This Healthy Potato Salad recipe is creamy, flavorful and low fat! Yet it has classic potato salad taste we all crave and is a summer must-cook.

Our other potluck favorites include this low carb cauliflower potato salad, Instant Pot potato salad and Olivier salad.

Healthy potato salad served in blue bowl.

Healthy potato salad recipe with diced pickles, red onion, fresh dill (of course!) and a creamy dressing consisting of yogurt, a bit of mayo, mustard and vinegar.

So good cold, especially if you pair it with Instant Pot ribs, turkey burgers or slow cooker pulled pork and Instant Pot corn on the cob on a side, this meal is heavenly!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

  • Healthy: Compared to a serving of traditional potato salad that runs at 530 calories, this healthy potato salad recipe is only 232 calories.
  • Simple ingredients: Ingredients you can find at any grocery store, like you would buy for a regular potato salad.
  • Classic taste: Tangy, creamy, crunchy and with hard boiled eggs! This side dish is a crowd pleaser despite being a healthier potato salad.
  • Make ahead: This salad tastes even better next day.

Ingredients for Healthy Potato Salad

These are default healthy potato salad recipe ingredients but they can vary on your taste and ingredients on hand. See below for variations and substitutions.

  • Potatoes: Best potatoes for a potato salad are Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes or baby potatoes. Leave russet potatoes for healthier mashed potatoes.
  • Eggs: I use 3 large eggs but occasionally I add 5 eggs because I love hard boiled eggs in a salad!
  • Pickles: Dill pickles vs. sweet pickles are my favorite. You can also use chopped sauerkraut or seeded fresh cucumber.
  • Yogurt: Plain yogurt or Greek yogurt with fat content of at least 2% is the best. 0% or non-fat yogurt tastes chalky but can be used.
  • Mayo: I am using mayonnaise made with avocado oil. There are many healthier mayonnaise options available on the market today like mayo made with olive oil, Vegenaise, or any organic and natural brand.
  • Fresh herbs: I use fresh dill but fresh parsley will be great too.
  • Red onion: Red onion is more mild and sweeter than yellow onion.
  • Vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper: For tang and taste!

How to Make Healthy Potato Salad

Here is a quick overview how to make the best healthy potato salad that is also lower in fat and calories. Full recipe card is located below.

Potatoes and eggs in a pot with water cooking on the stove.

Cook potatoes and hard boil eggs together on the stove: Combine potatoes and eggs in a medium pot with enough cold water to cover them, place the lid on top and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook for 7 minutes.

Hard boiled eggs cooling off in a bowl with ice water.

Cool eggs and potatoes: Remove eggs and place them in a bowl with cold water and ice, so they stop cooking.

Keep cooking potatoes until fork tender. Then drain and let them cool for 20 minutes or so. Adding potatoes that are too warm could result in watery potato salad!

Cooked baby potatoes, eggs, cucumber, red onion, mayo, yogurt, mustard, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, add cooled and chopped potatoes and hard boiled eggs. Then add pickles, red onion, dill, mustard, vinegar, yogurt, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.

Healthy potato salad served in a glass bowl with a spoon.

Chill the salad: Stir healthy potato salad gently until well mixed together. Then place in refrigerator and chill for 3 hours or overnight.

What Are the Best Potatoes for a Potato Salad?

The best potatoes for a potato salad are waxy potatoes with thin skin like red potatoes, yellow potatoes, yukon gold potatoes or baby potatoes. You can also use new potatoes or fingerlings. They are less starchy and hold their shape better in a salad.

However, if you like more mushy potato salad feel free to use the russet potatoes. They are traditionally used for Instant Pot mashed potatoes because there are starchy potatoes and turn out very creamy.

If you really want to you can even use sweet potatoes to make a very healthy potato salad!

Substitutions and Variations

Here are a few ideas how to make this healthy potato salad your own based on your personal taste and ingredients you have on hand.

