This is the best dang vegan potato salad, period. It’s ultra creamy with a flavorful mayo-mustard-sweet pickle dressing, “eggy” tofu and fresh dill! No one would ever guess it’s 100% vegan.
This old fashioned potato salad is the perfect dish to bring to a potluck. It’s creamy with the right amount of crunch and so flavorful thanks to a mayo-mustard-relish dressing PLUS fresh dill.
Similar to my Vegan Egg Salad, we are adding sliced and chopped tofu to mimic hard boiled eggs. Mixed in with the incredibly tasty dressing, it’s difficult to detect there are no eggs in the salad!
Of course you can leave out the tofu if you’d like, it’s still the most delicious potato salad you’ll ever eat!
I’ll share a few tips and tricks that will bring your potato salad from good to great in no time.
How to make vegan potato salad
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Once you have peeled and chopped your potatoes, vegetables and tofu, it’s easy to throw this salad together.
- Boil the diced potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until fork tender. Drain, then add to a large bowl.
- Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl: vegan mayo, sweet pickle relish, mustard, apple cider vinegar, celery seeds and paprika.
- Whisk dressing ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
- To the large bowl with the cooked potatoes (still warm), add the dressing, sliced and chopped tofu and vegetables.
Mix everything together until the potatoes are coated. Add salt + pepper to taste, then cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.
Chilling the vegan potato salad overnight is even better, so the flavors have time to mingle and it gets really chilled!
Tips & substitutions
- Peel and dice the potatoes small for the best texture and taste. 1/2-1 inch pieces are best. When you mix everything together, some of the potatoes get a little mashed, adding to the creaminess of the dish.
- Vegan mayo – I used Vegenaise brand here, but I also like my homemade cashew based Vegan Mayo. The homemade version is oil free. Make sure you like the taste of whichever kind you choose.
- May use dill relish instead of sweet, but I very much prefer sweet pickle relish here!
- May add or substitute vegetables depending on what you like. Consider adding some diced red bell pepper, chopped red onion or sweet onion, or even green peas.
What to serve with vegan potato salad
- The Best Vegan Baked Beans
- BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork
- Best Veggie Burgers
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters
- Vegan Cornbread
- Vegan Coleslaw
Best Vegan Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 5 pounds yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped small (1/2-1 inch)
- 14- ounce block extra-firm tofu
- 1 1/2 cups vegan mayo
- 1 cup sweet pickle relish
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
Cook the potatoes
- Add the chopped potatoes to a large pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes in a colander.
Press and slice tofu
- Meanwhile, press the tofu by wrapping in paper towels (or a clean dry tea towel.) Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books or cast iron pan on top of that. Let the tofu press for about 20 minutes.
- Once the tofu is pressed, slice the block into thin strips, then slice thinly the other way. Chop into even smaller pieces and set aside.
Make the dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegan mayo, pickle relish, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, celery seeds and paprika. Set aside.
Put it all together
- Place the cooked and drained potatoes in a large bowl, while still warm. Add the chopped celery, green onions, dill, tofu and dressing to the potatoes, and stir gently to mix until the potatoes are coated. Add salt + pepper to taste.
- Cover the potato salad and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours if possible before serving. Overnight is even better! It will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
I’ve made this several times and it’s always such a hit! My husband requested it specifically for 4th of July and I can’t believe I’m just now remembering to review this recipe. So easy, and the tofu addition is a stroke of genius. Nora is amazing and finding her website has changed my life. I’m not even kidding, I went from ordering take out almost daily to cooking everyday and this website was a major part of that transformation.
Hi Sonya. Your kind words mean so much to me. I’m so happy that my recipes have helped you! Once I found food that tasted good to me, I began to enjoy cooking as well! I love creating easy and delicious recipes! Thank you for your positive feedback – it’s very encouraging to me! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Amazing recipe. I made it exactly as is and I loved it. I’d maybe leave the tofu out next time or add a bit of black salt to it beforehand to give it a taste other than raw tofu, but awesome. It fed a table full of non-vegans and got rave reviews.
