You do not need any special equipment as this is one of the easiest ways to make potato salad – simply pressure cook the potatoes and add in all of the other ingredients. It is the perfect one pot meal!
Vegan Potato Salad in Instant Pot – no eggs
This vegetarian potato salad, which is also suitable for vegans, is made of new potatoes, fresh Greek ingredients and a creamy tahini honey dressing. It is wonderful whilst warm but is equally delicious cold the next day! Come summertime, we love pasta and potato salads, especially during those elusive Indian summer seasons!! This creamy and quick Instant Pot Chickpea Salad with creamy Avocado Dressing, without mayo is simply delicious! Gluten-free and Diabetic friendly. With Indian meal sometimes I enjoy this Indian Chickpea Salad that is so easy to put together. It’s healthy, vegan and gluten-free. Can’t get enough of pesto in your life? Have a look at my Best Pesto Potato Salad One of my all time favourite remains our Instant Pot Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad which is packed with fresh juicy vegetables, mixed fresh herbs and tossed in a balsamic dressing. It is so colourful and delicious. This recipe similarly uses Greek kalamata olives, peppers, cucumber, feta, cherry tomatoes and the freshest herbs like dill, basil and parsley. It truly is the rainbow in a bowl. The beauty of using the Instant Pot is that it does all of the work for you! You do not even need to wait for the water to boil or constantly check on the potatoes to see if they’re done. I love to make my Lentil Salad using an Instant Pot.
Why you should make this recipe:
Suitable for vegans – all plant-based ingredients, no dairy No eggs – no eggs are needed for this salad No mayo Dairy-free Gluten-free One pot meal – cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot and add the other ingredients to the same pot (ensure the potatoes are well cooled before you add any other ingredients) Easy to customise Great as a make ahead meal Good for lunch prep Perfect as a side or main A hit at dinner parties or picnics
Ingredients for Greek-style Vegan Potato Salad
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
For the salad:
Potatoes – I have used baby potatoes but if you do not have baby potatoes you can use other white, red or gold potatoes which have the ability to hold their shape. More on that below. Greek Kalamata olives – I use bottled kalamata olives but you can use other black or green olives if that is what you have to hand. You can also find fresh olives in the deli section of supermarkets or at markets. An alternative to olives is capers. Capsicum/bell pepper – I have used red colour but you can get away with any other colour Cherry tomatoes – I like to half my cherry tomatoes but you can keep them whole. You could also use chopped salad tomatoes that have a bit of firmness. Cucumber – Chopped cucumber provides crunch and are cooling Pepperoncini – or guindilla peppers which you can find in jars. You can use pickles as an alternative or leave out entirely Onions – I have used both chopped red onion and spring onion Vegan salad cheese – if you want to make this recipe egg free but not strictly vegan, you can use feta cheese also. You can either cut into cubes or crumble it into your salad. Herbs – Fresh Basil, dill, oregano and parsley. Pine nuts – these nuts are a balance of healthy fats, protein and fiber. Also they adds texture and crunch to the salad. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – for salads, dressings or drizzling use extra virgin olive oil. It is the best olive oil with the most flavour and is deliciously fruity. Dried chilli flakes (optional) adds a very subtle spicy kick to the salad, but can be omitted.
Creamy Greek salad dressing ingredients:
Olive oil – I have used extra virgin olive oil Tahini – tahini is so creamy and goes wonderfully in this dressing. For sesame seed allergy, omit tahini. Mustard – I have used dijon mustard Maple syrup – To keep this salad vegan, use maple syrup or agave but you can use honey if you do not want to make this strictly vegan Lemon Juice – I like to use freshly squeezed lemon juice where possible but bottled works fine too.
Variations:
You could add more protein by adding some cooked chickpeas. Add herbs depending on the season. Use vegan mayo as an alternative to tahini Switch potatoes for different types of pasta such as orzo, farfalle or spirali (you can also use gluten-free pasta to keep the recipe wheat free) or brown rice can be used too.
