This Red Skin Potato Salad is bright and tangy, dressed with an avocado-yogurt dressing (no mayo!), and tossed with onions and herbs for a fresh summer salad recipe everyone will love.
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Is it even a summer cookout if there isn’t potato salad, coleslaw, and baked beans? (Answer: no).
And while it's handy enough to swing by the grocery store to pick up a tub of deli potato salad on the way to the party, it’s just not the same as making your own.
Especially if you want it to be a little on the healthier side.
This Red Skin Potato Salad recipe is super flavorful with fresh herbs, onions, and a creamy, tangy no-mayo dressing made from Greek yogurt and avocado.
You’re going to love this
As far as potato salad goes, this is a pretty easy recipe. No potatoes to peel and you can prep the onions, herbs, and dressing while the eggs and potatoes boil.
This is a healthier potato salad recipe with Greek yogurt and avocado instead of mayo and half the yolks
Fresh and flavorful — there are two kinds of onions, fresh parsley, fresh dill, fresh tarragon, and tons of tang in the dressing recipe
We take our potato salad without celery, but you can add it if you think you'd miss it.
Ingredients
Baby red potatoes. Baby red skin potatoes are a perfect potato salad choice because they keep their shape when cooked and the skin is soft and tender, so they don’t need to be peeled. Of course, feel free to peel them if that’s what you love.
Eggs. I usually use half of the egg yolks to lighten this salad up a bit, but you can use all of them, if you like.
If you have leftover egg yolks, you can save the leftovers in the fridge and mix them into tuna salad, crumble them over a green salad, or mix them with avocado to spread over toast.
Red onion. Chopped red onions add sweet sharpness, crunch, and flavor. White onions are great, too.
Fresh parsley, fresh dill, fresh tarragon. Fresh herbs pack a ton of fresh garden flavor into this recipe. Use whatever herbs you love and have. Dried herbs won’t add quite the same flavor and texture, but I get it if you don’t have fresh herbs. Use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh.
Green onions. Green onions add freshness and mild onion flavor — and they make a pretty garnish. You can also try one of these substitutes for green onions.
Avocado. Avocado adds creamy richness to this no-mayo potato salad dressing.
Greek yogurt. This potato salad has no mayo, so Greek yogurt kindly steps in. I used a 7 oz container, which is a little less than a cup.
Lemon juice. Use fresh lemon juice if at all possible. Bottled lemon juice just doesn’t have that same fresh flavor.
Apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar gets used two ways. First, to toss with the warm potatoes to infuse a burst of flavor, and second in the salad dressing for tang. You can also use white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
Honey. Honey adds a sweet balance to all the tangy flavors.
Dijon mustard. More creaminess, more tang, and a little spice. You can also use whole grain mustard.
Paprika. Paprika is a classic with potato salad, it adds pretty color and sweet pepper flavor without the spice.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1
Boil the potatoes -- I like to use Ina Garten’s trick for making the perfectly cooked potatoes for potato salad:
Scrub and rinse 2 pounds of baby red potatoes.
Place potatoes in a large pot of cold water and bring the water to a boil. Let them boil for 15-20 minutes or until just tender.
Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander over the still-warm empty pot. Drape a clean kitchen towel over the potatoes and let them steam for another 15-20 minutes.
Run cold water over the potatoes. Once they are cool enough to handle, chop them into one inch cubes.
If you prefer to peel the potatoes instead of leaving the skin on, do so before chopping them. The skins should come off very easily.
Place the chopped potatoes in a large bowl and toss them with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
Step 2
Make the hard-boiled eggs.
Place eggs in a cold saucepan. Add enough water to the saucepan to cover the eggs by 2 inches. Heat the pan on high heat until the water comes to a full, rolling boil.
Turn the burner off, but keep the pan on the burner. Place a tightly fitting lid on the saucepan and let it sit for 10-12 minutes.
Drain the hot water from the pan and run cold water over the eggs to stop them from cooking. Let the eggs sit in cold water until they are cool.
Peel and chop your eggs. I usually only use half of the egg yolks to lighten this salad up a titch, but you can use them all, if you like.
Step 3
Make the dressing.
In a blender or food processor, add the avocado, yogurt, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika. Process until smooth.
If you don’t have a blender or food processor, use a fork or potato masher to mash the avocado, then whisk it into the rest of the dressing ingredients until it’s as smooth as you can get it.
Step 4
Add the eggs, dressing, red onion, ½ of the green onions, tarragon, dill, and parsley to the bowl of potatoes. Toss to mix completely.
Step 5
Top with the rest of the green onions and more paprika.
Potato salad is always best when it’s made the day before you serve it.
Storage
Store potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Expert Tips
Waxy potatoes like red potatoes, fingerling potatoes, or new potatoes are best for potato salad because they hold their shape and you don’t have to peel them.
Peel the potatoes or don’t peel the potatoes — it’s a matter of personal preference.
If you don’t have a blender or food processor for the dressing, mash the avocado with a fork and whisk the dressing together. It may not be quite as smooth and creamy, but it will still taste great.
For the best flavor, make the potato salad a day ahead.
Recipe FAQs
Whether you peel or don’t peel the potatoes for potato salad is a personal choice. I like to leave the skins on to add color and texture.
If you prefer to leave the skins on, red potatoes are a great choice because the skin is thin. If you would rather peel the potatoes, peel them after they’ve cooked, then chop them.
There are many ways you can add more flavor to potato salad.
Toss the hot potatoes in a little bit of apple cider vinegar to flavor the potatoes.
Add your favorite fresh chopped herbs.
Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and any other seasonings you love. You can also add chopped celery, a little chopped dill pickle, even a splash of pickle juice, or more mustard, if it needs it.
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📖 Recipe
Red Skin Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby red potatoes
- 5 eggs
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
- 4 sliced green onions, divided
Healthy Potato Salad Dressing (No Mayo)
- 1 avocado
- 7 ounces plain Greek yogurt I used one 7 oz container of Fage Greek yogurt, which comes out to a little less than one cup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, divided
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt & pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Scrub and rinse 2 pounds baby red potatoes. Place them in cold water and bring the water to a boil. Let them boil for 15-20 minutes or until just tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and place the colander over the still-warm empty pot. Drape a clean kitchen towel over the potatoes and let them steam for another 15-20 minutes.
- Run cold water over the potatoes. Once they are cool enough to handle, chop them into inch-sized pieces. If you prefer to peel the potatoes instead of leaving the skin on, do so before chopping them. The skins should come off very easily.Place the potatoes in a large bowl and toss them with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Make the hard-boiled eggs. Place eggs in a cold saucepan. Add enough water to the saucepan to cover the eggs by 2 inches. Heat the pan on high heat until the water comes to a full, rolling boil. Turn the burner off, but keep the pan on the burner. Place a tightly fitting lid on the saucepan and let it sit for 10-12 minutes. Drain the hot water from the pan and run cold water over the eggs to stop them from cooking. Let the eggs sit in cold water until they are cool.
- Peel and chop your eggs. I discard ½ of the egg yolks in this lightened up potato salad, but you can leave them all in, if you prefer.
- Make the dressing. In a blender or food processor, add the avocado, yogurt, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika. Process until smooth. If you don’t have a blender or food processor, use a fork or potato masher to mash the avocado, then whisk it into the rest of the dressing ingredients until it’s as smooth as you can get it.
- Add the eggs, dressing, red onion, ½ of the green onions, tarragon, dill, and parsley to the bowl of potatoes. Toss to mix completely. Top with the rest of the green onions and more paprika.
- Potato salad is always best when it’s made the day before you serve it.
- Store potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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