This vegan crispy smashed potato salad is the best of both worlds: a creamy, classic (yet dairy-free) potato salad dressing, mixed together with refreshingly crispy roasted spuds. It’s got so much more textural complexity than a traditional potato salad, and it makes for a hearty, fun, and flavorful side dish!
Since first experimenting with crispy smashed potatoes, I haven’t been able to get enough. They’re so tasty and fun to prepare.
I was a little skeptical about making them, just as I was skeptical about smashed broccoli florets. It looked to be quite a bit of work for a novelty veggie side dish.
Until I tried the method, that is. Then I was not only bowled over by how tasty the potatoes were, but also reminded that it’s fun to try new preparations of familiar foods.
I had a similar journey with the crispy smashed potato salad that I’m sharing today. Skepticism led to curiosity, which led to enormous satisfaction.
I don’t keep up with a lot of viral recipes, but there are exceptions, and this recipe is a really good one.
It’s a reminder that culinary experimentation pays off sometimes, and that it’s worthwhile to find fresh takes on classic dishes.
What makes smashed potato salad different?
You can probably tell from the photo above that smashed potato salad differs from traditional American potato salad.
The obvious different is that it’s made with twice-cooked potatoes. To prepare the recipe, you’ll steam, then smash baby potatoes on a sheet pan.
The potatoes should be brushed with oil, seasoned, then roasted till they’re quite golden and crispy.
At that point, you’ll break those potatoes into pieces (or not—you don’t need to if your potatoes are smaller), dress them with vegan mayo and lots of fresh herbs, and serve them.
I like to eat the smashed potato salad while it’s still a little warm, or at room temperature, but cold leftovers are good, too.
The potato salads that I remember from childhood were good in the way that most creamy and starchy things were good: hearty, comforting. But I didn’t love their tendency to get mealy and gluey.
On the other hand, German potato salad lacked the comfort-food appeal of a creamy sauce.
Smashed potato salad is sort of the best of both worlds. On the one hand, it features a creamy dressing. I like to make this from scratch, using cashews, but I include an option for using store-bought vegan mayo instead.
On the other hand, the potatoes in the recipe retain a distinct shape and crispy texture. You won’t get any gloopy bites: the salad has a lightness, in spite of how filling it is.
A ton of bright green, fresh herbs contribute to that effect.
Main ingredients for smashed potato salad
Potatoes
The main ingredients of the salad are, of course, potatoes. I recommend using cream-colored new potatoes, which are also called baby potatoes.
You can also use baby purple potatoes or pale yellow fingerling potatoes for the recipe. If you’re able to find super small Yukon gold potatoes or russets, you can try those, too.
While red potatoes are often the same size as new potatoes, I’d avoid using them here. These type of potatoes have a low starch content, which makes it difficult for them to hold together through smashing and roasting.
Vegan mayo
Vegan mayo is the main ingredient in the dressing of this salad.
I’ve long been a fan of Vegenaise and always will be, but I started making homemade, cashew-based vegan mayo a couple years ago and haven’t looked back. It’s simple and delicious, and since I always have cashews at home, I can whip it up at a moment’s notice.
You can use my recipe or any store-bought mayo that you love for the salad.
Other components of the dressing are mustard, red wine vinegar, chopped shallot, and minced garlic: in other words, sources of big, bold, tangy and savory flavor.
Green onions and herbs
Your smashed potato salad should be full of flecks of green, thanks to handfuls of chopped green onions and herbs.
As far as herbs go, you can use any of the following:
- Dill
- Chives
- Parsley
- Basil
- Tarragon
- Cilantro
My favorites to use are dill and Italian parsley, but I’ve so far tried the salad with tarragon and chives, too, and liked those variations.
Making crispy smashed potato salad
Step 1: Smash and roast your potatoes
Making the smashed potatoes themselves is a three-part process: steam, smash, and roast (on a sheet-pan).
My recipe post for the smashed potatoes themselves gives fuller instructions. After the smashing and seasoning, you’ll roast the potatoes on a sheet pan for about thirty-five minutes, till they’re quite crispy and golden all over.
While I personally like to make and eat the salad when the potatoes are still a little warm, or at room temperature. But you can roast them up to a couple days in advance of mixing the smashed potato salad, then mix and enjoy it cold.
If you’d like to make the recipe in stages but want a warmer serving temperature, you can cook them potatoes ahead of time, then reheat them before mixing the salad.
To do this, just place them on a sheet pan and transfer them to a 350°F / 175°C oven for 10-15 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the dressing
Whether you make the potatoes right before mixing the salad or prep them in advance, the next step in this recipe is to whisk together a dressing.
The dressing is pretty simple:
- Vegan mayo
- Dijon mustard
- Red wine vinegar
- Finely chopped shallot
- Minced garlic
Step 3: Mix the smashed potato salad
The final step in making this unusual, highly textured potato salad is to mix all of your ingredients—smashed potatoes, herbs, and dressing—together.
When you transfer your potatoes to a mixing bowl, you can either leave them entirely intact, or break them into somewhat smaller pieces.
The potato pieces should be bite-sized, so if you do break them up, be sure not to make them too small. It’s also totally OK to let them be whole, especially if they’re on the smaller side to begin with.
I’d say that the “mixing” process for this salad is a little more like folding. You want to incorporate everything well, yet not break all of the potatoes apart.
At this point, you can plate and serve the crispy smashed potato salad. If you’d like to enjoy it cold, or you need to make it ahead of time, simply transfer it to the fridge.
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days.
Mix-ins and variations
The smashed potato salad has texture aplenty as it is. But if you’d like to make it even more layered, flavorful, or higher in plant-protein, here are some potential mix-ins:
Readers always come up with exciting and creative modifications, and I’m excited to hear what you’ll add.
In the meantime, here’s the recipe.
Yields: 4 servings
- 1 batch crispy vegan smashed potatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion tops (40g)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (15g)
- 1/4 cup chopped dill (10g; substitute additional parsley, snipped chives, chopped tarragon, chopped basil, or another herb of choice)
- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (120ml; substitute store-bought vegan mayo of choice)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
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If you like, break the smashed potatoes into more bite-sized pieces (you can skip this step if your potatoes are smaller). Place the smashed potatoes, green onion tops, parsley, and dill into a medium large mixing bowl.
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In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the mayonnaise, water, vinegar, mustard, shallot, and garlic.
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Add a half cup of the mayonnaise dressing to the potato mixture and fold all of the ingredients together. Keep adding the mayonnaise dressing by the couple tablespoons, until the salad is well-dressed all over and nicely creamy. You may have some dressing leftover, which is OK; just save it for your next sandwich!
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Taste the salad. Adjust salt as needed and add freshly ground black pepper as desired. Serve and enjoy.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
For what it’s worth, I’ve also served this recipe to two friends who told me that they hated traditional potato.
They both loved it, and one of them told me that she’s going to make it for herself soon.
Potato salad may be a traditional summer cookout staple, but I think that this version is great for year round. It might just be a fresh and fun, outside-the-box side dish contender for your holiday gatherings!
Whenever you get around to the dish, I hope you’ll love it.
xo