Instant Pot Potatoes for Potato Salad
For potato salad, you need to use potatoes that are denser, waxy and firm. Floury potatoes can soften too much once cooked and do not hold their shape. Floury potatoes contain higher levels of amylose which are starch granules. As the granules absorb moisture, they swell and burst leading to fluffy and soft potatoes. Waxy potatoes contain less amylose and so keep a firmer texture once cooked. I have use baby/new potatoes and left the skin on. Cooking potatoes with their skins retains fibre and nutrients like potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. I also like the flavour and texture of potato skins. You can use any potatoes though as long as they are waxy. You could try red-skinned, fingerlings or Yukon gold will also work. In England, use Jersey Royals when in season or Charlotte, Anya, Desiree or Red Duke of York varieties.
Potato Storage Tips
Follow these tips to optimise the shelf life of your potatoes. Potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark place away from sunlight. A frost free and airy place like a brown paper sack is advisable – take the potatoes out of the plastic packaging they came in. Potatoes can turn green or sprout if they are exposed to light leading to accumulation of excess glycoalkaloids. High levels are toxic to humans. A small amount of green can be removed but very green potatoes should not be used and discarded. New potatoes should be eaten within a few days of purchase, but old potatoes (if stored correctly) can be kept for a month. Keep potatoes away from onions and they both release gases causing the other to spoil faster. I have come across conflicting advice about whether to store potatoes in the fridge – previously the advice was to not put potatoes in the fridge as this causes starch to breakdown but recently I came across an article in Tesco magazine that reports potatoes can last up to three times longer in the fridge! Let me know in the comments how you store your potatoes!
How to make Potato Salad in the Instant Pot
This Instant Pot Potato salad recipe is simple and quick, and can be made in just three steps. First step – Prepare Potatoes clean the potatoes by washing them under running tap water to remove any dirt. If they are big, cut them. Add water in the Instant Pot liner and place a trivet or steamer. Arrange potatoes over this. Cook the potatoes on HIGH Pressure then quick release the pressure, so potatoes don’t over cook in the steam. Also, remove the lid once the pressure is released. Second step – Make the dressings and cut the salad vegetables prepare both dressings by mixing ingredients in a bowl. You can do this whilst the potatoes are in the Instant Pot. Wash and cut all the vegetables using a sharp knife. Assemble the Potato Salad – First toss cooled potatoes with herb dressings in a big bowl. Then add chopped vegetables, tahini dressing and garnish it with the cheese, herbs and nuts.
Tips for the best Instant Pot salad
For perfectly cooked potatoes, cook the potatoes in a steamer basket in your Instant Pot. If you don’t have a steamer basket, use the trivet provided and place the potatoes on that. Ensure you have added enough water to the Instant Pot prior to pressure cooking. Do not slice the potatoes too small or else they will overcook. Ensure all potato slices are approximately the same size so they cook evenly. Quick pressure release rather than natural pressure release so that the potatoes do not overcook. Handle the potatoes carefully when mixing with the other ingredients or else they may break
Storage and Make Ahead
Potato salad is a brilliant make ahead dish. Keeping the salad in the fridge allows the flavours to mingle and set so you could argue it tastes even better on day 2! As this salad contains lots of fresh chopped ingredients, I would not keep it any longer than 2 days – it is probably best the next day only. Keep in an airtight container and if preparing for the next day, place immediately in the fridge once it has cooled. In the interest of food safety, never leave potato salad out at room temperature for more than a few hours – especially if it is a hot day! Another option is to cook the potatoes in advance and make the dressing in advance and chop all the fresh ingredients prior to serving.
What to serve with Potato Salad
This potato salad is good enough to be the hero of your meal but it also goes great with so many other dishes! Have it for lunch or take along to a picnic. For hot summer days, serve this Greek potato salad with Yogurt and Herb Summer Sandwiches. I love potato salads with pizza and this one will complement this Chargrilled Vegetable Pizza. Round off with a cooling drink like Rose, Hibiscus and Basil Seeds Sharbat
Other Baby Potato Recipes
Instant Pot Dum Aloo Baby Potato Pulao Rice Schezwan Baby Potatoes & Stir-fry Packed Potato Bhajiya (fritters) Aloo Butter Masala Instant pot baby potatoes buttery garlic and thyme Parsley Potatoes 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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