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I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach, gluten-free recipe creator, and home detoxification expert with a focus on gut health. I show burned-out women with digestive issues how to take a proactive, holistic approach to healing by sharing nutrient-dense recipes, and sustainable lifestyle tips that are easy to implement in everyday life.
Need a healthy potato salad for your next summer picnic or family barbecue? Look no further! This recipe is a simple and delicious remix of the classic, featuring hard-cooked eggs, relish, dill, and avocado oil mayo.
Crafted with high-quality ingredients and satisfying flavors, this healthy potato salad recipe will quickly become your go-to summer side dish.
Potato salad recipes are as numerous and varied as the families that make them. One bite can conjure fond memories of family reunions and camping adventures. However, traditional recipes often contain many hidden inflammatory ingredients that harm gut health.
4 reasons that make this a healthy potato salad recipe:
1. No Inflammatory Oils
The big mayo brands use soybean or canola oil in their products. Both are highly inflammatory and almost guaranteed to be genetically modified. They also contain artificial preservatives and thickeners that can irritate the gut lining.
I use avocado oil mayo in this recipe. It’s creamy and delicious without harmful ingredients. See my favorite brands in the ingredients section below.
2. Dairy Free
Some recipes call for dairy products such as sour cream. If you choose not to consume dairy due to an intolerance or lifestyle choice, rest assured, my healthy potato salad recipe is completely dairy-free.
3. No Added Sugar
Sugar is another common ingredient in potato salad that’s unnecessary. As long as the mayo and relish brands you choose don’t have added sugar as an ingredient, the recipe remains free of added sugar. The less sugar you consume, the better your long-term health.
4. Resistant Starch for Gut Microbes
The starchy carbohydrates in potatoes convert to resistant starch once cooked and fully cooled. I know, it’s a cool trick (pun intended).
Resistant starches resist digestion in the small intestine. Instead, they act like fiber and become prebiotics for the beneficial bacteria in your large intestine.
In addition to slowing down the rise of blood sugar, this acts like fertilizer for your beneficial gut microbes.
Healthy Potato Salad Ingredients
New potatoes – I like red new potatoes for this recipe, but any small potatoes will work. Organic is preferred. Check your local farmers market for no-spray options.
Eggs – This recipe uses 4 hard-cooked eggs. You can cook them the day of or a day or two before to save time assembling. Look for organic, pasture-raised eggs for the best quality and flavor.
Celery – A little celery adds a satisfying crunch to this potato salad recipe. Use the stalks and the leafy tops. Celery is often featured on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen List, so organic is the healthiest choice if that’s available.
Red onion – A little red onion brings just enough flavor, but raw onions can be hard to tolerate for some people. See my tip below for a workaround. Alternatively, a sweet onion or a shallot would do well here too.
Avocado oil mayo – This is the key to avoiding inflammatory oils. Primal Kitchen, Chosen Foods, and Sir Kensington’s are three brands that are easy to find. I order Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo from Thrive Market for a great price. [Enjoy 40% off your first box with my partner link]
Kosher dill relish – A heaping tablespoon adds mild acidity to this recipe. Find a relish that doesn’t contain added sugar, artificial colors, or preservatives. I like Bubbies because it’s naturally fermented (and generally great for gut health). Look for it in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
Dried dill – This fragrant herb adds a lovely flavor and supports a healthy gut. I find dried dill easier to work with, but you can use fresh. You’ll need 1 tablespoon dried or 3 tablespoons fresh.
Fresh chives – Chives add another layer of flavor without making the potato salad too oniony. Just a tablespoon sprinkled throughout is enough. Chives are easy to grow in a pot to use in your cooking all year.
How to Make Healthy Potato Salad
Hard Cook the Eggs:
Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let rest for 8 minutes.
Drain and immediately drop the eggs into a small bowl of ice water, letting them sit for 5 minutes before peeling.
To peel, whack them on the counter, short sides first, then roll them until sufficiently cracked. Rinse off any shell fragments and chop.
Boil the Potatoes:
Place the quartered potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a rolling boil.
Cook until easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, and let them drip dry for a few minutes before placing them in a large glass mixing bowl.
Combine the Potato Salad Ingredients:
Add all the ingredients in a large glass mixing bowl and gently stir until well combined.
Refrigerate for 1 hour, uncovered until completely cool. Then cover until ready to serve. Enjoy your healthy potato salad nice and cold.
Storage:
Store covered leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Recipe Tips
Anytime I make a batch of this healthy potato salad, I use these additional preparation methods for the best flavor and texture. Experiment to see what works for you.
Soak the Cut Potatoes:
Before boiling, soak the cut potatoes in cold water to reduce their starch levels. It helps to do this while you’re prepping everything else. This results in a cleaner, less sticky texture.
Mellow the Red Onions:
Raw onions can be overpowering, but there’s a trick to taming the sharpness. Once finely chopped, soak them in cold water for about 10 minutes. Drain them thoroughly before adding them to the potato salad.
Avoid Watery Potato Salad:
After rinsing the cooked potatoes (and/or red onions), let them drip dry for a few minutes. This prevents excess water from making the potato salad runny. Additionally, ensure the salad cools completely before covering it to avoid steam-induced condensation.
Meal Prep:
Save time by preparing the eggs a day or two ahead. This makes the assembly process quicker on the day of serving.
The Perfect Summer Dish for Every Occasion
This healthy potato salad is a tasty and nourishing addition to any summer meal. Whether you’re meal-prepping for a busy week or looking for an easy recipe to make at the beach, this potato salad is a yummy solution.
Not only does cooking with high-quality ingredients make your food taste better, but more importantly, your body feels better!
Enjoy the texture of creamy potatoes and crunchy celery, while the scent of the herbs transports you back to barefoot summers. This healthy potato salad recipe is sure to become a seasonal favorite.
Try this healthy potato salad recipe for your next summer cookout. With only 8 ingredients, this simple side dish can easily be made ahead and keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.
Ingredients
Scale
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, quartered
4hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cupcelery, sliced (from 1 large stalk + green leafy tops)
1/4 cupred onion, finely chopped
1/4 cupsoy-free mayo (such as Primal Kitchen)
1 heaping tablespoon of kosher dill relish (such as Bubbies)
1. Hard Cook the Eggs: Place the eggs in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let rest for 8 minutes. Drain and immediately drop the eggs into a bowl of ice water, letting them sit for 5 minutes before peeling.
To peel, tap them on the counter on the short sides first, then roll them until cracked all around. Rinse off any shell fragments and chop.
2. Boil the Potatoes: Place the quartered potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a rolling boil. Cook until easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, and let them drip dry for a few minutes.
3. Combine the Potato Salad Ingredients: Combine all the ingredients in a large glass mixing bowl and gently stir until well combined. Refrigerate for 1 hour, uncovered until completely cool. Then cover until ready to serve.
4. Storage: Store covered leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Notes
These optional steps yield the best flavor and texture:
Soak the cut potatoes in cold water before cooking for a smoother, less sticky texture.
Soak the chopped red onions in cold water for 10 minutes to mellow their sharp flavor.
If soaking potatoes and/or onions let them drip dry for a few minutes to prevent a runny potato salad.
Cool the salad completely before covering it to avoid steam-induced condensation.
Eggs can be prepared a day or two in advance to save time assembling.
