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This is a potato salad with no mayonnaise in sight. Just waxy potatoes tossed warm in a bright lemon-oregano vinaigrette, then tossed with feta, kalamata olives, and capers. This Greek Potato Salad is light, punchy, and flavor-packed in a way mayo-based salads never quite manage. I was eating it straight out of the bowl while I shot it, which I never do.

A bowl of potato salad with black beans, capers, feta cheese, and herbs sits on a wooden board, alongside fresh parsley, cherry tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms for steak, a bowl of salt, and red pepper flakes.

This Greek Potato Salad recipe is one I'll never get tired of. It is perfect for picnics at the beach on warm Florida days!

The secret isn't a secret ingredient, it's timing.

You dress the potatoes while they're still warm so they drink in the vinaigrette as they cool, which makes all the difference in the final taste.

Serve this with Greek Grilled Chicken and Tomato Salad for a simple but elevated weeknight meal. I also love this with my Blackstone Salmon or Sous Vide Salmon.

A yellow bowl of Greek potato salad made with fingerling potatoes is surrounded by small bowls of sliced red onion, feta cheese, chopped olives, capers, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper on a marble countertop.

Use a waxy potato

I tested this with a few different potatoes, and the variety makes more of a difference than you would expect. A waxy potato is a must here. Fingerlings are my favorite, but waxy red potatoes work well too. Both hold their shape when they’re boiled and tossed, so they can take on the vinaigrette without falling apart or turning mushy.

Here’s what didn’t work in my kitchen: russets came out dry and floury. Yukon Golds (which are more waxy than russets) turned mealy and a little gluey once dressed. So for this recipe, I’d skip the all-purpose potatoes and reach for something firm and waxy. It’s the easiest win in the whole recipe.

The warm-potato trick

If you take one thing from this post, take this: dress the potatoes while they're hot. A warm potato is porous and thirsty. Drizzle vinaigrette over it the moment it's drained and it pulls the lemon, oil, and oregano right into the flesh. Let those same potatoes cool all the way to cold first, and the dressing just slides off the outside.

The order of operations is deliberate: drain the potatoes, spread them out, and dress them immediately. Don't wait.

I also save a quarter cup of the salted potato cooking water and whisk it into the vinaigrette. It sounds odd, but that starchy water helps the dressing cling and emulsify, and it carries seasoning. (This is similar to how I loosen and flavor the sauce in my Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta.)

Why I spread them on a baking sheet

Drain the potatoes and arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet rather than letting them cool on a bowl or in a colander. The sheet pan serves two purposes.

Spreading out the potatoes makes them cool fast. When you leave them in a bowl or colander, the heat keeps them steaming and the carry over cooking can turn the potatoes into mush. Spreading them on a sheet pan stops this process.

Secondly, a single layer lets you drizzle the dressing even, and toss gently without breaking the potatoes.

Let's talk about the salt

Feta is salty. Olives are salty. Capers are very salty. The three in one dish can get overwhelming, fast. This is the number-one complaint about Greek potato salad, and it's completely avoidable.

My approach: salt the potato cooking water properly, but keep the added salt in the dressing modes. Then let the olives, feta, and capers do the rest of the salting for you. Taste before you add extra.

One more thing: chilling dulls salt and acid. You will want taste again after it's been in the fridge and re-tossed. It'll may need a pinch more salt or a squeeze more lemon to wake back up.

Make it ahead

You can make it the night before, just make sure you hold back a portion of the vinaigrette. Store it covered in the refrigerator, and plan on pulling it out about 30 minutes before serving it.

Toss with the reserved dressing and taste for salt and lemon. Add the fresh dill or parsley garnish in the serving bowl at the very end.

Step-by-Step

A variety of small, unpeeled potatoes in yellow, red, and purple are spread on a white paper towel, ready to be used in a fresh greek potato salad; a green and white scrubbing brush sits in the top right corner. — Scrub your potatoes.

A yellow bowl filled with various types of sliced potatoes in purple, yellow, and red hues sits on a marble surface. Surrounding it are small bowls with capers and other ingredients for a vibrant Greek potato salad. — Cut in half, or quarters for larger potatoes.

