Our EASY Italian Potato Salad is dairy-free, very light, and zesty-delicious tasting! No mayonnaise is needed for this one!  It won’t be missed either. Make ahead and chill, this easy Italian potato salad is a definite crowd-pleaser and one you’ll want to make all summer long!

Italian Potato Salad…

While this potato salad is not weighed down with any mayonnaise or sour cream, it’s an ideal salad to serve at a potluck, picnic, or barbecue.

Best part? This Italian potato salad is best served at “room temperature.”

Plus, it can be served warm, too.

Sometimes the most enticing summer salads can be the ones without all the dairy. 

If you haven’t made an Italian potato salad yet, we highly recommend you make this one!

Reasons why everyone LOVES our Italian Potato Salad:

• The marinade is simple to make and makes this salad outstanding! 

• The potatoes absorb the fresh-tasting vinaigrette, making them amazingly flavorful. 

• No need to chill it before serving. For optimal flavor, it is best served at room temperature.
• Plus, the longer the potatoes marinate, the tastier they become.

• Our easy-to-make vinaigrette is made with a few ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and (optional) fresh lemon juice.  Then dried herbs are added for more flavor.  If you prefer to use fresh herbs, it’s even better.

How To Make Easy Italian Potato Salad?

First, you need to boil a bunch of potatoes. Once you boil the potatoes and allow them to cool before slicing them, the rest is easy. The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it quickly so you understand each step.

Ingredients Needed for our Potato Salad…

For this easy Italian potato salad recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• 4 large baking potatoes (unpeeled) or 5 medium-size
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 cup (about 10) black (or green) olives – drained, rinsed, and sliced
• 2 stalks of celery – thinly sliced
• 4 to 5 Tbsp. (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 to 5 Tbsp. (1/4 cup) white balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (1/2 lemon – juiced)
• 1/4 tsp. dried dill
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• fresh black pepper to taste
• Optional: 1 Tbsp. capers

Directions To Make Our Italian Potato Salad:

1.  In a medium-sized pot filled with water, place the potatoes in water and boil potatoes for about 10 to 15 minutes or until a knife can slide through the potato, but not entirely all the way. 

*Be careful and do not to overcook the potatoes or they will fall apart and ruin the salad. 

2.  Drain in a colander, then immediately run COLD water over them for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. 

3.  Set potatoes into a mixing bowl and chill them in the refrigerator to cool completely.

4.  Meantime, make the vinaigrette.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil with vinegar, lemon juice, and seasonings.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. QUICK NOTE: You can toss in the celery, olives, onion and capers into the vinaigrette to marinate while you wait for the potatoes.

5.  When potatoes are completely cool, gently peel off their skins and discard them.  Then slice the potatoes in half horizontally, then slice again each half vertically into 1/2- inch, or if too soft, slice them a little larger, about 3/4-inch thick slices or cubes. 

6.  In the same mixing bowl, add red onion, olives, celery, capers, and vinaigrette, and toss gently until well combined.  Potatoes tend to absorb most of the oil very quickly, so therefore, don’t be afraid to drizzle additional extra virgin olive oil and even vinegar.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

*QUICK NOTE: Potatoes in this salad should be moist and juicy, not dry.

7.  Serve at room temperature.   Serves 5 to 7

GREAT TIPS for SUCCESS! 

• Do not over-boil the potatoes.  

• Potatoes are ready when you are able to pierce a knife through them. 

• Roughly about 10 minutes boiling for medium-size, and 15 minutes or more for the large-size potatoes.  You will have to keep an eye on them.  

• Drain, then immediately run them under COLD water for a few minutes, to stop the cooking process. 

• Next, transfer them to a mixing bowl and place them into the refrigerator or freezer to cool them down faster. 

• Allow potatoes to cool completely before peeling and slicing them.  This will prevent them from falling apart when slicing.

    

The Dressing…

• Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for salad.  It makes a huge difference in flavor. 
• Shop for good-quality olive oil: look for the ones it clearly says on the label “product of Italy. ” Otherwise you are getting a blend of olives from different countries, and the flavor will not be the same. 
• Can this salad be made ahead? Yes, it can, and 1 day ahead.  The salad will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
•  The flavor is in the marinade!  The potatoes need to be moist and juicy in this salad. If you need to, you can add additional extra virgin olive oil, and even extra vinegar too! 

Questions & Answers…

1. What kind of potatoes are best to use? Russet or Golden, or potatoes that say “baking potatoes” on the bag are great to use.

2. Can I make it without lemon juice? Yes, I made this potato salad a thousand times!  With lemon and without… depends on your taste.

3. Can I add other condiments? Sure you can!  Toss in some green olives if you prefer.  

4. What if I don’t like oregano? You can add in your favorite fresh herbs or a dried blend of Italian Herb Seasoning for more flavor.

5. What if I “over-boiled” the potatoes and they break apart easily? Save those potatoes for breakfast, or you can mash them into our easy garlic mashed potatoes for dinner.  Then start over.

What To Serve With Italian Potato Salad?

• London Broil Steak Grilled
• grilled sausages
• beef and turkey burgers
• grilled flank steak with olive oil & garlic
• grilled chicken kabobs
• roasted red snapper
• grilled shrimp and scallop kabobs
• You can even serve it with sandwiches, like our Italian muffuletta sandwich.

Our mom’s ‘tried and true recipe’ will never disappoint! 

Easy Italian Potato Salad is super simple and amazingly flavorful!  It’s so good, your family and friends will come back for seconds – for sure!  

ENJOY!!

MORE TASTY SUMMER SALADS…

• Potato and Green Bean Salad
• Green Beans and Carrot Salad – Italian Style!
• Italian Cauliflower Salad
• Maria’s  Best Carrot Salad 
• Easy Italian Macaroni Salad
• Grilled Zucchini Salad Neapolitan Style!

…Thanks for Pinning! 

Hello friends!  If you try our Italian potato salad recipe, let us know and leave a comment, and with a star rating. We’d love to hear from you and tell us about your experiences.  It not only helps our readers who read them, but it helps us too.

For more delicious ideas and recipes, follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Don’t forget to enter your email address in our ‘Subscribe Box’ and get our recipes “FREE” every time we post a new recipe and reminders of great older ones too! 

Happy Cooking!   🙂

Thanks for stopping by! 

xo Anna and Liz