Creamy and zesty elevated potato salad made with roasted potatoes, fresh dill, crunchy veggies, vegan mayonnaise, and lentils!
Take your potato salad to another level with this lemon dill potato salad! It’s lightened up with a bunch of crunchy veggies, vegan mayo, and lentils for extra protein. The potatoes are also roasted instead of just boiled, making them more flavorful and hearty. This elevated plant-based potato salad is perfect for all your spring and summer gatherings!
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes ⟶ Waxy potatoes (like gold, red, and baby potatoes) are better for potato salad since they hold their shape better. Russet potatoes are starchy potatoes and fall apart more easily, so I don’t recommend them for potato salad.
- Lemon and Dill ⟶ The star flavors! Lemon and dill are such a delicious flavor pairing (try them in my Leek and White Bean Stew as well!). When cooking with dill, remove the thick stems and just use the fronds.
- Vegan Mayo ⟶ Because what’s potato salad without a creamy dressing! I use a homemade version made with cashews and silken tofu.
- Crunchy Veggies ⟶ Cucumbers, onions, carrots, and celery add a nice crunchy texture to balance out the creamy components in the salad. I also like adding some cherry tomatoes for color.
Tips for Success
Boil potatoes, then roast ⟶ Boiling the potatoes first ensures they are tender and creamy inside, while roasting crisps the surface, adding textural contrast and preventing the potatoes from falling apart in the salad.
Par-cook carrots and celery ⟶ I find raw carrots and celery to be just a little too crunchy in this salad, so we soften them just a bit by roasting them with the potatoes for the last 5 minutes.
Salt cucumbers ⟶ Cucumbers contain a lot of water which can make your potato salad wet and soggy. So we salt them first to draw out the moisture, then squeeze out excess water from the cucumbers.
Use fresh herbs ⟶ Fresh herbs are much more flavorful compared to dry, so please use fresh dill! I love dill’s earthy flavor paired with zesty lemon and a creamy sauce. I also like to add some fresh parsley when I have it.
Potato Salad FAQ
Is potato salad vegan?
Potato salad is most commonly made with mayonnaise, so it’s not usually vegan. But this recipe is all plant-based and delicious!
Is potato salad gluten-free?
Potato salad is typically gluten-free, as is this recipe!
What can I use instead of lentils?
Cooked chickpeas or white beans would be delicious, especially roasted and flavored with some smoked paprika. Or you can try some chopped vegan bacon pieces or vegan ham. You can also just omit it, but it does add extra protein and makes the salad more filling.
What vegan mayonnaise do you recommend?
I like to use my homemade vegan Japanese mayo. You can also purchase vegan kewpie mayo* or another vegan mayonnaise of choice. I think any kind should work and you can always add more salt/lemon juice/vinegar/sugar to taste.
More Tasty Salads
If you make this lemon dill potato salad, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Lemon Dill Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 500 grams gold potatoes**1, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 celery, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup cooked lentils
- 4 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
- handful of parsley, chopped, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
Quick Pickled Onions
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ lemon, juiced
Crunchy Cucumbers
- 2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
Mayo Dressing
- ⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise**2
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F/215°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Boil potatoes: Add potato cubes to a pot of water with a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Cook until you can easily pierce a potato with a fork, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and let the potatoes dry for about 5 minutes.
- Roast potatoes: Toss potatoes with olive oil and spread out on prepared baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes.
- Par-cook carrots and celery: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and push the potatoes to one side. Add sliced carrots and celery and return to oven for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Make pickled onions: Place thinly sliced onions, salt, and lemon juice in a bowl and toss to coat the onions. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Salt cucumbers: Place thinly sliced cucumbers in a bowl and mix with salt. Set aside for 10 minutes to draw the water out of the cucumbers. Gently squeeze excess water out of the cucumbers.
- Make dressing: Whisk together vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, and mustard.
- Toss salad: In a large mixing bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, lentils, dill, parsley, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, celery, and pickled onions (you can add the pickling liquid as well). Pour dressing over and toss until well combined. Taste and add salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
**Notes
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