This mouthwatering German-style potato salad is loaded with vinegar, bacon, caramelized onions, and chives. It’s a truly flavor-packed side dish that’s perfect for your next picnic or barbecue!
One thing I’ve been bonkers about lately is – wait for it, wait for it – POTATOES.
Potatoes in the morning, potatoes in the evening, potatoes at supper time. I just can’t help it.
And how do you like your potato salad? Classic with mayonnaise and eggs? Chock full of bacon and cheddar?
Me? I love potato salad with a vinegar-based dressing instead of a mayo-based dressing.
No-mayo potato salad is where my heart belongs! Enter: German Potato Salad.
What Makes German-Style Potato Salad Different From American-Style Potato Salad?
Here in the States, classic American potato salads are made with hard-boiled eggs and mayo.
The Germans? Well, they do things a little differently. The key ingredients of a German potato salad are vinegar and bacon fat.
I’m a huge fan of vinegar-based dressings over mayo-based ones. So, this is already a huge win for me. Plus, you’ve still got that fatty element that brings the flavor and richness. Bacon also brings a gorgeously salty, meaty taste to the party too!
What makes my version different from the traditional German version is the addition of caramelized onions.
This potato salad can also be served cold or warm. Believe it or not, I actually prefer it heated up!
Mayo doesn’t do too well when it’s reheated, but there’s nothing in this German potato salad that brings the same problem to the table.
It reheats easily in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat. If you’re in a rush, just give it a few minutes in the microwave!
My German Potato Salad Ingredients
Olive Oil: For caramelizing the onion and frying off our bacon! Olive oil is an excellent choice due to its high smoke point and neutral flavor. Substitute a similarly neutral oil like avocado oil if you prefer.
Red Onion: Grab a large red onion, and slice it up nice and fine. Yellow onion works fine here, too! Both varieties contain the sugars necessary for caramelization.
Red Potatoes: Red Pontiac potatoes are my go-to variety for this German potato salad. They hold their shape brilliantly without crumbling and hold up to the vinegar-based dressing.
Norland, Red LaSoda potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, and russet potatoes are also great choices.
Thick-Cut Bacon: The key ingredient! The gorgeously rendered fat and tongue-tingling salt content of bacon bring a rich flavor to this salad with.
Thick-cut bacon works best due to the high fat content, but try applewood or double-smoked bacon for a slightly different taste!
Garlic: We’re mincing five cloves of garlic for this recipe! It sounds like a lot. But once it’s cooked in the bacon drippings you’ll wish you had even more of these little specks of tangy, juicy flavor.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Provides a sharp, acidic contrast to the rich bacon and starchy potatoes. Apple cider vinegar is mildly fruity and helps to round out the flavor of our salad.
White wine vinegar is the only real substitute here. Distilled vinegar is too aggressively sharp, and balsamic completely changes the vibe of the dish.
Stone Ground Mustard: Adds body and a hint of warmth to our dressing.
Chives: This slightly garlicky, onion-y herb is a potato’s best friend. It’s got a subtle taste, but it really elevates our German potato salad! Green onion works great too.
Sea Salt: To taste.
How to Make a German Potato Salad:
Step 1: First, we need to caramelize our onions.
Add your oil to a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, then toss in your sliced-up onion with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to turn translucent.
Then, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook and stir for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown.
Finally, drop the heat to medium-low and cook for a further 25-30 minutes, until deeply browned and caramelized. Set aside!
Step 2: Parboil your potatoes for around 15-20 minutes until they’re tender but still slightly al dente in the center.
Drain and let them cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Move the chopped potatoes to a large bowl along with the caramelized onions.
Step 3: Crisp your bacon over a medium-high heat in a skillet. Then, transfer the bacon to a cutting board, being sure to leave the drippings and rendered fat in the pan.
Chop the bacon and add it to the potatoes.
Step 4: Assemble the Potato Salad.
Add the garlic to the hot, rendered fat (while it’s off the heat!), and let it cook for 1-2 minutes to release all that gorgeous aroma. Stir in the vinegar and mustard, and whisk to combine.
Pour your warm dressing over the potatoes, onions, and bacon, and stir until the potatoes have absorbed the excess liquid. Add the chopped chives, and a sprinkle of sea salt to taste.
Give everything one final mix, and serve!
Store leftover German potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
What Does it Taste Like?
This German potato salad has it all.
You’ve got salty bacon, creamy potatoes, gorgeously sweet caramelized onion, punchy garlic, and gently spicy mustard.
