Summertime is rolling in and it’s time to slide out the summer plates – even if it’s done with social distancing.
Vegan potato salad is the perfect side dish that is made up of easy-to-find, affordable ingredients.
But, it doesn’t have to be just a summer dish. My abuela makes her top-secret potato salad recipe during the winter holidays (I am still trying to figure out her secret ingredient!)
More Summer Recipes:
All you need in this recipe are potatoes, raw cashews, onion, bell peppers, garlic powder, mustard powder, and smoked paprika. Just seven ingredients and prepared with everyday cooking equipment.
If you cannot find raw cashews at your local grocery store, you can purchase them online.
Vegan Potato Salad Recipe Tips
- Chill the potato salad for at least a few hours or overnight. Better yet, it’s tastier the next day. You want this potato salad to be cold, not lukewarm.
- Dice the onions and bell peppers into small pieces. We want to evenly distribute the pieces for a consistent bite throughout the potato salad.
- Simmer the potatoes in salted water. The potatoes will soak up some of the salt, yielding a more flavorful vegan potato salad recipe.
What To Serve With Potato Salad
- Mac And Cheese
- Vegan Avocado “Chicken” Salad
- Black Bean Tofu Burger
- Puerto Rican-Style Beans
- Veggie Hotdogs
- Grilled Veggies
- Corn On The Cob
- Veggie Sausages
- Cauliflower Wings
What Type Of Potato To Use For Potato Salad Recipe
The truth is that you can use just about any potato variety you prefer to use or have on hand. I have tried this recipe with both russet and red potatoes – both work just fine.
Although, you might find that different potatoes will yield a different texture of potato salad.
For example, russet potatoes are very starchy and will breakdown easier. Which means russet potatoes will yield a mushier potato salad.
Waxy potatoes, for example, red potatoes will retain their shape during the boiling and salad mixing steps. Other waxy potatoes types include Yukon gold, fingerling, and round white potatoes.
So if you’re going for more of a mashed potato salad – go for a high-starch potato. If you want a more solid potato salad – go for waxy potatoes.
Potato Skin Off Or On
For most recipes, I leave potato skins on. They add flavor, nutrients, and I am minimizing food waste when I use the entire potato.
Also, when you opt to keep the skin on, you’re eliminating a prepping step – which is always a nice thing.
However, this is also up to you. You can either leave the potato skins on or peel them off.
Secret To Creamy, Vegan Potato Salad Recipe
This vegan potato salad recipe is 100% dairy-free and mayo-free. So, what’s the secret to a creamy plant-based potato salad? Cashews.
Undoubtedly, we need a source of fat to create a creamy potato salad. Instead of using mayo, we’re using boiled raw and unsalted cashews.
When boiled, cashews become tender and become easier to blend into a creamy mayo-free sauce.
Keep in mind: it’s important to use raw cashews. Roasted cashews cannot be used in this recipe – it’ll yield a bitter, chunky sauce that will ruin the dish.
I promise – this is a step you do not want to modify.
How To Chill Potato Salad
Once you’re done preparing the potato salad, carefully scoop it into an airtight container or reusable silicone bag.
By the way, if you’re looking to reduce plastic waste, but want to store any food in a bag, a reusable silicone bag is a great option. It can be reused many times over and has a strong seal to prevent any leaking.
Chill the potato salad for a few hours before serving. Additionally, potato salad may be stored in the refrigerator for up to3-4 days in a covered container, according to foodsafety.org.
Freezing Potato Salad
It is not recommended to freeze potato salad, as it loses its texture and may become mushy. So, grab those forks and plates and serve yourself a vegan potato salad side once prepared and chilled.
Optional Ingredients To Add To Vegan Potato Salad
If you want to bring your vegan potato salad to the next level, consider topping it off with homemade meatless mushroom bacon made from king oyster mushrooms.
Mushroom bacon is a great addition to just about anything savory, however, it’s optional and can be skipped entirely.
Vegan Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- Water for boiling
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 1/3 cup reserved cashew water
- 2 red potatoes cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the cashews and boil for 10 minutes.
- Once cashews are done boiling, drain and reserve the cashew water – about 3/4 cup worth. Set aside cashews and reserved cashew water separately.
- Add potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large pot or saucepan. Cover potatoes by an inch with room-temperature water. Bring water to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the temperature. Water should be at a soft boil or simmer
- Soft boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Once done, drain and set aside potatoes.
- Add cashews, mustard powder, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 cup of reserved cashew water to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- In a large bowl, fold together the cashew sauce with the potatoes, onion, and green bell pepper. Transfer to a container and chill for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight.
Notes
- Feel free to use whatever type of potato you prefer or have on hand.
- You’ll 100% need to buy cashews that are both raw and unsalted.
- If you can’t find smoked paprika, regular paprika will do.
Did you try out this Vegan Potato Salad Recipe?
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