium sized pot, cover with cold water, and add at least 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes or until just fork tender (you don't want them to be mushy so as soon as a fork can pierce the potato, they are done).
- Immediately, drain the potatoes in a colander and rinse them quickly to help them cool down. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature before tossing with the dressing. If the potatoes are too hot the dressing can get a little clumpy. Ideally, refrigerate the potatoes for at least 1 hour or overnight before tossing with the dressing.
- To make the dressing; whisk the tahini, pickle juice, lemon juice, and spices together. Stir in the remaining ingredients and give it a taste. If you find the bitterness of the tahini to be too strong you can balance it out with more salt, lemon juice, or maple syrup as needed.
- Toss the cooled potatoes with the dressing and serve chilled.
- Leftovers keep well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Approximate Cost: $4.85 Canadian using chickpeas I have cooked from dried. If I use canned chickpeas my cost increases to $5.78. Using ½ cup real mayonnaise would cost me about $0.85 while the tahini/pickle juice combo costs me under $0.60. Chickpeas are also a thriftier option to hard boiled eggs!
If you prefer to have a mayonnaise based potato salad, try out my amazing tofu based oil-free mayo! You can use the same seasonings and add in’s that I call for with this recipe and just adjust the lemon juice and level of seasonings to your taste!
I have used the juice from dill pickles both with and without garlic. I haven't tried this recipe with a sweeter variety of pickles like "bread and butter". This recipe will work with any variety of pickles and pickle juice but there may be slight changes in flavour depending on the pickle variety.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Various
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
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