5 Ingredients or Fewer

Greek Yogurt Potato Salad

May 20, 2019
3
13 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 25 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Classic American-style potato salad is as much about the mayonnaise as it is about the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mix-ins: celery, pickles, bell peppers, carrots, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, you name it. This modern potato salad takes the opposite approach. Instead of rich mayo, there’s tangy Greek yogurt. Add in torn oil-cured olives (briney! buttery!), and plenty of fresh herbs (dill! mint!) and you have your new favorite BBQ side dish. It’s as great with hamburgers and hot dogs as it is with chicken, fish, vegetables, and on. —Emma Laperruque

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Ingredients
  • 2 pounds red potatoes (5 to 6 ounces each)
  • 6 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped dill, plus its finely chopped stems
  • 1/2 cup chopped mint
  • 1/2 cup pitted, torn (or roughly chopped) oil-cured olives
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of water (figure about 6 quarts) to a boil. When it starts to simmer, season it with 6 tablespoons kosher salt (I estimate 1 tablespoon kosher salt per quart water).
  2. While that’s heating up, cut the potatoes into eighths—or whatever fraction will give you roughly equally sized potato pieces. Add the potato pieces to the boiling water, then adjust the heat to a simmer. (Simmering, not boiling, the potatoes means they’re less likely to fall apart.) Cook until the potatoes are just knife-tender (they’ll continue to cook a bit out of the water), starting to check frequently after 10 minutes. When they’re done, drain the potatoes into a colander, rinse with cold water to cool, then let them drain until dry.
  3. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the yogurt and olive oil in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the herbs and olives on top (no need to stir yet).
  4. When the potatoes are cool, add them to the bowl with the yogurt. Stir as gently as possible, taking care to not mash the potatoes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
  5. You can serve right away or stick it in the fridge for later.

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Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

11 Reviews

Shannon D. May 1, 2021
I was looking for a yummy potato salad without mayo to go with grilled chicken. This was perfect! Left out the olives, added chopped shallot, and seasoned while potatoes were warm but dry. Definitely making again.
Judith S. July 24, 2020
Sorry to say, thought this was awful. The yogurt gave it a gluey mouth feel. Over all it was kind of tasteless.
Cody M. July 21, 2020
I made this today and really liked it. I'm not a fan of the mayonnaise-based potato salads, so I thought I would try this recipe. I used dill and basil. I didn't have any kalamata olives so I chopped up some pickles and added those. I really liked how fresh and lemony it tasted.
Emma L. July 22, 2020
Thanks, Cody! Chopped-up pickles sound so good.
Carol G. January 19, 2020
I found the plentiful salted water to be perfect. In addition, I added leftover pickle liquid to the water. It turned out with a wonderful subtle hint of pickle. I used non-fat Greek yogurt and it turned out just great. This is a keeper for a potato salad void of usual heavy mayonnaise.
YogiRenee June 9, 2019
This sounded so appealing to me and I am bringing a shared dish to a picnic today. I make a lot of potato salad so used my old tricks of seasoning potatoes while they are hot. Including the oil. Since it is Greek I even squeezed a little lemon juice for brightness. Yogurt last. Very fresh and welcome change.
Emma L. June 11, 2019
Yay, happy picnic-ing!
jpriddy June 8, 2019
I always steam potatoes.
LPJ June 2, 2019
I have been looking for a new potato salad recipe and this is it.
Emma L. June 3, 2019
Yay!
You should always boil the potatoes from cold water, not boiling. Makes for even cooking.