These ingredients combine into a tangy, satisfying flavor explosion that’s just fabulous served hot or cold.
So, dig in!
It’s tasty, comforting, and super simple. Let me know in the comments if you adored this German potato salad as much as I do!
Looking for more side dishes? Here are some honorable mentions!
More Side Dish Recipes:
- Melting Sweet Potatoes
- Coconut Lime Rice
- Sesame Garlic Sauteed Bok Choy
- Crunchy Kale Slaw
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Your delicious no mayo potato salad solution right here!
German Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion sliced*
- 2 pounds red potatoes boiled and chopped
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cooked and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- 1 bunch chives chopped
Instructions
Caramelize the Onion:
- Add the olive oil to a large non-stick skillet, along with the sliced onions and about 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Heat over medium-high and saute, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to sweat and begin turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continue sauteeing, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions are deeply browned and caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes more. Note: If onions begin to stick to the pan at any point, you can de-glaze with a few tablespoons of water (or beer or wine).
Prepare the Potato Salad:
- Boil the potatoes until tender but still al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and place potatoes on a cutting board to cool. When cool enough to handle, chop the potatoes into bite sizes (Note: You can easily remove the potato skins if you'd like, or you can leave them on) and transfer them to a mixing (or serving) bowl. Add the caramelized onions to the mixing bowl with the potatoes.
- Cook the bacon over medium-high heat, turning until crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, and use tongs to place bacon on a cutting board, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Chop the bacon and add it to the bowl with the potatoes.
- Leaving the skillet off the heat, add the garlic and allow it to cook for 1 to 2 minutes in the hot drippings. Add the cider vinegar and stone ground mustard and whisk to combine. Pour this mixture over the potatoes, bacon, and caramelized onions. Sprinkle in the salt and toss everything well to combine. Note: The dressing will pool up a bit at the bottom of the bowl, so continue stirring until the potatoes soak up all of the liquid. Add the chopped chives and stir well. Taste the potato salad for flavor. Add sea salt to taste.
- Serve alongside your favorite entree.
This is just how my Austrian mum used to make her potato salad .I’ve tried to make it without a recipe but to no avail so thank you thank you so much for the recipe
I’m so happy to hear it, Jeffrey! It’s been a classic in my family for years! Enjoy! xoxoxo 😀
I enjoy this recipe but the fact that I cannot exit the video in the corner of my screen while trying to read the recipe is pretty annoying.
Do you serve warm or cold?? I’ve never had german potato salad.. And if you serve warm do you have to warm it up from the refrigerator to table? It sounds great.. I can’t wait to try! 🙂
Hi Jeannette,
You can serve the potato salad warm or cold…totally a matter of preference – I like it warm, and my bf likes it cold 🙂 I typically heat it in a pot on a stovetop or in the microwave before eating it. Hope you enjoy!
Sounds like you had a fun weekend! 🙂 I love German potato salad because I’m not down with mayo and I LOVE vinegar! With bacon fat too, there’s no going wrong here. This is the potato salad of all potato salads!
Yes to all the potatoes! I love a good mayo-free potato salad, and bet the caramelized onions take this one over the top.
BTW I drank dirty bananas in Jamaica and they were THE BEST. I’ll have to make one now that you’ve reminded me!
Wow… this is the best potato salad I’ve ever seen!
xoxoxoxo
haha yeahhh the older I get the more and more time I need to recover after a fun weekend … if I even have like 2 full drinks I’m a mess the next day! Ah well 🙂 Loving this potato salad! Why have I never added caramelized onions to potato salad before??
Srsly though, someone needs to stop this whole aging process thing 😉 So glad you like the recipe! Cheers to caramelized onion potato salads from here on out!
I love mayo-free potato salads way better than ones with mayo, so this looks right up my alley!! Love the caramelized onions too, that’s such a nice touch! 😀
The onions pictured look to be red onions not yellow?
Hi Debora, thanks for catching that! I did use a red onion, but wrote “yellow” in the recipe. All’s fixed now 🙂
Crazy how just the simple addition of a caramelized onion can be a huge game changer! Hope you try the recipe!
I feel compelled to leave the office early, go home and make this. Such a delicious recipe, thank you for sharing!
German potato salad is the BEST! This sounds absolootly fantastic! 😉 I’m excited for your Iceland trip!
Haha! Fuhnetic spelling for the win!
Thanx gurl. I’m xcited too 😀