Healthy Potato Salad (No Mayo + Vegan)

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Healthy potato salad?! Yup! Instead of mayo and eggs, we’re using a red wine vinegar dressing, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, and spinach to create a flavorful vegan potato salad.

Let’s talk about today’s recipe – a delicious and healthy potato salad! And before you click away thinking that potatoes are too high in carbs or have too many calories, hear me out.

Tri-colored potato salad with shallots and spinach in a white bowl with a purple napkin and gold spoon.

I grew up in a potato loving family. Lots of fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, potato salads, etc. My mom always had a bag of russet potatoes on hand but rarely sweet potatoes, unless you count canned yams for sweet potato casserole. Nowadays I love sweet potatoes and sweet potato fries reign supreme (it’s the sweet and salty combo!!) but I try to skip the fried varieties and make healthier baked or grilled versions to satisfy my cravings.

All that said, I still enjoy regular potatoes on occasion as well.

Yes, Potato Salad is Healthy

Potatoes often get a bad rap in the healthy eating world, but they’re actually a healthy vegetable. They’re high in resistant starch, especially when cooked and cooled (like in this salad). And they’re loaded with potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and fiber. Just don’t forget to eat the skin – that’s where a lot of the nutrients are.

So now that I’ve convinced the potatoes-haters that potatoes are good for us, it’s time to make this salad.

Tri-colored fingerling potato salad with shallots and spinach.

No Mayonnaise or Eggs

This isn’t your traditional southern potato salad with mayo and egg, but trust me when I say it’s really, really good. It only has a few ingredients so it’s simple enough to make as a weeknight side but it’s also delicious enough to bring to a cookout or potluck. Isaac and I both absolutely love it, so it will definitely be a recipe I make time and time again.

I kept this salad on the lighter side by using a vinegar-based dressing and adding spinach (gotta get those green veggies in there). I love the addition of the sun-dried tomatoes as well — they add a little saltiness and a chewy texture that pairs nicely with the texture of the potatoes.

Tri-colored fingerling potato salad with shallots and spinach.

Shallots Instead of Red Onion

I had a big bag of shallots from the farmers market so that’s why I choose to use those instead of red onion or garlic here, but lately I’ve also realized that I prefer shallots to red onion. They lend the same oniony/garlicky flavor but I find them less pungent. I’ve actually heard people say that shallots are a great substitute for onions in recipes for people who don’t like onions. For all my onion haters out there — have you tried shallots yet? Might be a good option!

Of course, if you don’t have access to shallots, feel free to use minced garlic for the dressing and finely chopped red onion for the salad. It should still turn out just fine.

Tri-colored fingerling potato salad with shallots and spinach.

The recipe makes quite a bit so we’ve been eating the salad over the past few days — on its own as a snack, as a side dish with grilled protein or my favorite, as a topping for a big salad. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Make a Meal With This Potato Salad

Here are some main dishes that will go well with this potato salad!

More Potato Salad Recipes

More Healthy Summer Side Salads

Be sure to check out the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!

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5 from 7 votes

Healthy Potato Salad

Instead of mayo and eggs we’re using a red wine vinegar dressing, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots and spinach to create a flavorful vegan potato salad.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients  

  • 1 1/2 pounds small fingerling or new potatoes
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
  • 1/4 cup shallots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
  • 4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chives
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon minced shallots
  • 2 teaspoons whole-grain dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions 

  • Wash potatoes well and place in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 3″. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Once cooled to the touch, cut the potatoes into 1/2” pieces and place in a large bowl with the spinach, shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, chives and parsley.
  • In a small bowl combine the vinegar, minced shallots, mustard, maple syrup salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Pour over the potatoes, toss to coat and serve. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of recipe | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy potato salad
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

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18 Comments

  1. Wonderful recipe. Due to having open heart surgery I omitted the salt. Salt only raises boiling temperature of the water so no harm omitting it there and I made this without the sea salt and it tasted great.

  2. Really love this! What kind of sundried tomato do you recommend – the ones you find in a jar with oil?

  3. 5 stars
    I LOVE this salad!! Made this many times over the summer. I took it to a family reunion and everyone raved about how flavorful it was!

  4. 5 stars
    I looooove this potato salad! Second time I’ve made this. I did make a few changes. I sauteed the shallots with some pre packaged bacon bits with a tsp of olive oil. I don’t like raw onion taste. I tried it with spinach 1st time delicious! This time i didn’t have any this time. Instead i used mixed micro greens. Still amazing! Will make this recipe for years to come! Thanks!

    1. Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Stacey. 🙂 I’m so glad you’ve been loving this potato salad. Thanks for taking the time to come back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it.

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