Thank you for sharing your great review! I’m so glad you loved the potato salad! You can certainly leave the tofu out, it will still be delicious! Wishing you happy cooking!
I can’t eat tofu. Is there something else I can use?
Yes, you can replace it with chickpeas, white beans, or just leave it out if you want.
Made this to take to a friends BBQ last night (non-vegans) and it was a hit with everyone, including the kiddos! Creamy, yummy and so easy to prepare. Hands down best potato salad there is. Thank you 🙂
I’m glad the potato salad was a hit! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback, Alli!
Oh my good gracious! Potato salad has been one huge food I miss from the non vegan diet. This was incredibly easy and so delicious. Thank you ?
I’m so glad you loved it, Sami! Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful review and comments!
I tested this recipe today to see if it passes the test for an appearance at our 4th of July party – it’s delicious and has definitely earned a spot on our buffet table! Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Kelly! Thanks! I think this is a perfect salad for the 4th! I appreciate you sharing your review and comments!
Crazy delicious potato salad. I made this yesterday for our family Memorial Day BBQ. It was simply the best potato salad I have ever made. The whole family loved it. I followed the directions to a T, but we’re not a “sweet pickle relish” type of family, so I swapped that for dill relish and it was perfect. I have tried many of Nora’s recipes and have loved every single one of them. They’re easy to follow and taste and best of all very satisfying.
I’ve also purchased both of Nora’s eRecipe books (Vegan Family Dinners and 80 Best Vegan Recipes) and they are definitely my go-to books for cooking. I would highly recommend both of them. And, I just finished up a little bowl of leftover potato salad today for lunch. Twice as yummy the next day. Next time, will try and make the day before.
Hi McKay! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful review and comments! I appreciate it so much! I’m glad you loved the potato salad! It’s great to read that you are enjoying my eRecipe books! Happy cooking!
Hi Nora,
I have a heck of a time locating extra-firm tofu these days with my click and collect orders. Do you think firm tofu would be sufficient, or would it make it mushy and gross?
Thanks!
Firm tofu would be just fine here I think! Hope you enjoy it!
Wonderful recipe and definitely better the next day. The raw tofu is inspirational, really do look /feel like eggs. Instead of the relish, I added chopped pickled cucumbers and dill. Also added a few capers. Definitely for keeps. Thanks Nora!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your great review! I’m glad you love the potato salad!
That looks great- I never thought about adding tofu pieces to potato salad. It would mimic “eggs”. I will definitely try and maybe add a bit of black salt to the tofu before I’d add it to really give it the “eggy” flavor. Thank you for the recipe ?
I know, right? I hadn’t either until the idea suddenly came to me! It’s really good plus adds some protein to the dish. 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
First of all, I adore all of Nora’s recipes… And secondly this is definitely a keeper!! I did indeed add black salt and a pinch of tumeric to the tofu and holy moly, it kicked it up to next level! I had to stop myself from “testing” the tofu, cause there was not going to be any left to add in!
Thanks for the love, and for your wonderful review! I’m so glad you love the potato salad! Thank you for using my recipes!
I am not a good cook at all, but this came out amazingly! I love all of your recipes, Nora!
This is our go to recipe for potato salad!
I love the idea of adding some black salt to the tofu – how much would you add Nora?
I wouldn’t add more than 1/4 teaspoon so the flavor isn’t overpowered by the “egginess”.
Hi,
Thanks for the great recipe!
I notice you add the tofu raw in the recipe. I’m assuming it’s safe to consume it this way?
Yes, raw tofu is safe to eat. Hope you love it!
Your recipe looks good except for the relish. We don’t do relish here in Canada that I know of. I’d be shot if I added it, but otherwise the recipe looks good.
I hope you enjoy it, Shirley! Let me know how it goes for you when you make it!
Not sure what you mean we don’t “do relish” in Canada? Like we don’t sell it or we don’t eat it? Because we do both in Canada.