No-mayo Spanish potato salad
Healthy lower-fat salad recipe
No-mayo Spanish potato salad is a fantastic healthy recipe that’s light and easy to make. It combines deliciously soft potatoes (fingerling work perfectly) with fresh green beans and some sliced radish for a little crunch. Drizzled with a smoky paprika-infused dressing, this is no run-of-the-mill potato salad!
The best thing about this recipe is it uses just a few simple vegan-friendly ingredients. It contains no mayonnaise, and the recipe is healthier and lower in fat compared to the traditional Ensaladilla Rusa recipe (creamy potato salad).
This dish is so tasty and filling, it can stand on its own as a main meal or it’s great as a side too. We’ve included a few optional ingredients that work well if you’re looking to bulk this salad up further though. This recipe makes 4 main meal servings. It’s also budget-friendly, vegan and vegetarian, and an amazing summer salad recipe.
Serving:
Main 4 servings
Ready in:
1 hour
Skill level:
Easy
Serve with:
Good on its own
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How to make no-mayo Spanish potato salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 17 oz (500g) of small potatoes (fingerling or small red potatoes work best)
- 10 oz (300g) of green beans, ends trimmed
- 6 oz (170g) of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 red onion, sliced fine
- 1 small lettuce or leafy greens, loosely chopped (around 3.5oz/100g)
- 4 small red radishes, halved and sliced fine
- Fresh dill
For the dressing
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon of Spanish La Vera smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of Ground Cumin
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard (use less if you prefer less spicy)
- ½ tsp of white pepper (to taste)
- 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- Salt (to taste)
- Cracked black pepper (to taste)
Optional ingredients
- 15 oz (425g) can of tuna
- 1 lemon
Equipment needed
- 1 stainless steel pan with lid (e.g. Circulon Stainless Steel Cookware)
- 1 slotted spoon
- 1 medium-sized Glass bowl
- Knife and Cutting board
- Colander
- Serving platter
- Salad serving spoons
Method
Step 1 – Prepare potatoes and beans
- Boil whole potatoes with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes or until just soft. Remove the potatoes and keep the water.
- Add the green beans and boil (or steam) for 2-3 minutes.
- While beans are cooking, make a bowl of iced water.
- Remove beans from the hot water and immediately place them into the iced water. This will preserve their color and crunch.
- Allow the potatoes to cool, this should take around 20-30 minutes.
- Once cooled, slice potatoes into wedges lengthways. Strain the beans and cut them into 2-3 inch (5-7cm) lengths.
Step 2- Make salad dressing
- Add all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Mix well and season to taste with some salt.
Step 3 – Mix salad and dressing
- In a large mixing bowl, add a few sprigs of dill (chopped) and the potatoes with a splash of olive oil. Give a light mix being careful not to break up the potatoes.
- Add the beans, cherry tomatoes, and some finely sliced red onion.
- Drizzle around ⅔ of the dressing and gently mix until all the ingredients are covered.
Step 4 – Arrange salad
- On a plate or platter, add a few lettuce leaves or greens as a base.
- Arrange the potatoes, beans, cherry tomatoes, and red onion on top of the lettuce.
- If using tuna, drain off any excess oil, break it apart, and flake the tuna on top (optional).
- Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and garnish with a few sprigs of diced dill.
- Season to taste with a little salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and serve.
Watch step-by-step recipe video
If you’re looking for this recipe’s video and many other great recipe ideas, why not check out our Spanish Radish YouTube Channel? We’ve got everything from quick and easy tapas recipes to delicious main meals to yummy Spanish desserts too.
No-mayo Spanish potato salad: tips
Spain is actually more famous for another type of potato salad, the ensalada rusa. It’s a popular dish all over Spain and incredibly tasty. But, the one thing with ensalada rusa is it’s very heavy and uses a lot of mayonnaise.
This a healthier option that is lower in fat but still has plenty of flavor! This potato salad recipe is something of a hybrid, it takes some of the ingredients and spices used in a classic Spanish potato salad and adds a few flavors from neighboring countries.
Most importantly, there’s no mayo used, but it does have a little extra virgin olive oil which is more nutritious.
We add Dijon mustard and dill to this potato salad recipe, and combined with a few fresh radishes, some red onion, and green beans, they really set this salad apart. You can also make your own homemade pickled radishes and use these instead of fresh radishes or in addition.
Best potatoes to use
Use fingerling potatoes (called ‘La Ratte Potatoes’ in the UK) or small red potatoes, if possible. Both are smaller than regular potatoes and cook faster with less of a starch flavor. Fingerling potatoes get their namesake because they naturally grow to become stubby, finger-shaped potatoes. They have thin skins and do not require to be peeled before cooking, making them ideal for boiling or use in salads.
Where to buy Fingerling potatoes
Fingerling potatoes are available in most fresh food grocery stores or supermarkets. They are most commonly sold in a white color variety, but can also be found with red/orange-skinned called the French fingerling, and the impressively colored Purple Peruvian Fingerling.
What’s in this no-mayo potato salad dressing?
The salad dressing we make for this potato salad uses no mayo and a careful selection of healthy (and yummy) ingredients, keeping it lower in fat compared to traditional potato salad recipes.
Some popular ingredients used in Spanish cooking that are in this dressing include garlic, cumin, and vinegar. Here are some other common (and one not-so-common) ingredients:
Smoked paprika and Dijon mustard
You’ll find smoked paprika in many recipes in Spanish cuisine, but one ingredient that is less common is Dijon mustard. Dijon hails from France and is commonly used in salad dressings and marinades across the world.
For this potato salad dressing, we combine smoked paprika and Dijon mustard to give the recipe a little spice. This gives the dressing a very subtle heat and a layer of smoky flavor, both of which work really well with soft-boiled fingerling potatoes.
