This flavor-packed dairy free potato salad starts with tender, buttery Yukon gold potatoes, crisped to perfection in the oven, then topped with the best ever bacon walnuts, fresh summer tomatoes, corn, roasted broccoli, and my favorite vegan smoked gouda. Toss it all in a lemony maple Dijon dressing for a bright, slightly sweet, and smoky flavor that balances so well with your favorite grilled veggies, burgers, and kebabs. It's the perfect side dish for summer BBQs and potlucks!
This recipe was created as part of a social media collaboration with GOOD PLANet Foods. They make some of the best vegan cheeses I've ever tried, and I absolutely love their smoked gouda cheese. It's the ideal option for adding a hit of smoky, cheesy flavor to veggie burgers, salads, and so much more. Click here to find it in a store near you!
What is Smoked Gouda Potato Salad?
Let's be clear...this isn't your grandma's potato salad recipe.
Instead of boiling the potatoes and dousing them in a creamy mayo dressing, this easy recipe turns the whole concept on its head.
The potatoes are boiled until almost tender, then roasted until crispy on the outside. This extra step adds so much more texture and the little crispy, craggy bits hold onto the tangy maple dressing so well.
While they're baking, roast a head of fresh broccoli, too.
Then, focus on bacon-flavored walnuts. Coat the walnut pieces with soy sauce, maple syrup, and smoked paprika for a crunchy, savory note.
Whisk together the herby maple Dijon dressing and throw it all together with some summer favorites, like cherry tomatoes and corn.
The flavors are sweet and smoky with plenty of brightness and freshness from the maple mustard dressing, fresh herbs, and summer veggies.
It's not a traditional potato salad in the least, but it's one of the most satisfying side dishes of all time!
Why you’ll love this Easy Vegan Potato Salad Recipe
- Hearty flavors and textures. There's a misconception that vegan recipes must always be light and bright. Although I'm all about fresh herbs and produce, I also enjoy hearty, umami-rich flavors. The smoked gouda and bacon walnut pieces give you that smoky, meaty flavor that brings this whole salad to life. It's seriously satisfying!
- Great for entertaining. As the salad sits in the dressing, the flavors infuse together. It ends up tasting even better the next day, and you can easily prep it the day before your BBQ or party.
- Accommodates a range of dietary preferences. This simple vegan potato salad packs tons of flavor while also being dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and vegan. It works for so many eaters and is allergy-friendly, too.
Ingredients for Dairy-Free Potato Salad
There's a little effort to prep the bacon walnuts, and make the homemade dressing, but it is so worth it. Do yourself a favor and make a double batch of the walnuts to enjoy in your salads all week! You will not regret it.
For Salad
- Yukon Gold potatoes: These are the perfect potato for potato salad. Feel free to use baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes, if you prefer.
For "Bacon Walnuts"
- Walnut pieces
- Oil
- Salt
- Soy sauce: This adds a salty, umami flavor to make the walnuts taste heartier.
- Maple syrup
- Smoked paprika: For a sweet, smoky flavor.
For Dressing
- Fresh parsley
- Olive oil
- Pure maple syrup
- Dijon mustard
- Salt & black pepper
- Fresh lemon: You can also use apple cider vinegar, but I love the brightness of fresh lemon juice.
For Salad
- Broccoli: I like to roast the broccoli first for a nice texture.
- Frozen corn
- Green onions
- Cherry tomatoes
- GOODPLANet Foods Smoked Gouda Wheel: This smoked gouda is totally plant-based but has a smoky flavor that genuinely tastes like the real deal. It adds so much to this salad and makes it extra delicious. If you can't find this brand in a store near you, look for another vegan gouda or smoked cheese.
How to Make Dairy Free Potato Salad with Cheese
The secret to the best boiled potatoes is to start them in a pan of cold water. This will make the insides soft and creamy without overcooking the outside. Whether you're cooking them for mashed potatoes or homemade potato salad, remember this tip!
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Boil potatoes in a large pot for 10 minutes to soften before roasting. Then drain well.
- Add partially cooked potatoes to a sheet pan with several sprays of olive oil and season with salt. Bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.
