Southern Potato Salad (without mayo!)

7 Reviews / 4.9 Average
Perfect for any holiday BBQ or outdoor cookout, here is my (non-mayo) Southern Potato Salad recipe that is just as good as the original!
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Southern Potato Salad made without mayo in a bowl.

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I am on yet another quest to replace mayonnaise in a classic recipe. As I’ve explained before, store-bought mayo isn’t exactly real food (and making mayo from scratch isn’t exactly my cup of tea).

Plus not everyone is a mayonnaise lover anyway, so just in time for your holiday BBQ, here is my (non-mayo) Southern Potato Salad recipe that is just as good as the original!

Featured Comment

I started this yesterday and we ate it for dinner tonight—it was delicious! My husband and three-year-old both enjoyed it too.
– Annette

And in case you need some more inspiration, here are a few other real food recipes that would be perfect for your holiday celebration:



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52 thoughts on “Southern Potato Salad (without mayo!)”

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  1. You should try Primal Kitchens mayo! It’s made with avocado oil instead of canola, it’s the only kind we eat and it’s delicious!!

  2. I absolutely hate mayo, miracle whip or anything like them! You have no idea how excited I am to find this recipe. I will certainly be trying it out. Thank you for posting.

  3. 5 stars
    I started this yesterday and we ate it for dinner tonight -it was delicious! My husband and three-year-old both enjoyed it too. I was afraid my potatoes were overcooked, since they were falling out when I drained them, but after a night in the fridge, they held together perfectly! My only question : any thoughts for mustard substitutions? I just left it out, which worked fine, but if there’s something else I could use, I’m game for it!

    1. Apple cider vinegar Is a perfect substitute for mustard. The vinegar will give your potato salad a very distinct “twang” that would otherwise be accomplished by the mustard.

    2. I have a mustard allergy so I’ve been doing a little research. Turmeric is a less spicy substiture annd used in a 1:1 ratio or if you need the bite use horseradish powder but 1/2 as much.

  4. 4 stars
    I made this today for our family memorial day party – and it was fabulous! Also pretty easy to make too. My husband loved. Bringing leftovers on the boat tomorrow ;)

  5. I tend to use whole milk Greek yogurt to replace mayo in most recipes. If you let it sit over night the flavours develop more. works a treat for flavored dips. Adding spices etc for curry dip.
    just make sure it’s proper greek yogurt. No thickeners or gellatines. Should only contain milk ans cultures in the ingredient list. That’s it.

    1. 5 stars
      Ok I don’t work for Duke’s Mayo but this story must be told. My parents were missionaries for years in East Aftica. All my dad asked for (for Christmas) was Duke’s. I was robbed a week before my flight and all gift packages were ripped open and the gifts worth money were stolen, all dad cared about was getting the Dukes. He’d waited a year. Never again! Southern and daddy’s girl :) … still loving Duke’s Mayonaise all over the globe!

    2. Soybean oil, eggs, water, distilled and cider vinegar, salt, oleoresin paprika, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor.
      Soybean oil is horrendous for anyone’s health, natural flavors are anything but natural, Calcuim disodium -Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid. Found in: Processed foods. Robs Your Body of: Vitamin C, magnesium, iron, calcium, zinc, potassium. Sorry, I would never use Dukes Mayo.

      1. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid: chelates mercury and lead; acts as an antioxidant; used by dentists during root canals; anticoagulant; reduces bacterial growth. Having thirteen syllables doesn’t make it dangerous. I love Duke’s mayonaise.

      2. That’s why I have stopped using mayo. Haven’t tried the avocado oil one yet. Thanks for reminding us how bad soy oil and additives are for our health. Since dropping all mayo, I have lost several lbs of bodyfat, too!

    3. There is no natural in Duke’s mayo. And absolutely nothing healthy in it in any way. Amazing how people are duped into believing something is natural. Actually, sugar would be healthier that what is in Duke’s mayo.

  6. This potato salad looks great. I will have to try it!
    I do want to point out though that there is a good mayo on the market here on the west coast that meets my family’s definition of real food: Sir Kensington’s mayo
    http://sirkensingtons.com/shop#!products/classic-mayonnaise
    Yes, it has a more than 5 ingredients, but all the ingredients meet the definition of real food. And while there is sugar on the ingredients list, it’s such a small amount that the amount of sugar per serving comes to 0 g. It’s a great option for those who don’t want to give up mayonnaise and don’t have the time or inclination to make their own.

    1. Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo is another great option. No refined sugar, cage free eggs, no refined oil, and really yummy!

