In Germany, there are roughly two ways of making a classic potato salad. The Southern German version is based on stock (broth) and oil, while the Northern German one is based on mayonnaise. We are making a Northern German potato salad here, but giving it a bit of a health boost.
Even though vegan mayonnaise is easy to find almost everywhere these days, we are leaving it out in this recipe to reduce the fat content and keep the dish completely oil free. And yes, it will still taste like mayonnaise even without any mayonnaise at all.
If you want to stay a bit closer to the original Northern German recipe, you can simply replace half of the yoghurt with vegan mayonnaise. That being said, the original recipe does not include any parsley or rocket either. Those are my personal additions after I found them to be a perfect flavour match.
Vegan Potato Salad without Oil and Sugar
While I don’t usually dive into recipes on the Vegan Intelligence website, I do make exceptions for dishes I genuinely care about and that are surprisingly hard to find online, especially in a more health-optimised version.
And most importantly, I will spare you all the blabla about how my great-grandmother dug up her first potato at 14 and had a brilliant idea and all that. So let’s get straight to the point with this vegan potato salad without oil and without sugar.
Ingredients
1.5 kg potatoes (waxy potatoes UK / Yukon Gold or red potatoes US)
2 medium red onions (approx. 150 g)
1 medium carrot (approx. 80 g)
400 g vegan yogurt (plain, unsweetened)
2 heaped tbsp mustard (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
450 g gherkins, dill pickles or cornichons (check for added sugar)
50 g rocket (UK) / arugula (US), fresh
30 g parsley, fresh
1 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp vegetable stock powder (UK) / vegetable broth powder (US), check for sugar and oil
Optional: a little paprika powder (mild or hot)
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes whole or halved, depending on their size, with the skin on in plain water (no salt), until they are firm but cooked through
- Let them cool down
- Dissolve the vegetable stock powder in a cup with hot water and let it cool slightly if needed
- In a large bowl, mix the vegan yogurt, mustard and the prepared vegetable stock
- Finely chop the rocket/arugula and parsley, add them to the bowl and mix
- Finely chop the onions and add them
- Finely chop or grate the carrot, add it and mix again
- Cut the pickles into quarters lengthwise, then dice them into small cubes and add them to the bowl
- Add the white pepper and optional paprika, then mix again
- Cut the potatoes into cubes (you can peel them beforehand if you prefer) and add them to the bowl
- Gently mix everything together using a large spoon or spatula, making sure not to crush or break the potatoes
- Place the finished potato salad in the fridge and let it sit for at least 3 hours, as the flavour improves significantly over time
- Serve cold
Calories and Nutritional Information*
*The values are based on the pro version of an online calorie and nutrition calculator. Spices (pepper, paprika and vegetable stock) have not been included.
