This German Potato Salad recipe is so easy ( I used a few tricks to make the process so much faster) and it’s also healthier with zero refined sugar and less saturated fat. But it is 100 high in delicious smoky, sweet and sour flavor! 

Potato Salad overhead with a beer

German Potato Salad is made from hot potatoes and a dressing made with vinegar, sugar and oil or bacon fat. My own creation of this recipe was originally published in my cookbook, Maple: 100 Sweet and Savory Recipes Featuring Pure Maple Syrup (Quirk Books, 2015.)

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Favorite German Potato Salad

German Potato Salad is a warm potato salad made with a sweet vinegar based dressing, bacon, onion and celery. It is sweet and sour and has smoky bacon flavor and crunchy texture from the celery and onion.

In our recent trip to Germany, we ate a lot of potato salad. Not always intentionally but it seemed to come with everything we ordered! They varied from reigon to reignon and town to town.

For the recipe I am sharing today I’ve taken inspiration from those potato salads from Germany mixed with the Americanized version of German Potato Salad I grew up eating in the 80s and then I added my Healthy Seasonal twist!

If you haven’t had it, and you are looking for an alternative to creamy potato salad, then I highly encourage you to try this delicious recipe for a summer salad.

Don’t miss our German Mustard Salad Dressing inspired from our travels to Germany.

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More Potato Salad Recipes

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Ingredients For German Potato Salad

  • Thin-skinned Potatoes: Look for small red or yellow skinned potatoes. I leave the skin on for more fiber.
  • Olive Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar: The sweet fruitiness of the apple cider vinegar pairs really nicely with the smoky bacon and maple syrup. 
  • Pure Maple Syrup: Traditionally German Potato Salads have sugar added to the dressing and it is melted into the dressing as it cooks. This dressing is much easier and doesn’t need to be cooked because the sugar is already liquid. The flavor of “Dark Robust” maple syrup is best in this recipe if you can find it. 
  • Brown Mustard: German mustard is a lot like what we call brown deli mustard here in the States. If you have Dijon (which is stronger) use 1 1/2 teaspoons. 
  • Salt and Pepper: The salt helps to balance the sweet and sour flavors. I tend to go heavy on the pepper, but just add to taste. 
  • Smoked Paprika: The smoked paprika is added to amp up the smoky bacon flavor without adding all those calories and saturated fat of actual bacon. I also love the slight reddish tint it adds to the salad.
  • Bacon: A traditional component in German potato salad is bacon. Usually, the grease is used for the dressing. Four our healthier version you’ll need 5 strips of cooked bacon.
  • Celery: I buy celery hearts for this recipe and I go to the center of the bunch to get the stalks with leaves still attached. This was a necessary component of my mom’s German Potato salad. The bitterness of the leaves adds the balancing taste that helps to make the whole recipe more harmonious. 
  • Red Onion: The key here is to chop the red onion as finely as you can. Since the onion isn’t cooked a little goes a long way. Just a quarter cup is all you need to make the salad have an overall onion flavor. 
  • Parsley: For color
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How To Make This Easy German Potato Salad Recipe

cut potatoes in a colander
1. Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces.
potatoes in a steamer
2. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add potatoes, cover and steam until tender, about 20 minutes.

Bring several inches of water to a boil in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket over high heat. Add potatoes to the steamer basket, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 17 to 21 minutes.

the dressing in a large bowl
3. While the potatoes steam, whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
adding the potatoes to the dressing
4. Add the hot potatoes to the dressing and stir to coat.

Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard salt, pepper and paprika in a large bowl.

Let the potatoes absorb the dressing for 10 minutes
5. Let the potatoes absorb the dressing for 10 minutes.
Add the bacon, parsley, celery and onion and toss to combine.
6. Add the bacon, parsley, celery and onion and toss to combine.

Add hot potatoes to the dressing, and toss to coat. Cool, stirring once or twice, until just warm or room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Add bacon, celery, onion and parsley and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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German potato salad in a serving bowl plus a single serving

Serving Suggestions

Grilled meats and veggies are a great match with the smoky bacon and tangy dressing in a German Potato Salad recipe. Try one of these summer main course recipes along with this Potato Salad recipe.

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Make Ahead and Storage

  1. The dressing can be made up to three days ahead.
  2. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two days.
  3. Bring leftovers to room temperature before serving.

Variations To Try

  • You can use sugar instead of maple syrup if you like. You will need to melt it so that it is not grainy. Gently warm the dressing in a small saucepan over medium heat to melt the sugar. Whisk constantly and do not boil.
  • Add green onions or a little raw garlic instead of red onion
  • If you do not want the skin on the potatoes you can use larger thin-skinned potatoes (white Chef’s potatoes are the easiest to peel.) Boil them gently in lightly salted water until they are fork tender. Then once they are cool enough to handle, peel them with a pairing knife. It is best to do this while they are still warm. Then slice and toss the potatoes with the dressing.
Potato Salad in a white bowl from three quarters view

More Summer Salads

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Mexican Pasta Salad
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Healthy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
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overhead of the salad before it is stirred together

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Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Potato Salad overhead close-up

Simple Warm German Potato Salad Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 10 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 7 cups 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This easy Warm German Potato Salad is made with celery, parsley and bacon and it’s sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar. It is lower in saturated fat and doesn’t have any refined sugar so it is healthy too! 

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 pounds small thin-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons dark pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon brown deli mustard or German mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery, preferably with leaves
  • 1/2 cup minced red onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Bring several inches of water to a boil in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket over high heat. Add potatoes to the steamer basket, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 17 to 21 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard salt, pepper and paprika in a large bowl.
  3. Add hot potatoes to the dressing, and toss to coat. Cool, stirring once or twice, until just warm or room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Add bacon, celery, onion and parsley and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  1. The dressing can be made up to three days ahead.
  2. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two days.
  3. Bring leftovers to room temperature before serving.
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: German

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2 cup
  • Calories: 180 calories
  • Sugar: 6 grams
  • Fat: 9 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 1 gram
  • Carbohydrates: 23 grams
  • Fiber: 2 grams
  • Protein: 3 grams

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