- On another sheet pan, add broccoli florets with a few sprays of oil and a pinch of salt. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Make “bacon walnuts” by combining walnuts, soy sauce, smoked paprika and maple syrup. Add them to the broccoli sheet pan for the last 5 minutes of cooking
- Make dressing by combining olive oil, parsley, lemon, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Once all the cooked elements are cool enough to not melt the cheese, add to a large bowl, corn, tomatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted broccoli, “bacon” walnuts, parsley, smoked gouda, green onions, and dressing. Toss well. Enjoy within 3-4 days for best quality.
Tip: The potatoes don't need to be completely fork tender before you bake them. Since they will bake for an additional 30 minutes, they'll have time to finish cooking all the way through in the oven.
How to Serve Dairy-Free Potato Salad
Potato salad is truly the perfect side dish for your next BBQ or summer cookout. We like to offer this vegan mustard potato salad alongside air fryer chickpea burgers, marinated grilled vegetables, and our favorite appetizers and sides.
Beyond that, it also makes a great option for meal prep! Since it can be made a couple of days ahead of time, it's nice to keep it in the fridge and serve it with whichever meal we're enjoying.
Tips for Making the Best Vegan Potato Salad with Cheese
- Crisp up the potatoes. I know crisping the potatoes after boiling is not standard for potato salad, but it adds so much more texture! You get a crisp bite on the outside and that tender, creamy potato texture on the inside, plus the whole thing is smothered in dressing and toppings. It's a game-changer!
- Don't skip the cheese. If you are not able to find GOOD PLANet cheeses near you, I encourage you to raid the vegan cheese section. That smoky, cheesy flavor brings so much flavor to this recipe! Regular vegan gouda or cheddar cheese could work, too.
- Add more veggies. If there are other vegetables you want to add, go for it! This salad would work well with sliced red onion. If you like pickles, try bread and butter pickles for a sweet, tangy flavor.
FAQs
Technically, yes, but it helps to understand the role of starch in potatoes. Starch equals fluff. If you want soft, tender, fluffy potatoes, you need potatoes high in starch.
Yellow potatoes are one of the starchiest options, which gives them that great texture in addition to a naturally buttery flavor. In my opinion, they're the best potatoes for potato salad, although russets are up there too.
Russet potatoes are the only other potato with more starch, which can actually cause them to break down and become too soft at times. I love them for mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes, though.
Red potatoes can work, but they have the lowest starch content, so you typically won't get quite the same fluffiness. They taste great, though!
Nope! Although mayo-based potato salads are creamy and delicious, I'm also fond of potato salads dressed in vinaigrettes.
Potatoes have a neutral flavor that will absorb whatever sauce or seasoning you add, and I find tossing them with a vinaigrette, instead of a creamy dressing, often results in a much more flavorful salad.
Although people can get a little heated over the approved ingredients in potato salad, you can add whatever you'd like.
Cheese often works great in potato salad recipes, since it adds extra flavor and a nice bite. Smoked gouda is especially well-suited with its naturally smoky flavor. I like to serve it with BBQ and other meaty types of recipes (plus, the meat eaters will love it, too).
To keep it vegan and plant-based, look for dairy-free smoked gouda for that same flavor without the animal products.
Other Delicious Vegan Potato Recipes
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Summer Potato Salad with Dairy Free Smoked Gouda
Ingredients
For Cooked Ingredients:
- 4 large Yukon gold potatoes cut in cubes
- oil as needed for spraying
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 head broccoli cut in florets
For Dressing
- 1 sprig fresh parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 lemons juiced
- black pepper optional, to your liking
For Salad
- 2 cups frozen corn defrosted
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 2 green onions white and green parts chopped small
- 8 oz GOODPLANet Foods Smoked Gouda Wheel large size; grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Boil potatoes for 10 minutes to soften before roasting. Then drain well.
- Add potatoes to a sheet pan with several sprays olive oil and season with salt. Bake for 30 minutes turning every 10 minutes.
- On another sheet pan add broccoli florets with a few sprays oil and pinch of salt. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Make “bacon walnuts” by combining walnuts, soy sauce, smoked paprika and maple syrup. Add to the broccoli sheet pan for the last 5 minutes of cooking
- Make dressing by combining olive oil, parsley, lemon, dijon mustard, maple syrup and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Once all the cooked elements are cool enough to not melt the cheese, add to a large bowl corn, tomatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted broccoli, “bacon” walnuts, parsley, smoked gouda, green onions and dressing. Toss well. Enjoy within 3-4 days for best quality.