This Sour Cream Potato Salad is a worthy side dish for just about any spring and summer meal. Light, flavorful and easy to make, this herbed potato salad uses less than 10 ingredients, has no mayonnaise, and is an updated take on the classic summer side. 

Creamy Potato Salad with No Mayonnaise

We wanted a creamy potato salad with no mayonnaise and lots of fresh flavors—basically a pretty big pivot from a traditional potato salad. But we also wanted it to be easy, afterall, that’s the beauty of a potato salad. To achieve that, we made sure to keep the ingredient list to less than 10 ingredients.

To start, we replaced the mayonnaise with sour cream. The creaminess and tanginess of high-quality sour cream pairs perfectly with lots of fresh herbs and tender potatoes. Plus, higher-quality sour cream tends to have a higher butterfat content (around 19%) which means flavor.

And finally, we turned to my absolute favorite potato, baby yukon gold! When cooked gently for 20 minutes, these little gems take on the silkiest of textures, perfect for getting tossed with herbs and sour cream.

If you love this recipe and need some more summer side dishes, try our cold green bean salad, Mediterranean pasta salad, white bean salad.

potato salad in a shallow blue bowl with a red-handled spoon set in it

Ingredients

  • Potatoes: we use baby Yukon gold potatoes. They’re generally about the size of a golf ball or a bit smaller. 
  • Sour Cream: use a quality sour cream! You can use low-fat sour cream, but the salad won’t be as creamy or as flavorful as intended.
  • Herbs: a trio of herbs makes for the best herbed potato salad. We like a mix of chives, dill and parsley but feel free to try tarragon, cilantro, or scallions. 
  • Celery: a bit of minced celery adds a welcome crunch to all the creamy ingredients. If you love crunch in your potato salad, feel free to add more than half a cup. 
  • Capers: you can find capers (sun dried flower buds packed in vinegar) next to the olives and pickles in most grocery stores. We use the capers and their brine for the potato salad. 
  • Dijon mustard: just a dollop adds a lovely depth of flavor. Spicy brown or whole-grain mustard can be substituted. Do not substitute with prepared yellow mustard. 

Lauren’s Tip

Potato tips! We love using baby yukon gold potatoes here for their insanely creamy texture.

A great substitute are baby red potatoes as well.

We don’t recommend russets, since they don’t yield as much of a creamy texture.

celery, chives, dill, Dijon, potatoes, capers and a small sour cream container set on a counter

How to Make Sour Cream Potato Salad

  1. Place the potatoes in a sauté pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.
potatoes in a shallow saute pan filled with water
  1. While the potatoes cook, whisk together the sour cream, chives, dill, parsley, capers, caper brine and Dijon.
sour cream, herbs, capers and dijon in a large glass bowl
  1. Drain the potatoes then cut them (halve smaller potatoes and quarter larger potatoes). 
halved baby gold potatoes and chopped celery in a large glass bowl
  1. Add the potatoes and celery to the sour cream dressing and toss to combine.
  2. Season with salt, pepper and caper brine to taste. 

Test Kitchen Tips

  • A wooden or metal skewer is the easiest way to check for doneness. You’ll know the potatoes are done when a sewer easily slides in and out of the potato.
  • The potatoes can be cooked up to 1 day ahead of time. Store the potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Wait to cut them until right before you toss them with the dressing.
  • Season your potato water! This is critical to ensure that each bite is well flavored.

Variations

The best part of potato salad is you can really make it your own with your favorite ingredients. Here are some of our favorite options:

  • Add some protein! Bulk up the protein by adding chopped hard boiled eggs to the mix.
  • Give it more fresh flavors. Add some more freshness by adding some lemon juice and zest.
  • Give it a bit more onion flavor. Stir in some minced shallot or red onion.
  • Swap out the potatoes. Use baby red potatoes instead, also creamy and delicious.
  • Add some spice! Use a dash of hot sauce or cayenne pepper for a little heat.

Storage & Make Ahead Instructions

Store the potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Be sure to give the salad a stir, and maybe some additional sour cream, as the sour cream may separate during storage.

For the best results when making this potato salad ahead, I recommend keeping the components separate and tossing them all together before serving. You can cook the potatoes and make the dressing ahead of time. Simple toss it together, season to taste and serve!

potato salad in a shallow blue bowl with a red-handled spoon set in it

More Potato Salad Recipes to Love…

Creamy Potato Salad (with Sour Cream)

4.42 from 12 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Yield 7 cups
Category Salad/Side dish
Cuisine American

Description

This Sour Cream Potato Salad is a worthy side dish for just about any spring and summer meal. Light, flavorful and easy to make, this herbed potato salad uses less than 10 ingredients, has no mayonnaise, and is an updated take on the classic summer side. 

Ingredients

  • 2 pound baby gold potatoes
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup chopped chives
  • ¼ cup chopped dill
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 3 tablespoons chopped capers + 1 tablespoon caper brine
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon
  • ½ cup minced celery
  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

  • Add potatoes to a large sauté pan and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Place pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and transfer potatoes to a bowl to cool slightly.
  • Whisk together ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup each chives, dill, and parsley, 3 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon Dijon, and ½ teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Halve smaller potatoes and quarter larger potatoes. Add potatoes and ½ cup celery to bowl with dressing and toss to coat.
  • Season with additional salt, pepper and caper brine to taste.

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Notes

Herbs: I recommend using a mixture of fresh herbs—use whatever you like and have on hand. Chives, dill and parsley work well together but tarragon, cilantro, and scallions would all be delicious as well.
Storage: store potato salad in a glass container with a tight fitting lid for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Do not freeze this potato salad.
Checking potato doneness: A wooden or metal skewer is the easiest way to check for doneness. You’ll know the potatoes are done when a sewer easily slides in and out of the potato.
Make Ahead: The potatoes can be cooked up to 1 day ahead of time. Store the potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Wait to cut them until right before you toss them with the dressing.
Season your potato water: This is critical to ensure that each bite is well flavored.
Add some protein: Bulk up the protein by adding chopped hard boiled eggs to the mix.
Give it a bit more onion flavor: Stir in some minced shallot or red onion.
Swap out the potatoes: Use baby red potatoes instead, also creamy and delicious.
Give it more fresh flavors. Add some more freshness by adding some lemon juice and zest.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cupCalories: 63kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1.2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 254mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1g
Like this? Leave a comment below!I love hearing from you and I want to hear how it went with this recipe! Leave a comment and rating below, then share on social media @zestfulkitchen and #zestfulkitchen!
potato salad in a shallow blue bowl with a red-handled spoon set in it

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This recipe was created in partnership with the AE Dairy. As always the thoughts, opinions, recipe, photos and content are all my own.
This article was written by Laura Arnold of Dang Good Digital.

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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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4.42 from 12 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    So good! I have a gallbladder issue and I currently have to eat a very low-fat diet. I made this with fat-free sour cream and it was still excellent.