It tastes great chilled or at room temperature alongside your favourite summer BBQ favourites! It is naturally gluten-free, egg-free and plant-based.
New Potato Salad with Basil Pesto (no mayo potato salad)
Buttery new potatoes are coated in a dreamy herby basil pesto. This mayo-free potato salad is quick to make, tastes amazing and is also healthier than creamy potato salads. I bought a potted basil plant in back in the spring and now it is overflowing with fragrant basil! Perfect for making loads of pesto! This potato salad can be considered healthy as boiled potatoes are rich in nutrients. The dressing is made from fresh herbs and nuts. Potatoes are also budget-friendly and are easy to find throughout the year. I have always been a fan of pasta salads but homemade potato salads are relatively new for me. Since making Instant Pot Greek Potato Salad, I’ve been exploring different vegan/vegetarian potato salad recipes. It isn’t a summer spread without a potato salad! In Britain, potato salad is customary at a salad buffet or picnic. Back in the day, potato salad coated in mayonnaise and sour cream was probably the only one of two veggie options available. Nowadays, potato salad recipes are so inventive and packed with all kinds of delicious flavours and dressings.
Why use the Instant Pot to make potato salad?
If you’re a proud owner of an instant pot or pressure cooker, then you’ll be on the hunt for different Instant Pot recipes. But why use the Instant Pot to cook potatoes rather than the stove? It seems a bit OTT to use a pressure cooker in this case but it definitely has its benefits. It is convenient to load up the Instant Pot, press a couple of buttons, and set a time. I can walk away from the stove to get on with other things. It isn’t just about time as using the pressure cooker doesn’t necessarily save time but it is more convenient. My Instant Pot remains on the worktop at all times ready for its (almost) daily use. The Instant Pot is also designed to be energy efficient. Now I haven’t done the maths here but I like to think that using it saves me some money overtime! For example, I can prepare a large batch of potatoes in the Instant Pot for potato salads, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, breakfast potatoes … all ready for use.
Why you should make this pesto potato salad
Perfect for potato lovers – can’t get enough of potatoes in your life? Include this amazing baby potato and pesto salad in your repertoire
Budget-friendly
Vegan and naturally plant-based
egg-free
no mayo potato salad
gluten-free
can be prepped ahead of time
easy to scale the recipe up or down
crowd-friendly
can easily be made nut free – simply avoid adding nuts to the pesto
Basically, this recipe can easily serve a lot of people or even a single person and it is easy to put together. Win-win.
Ingredients for pesto potato salad
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post Potatoes – I have used new potatoes which hold their shape well when cooked. Waxy potatoes are best for instant pot potato salads particularly jersey royals or fingerlings. Try to cook the potatoes whole if they are small enough – cooking potatoes whole helps retain flavour and prevents the potato from becoming waterlogged. I have halved my potatoes as they were quite big. Cook potatoes until fork tender and then allow to cool Optional extra: for a Pesto Potato Salad with green beans, you can add either fresh or frozen trimmed green beans.
Ingredients for Creamy Basil Pesto
Basil – use plenty of fresh basil for this recipe. If you do not have basil or only have a small amount, you can bulk up the pesto with parsley or even kale. See my vegan kale pesto recipe or Parsley Pesto. Try adding avocado to the blender for creamy yet silky smooth pesto. You can also use store-bought pesto for ease but homemade pesto will definitely taste fresh! Pine nuts – instead of pine nuts, you could also add cashew nuts, almonds or pistachio (I have added a spoon full of pistachio nuts too) Yogurt – use either vegan yogurt or plain Greek yogurt if you want to make a vegetarian potato salad Nutritional yeast – if you have it then nutritional yeast lends cheesy, nutty flavours. It also boosts the nutritional value of the recipe Lemon – use either fresh or bottled Garlic – use fresh cloves where possible Extra virgin olive oil Salt Black pepper Optional: You can also add vegan mayo, salad cream or sour cream (will be vegetarian not vegan) to the pesto for creamy flavours in replacement of the yogurt
Red Pesto Potato Salad
If you want to make this using red pesto then you absolutely can! Instead of the basil, substitute sundried tomatoes or semi-dried tomatoes to make a red pesto. Add to the potatoes as in this recipe.
How to make Easy Pesto Potato Salad in the Instant Pot
Full printable recipe in recipe card below.
We start by cleaning the potatoes, if you have any sprouts on your potatoes, scrub them off with a sponge. If you’re potatoes are very green – discard!!
You do NOT need to poke holes into the potatoes before pressure cooking, they should not burst!
Then pour a cupful of tap water in the liner of the Instant Pot and place the trivet or steamer into the inner pot.
Now arrange the potatoes in the steamer, try to keep them in a single layer as possible so all the potatoes cook evenly.
Close the lid of the Instant pot and secure the valve on sealing position. Select HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes or 7 minutes LOW PRESSURE.
Once done, release the pressure manually, remove steamer or trivet (make sure you are wearing your heat resistant gloves)at this step to prevent any burns on your hands.
Allow the potatoes to cool before tossing with the pesto. Make pesto whilst the potatoes are cooling.
Now let’s make pesto by blending all the pesto ingredients (except yogurt/mayo and lemon zest) in a blender. Blend until you get a fairly smooth consistency.
Combine well with yogurt/mayo.
From here we move the cooled potatoes in to a large mixing bowl and add the pesto.
We gently stir the potatoes with a big spoon or toss until all the potatoes are well coated with pesto. If you would like extra kick and freshness add freshly ground black pepper and some lemon juice.
Top it up with lightly toasted pine nuts, lemon zest and fresh basil leaves.
Imagine that. In just these three easy and simple steps we have the most vibrant pesto potato salad ready to be served up. This has truly got to be one of the best yet easiest summertime recipes!
Pesto Potato Salad (stovetop)
You still can made delicious pesto potato salad even if you don’t own an instant pot. Start by filling a pot or pan with cold tap water Add potatoes straight to the pan (vegetables that grow underground start off cooking in cold water). Add pinch of salt, and bring the water to boil and cook them 15-20 minutes until soft through or fork tender. Once potatoes are cooked, drain the water and run under cold water to cool them down and prevent further cooking.
How to keep the pesto bright green
You can blanch basil leaves just 15-20 seconds in salted boiling water then add them to an ice bath for 30 seconds. Remove, squeeze out of all the water then make pesto as usual. Blanching deactivates the enzyme that causes brownness however basil looses a tiny bit of flavours. Alternatively, make the pesto just before use and use plenty of lemon juice. Add pesto to cooled potatoes to also prevent browning.
What to serve with Pesto Potato Salad
This potato salad is best served cold for picnics, BBQs, garden parties or potlucks. Potato salad goes great with other BBQ food such as burgers, sausages or grilled vegetables I serve potato salad alongside Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers and Falafel.
How do you store Potato Salad
Pesto Potato salad is best eaten on the day or one day later. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. You can also prepare the pesto and potatoes and keep them separate. Assemble prior to serving. Do not leave potato salad out for long periods of time as potatoes can spoil quickly.
Other Crowd Pleasing Summer Salad Recipes
Instant Pot Chickpea Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing DIY Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad in Instant Pot Vegan Watermelon Carpaccio Salad with Tahini Watermelon Mojito Salad Grilled Corn, Nectarine and Mixed Beans Salad Mango, Avocado, Black Beans and Corn Salad with Lime Dressing As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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