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
- 12 oz vegan mayo about 350 mL
- 24 oz pickles, bread & butter pickles and brine
- 1 apple my favorite: Fuji
- ½ sweet onion
- 2 green onion optional
- ¾ cup pickle brine (from above)
- 2 oz fresh dill, finely chopped optional
For the "Egg"
- 14 oz firm tofu to make it NON-GMO, chose organic
- 15.5 oz chickpea can will use only the brine
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil recommend: extra virgin, cold pressed
- 1 teaspoon kala namak
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 dash black pepper about ⅛ teaspoon
Instructions
Prepare The Potatoes
- Wash potatoes thoroughly. Bring potatoes to a boil in salt water (add 1 tablespoon of salt to water). Boil until they are done (a fork can go through easily), about 30 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.
- ALTERNATIVE: You can use an instant pot: Clean potatoes, cover with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook on "pressure cook" for 11 minutes, let steam come off naturally.
- 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.
- Peel the potatoes. You might need to make a small cut into the peel at first but then it should come off easily.
Prepare The Tofu (Egg Substitute)
- Press your block of tofu, either in a tofu press or put it in a colander above a bowl and weigh it down with a bowl of water / weight / books.
- Let the tofu sit like that for about 20 minutes. While the tofu gets pressed, proceed with the other instructions, then return to the tofu.
- Drain the chickpeas can and keep the brine (also known as "aquafaba").
- Place the chickpea brine, nutritional yeast, kala namak black salt, turmeric, olive oil, pepper in a small blender and blend well until smooth (about 1-2 minutes).
- Cut up the tofu in small cubes (about ½ inch).
- Place the tofu cubes in a bowl and add the chickpea brine mixture in. Mix well. Let marinate, at least 10 minutes but can be left over night.
- Once marination is done, heat the tofu mixture in a pan. You may use additional olive oil (1-2 tablespoons) if you prefer. Keep stirring and check on it frequently. Fry it until all liquid has evaporated, about 15-25 minutes, depending on your pan / heat. Once done, move it to a bowl so that it can cool down. Let it 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 and add to the mix.
Finishing The Potato Salad
- Chop up the peeled potatoes 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.
- Add the vegan mayo.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt, mix well. Try the potato salad. Add more salt if needed.
- If using: mix in the dill.
Video
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