This easy, no mayo potato salad starts with mini potatoes simply dressed in a lemon, garlic and mustard dressing. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

lemon potato salad in bowl

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Why I love this lemon potato salad

  • Potato salad is synonymous with Summer, so I like to have a few great potato salad recipes in my pocket, to get me through. This Lemon Potato Salad is one of my favourite “no mayo” potato salads.
  • This lemon and garlic flavours of this one pair perfectly with grilled meat and particularly with anything Greek or Mediterranean-inspired.
  • This is also a super easy salad to put together and doesn’t need to be made super far ahead to enjoy for dinner. In fact, you might even enjoy this one warm. I prefer it just slightly cool myself, so I take it out of the fridge a little ahead, so it’s not too cold. I think the flavours are best when it’s not so cold.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Potatoes: I love mini potatoes for this kind of salad. Look for a mini potatoes that are roughly the same size, so they cook evenly. Red or white mini potatoes are great. You can also use regular white or red potatoes and cut them into bite-sized chunks before boiling.

Lemon: Since you need both zest and juice, you’ll want to start with at least one fresh lemon here.

Olive Oil: As this dressing has just a few ingredients, use your best extra virgin olive oil here, for best results. You can substitute any neutral-tasting oil here, if you prefer.

Mustard: I love this one with regular Dijon, but you could also use a grainy type mustard, if you prefer.

Chives: As noted in the recipe card, you can use finely diced green onion instead of chives.

Recipe Tips

    • Be sure to test your potatoes regularly as they are boiling with a sharp knife, to avoid over-cooking. Cook until the point of the knife passed through the potato without resistance.
    • No need for a mortar and pestle to crush the clove of garlic. Simply turn a wooden spoon upside down and use that to crush the garlic.
    • Unless you are serving this salad warm, add the chives or green onion to the cooled salad before serving, to keep their nice green colour.
    • Despite the garlic/salt paste added to the salad dressing, you may find the salad needs a touch more salt to serve. Taste and add, as needed.
    • We enjoyed this salad warm, so my chives lost their colour. To add a little green, I garnished my salad with some pea sprouts, for a little colour. I haven’t included them as an ingredient, but I always enjoy sprouts in a potato salad like this, if you have some and would like to add some in.

    lemon potato salad in white bowl

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    lemon potato salad in bowl

    Get the Recipe: Lemon Potato Salad

    Mini potatoes, dressed in a simple, lemon, garlic, olive oil and mustard dressing. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.
    5 stars from 5 ratings
    Print Recipe Pin This Leave a Review
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Yield: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 lbs. mini potatoes, red or white
    • 1 clove garlic, mashed
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • Zest from 1 lemon
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice, from about 1 large lemon
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • Chopped chives, or green onion

    Instructions
     

    • Halve potatoes and place in a large pot of cold water, covering the potatoes by at least a couple of inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then continue boiling until potatoes are just tender.
    • While potatoes are boiling, crush the garlic clove in a small bowl together with the 1 tsp salt until it forms a paste. Zest lemon, then juice the lemon and measure out the 4 Tbsp. Add the zest and 4 Tbsp lemon juice to the garlic paste, then add the olive oil, mustard and some freshly ground pepper. Whisk well to combine.
    • When potatoes are cooked, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Immediately pour dressing on top while the potatoes are still hot and toss to combine. *There may be a pool of extra dressing at the bottom, but not to worry. It will be absorbed by the potatoes as they cool. Allow to stand at room temperature until the potatoes stop steaming. You can serve this salad warm, or cover and refrigerate. If refrigerating, remove from the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving to allow it to warm slightly, as the flavours are best when it isn't too cold. Toss with chopped chives or green onion before serving.

    Notes

    Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, where I share more detailed tips, variations and substitution suggestions for this recipe!
    Cuisine: American, Canadian
    Course: Side Dish
    Author: Jennifer Maloney
    Serving: 1serving, Calories: 151kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 408mg, Potassium: 478mg, Fiber: 2g, Vitamin C: 16.9mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 3.7mg
    Tried this recipe?Leaving a review is always helpful and appreciated by fellow cooks!

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Classic Creamy Potato Salad

Grilled Potato Salad