Extra virgin olive oil
When in the Mediterranean, and particularly in Spain, extra virgin olive oil is used extensively for cooking or drizzling over salads. For this recipe, use 3-4 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil as the base oil for the salad dressing. EVOO is one of the healthiest oils to use and also has the advantage of many medicinal benefits. If you want more salad recipes that have an EVOO based dressing, try our Mediterranean tomato salad with a homemade pesto sauce or our burrata and tomato salad recipe.
How to cook green beans (and retain their color and crunch!)
Fresh green beans are a great addition to potato salad. They offer some color and crunch and pair perfectly with the soft flavors of the potatoes. Here’s how to cook them perfectly so they retain their color and crunch.
This technique stops them from continuing to cook and helps retain the beans’ bright green color and crispness.
- First, boil them in some water for 3 minutes (very crunchy) or 4 minutes (slightly crunchy).
- While they’re boiling, prepare an iced water bath in a medium-sized bowl. Once boiled, transfer them immediately into the iced water.
Cooking with Olive oil – The healthy choice
When it comes to olive oil production, there’s no better place than Spain. It’s a staple in the healthy Mediterranean diet, and Spain produces the most olive oil in the world. For many years now, Spain has been the leading exporter of excellent quality olive oil, including the star of the show, extra virgin olive oil.
Like many Spanish kitchens, we at Spanish Radish HQ use good quality extra virgin olive oil extensively in our day-to-day cooking. We use it for frying, drizzle it on salads or bread, or use it in baking as a substitute for butter. The reason? Not only does EVOO taste amazing, it’s really (really) good for you!
Olive oil is high in antioxidants, especially EVOO. Antioxidants are known to help prevent or treat many chronic diseases. Olive oil also contains minerals like potassium, calcium, and iron, and vitamins E and K.
Here’s a comparison table of olive oil versus some other common fats:
| Criteria | Olive oil | Butter | Canola oil |
| Calories per tbsp | 119 | 102 | 124 |
| Cholesterol | 0 | 30.5 mg | 0 |
| Saturated fat content | <15% | > 60% | <10% |
| Oleic acid content | >70% | >20% | >55% |
Nutrition Facts |
|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 243 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 14.9g | 19% |
| Saturated Fat 2.1g | 11% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 175mg | 8% |
| Total Carbohydrate 26.5g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber 6.4g | 23% |
| Total Sugars 4.7g | |
| Protein 4.8g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 77mg | 6% |
| Iron 3mg | 16% |
| Potassium 827mg | 18% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
FAQs
How long does this no-mayo potato salad recipe take to make?
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Cooling time: 20-30 minutes
- Total time: Under 1 hour
What are the best potatoes to use for no-mayo potato salad?
Use fingerling potatoes or small red potatoes. Both varieties have thin skin and do not require peeling, making them ideal for potato salad.
Is this potato salad recipe spicy?
There is a very mild spice level (1 out of 10) to the salad dressing thanks to the Dijon mustard and smoked paprika. Of course, you can make it less spicy by reducing the quantities.
Is this potato salad recipe healthy?
Yes, this no-mayo potato salad recipe is very healthy at just 243 calories per main meal serving. It uses fresh ingredients and uses extra virgin olive oil, which is considered one of the healthiest oils for cooking with and using on food.
- Total Fat 14.9g (19% daily value)
- Sodium 175mg (8% daily value)
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Dietary Fiber 6.4g (23%)
Is this recipe vegan-friendly?
Yep, it sure is. This recipe is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
No-mayo Spanish potato salad | Healthy lower-fat salad recipe
Equipment
- 1 stainless steel pan with lid
- 1 slotted spoon
- 1 medium-sized Glass bowl
- 1 small bowl (for making the dressing)
- 1 large plate or platter 14-16 inches (35-40cm) in diameter (to arrange the salad)
- 1 strainer/colander
Ingredients
For the salad
- 17 oz 500g of small potatoes (fingerling or small red potatoes work best)
- 10 oz 300g of green beans, ends trimmed
- 6 oz 170g of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 red onion sliced fine
- 1 small lettuce or leafy greens loosely chopped (around 3.5oz.100g)
- 4 small red radishes halved and sliced fine
- Fresh dill
For the dressing
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon of Spanish La Vera smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard use less if you prefer less spicy
- ½ tsp of white pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- Himalayan Pink salt to taste
- Cracked black pepper to taste
Optional ingredients
- 15 oz 425g can of tuna
- 1 lemon
Instructions
Step 1 - Prepare potatoes and beans
- Boil whole potatoes with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes or until just soft. Remove the potatoes and keep the water.
- Add the green beans and boil (or steam) for 2-3 minutes. While beans are cooking, make a bowl of iced water.
- Remove beans from the hot water and immediately place them into the iced water. This will preserve their color and crunch.
- Allow the potatoes to cool, this should take around 20-30 minutes. Once cooled, slice potatoes into wedges lengthways. Strain the beans and cut them into 2-3 inch (5-7cm) lengths.
Step 2- Make salad dressing
- Add all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Mix well and season to taste with some salt.
Step 3 - Mix salad and dressing
- In a large mixing bowl, add a few sprigs of dill (chopped) and the potatoes with a splash of olive oil. Give a light mix being careful not to break up the potatoes.
- Add the beans, cherry tomatoes, and some finely sliced red onion. Drizzle around ⅔ of the dressing and gently mix until all the ingredients are covered.
Step 4 - Arrange salad
- On a plate or platter, add a few lettuce leaves or greens as a base. Arrange the potatoes, beans, cherry tomatoes, and red onion on top of the lettuce.
- If using tuna, drain off any excess oil, break it apart, and flake the tuna on top (optional).
- Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and garnish with a few sprigs of diced dill. Season to taste with a little salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and serve.
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