  • If you do not have pickled ingredients: Add diced fresh cucumber or radishes. Just like pickled veggies add crunch and flavor, so do fresh vegetables, just a different one. Make sure to seed the cucumber with a teaspoon to prevent watery potato salad.
  • Capers: Substitute pickles or sauerkraut with capers and a bit of fresh lemon juice.
  • Add celery: I think celery is a personal taste. I add it to my healthy potato salad if I am in the mood for it but mostly I save it for this healthy tuna salad recipe.
  • Green onion or white onion will work great in place of red onion.
  • Mustard: Potato salad is like a hot dog, classic American food made with yellow mustard. If you are out, Dijon mustard works and makes it a fancy potato salad.
  • Vinegar: I would highly recommend to stick to traditional white vinegar. Next best contender is white wine vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has distinct taste and can be used if you have to. And if pickle juice is all you have, go for it.
  • Add crumbled baked bacon for an earthy bite. This is when I would be also adding sour cream, chives and cheddar cheese. A loaded potato salad which may result in using the term “healthy” loosely but I think life is about balance!
Closeup of healthy potato salad in creamy dressing with yogurt and fresh dill.

Tips for Best Results

Here are my top tips for the best healthy potato salad recipe! It is mostly advice about the potatoes.

  • Do not salt cooking water: Add potatoes to a pot with cold water to cook. And do not add salt. As soon as salt touches food, it starts leaking moisture. This tip helps to prevent dry potato salad.
  • On the stove, cook potatoes and eggs together: All you have to do is remove eggs after 5 minutes and place in an ice bath. Keep cooking potatoes for another 10-20 minutes depending on their size. Saves a lot of time and another pot to wash.
  • Add vinegar while potatoes are cooling and toss them around: Acid penetrates into the flesh of potatoes adding that punch of flavor we all crave even with a healthy potato salad. I do so, if I remember.
  • Let potatoes cool almost completely before mixing with mayo and yogurt to get rid of moisture completely. My grandma always cooled her cooked potatoes outside.
  • To hard boil eggs separately: If you have leftover potatoes to use or for some reason you want to coo keggs separately, here are tutorials how to hard boil eggs on the stove, prep hard boiled eggs in Instant Pot or make air fryer hard boiled eggs.

FAQs

Is potato salad healthy?

According to Healthline, potatoes  contain a lot of potassium (especially skin and right underneath), vitamin C, vitamin B and fiber. Potatoes help reduce inflammation, treat kidney stones and diarrhea, and prevent heart disease.

In addition this healthy potato salad is low fat. Compared to a classic potato salad at 530 calories, this lighter potato salad contains only 232 calories.

Can I make this healthy potato salad recipe without mayo?

This recipe calls for a touch of mayo for authentic taste. If you want to skip the mayonnaise completely, you can use only yogurt to dress this potato salad. Some readers have added a touch of avocado oil with the yogurt for more rich and creamy taste, yet healthier.

Do I have to peel the potatoes for a potato salad?

Cook potatoes for a potato salad whole and unpeeled. This makes potatoes less watery.

Can I leave the skin on on boiled potatoes?

It is a personal preference. We use potatoes with thin skin to make this potato salad recipe. I leave the skin on for less mushy with more nutrients potato salad.

Serving Recommendations

Serve healthy potato salad cold as a healthy side dish! The following recipes go well with it for a complete summer BBQ:

Can I Make Potato Salad Ahead?

First of all, I highly recommend to make this healthy potato salad in advance and let it rest for best taste! It is super important to refrigerate it for 3 hours or overnight to allow flavor to build on. That’s when all ingredients penetrate each other.

This is what makes this potato salad a superb make ahead and leftover salad. Either way, you can store it covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days before or after making it. Like borscht soup, it tastes even better next day.

I do not recommend to freeze it as potatoes do not freeze and thaw well. Their texture is very unpleasant upon thawing.

More Healthy Salad Recipes to Try

52 healthy salad recipes to try this year because they are better than any restaurant.

Healthy potato salad recipe served in a blue bowl with wooden spoon.
Healthy potato salad recipe in a bowl.

