Recipe- Vegan Potato Salad

It’s winter here so it’s been pretty cold, but that hasn’t stopped me from making one of my husband’s favorite side dishes: potato salad. It’s really easy to make a simple and flavorful potato salad, and let me tell you, the eggs are not necessary. Before I was vegan, I would make homemade potato salad and I would hard boil and peel the eggs. Not only did it take forever, but I didn’t even like eggs! I didn’t eat the finished product and it was always for other people. It is simple enough to substitute vegan mayonnaise, but what was I going to do about the eggs? I decided to just leave them out, and it ended up being a hit. I can tell you that nobody has ever asked me, “Why are there no eggs in this potato salad?” Even my dad, who I always make a special batch for with diced onion, has told me he doesn’t miss the eggs. (I feel like that’s the best validation because he loves potato salad.)

My favorite brand of vegan mayonnaise is the “Just” brand. In addition to the mayo, they make various sauces and salad dressings, all of which have been great.

Hellmann’s also has a vegan brand, and while it can be used, I don’t recommend it, strictly because they tried to sue Just for calling their product mayonnaise. They lost, and figured if they couldn’t beat them, join them. There’s more shady stuff that went down. You can read more about it here. But not only do I prefer the taste of Just, I also choose not to support Hellmann’s, if I can help it.

This potato salad has the homestyle flavor without the egg-y taste, and i think that is what sets it apart from the rest!

Ingredients:

Serves approximately 5-7

2.5 pounds potatoes (about 10 med/lg potatoes) peeled, diced, and boiled

1.5 cups vegan mayo

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 stalks celery, finely diced

1 small onion, finely diced (I omit, but if you like onion, definitely include.)

Smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

Peel potatoes and dice them into equal sized pieces. You can dice then by hand, or use a chopper to get them uniform.

This is how I get the potatoes the same size, and save my hands the work.

Cover potatoes with water and set the pot to boil over medium heat.

Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Make sure to not overcook them, or you’ll have to use them for mashed potatoes. About 25-30 minutes is how long I usually let them go. Setting a wooden spoon over your pot will prevent it from boiling over, in case you forget to check it, by the way! Check on the potatoes often to get the best consistency. When you can pierce one with a fork and it slides off, they are ready.

Drain your potatoes and let them completely cool before doing anything else with them.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the vegan mayo, mustard, and spices.

Once potatoes have cooled completely, pour them into the mayonnaise mixture and stir well.

Add diced celery and onion.

Taste, adding more salt and pepper, if needed. You can serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for a few hours. Top with a little smoked paprika, if desired.