    1. Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)

      Hi Paula. I’ve not frozen this specific version but it has been my experience that potato salad does not freeze well. ~Amy

  7. My husband is Swiss and he doesn’t go for the whole mayo thing in potato salads. I make mine with a veggie or chicken broth base. After the potatoes cook and cool down a bit, I peel them and slice them thick into a bowl. Then I add slightly warmed broth to the potatoes so they absorb the liquid which gives great flavor. Stir it up a bit and let it sit a while covered with a towel. Then add in some extra virgin olive oil, vinegar (we love herb vinegar), mustard, salt and pepper if you wish and mix it all together. The potatoes will break doen slightly and it will all come together. If it seems too thick, add a little water. I’ve see people add a little pickle juice too!

  8. Made this for the 4th of July with a few tweaks. (No onions–I hate onions; no pepper–I hate pepper.) It was delicious. Even my husband ate it, and he usually hates any new food I make. Told me I could win a contest with it. Bravo!

    1. Sarah- your post made me laugh out loud. “I hate onions. I hate pepper.” So honest! Me too, and I’m glad your husband ate it. I hope mine does too.

  9. Love the blueberry jam and can’t wait to make it!!! This potato salad sounds delicious, but many in my family are dairy intolerant, so I love to make German potato salad which calls for olive oil and vinegar,salt and pepper and lots of diced up red onion and celery in the diced potatoes. You throw on the dressing while the potatoes are still warm.This is a good alternative for those who can’t tolerate dairy products such as sour cream.

  10. Very easy to make homemade mayo like those above have mentioned, but if you’re just not into that, Tessamae’s now carries a ‘clean’ mayo with no funky oils or sketchy additives!

  11. 5 stars
    I just made this recipe and just like every other recipe I have tried from 100 Days it was fantastic! I think I like it better than traditional potato salad! Thank you for another great recipe!

  12. Why skip the mayo when it’s so easy to whip up a little from scratch? I’ve been using this recipe for years, and if you want to skip the raw egg yolk, there are pasteurized egg products in the freezer section of my grocery that work just fine

    1. Yes! :)I know it’s more expensive, but I always get organic butter. And we are BROKE, so there are certain things worth the extra money. Also, there’s clarified butter (ghee) which is found in the international section of the store, non refrigerated. Also, I use coconut oil in place of butter a lot, even on my toast with a little salt. I always get unsalted butter and just sprinkle salt or add it to the recipe. But rest assured, butter is real food :)

    2. Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

      Totally! We have a ton of farms and natural foods stores around here that carry it. It can range in price from $6-$9/pound. Sounds expensive, but if I buy it in bulk (10 pounds at a time), my farmer will sell it to me at $5/pound. Totally worth it. And I encourage you to get creative with other spreadables like Jennifer suggested above. In addition to ghee and coconut oil – which are lovely – I also use bacon or roast drippings. Depends on what you’re doing with it.

    1. Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

      Laura, I just substitute one to one for the mayo. Another idea: baked potato salad (think chopped baked potatoes, plain whole milk yoghurt, salt, pepper, and dried chives)! Good luck!

  13. Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

    Sour cream makes a lovely substitute! I also use whole milk plain yoghurt – which, in my mind, is interchangable for sour cream and buttermilk. Just out of curiosity, why the aversion to homemade mayo? (You don’t have to explain the store-bought! I get that! : ) I make our mayo all the time and it takes less than 5-6 from start to finish! It’s really easy and tastes amazing! (If you want my recipe, let me know.)

      1. Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

        Della, Linda, and Jessica, here ya go!

        In my Vitamix (I’m sure this would work in a food processor, too, but I love how the Vitamix keeps the liquids from slinging around), I put in the following:

        4 egg yolks
        4 T. lemon juice
        1 T. raw honey
        1/2 tsp. sea salt
        few shakes of ground pepper

        Whiz it around on low and -slowly- add 1/2 c. olive oil. (I use the lighter flavour olive oil so my mayo doesn’t taste olive-y.) Give that a bit of whizzing to breakdown the proteins in the yolks. Slowly add more olive oil (usually about 1 1/2 c.) until you get the consistency you want. I know mine’s ready when I can stand a spoon in the mayo without it falling over.

        And… that’s it. Really easy.

        Notes:

        – The only other oil I’d recommend for this is safflower, but even that isn’t as good as light-flavour olive oil. Other oils totally pale in taste.
        – You can sub apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice. It works, but has a different taste.
        – Add roasted garlic or hot sauce or homemade mustard for cool dip variations.
        – Makes a REALLY good ranch dressing. Mix equal parts mayo with plain whole milk yoghurt, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.

        Any other questions, feel free to email me at lmlindenschmidt(at)gmail.com.

        Good luck!

  14. I love how you cook the potatoes and hard boil the eggs together. It saves a dish, saves time & heats up the kitchen a bit less. Why didn’t I think of that before?

  15. I love that you don’t use mayo in this recipe! I’ll have to keep it in mind for later. Do you think greek yogurt would work in place of the sour cream? I almost always have greek yogurt on hand, but don’t buy sour cream that much.