This Japanese Potato Salad Recipe is creamy, chunky, and perfectly balanced with that tanginess from a littler rice vinegar. It's packed with creamy mashed potatoes, some chunks for texture, crunchy cucumber, sweet carrots, scallions, red onion or shallot, vegan "ham," Kewpie mayo, and a little roasted sesame dressing for extra nuttiness.
I like my potato salad with some chunks for that extra bite, so I remove a few pieces of cooked potato before mashing the rest. This gives you that creamy base, but with tender potato pieces throughout.
The roasted sesame dressing isn't traditionally added to Japanese potato salad, but I love the extra layer of flavor it brings. It adds nuttiness and so much aroma from the toasted sesame seeds, while still keeping the salad creamy, savory, and lightly tangy.
Why You'll Love This Japanese Potato Salad Recipe
- Creamy mashed potatoes with little chunks for extra texture
- Packed with crunchy, fresh, and savory mix-ins
- Great for meal-prep and even better after chilling overnight!
- The roasted sesame dressing adds a nutty, aromatic layer of flavor
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS POTATO SALAD
POTATOES
- potatoes, peeled and sliced into large chunks
- salt for cooking the potatoes
MIX-INS
- carrot
- Persian cucumber thinly
- scallion white part thinly
- vegan "ham" or plant-based deli slices - I used Tofurky slices
- red onion or shallot
SEASONING
- rice vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Kewpie mayo or egg-free version
- roasted sesame dressing - homemade recipe here, optional but highly recommended!
TO SERVE
- Extra roasted sesame dressing (homemade recipe here)Â optional
- Sliced scallions optional
TO MAKE THIS POTATO SALAD
PREPARE THE VEGETABLES
- Thinly slice the Persian cucumber. To remove excess moisture, sprinkle the cucumber with a small pinch of salt, massage well into the cucumbers, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze the cucumber to remove excess liquid.
COOK THE POTATOES
- Add the peeled potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Starting the potatoes in cold water helps them cook more evenly.
- Add 1 tsp salt to the water, then bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Peel and quarter the carrot lengthwise, then thinly slice. Thinly slice the white part of the scallion, mince the red onion or shallot, and slice the vegan "ham" or plant-based deli slices into squares or diced (if using thicker ones)
- If you want the carrots more tender, add the thinly sliced carrots during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, then drain with the potatoes. You can also keep the carrots raw if you prefer more crunch.
MASH AND SEASON THE POTATOES
- Drain the potatoes well. Before mashing, set aside a few pieces of potato and slice them into cubes so you have extra chunks in the salad.
- Mash the remaining potatoes while still hot. Add the rice vinegar, salt, and pepper right away since hot potatoes absorb flavor better.
- Add the reserved potato chunks and mix gently. Let the potatoes cool until no longer hot before adding the mayo.
MIX THE SALAD
- Once the potatoes have cooled, add the cucumber, carrot, scallion, vegan "ham," and red onion or shallot.
- Add the Kewpie mayo and roasted sesame dressing (if using). Mix gently until everything is coated.
- Taste the potato salad and feel free to season with more salt, pepper, mayo, or roasted sesame dressing (homemade recipe here), to taste, if needed.
TO SERVE
- This is best enjoyed when it’s chilled! So I recommend to chill it for at least an hour, best if overnight.
- Top with extra roasted sesame dressing (homemade recipe here), sliced scallions, and roasted sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!
- Enjoy!
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Japanese Potato Salad
This Japanese Potato Salad Recipe is creamy, chunky, and perfectly balanced with that tanginess from a littler rice vinegar. It's packed with creamy mashed potatoes, some chunks for texture, crunchy cucumber, sweet carrots, scallions, red onion or shallot, vegan "ham," Kewpie mayo, and a little roasted sesame dressing for extra nuttiness.
Ingredients
POTATOES
- 1.2 lb potatoes peeled and sliced into large chunks
- 1 tsp salt for cooking the potatoes
MIX-INS
- 1/4 small carrot peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced (60g)
- 1/2 small Persian cucumber thinly sliced (100g)
- 1 scallion white part thinly sliced
- 2 slices vegan "ham" or plant-based deli slices sliced into squares
- 1/2 small red onion or 1 shallot finely minced
SEASONING
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Kewpie mayo or egg-free version plus more as needed
- 1-2 tbsp roasted sesame dressing see homemade recipe here - optional but highly recommended!
TO SERVE
- Extra roasted sesame dressing (homemade recipe here) optional
- Sliced scallions optional
- Roasted sesame seeds optional
Instructions
PREPARE THE VEGETABLES
- Thinly slice the Persian cucumber. To remove excess moisture, sprinkle the cucumber with a small pinch of salt, massage well into the cucumbers, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze the cucumber to remove excess liquid.
- Peel and quarter the carrot lengthwise, then thinly slice. Thinly slice the white part of the scallion, mince the red onion or shallot, and slice the vegan "ham" or plant-based deli slices into squares or diced (if using thicker ones)
COOK THE POTATOES
- Add the peeled potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Starting the potatoes in cold water helps them cook more evenly.
- Add 1 tsp salt to the water, then bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- If you want the carrots more tender, add the thinly sliced carrots during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, then drain with the potatoes. You can also keep the carrots raw if you prefer more crunch.
MASH AND SEASON THE POTATOES
- Drain the potatoes well. Before mashing, set aside a few pieces of potato and slice them into cubes so you have extra chunks in the salad.
- Mash the remaining potatoes while still hot. Add the rice vinegar, salt, and pepper right away since hot potatoes absorb flavor better.
- Add the reserved potato chunks and mix gently. Let the potatoes cool until no longer hot before adding the mayo.
MIX THE SALAD
- Once the potatoes have cooled, add the cucumber, carrot, scallion, vegan "ham," and red onion or shallot.
- Add the Kewpie mayo and roasted sesame dressing (if using). Mix gently until everything is coated.
- Taste the potato salad and feel free to season with more salt, pepper, mayo, or roasted sesame dressing (homemade recipe here), to taste, if needed.
TO SERVE
- This is best enjoyed when it’s chilled! So I recommend to chill it for at least an hour, best if overnight.
- Top with extra roasted sesame dressing (homemade recipe here), sliced scallions, and roasted sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!
- Enjoy!
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 677mg | Potassium: 650mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1729IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
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