German Potato Salad

This German potato salad follows a Southern German-style approach, made with warm sliced potatoes, crispy bacon, onions, fresh herbs, and a tangy mustard-vinegar dressing instead of mayonnaise. It still has plenty of body and taste, thanks to BACON, but the vinaigrette keeps it bright, savory, and a little lighter on the palate. It makes a great side dish for bratwurst and sauerkraut, grilled kielbasa, or anything you might be serving at your backyard summer BBQ!

All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious. “I made this for a potluck and got so many compliments on it.

I did have to make it earlier in the day but I dressed it and then popped the whole thing in the fridge and served cold a couple hours later and it was still delicious. I’ll be keeping this one in my method binder for another time for sure!”

What Makes German Potato Salad Different

This German potato salad is one of those simple yet elegant dishes I love to make.

It’s the perfect alternative to a creamy potato salad as there’s no mayo, no eggs, and no thick creamy dressing. Instead, the warm potatoes are tossed with bacon, onions, fresh parsley, and a mustard vinaigrette made right in the skillet with the bacon drippings, so every forkful has a smoky, savory savor with a bright vinegar finish. German potato salad varies by region, but this version is closest to the Southern German style, which is usually served hot and dressed with a vinegar-based dressing rather than mayonnaise.

It’s not a strict traditional method because many Southern German versions use broth in the dressing, but it has the same warm, tangy, no-mayo feel. I like it best served hot, but you can as well serve it at room temperature or cold.

I’ve done both, and it’s always a hit either way.

Recipe Success Tips

Bacon isn’t just a topping in this German potato salad.

I use the bacon fat to cook the onions and build the warm mustard-vinegar dressing, which gives the whole salad its smoky, savory savor from the start. The crispy bacon as well adds salty texture against the tender potatoes and tangy dressing (making it taste rich and satisfying without a creamy mayo base!). - Choose potatoes that hold their shape.

I think small red potatoes work well here since they stay tender without falling apart, and the red skins add pretty color to the salad. Yukon Gold potatoes are another great choice and are easy to find at most stores.

I’d avoid russet potatoes as they’re higher in starch and can break down once they’re boiled, sliced, and tossed with the dressing. - Toss the potatoes while they’re still warm.

Warm potatoes absorb the mustard-vinegar dressing better than cold potatoes. Let them cool just long enough to handle, then slice and toss them with the dressing, bacon, onions, and parsley while everything is still warm.

- Taste and adjust before serving. Potatoes can soak up a surprising amount of salt and acidity, especially as the salad sits. After tossing everything together, taste and add a little more salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar, or even a tiny pinch of sugar if you want the dressing sharper or smoother.

If you’re making this German potato salad for a party or potluck, you can prep the components the day before. I’d cook the potatoes and bacon and make the dressing, then store everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge.

When you’re ready to serve, warm and stir the dressing to recombine since it may separate, then toss it with the potatoes and bacon.

German Potato Salad

- 2 lbs. small red potatoes ($5.18*)

- 1½ tsp salt (divided, $0.04) - 1 yellow onion (diced, $0.70)

- 1 Tbsp stone ground mustard ($0.07**) - 1 Tbsp granulated sugar ($0.06)

- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.04) - ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar ($0.20)

- ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped, $0.21) - Wash the potatoes well, then add them to a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes.

Add 1 tsp salt to the water to season the potatoes as they cook. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat on to high, and bring the pot to a boil.

Continue to boil the potatoes until they can easily be pierced with a fork (12-15 minutes). - Meanwhile, add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the bacon is brown and crispy.

Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and leave the bacon fat in the skillet to cook the onions and make the dressing. - Add the diced onion to the skillet and continue to cook over medium heat in the bacon fat until the onions are soft and translucent.

- Once the onions are soft, turn the heat down to low and add the mustard, sugar, pepper, ½ tsp salt, and the apple cider vinegar. Whisk the components together until a light sauce forms, then turn the heat off.

- When the potatoes are finished cookery, drain them in a colander and allow them to cool for a few minutes, or just until they're cool enough to handle. Once slightly cool, slice the potatoes into ¼-inch thick half-rounds.

- While the potatoes are cooling, roughly chop the cooked bacon and the fresh parsley. - Add the sliced potatoes, bacon, and parsley to the skillet with the onions and dressing.

Toss everything until evenly combined and coated in dressing. Give the potato salad a taste and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking.

