This Vegan German Potato Salad is so easy to make, nobody will believe it’s vegan and hits the spot!
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If you are looking for authentic German foods to make, look not further. This classic Vegan German Potato Salad is very popular with my friends in Germany. It is a staple in the Biergarten or at any picnic or barbecue. Most unexpectedly it is also something we eat on Christmas Eve (“Kartoffelsalat und Würstchen”) – due to its simplicity.
You can prepare this potato salad the day before and store it over night. It actually develops its flavor profile and is even better the next day.
The recipe is easy and the ingredients are staples that you might already have at home or that you can buy at Trader Joe’s (with the exception of the kala namak black salt, which you could omit if needed).
The preparation can be tedious but overall it is a simple recipe with a great outcome.
Make enough of this – you will thank me later!
You will end up having a can of chickpeas left over after this. Roast them in the oven or marinate them with some lemon juice, maple syrup and herbs and toss in a salad. I love to make crispy, oven baked chickpeas and will soon upload the recipe for that.
If you struggle with cutting onions without crying check out my pro-tips here: CUT ONIONS LIKE A PRO: 13 FOOLPROOF TIPS ON HOW TO CUT ONIONS WITHOUT CYRING – instantly take your cooking to the next level.
If you have a “Greek Night” after the “German Night”, check out these killer zucchini fritters that are a big hit with kids- full of vegetables and yet so delectable! Here is the recipe for that.
Potatoes are actually quite healthy, read more about that here.
In the Biergarten or during Oktoberfest (or really any occasion in Germany) they serve sausage with a bun (“Brötchen”) and beer with the potato salad. I do not drink any alcohol and don’t particularly like beer. If you want the flavor without the alcohol, check out some of the alcohol free German beer, like Clausthaler, (there are some options at Trader Joe’s). And for a vegan sausage I would recommend the Beyond Sausage “Brat”. The ketchup we use in Germany for this is “Hela Gewürzketchup“. And a good mustard, of course!
Irresistible Vegan German Potato Salad (Authentic)
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 3 lbs gold potatoes 1 sack gold potatoes at Trader Joe's
- 1.5 tablespoon salt, divided
- 14 oz vegan mayo (Follow Your Heart Original Vegenaise) about 410 mL
- 24 oz pickles, bread & butter from Trader Joe's pickles and brine
- 1 apple my favorite: Fuji
- ½-1 sweet onion
- 1-2 green onions optional
- 1 cup pickle brine (from above)
- 1 bundle fresh dill, finely chopped optional
- ½ bundle fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped optional
- ½ bundle fresh chives, finely chopped optional
For the "Egg"
- 16 oz high protein tofu (Trader Joe's) cut in small cubes
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil recommend: extra virgin, cold pressed
- 1 teaspoon kala namak
Instructions
Prepare The Potatoes
- Wash potatoes thoroughly, peel, cut larger potatoes into smaller pieces (2-4). Bring potatoes to a boil in salted water (add 2 tablespoons of salt to water). Boil until they are done (a fork can go through easily), about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Once potatoes are done, drain the water and let the potatoes cool down.
- While the potatoes are cooling, proceed with the other instructions and return to the potatoes once they have cooled off enough to be touched.
Prepare The Tofu (Egg Substitute)
- Preheat oven to 425 ℉.
- Drain the liquid from the tofu, press some out with a clean paper towel (gently).
- Cut tofu into small, cubes, about ½ inch.
- Mix tofu cubes with olive oil, nutritional yeast, kala namak salt.
- Bake in oven at 425℉ for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Let cool.
Preparing The Rest Of The Ingredients
- Chop up the pickles in small pieces (about ⅜ inches) and add to a very large bowl. Do not discard the brine!!!
- Wash the apple well and leave the peel on. Cut the apple into small pieces (same as pickles, about ⅜ inches) and add to the pickles.
- Finely chop the sweet onion and add to the mix.
- If using: chop the green onion add to the mix.
Finishing The Potato Salad
- Chop up the peeled potatoes into smaller pieces and add to the mix.
- Add the pickle brine and mix well.
- If you have the time, leave everything to rest and soak up the brine. This can be 30 minutes or even over night. If you want to proceed without this step that is ok as well.
- Mix well again and then add the vegan mayo.
- Add salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon, mix well. Try the potato salad. Add more salt if needed.
- If using: mix in the dill, parsley and chives.
Video
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