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Lemon Herb Red Potato Salad is full of tender potatoes and tons of flavor! Made with a delicious oil based lemon herb dressing and no mayo, it’s perfect for summer parties.
Serve this up with some delicious grilled chicken, corn on the cob and a Copycat Olive Garden Salad for a complete meal.
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Lemon Herb Red Potato Salad Recipe
We all have a classic potato recipe in our back pocket but the problem with those recipes is that they typically call for a mayo or sour cream dressing which can make the salad heavy.
My Lemon Herb Potato Salad is light and refreshing, with tangy lemon and fresh herbs for the ultimate outdoor party side dish.
Want something more creamy and less tangy? Try my bacon and Ranch Red Potato Salad or this Southern-style Homemade Potato Salad.
How to Make the Lemon Herb Dressing
There are two methods you can use to make the dressing for this potato salad:
- Whisk the ingredients vigorously in a small bowl until they are well combined.
- Put ingredients in a jar and seal tightly. Then shake, shake, shake until the dressing is well combined. I love my little salad dressing shaker, too!
How to Make Red Potato Salad
For red potato salad, you can cook the potatoes one of two ways. The most common method is to peel and chop, then cook. This helps the potatoes to hold their shape when they are tossed. You can also boil the potatoes whole, then cut then, but this can result in mushy potatoes.
- Boil potatoes in heavily salted water. For flavor, you should treat potatoes the same way you treat pasta – there is not a lot of flavor so they need a good amount salt added to the water. I will usually toss in 2-3 of large pinches. Just eyeball it.
- Cook the red potatoes for 10-15 minutes. The total cooking time will really depend on the size of the chunks that you cut. Try to cut them as evenly as possible so they all cook evenly.
- Lay the potatoes out on a baking sheet to cool and dry. Taste one chunk to see if it has enough salt, then sprinkle with more salt if needed.
- Once cooled, place all of the potato chunks in a large bowl and add some diced onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper, then pour on the dressing and mix gently. The dressing will absorb into the potatoes as they sit.
Can potato salad be made ahead of time?
Absolutely! In fact, the extra time helps the flavors to blend and the the potatoes to soak up more of the flavor. Store your salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 24 hours prior to serving.
How long can it sit out?
Red Potato Salad should not be left out more than a few hours. Even with the oil based dressing, the garlic and herbs are more likely to spoil after 2-3 hours.
What are the best potatoes to use for potato salad?
- Waxy potatoes are the best for potato salad since they have the least amount of starch. Red, new and fingerling potatoes are the most common and readily available. Although we are making red potato salad today, this recipe will work with any of these varieties.
- A close second choice would be the in-between varieties that are still a little starchier than the waxy potatoes but will work for most potato dishes.
- Avoid russets for potato salad – they are super starchy and tend to fall apart when cooked.
More potato recipes you’ll love:
- Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
- Easy Baked Potato Wedges
- Best Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Perfect Baked Potatoes
- Grilled Potatoes Recipe
Lemon Herb Red Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds baby red potatoes scrubbed clean and quartered or cut into evenly sized pieces
- Salt
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 1/3 cup minced onion
Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh chives minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley minced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, but still firm, approximately 10-12 minutes. Lay paper towels on a large baking sheet. Drain the potatoes, then lay them in a single layer on the paper towels to dry (about 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle with salt to season.
- While the potatoes are drying, make the dressing. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. Whisk in the chives, parsley and dill and set aside. (Alternatively you could pulse the dressing ingredients together in a blender or food processor).
- Once the potatoes are cooled to room temperature, place the potatoes, onion and celery into a large bowl, and toss with the dressing until well combined.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended.