A stainless steel bowl filled with water and a mix of halved and whole small potatoes in various colors, including red, yellow, and purple, sits on a marble countertop—perfect for making a vibrant Greek potato salad. — Cook the potatoes.

A glass jar containing a small amount of liquid and dark specks, reminiscent of greek potato salad seasonings, sits on a gray and white marbled surface, viewed from above. — Mix the dressing while the potatoes are cooking.

Sliced red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes are spread on a metal baking sheet. In the corner, a measuring cup with seasoned liquid for a greek potato salad is being poured onto the potatoes. — Drain the potatoes and immediately transfer to a sheet pan. Drizzle with part of the dressing.

A baking sheet with seasoned, cut red, yellow, and purple potatoes—perfect for making greek potato salad. Some pieces are scattered, and a blue spatula rests at the bottom right on a light marble countertop. — Toss to coat.

A yellow bowl filled with water, ice cubes, and thinly sliced red onions sits on a marble surface. Next to it, a tray with colorful cut potatoes—perfect for crafting a refreshing Greek potato salad—is partially visible. — While the potatoes are cooking and cooling, soak the onions in ice water to mellow.

Thinly sliced red onions, ideal for greek potato salad, rest on a paper towel and are partially covered by another sheet on a light-colored surface. The paper towels appear slightly damp. — Drain and blot dry.

A jar of dressing is being poured into an orange bowl containing sliced red onions, kidney beans, chunked potatoes, and minced garlic on a light countertop—perfect for making a delicious Greek potato salad. — Toss everything together.

A bowl of potato salad with black beans, chopped herbs, and feta cheese sits on a wooden board, surrounded by cherry tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms for steak, a bowl of salt, red pepper flakes, and a white towel with red stripes.

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A bowl of colorful potato salad with red, yellow, and purple potatoes, kalamata olives, capers, red onions, feta cheese, and fresh herbs is served on a wooden table beside Sautéed Mushrooms for Steak and a white and red striped napkin.

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Greek Potato Salad

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Cooling10

Total Time35

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Greek

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 194kcal

Author: Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

Lemon Dressing

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Potatoes

24 ounces fingerling potatoes or other firm, waxy potato
2 tablespoons salt

Salad

½ red onion sliced thin
½ cup kalamata olives drained
½ cup feta cheese crumbled
2 tablespoons capers drained

For garnish: fresh dill, parsley or chives; green onions

Instructions

Dressing

In a mason jar, bowl or blender mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Cook the Potatoes

Scrub the potatoes and slice in half. If you have large potatoes, you can slice them into quarters.
Place the potatoes and salt in a large pot. Add water to cover by 1-inch. Turn to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until fork-tender.
Drain the potatoes, reserving ¼ cup of the salted potato cooking water. Arrange the drained potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.

Dressing the Potatoes

Add the reserved water to the vinaigrette and whisk well. Immediately drizzle with ⅓ cup of the dressing, and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes

Make the salad

While the potatoes are cooling, place the sliced red onion in a bowl of ice water to mellow the flavor. Drain and pat dry.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the onion, olives, feta cheese and capers. Add about ¾ of the remaining dressing. Toss gently with a rubber spatula to avoid breaking the potatoes.
Reserve the remaining dressing for a final toss just before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Notes

Best potatoes: Fingerling or waxy red. Russets turn dry and floury; Yukon Golds go mealy once dressed.
Dress warm: Warm potatoes absorb the vinaigrette; cold ones won't. Don't skip the immediate drizzle on the sheet pan.
Salt: Olives, feta, and capers are all salty — keep added salt modest and taste before adding more. Chilling dulls seasoning, so re-taste before serving cold.
Make ahead: Make up to a day ahead, holding back the final portion of dressing. Bring toward room temp, toss with the reserved dressing, and re-season before serving. .

Nutrition

Filed Under:

Gluten Free Recipes Potatoes Side Dish Recipes Vegetarian Recipes