Classic summer comfort food, lighter potato salad fits the bill as you new, healthier skinny potato salad recipe this summer.
The calories in traditional potato salad are quite high:
- Potato salad with egg: 393 calories per cup and 23.5 grams of fat
- Traditional potato salad with mayonnaise: 462 calories per cup and 30.6 grams of fat
Potato salad most likely originated in Germany where it can be made with mayonnaise or be more vinegar based and served warm or cold. It’s been included in many American cookbooks ever since the 19th century and is considered a classic American dish.
You wont miss all the fat in this recipe, I promise. I very rarely, if ever, take out all the mayonnaise in a recipe like this (or egg or tuna salad). I am a mayonnaise fiend and I feel that the creaminess and mouth feel and pure heavenly goodness of real mayo just can’t be replaced!
That said, if you don’t care about using mayonnaise, you could use all yogurt or some light mayonnaise style dressing.
(Related: Simple Meal Prep Lunch Recipes You Can Make in 15 Minutes or Less)
How to Make Lighter Potato Salad From Scratch
The trick to a great potato salad from scratch is to make sure you do not over cook your potatoes. You also don’t want to let them sit hot too long after they are cooked. And of course, a homemade potato salad dressing is key. None of that pre-made stuff.
Cook to just fork tender and cool immediately by straining and running under hot water.
Some people wonder if you can cut potatoes before boiling. The answer is yes, you can and it saves a lot of time. Just be careful not to over boil them otherwise they will become mushy and grainy, which is definitely not what you want for potato salad.
I also leave the skin on for potato salad. Much of the nutrients and fiber are in the skin, plus they add structure to the potato chunks that I love. The choice is ultimately yours.
Making potato salad the day before is a fantastic way to have the flavours meld perfectly. You’ll have to be sure you have enough dressing however, because the potatoes are thirsty and will absorb much of the liquid, leaving your skinny potato salad dry, which is a bummer.
While your potatoes are cooking, chop half of a red bell pepper and thinly slice a green onion stalk.
Combine the following to make the sauce:
- 1/4 cup real mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- optional 2-3 Tbsp sugar, to taste
Combine and pour over vegetables.
Add 4 chopped boiled eggs to the top. Leave them on top, or fold in gently.
What Goes with Potato Salad
Perfect for potlucks, BBQs, meal prep, picnics, or any day of the week. I paired this salad with my Maple Bourbon BBQ Chicken and an Asparagus, Feta, Tomato Salad with Balsamic Dressing. It was a perfect match!
You could also pair this potato salad with Mini Meatloaves.
For a Fit Food Grocery List, see my Free Resource Library
Lighter Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 large thin skinned yellow potatoes like Yukon Gold
- 1 stalk green onions sliced thin
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced fine
- 1/4 cup real mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 4 large eggs boiled, chopped
- 2-3 Tbsp sugar optional, to taste if you find it too tarte
Instructions
- Boil potatoes until tender, strain and run under cold water until cooled, set aside
- Add green onion, red bell pepper
- Combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, yogurt and spices, add to vegetables
- Top with chopped boiled eggs
- Taste for seasonings, adjust as needed
Nutrition
This sounds like a wonderful addition to my Memorial Day BBQ menu I am planning. We try to eat healthy while still enjoying the foods we love. I will check this recipe out.
Awesome! Thanks for commenting. I hope you like it!
My husband loves potato salad so I will have to give this a try this summer! He’s currently trying to eat healthier too so it’s a perfect recipe. 🙂
Perfect! I’m sure he’ll approve.
This looks soooo delicious, I can’t wait to try this recipe! Potato salad is one of my favorites!
Me too! Hope you like it!
I’m definitely going to try and make this this weekend. I love potato salad, but don’t make it often because of all the calories. This is a great way to get those calories down without sacrificing taste.
Yes, exactly! I am the same. I love mayo-based recipes and used to avoid them because of all the calories but I’ve adapted many recipes to still taste great but save some cals! Hope you enjoy 🙂