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This German Potato Salad recipe is made with tender red potatoes, crispy bacon, onions, and a tangy vinegar dressing. Unlike traditional American potato salad, this version has no mayonnaise and can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.
Is German Potato Salad Authentic?
German Potato Salad, or “Kartoffelsalat” in German, is an authentic potato salad from Southern Germany. Unlike the mayonnaise based classic American potato salad, this salad has a tangy vinaigrette dressing. It’s a perfect side dish at a BBQ and pairs well with bratwurst, shnitzel, hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, or chicken.
My husband lived in a town bordering Germany and had this tasty salad all the time. It quickly became one of his favorite German dishes, and has now become one of mine. I hope you enjoy it too!
❤️ Erica
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Small red potatoes: This is a waxy potato (low starch, high moisture) that will hold its shape in the salad. Yukon Gold potatoes is another waxy potato that works well.
- Bacon: Select sliced center-cut bacon. It is more meaty and the fatty ends are trimmed off before slicing.
- Onion: This adds a slight crunch to the salad and provides a savory base to offset the tangy dressing.
- Dressing Ingredients: Apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, sugar, salt, pepper.
- Garnish: Fresh parsley for color and flavor.
- Optional add-ins: Celery seed, mustard seed, dill, dill relish, or chopped pickles.
Best Potatoes for German Potato Salad
For German Potato Salad (or any potato salad for that matter), you want to use a good, waxy potato. Red potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes are a perfect example of a waxy potato. Russet potatoes are more starchy and don’t hold up as well in a potato salad. We like using baby potatoes, small potatoes, or potato gems for this recipe because they cook quickly and just need to be cut in half.
How to Make German Potato Salad
- Boil potatoes in salted water for 10-minutes or until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
- Cook the bacon and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the bacon is crisp and the onion is tender. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving about ⅓ cup bacon grease in the skillet.
- Whisk apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Pour dressing into the pan with the grease and stir well, scraping the bottom of the skillet to deglaze.
- Cut potatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Pour the bacon-vinegar dressing over the potatoes. Add the bacon and gently stir.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm or refrigerate until cold to serve later.
To Peel or Not To Peel?
We like to keep the peels on the potatoes for this potato salad, but there are some authentic variations of German Potato Salad that call for the potatoes to be peeled. To do this, boil the potatoes just as you would if you are keeping the peels on. Don’t peel the raw potatoes with a peeler first. Drop the potatoes in the boiling water and when they are cooked to fork-tender, take them out and drop them in cold water. The peels should come off easily by hand. Use a knife to scrape off any excess peels.
Recipe Tips
- Salt that water (or use broth). If you want your potato salad to have flavor, make sure you use plenty of salt in your potato water. After cooking, if you find your potatoes still aren’t flavored enough, sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt and gently toss to combine before adding the other ingredients.
- Don’t overcook the potatoes. You want them to be fork tender only. If you overcook the potatoes they will become mushy and difficult to toss in the dressing.
- Cook the bacon until it is crispy. Especially if you are using a thick-cut variety, you want to get that bacon nice and crisp.
- Use red potatoes or Yukon Gold. As mentioned above, waxy potatoes are the best choice for potato salad.
How to Store and Reheat
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This salad does not freeze well.
Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. It is also delicious served cold straight from the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
YES! In fact, a lot of people like making it a full day ahead of time because the flavors improve overnight. I actually think it tastes BETTER the next day, but that’s just me. You can re-heat it in the microwave or serve it cold.
Yes, if you make the recipe as written, it is a gluten-free side dish.
Yes, technically it can be made without bacon but the flavor won’t be the same (or as good). You can make this without bacon by simply omitting the bacon and cooking the onions in canola oil.
I prefer German potato salad to be warm, but it still tastes great cold, especially for leftovers.
More BBQ Side Dishes
For your next family BBQ, try one of our many popular BBQ side dishes including the recipes below or our popular Traditional Macaroni Salad or fresh and zesty Cucumber Vinegar Salad.
German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed clean and rinsed
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1 pound sliced "center cut" bacon
- 1 onion, diced (about 2/3 cup)
- 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water or broth to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool.
- Cut bacon into small pieces and place in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until bacon becomes crispy and onions are cooked through. Using a metal slotted spoon or spatula, remove the bacon from the pan and set on a plate lined with a paper towel. Remove all but about ⅓ cup of bacon grease from the pan.
- Combine apple cider vinegar, dijon, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour vinegar mixture into the pan with the bacon grease and stir well, scraping the bottom of the skillet to deglaze the pan. Remove from heat and set aside. Cut potatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Pour the bacon-vinegar mixture over the top and add the bacon. Gently stir with a rubber spatular to combine.
- Garnish with parsley and serve hot or refrigerate to serve later.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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