Healthy Potato Salad

This Healthy Potato Salad recipe is creamy, flavorful and low fat! Yet it has classic potato salad taste with only 232 calories!
5 from 36 votes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 232
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • To cook potatoes and eggs on the stove: In a medium pot, add potatoes, eggs and enough cold water to cover. Place lid on top and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for 7 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon into a bowl with cold water. Keep cooking potatoes more depending on size: baby – extra 10 mins, medium – 20 mins, large – 25 mins. Or until fork tender.
  • To cook potatoes in Instant Pot: 
    To 6 or 8 quart
    Instant Pot, add 1 cup cold water, basket or trivet and place potatoes on top. Cook on High Pressure with
    Quick Release: baby potatoes – 10 mins, medium 12 mins, large – 15 mins. Then you will have to make
    Instant Pot eggs separately or boil them on the stove for 7 minutes.
  • Drain potatoes and let cool for 20 minutes uncovered.
  • Meanwhile, prep and add to a large salad bowl: pickles, red onion, dill, mustard, vinegar, yogurt, mayo, salt and pepper. Chop the eggs and add to the bowl.
  • Cut potatoes into desired size pieces, some like chunky potato salad cut into 2 inch cubes and some more mushy, diced potatoes. Add to the bowl and gently stir salad with large spoon.
  • Chill potato salad for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving. Serve cold with Instant Pot corn on the cob, grilled chicken breast or healthy turkey burgers.

Notes

  • Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.
  • I used avocado oil mayo. 0% yogurt will lack flavor, so use at least 2% fat yogurt.
  • If using fresh cucumber, remove seeds with a teaspoon.
  • If using sauerkraut, chop it coarsely.
  • Dijon mustard will work and any mustard I use is wet, from a bottle.
  • You can also add diced celery or crumbled bacon.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cup | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 526mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g
Course: Salad
Cuisine: North American
Author: Olena Osipov
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!

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About Olena

Welcome! I grew up in Ukraine watching my grandma cook with simple ingredients. I have spent the last 11 years making it my mission to help you cook quick and easy meals for your family!

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Comments

  1. Planning on making this week- I’ve been craving capers however, do you think this would be fine subbing capers for pickles/sauerkraut and sprinkling in some lemon juice?

      1. 5 stars
        I’ve been meaning to follow up on this! I made this with the capers and lemon juice and it was out of this world. I used avocado Mayo, Dijon mustard and omitted the onion (it had gone bad), 2 tbsp of capers and a tbsp of the brine, fresh dill, some diced celery, and the juice of half a lemon. I ate a quarter of it before it even made it to the fridge. It was exactly what I was looking for. I will absolutely make again!!

  2. 5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe, it was good. Amusingly, my husband said it tasted like sauce from McDonald’s because of the pickle flavour.

  3. 5 stars
    I agree with Serena’s comment about it not tasting low calorie. My husband who is very picky really liked it.

  4. 5 stars
    Was so good to find a lower calorie recipe without it tasting lower calorie. Plus the pickles really took it to next level (never thought to do that)

  5. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this beautiful potato salad recipe. My husband & I tried it & it’s so so good! I’m taking some to a Christmas lunch party tomorrow. If we can keep our hands off it. I will try the cauliflower salad next

  6. 5 stars
    I didn’t have mayonnaise so I just left it out, but added one tbsp of avocado oil to the yogurt instead. I used baby potatoes with skin, a little sauerkraut and small chopped pickles. It was delicious! Thanks so much. I will definitely make this again and may try with red potatoes next time!

  7. 5 stars
    Hello,
    I made your healthy potato salad. Your attention to detail was amazing-advice I’ve never heard such as “don’t salt the potato water.
    In your notes you said, ” Add vinegar to the potatoes while they are cooling. The acid will penetrate the flesh. The potato still had the skin on so will the acid penetrate it? How much vinegar?
    We are looking forward to trying sauerkraut next. We like any kind of recipe that doesn’t pack the calories on .

5 from 36 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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