Red Potato Salad With Dill

This creamy red potato salad with dill uses a tangy Greek yogurt-based dressing to create a wholesome crowd-pleasing potato salad. It’s the perfect side dish for a summer barbeque, potluck or picnic. And you can make it well ahead because the flavours just get better as it rests.

Small red potatoes are the star of this potato salad recipe. Their waxy texture holds up well when cooked, making them the ideal choice for potato salad. And their red skin adds a pop of colour to the salad when left unpeeled.

But if you can’t find red baby potatoes, you can use other waxy potatoes or all-purpose potatoes.

Why you’ll love this recipe

This delicious red potato salad with dill is a great side dish for any summer barbecue. Here are a few reasons for you to love it as much as I do:

• It’s creamy yet wholesome: The no-mayo Greek yogurt dressing is creamy yet light and tangy for the perfect summer side dish. 
• It’s versatile: Use it as a classic potato salad side dish, or turn it into a satiating potato salad bowl with hard-boiled eggs or grilled chicken, feta cheese and avocado. Make a double batch of the dressing and use it as a dip, sandwich spread or pasta salad sauce.
• It’s naturally gluten-free: The simple ingredients are naturally gluten-free. And you can make a vegan-friendly version by using plant-based yogurt (and replacing the sour cream with more plant-based yogurt).
• It’s super easy to make: The beautiful red potatoes don’t need peeling, so prep is a matter of minutes. Then let time do its magic as the potato salad flavours melds.

Creamy red potato dill salad ingredients and substitutes

This red potato salad recipe with fresh dill is a classic side dish. But it is also super versatile. Use some of these substitute ideas to make this salad your own.

The best potatoes for potato salad

I love a red skin potato salad. And Red Bliss potatoes are perfect for this. They have bright red skin with creamy white flesh. Or try any baby red potatoes with firm waxy flesh. 

The bright red skin is gorgeous left unpeeled, so you also save some time on potato salad prep.

But you can also use regular yellow or white potatoes. Look for waxy or all-purpose potatoes (like Yukon Gold).

Potato salad dressing ingredients

• Lemon juice: You will need freshly squeezed juice from half a lemon. But you can also use white vinegar instead, like white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Or use the leftover dill pickle juice for extra dilly flavour.
• Red onion: I like to use a small red onion for this recipe, but you can also use a white or yellow onion. Or, if you don’t have any onions, substitute them with chives, shallots or thinly sliced green onions.
• Sour cream: It adds a creamy richness to the dressing. But if you don’t have any, substitute it with crème fraiche or mayonnaise.
• Greek yogurt: The yogurt-based potato salad dressing helps to lighten the dressing and adds a nice tang. But if you don’t have any, you can use plain yogurt, more sour cream or mayonnaise.
• Olive oil: A splash of extra virgin olive oil gives the potato salad dressing a luscious texture. But if you use mayonnaise instead of yogurt, you can skip the olive oil.
• Dijon mustard: It adds a subtle tang to the dressing. Feel free to use yellow or whole-grain mustard instead. Or try it with hot honey mustard for a sweet and spicy twist. You can also make your own Dijon mustard substitute. Just check the ingredients label to ensure that the product is gluten-free and dairy-free should you require it.
• Fresh dill: I always prefer fresh dill for potato salad. But if you don’t have any, you can substitute it with a tablespoon of dried dill weed.
• Salt and black pepper: Use sea salt or kosher salt to season the boiling water you cook the potatoes in. Then season the potato salad with a generous grind of black pepper and additional salt. Sprinkle the potato salad with flaked salt if you have some.

Optional add-ins

Feel free to customize the recipe to your preference. Add some chopped celery or diced dill pickles for an extra crunch. Or add hard-boiled eggs or cooked chickpeas for a more satiating salad. 

Swap the potatoes for sweet potatoes for a sweet and tangy salad twist. 

You can also use this wholesome dill and yogurt dressing as a base for pasta or macaroni salad. So why not make double?

Step 1: Macerate the onion

Allowing the red onion to macerate in the acidic lemon juice while you cook your potatoes mellows the pungent onion flavour. But you can skip this step and simply whisk together all the salad dressing ingredients if you prefer a more pungent raw onion flavour.

Add the diced red onion and two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to a large mixing bowl. You’ll add the cooked potatoes to this bowl, so it should be big enough to hold all the cut potatoes. Set aside to let the onion mellow while you cook the potatoes. 

Step 2: Cook the potatoes

Add the cut red potatoes to a large pot, cover with cold water and add a generous tablespoon of salt. 

Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender – about another 8 to 10 minutes once the water boils. 

To test for doneness, poke a potato with a fork or a pairing knife. The potato should offer no resistance, but should also not fall apart. This is fork tender.

Drain potatoes in a colander and leave them to dry while you finish the dressing. But don’t let the potatoes cool down completely. They absorb the flavours of the dressing better while warm.

Step 3: Finish the potato salad dressing

Add the remaining salad dressing ingredients to the macerated onions and lemon juice – a half cup of sour cream, a half cup of Greek yogurt, two tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a quarter cup (15 grams) of fresh dill, finely chopped. 

Then mix in salt and freshly ground pepper to taste – I use a teaspoon of sea salt with a generous grind of fresh black pepper.

Whisk until well combined.

Step 4: Assemble the salad

Transfer the still-warm potatoes to the large mixing bowl with the yogurt dressing. 

Gently toss the cooked potatoes with the creamy dressing until evenly coated. 

Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours before serving. Taste, and finish with a final sprinkle of salt and black pepper.

Serving suggestions for dill red potato salad

The dill red potato salad is an easy and flavourful side dish. It’s a delicious combination of creamy, crunchy and zesty flavours. And it’s the perfect side dish for summer barbecues and potlucks.

This no-mayo potato salad is also a great option for meal-prepping. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to four days without getting all watery and soggy as some salads do. 

Or you can turn the red potato salad into a satiating meal with boiled eggs, cooked garbanzo beans, or grilled chicken. A shop-bought rotisserie chicken also does the trick. Then, sprinkle with crumbled feta and a few slices of avocado for a midweek potato salad bowl.

Whether you’re serving it as a side dish or making it into a main meal, this red potato salad with dill is sure to be a hit.