Serve warm or refrigerate until ready to eat. See how we calculate method costs here.

How to Make German Potato Salad Step-by-Step Photos

Boil the potatoes: Wash 2 lbs. small red potatoes well, then place them in a large pot and cover with water by about 1 inch.

Add 1 tsp salt to the water so the potatoes are seasoned from the inside instead of only on the surface. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat, then boil for 12-15 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes), until a fork slides into the center with little resistance.

Cook the bacon: While the potatoes are boiling, cook 4 oz. of bacon in a skillet over medium heat until the bacon is brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet.

Leave the bacon fat in the skillet as it will be used to cook the onions and make the dressing. Sauté the onion: Add 1 diced yellow onion to the skillet with the bacon fat.

Cook over medium heat until the onion softens, turns translucent, and starts to smell sweet and savory. As the onion releases moisture, it’ll loosen the browned bacon bits from the bottom of the skillet, which adds even more smoky savor to the dressing.

Make the dressing: Once the onion is soft, reduce the heat to low and add 1 Tbsp grainy mustard, 1 Tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, and ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the dressing looks lightly glossy. It’ll smell sharp from the vinegar at first, but it mellows once it coats the warm potatoes.

Slice the potatoes: Once the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander and let them cool for just a few minutes or until they are cool enough to handle. You still want them warm so they can soak up the dressing.

Slice the potatoes into ¼-inch thick half-moons. Add to the dressing: Roughly chop the cooked bacon and ¼ cup of fresh parsley.

Add the sliced potatoes, bacon, and parsley to the skillet with the dressing. Serve: Toss the elements together until everything is evenly coated in dressing and parsley.

Give the potato salad a taste and adjust the salt or other elements to your liking. Potatoes absorb seasoning quickly, so this last taste makes a big difference. Serve hot or warm for the silkiest dressing and the best savor!

Serving Suggestions

German potato salad is traditionally served hot or warm, and that’s my favorite way to enjoy it as the warm potatoes soak up the tangy mustard-vinegar dressing, and the bacon fat stays silky instead of firming up. Even so, you can also serve it at room temperature or cold!

It really is a great make-ahead side for potlucks, BBQs, and cookouts. For a German-inspired meal, serve it with bratwurst, kielbasa, or chicken schnitzel.

The tangy dressing cuts through rich, smoky, or salty meats really well, so it’s especially good next to sausage or pork. This week I served mine with glazed pork chops, but it as well works anywhere you’d normally serve a creamy American potato salad. I really like enjoying the leftovers for lunch the next day, and think it’s delicious with a wrap or sandwich, like our chicken club sandwich!

This recipe is incredibly easy to pull together, and I made sure to only use simple, easy-to-find components. But you can play around with the dressing, herbs, and add-ins to make it a little more traditional or adjust the taste to your taste: - Use a different mustard: Stone ground mustard gives the dressing a little texture, but spicy brown mustard or Dijon mustard will as well work.

Dijon makes the dressing a little smoother and sharper, while spicy brown keeps it bold and savory. - Add a little broth: Some Southern German-style potato salads use broth in the dressing.

If you want a looser texture, stir in a splash of warm chicken, beef or vegetable broth when you make the vinaigrette. - Swap the herbs: Fresh parsley keeps this version simple and budget-friendly, but chives, dill, or thyme would in addition be delicious if you have them on hand. - Make it a little sweeter or tangier: Taste the dressing before serving and adjust it to your liking.

Add a pinch more sugar if the vinegar tastes too sharp, or an extra splash of apple cider vinegar if you want the salad brighter and more tangy.

Storage & Reheating

You can keep this salad refrigerated in an airtight container for about 4 days.

The potatoes will continue to absorb the dressing as it chills, so the salad may seem a little drier after a day or two. You can save a little extra dressing to stir in before serving, or freshen it up with a small splash of vinegar, broth, or water. To reheat, I usually just warm it gently in the microwave in short intervals, stirring between each one.

I don’t recommend freezing this German potato salad as cooked potatoes can turn grainy or watery once thawed. Try These German-Inspired Recipes Next! - This Pork and Sauerkraut slow-braises with apples, onions, and warm spices until the pork is tender enough to shred right into the pot.

- I’m always happy with a sheet pan meal, and these Oktoberfest Sheet Pan Brats keep the prep simple and cleanup even easier. - Our homemade Spaetzle costs just pennies per serving, which makes it such a fun, budget-friendly side for German-inspired meals!