The bacon and vinegar-based dressing on this German sweet potato salad blends beautifully with the tender, fluffy sweet potato. Super flavorful and delicious, this is the perfect summer side dish!

Large stainless steel bowl full of German Sweet Potato salad with bacon and green onions.

Believe it or not, we’ve been doing potato salad all wrong over in the States. Forget the creamy, cold, mayo-based concoction we’re used to. This German potato salad is warm(!), tangy, salty, and utterly irresistible.

Authentic German potato salad is made with red potatoes (or new potatoes), onion, fresh parsley, and is dressed in bacon drippings with a splash of Dijon mustard and cider vinegar. No disrespect to mayonnaise, but I’m team bacon every time!

I’ve put my own twist on this incredible dish by swapping in tender, white sweet potatoes. I’m also serving it with crispy cooked bacon and green onion for even more texture and flavor.

It’s perfect hot or cold, and it’ll be the talk of your next barbecue or summer party.

Now, let’s dig in!

My Deviations From the Classic Version

As mentioned above, I’ve used white sweet potatoes instead of the classic red potatoes. There’s honestly no reason for this; I just love them!

They’re less sweet than the typical orange sweet potato, but they bring a lovely nutty flavor to our German potato salad. They’re also super high in fiber, Vitamin C, and potassium. Plus, they’re fantastic at blood sugar control due to their slower-digesting starch!

I left out the parsley, too. Again, there’s no real reason, I just forgot to buy it! It was definitely a happy accident, though. The extra flavor from the sweet potato more than compensates for the missing herb.

Usually, you’d add a pinch of sugar to your dressing. Using sweet potatoes makes this redundant, so I’ve left it out.

Finally, I’ve gone for stone-ground mustard in place of Dijon. Any mustard will work, and yellow’s fine if it’s all you have, but I do love the rustic, earthy taste and texture of stone-ground in this hearty potato salad.

Ingredients for my German Sweet Potato Salad:

White Sweet Potatoes: I use the Hannah variety of white sweet potato because it holds its shape well when doused in the dressing. O’Henry potatoes work well too!

Thick-Cut Bacon: Renders down to make our dressing, and we’ll chop it up to add to our salad, too.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Has a subtle fruity note that combines brilliantly with our white sweet potatoes. Apple cider vinegar is less sharp than malted or distilled vinegar, which is perfect for a salad dressing!

Stone-Ground Mustard: The grainy texture and mild warmth of stone-ground mustard makes it my pick for this German sweet potato salad. Dijon will give you more of a spicy kick, and yellow mustard is great if you want something a little sharper.

Garlic: Minced garlic and bacon drippings are a match made in heaven. The garlic absorbs all that fatty, salty goodness to create a stunning umami flavoring that takes this potato salad to the next level.

Green Onion: Green onion and potato is an unbeatable combo. The light, subtle freshness of the green onion pairs beautifully with our creamy potatoes, elevating the whole salad and giving it a nice visual pop of color!

Sea Salt: To taste.

How to Make a German Sweet Potato Salad:

Start by chopping your sweet potatoes into quarters (or sixths, if they’re really big) and placing them in a big pot of water.

Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 15 to 25 minutes, until they’re soft when poked with a fork.

Remove your potatoes from the water, cool them on a chopping board, then cut into bite-sized chunks.

Heat your bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Remove the bacon, but leave the drippings in the pan!

Chop the bacon into small bits.

Slowly add the cider vinegar into the skillet with the bacon drippings, then add the mustard, garlic, and salt, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes, bacon, and sliced green onion to a large bowl, then pour in the warm dressing mixture and stir well to coat everything.

Let it stand for 10 minutes, then serve!

Tips, Tricks, and Customizations

Though I’ve used white sweet potatoes here, you can try orange sweet potatoes, regular red potatoes, or new potatoes. They’ll all give you a different mix of flavors and textures, so have some fun with it!
Sautéed white or red onions are a great addition to this German sweet potato salad. Fry over medium heat until they turn brown and begin to caramelize, then toss them in when you add the dressing.
If your bacon hasn’t left much rendered fat, you can add in a dash of olive oil to make up the weight. You want enough dressing to evenly coat your potatoes!
Throw in some shredded white cabbage or sauerkraut for a distinctly Germanic flavor. Add it in before you toss everything in the dressing.

Wholesome, hearty, and packed with flavor, it’s hard to go wrong with this German sweet potato salad. Let me know in the comments if you loved it!

Enjoy this delicious salad? Check out some of my favorite sweet potato recipes!

More Sweet Potato Recipes:

Enjoy this potato salad with sweet potatoes!