Bacon Potato Salad — This no mayo potato salad is studded with crispy bacon pieces and coated in a tangy vinegar dressing. It’s ready in just 30 minutes and the whole family will love it!
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The BEST Bacon Potato Salad
This isn’t your grandma’s potato salad. You know, the one that’s loaded with gloppy mayo, mushy potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs? Not even close.
First, there’s bacon, which makes it an instant crowd pleaser.
Second, there’s no mayo so it feels lighter, and as a bonus you don’t have to worry about it as much at warm outdoor potlucks, picnics, and events.
To keep it fresher and to boost the flavor profile while incorporating texture and crunch, there’s fresh sweet corn, spinach, parsley, red onion, and a touch of garlic. I love seeing the green because it feels healthy, and I remember my mom making spinach salads with warm bacon dressing — it’s a natural pairing!
Bacon Potato Salad Ingredients
This potato salad recipe with bacon is my go-to in the warmer months when I need a quick and easy side for a potluck or party. Gather the following basic ingredients:
- Baby potatoes
- Bacon
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Sweet corn
- Spinach
- Fresh parsley
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Granulated sugar
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Potato Salad with Bacon
This is an easy potato salad to make, and you can serve it warm or chill it. Either way it’s a great side and will be sure to disappear whenever you make it!
Let’s quickly review how the no-mayo potato salad comes together:
- Boil the potatoes until fork tender — be careful not to overcook them! Drain and rinse the potatoes with cold water to prevent them from cooking further.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the bacon. You can make the bacon as crisp as you’d like. When the bacon is cooked to your liking, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble it once it’s cool enough to handle.
- In that same skillet you cooked the bacon in, sauté the onion and garlic until tender.
- Then, whisk together the potato salad dressing in a small bowl.
- Dice the cooked potatoes and add to a large bowl along with the remaining potato salad ingredients.
- Toss gently to combine and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Tip
This is similar to a German Potato Salad and tastes incredible warm. However, you could also chill it in the fridge and serve it cold!
FAQs
For this easy potato salad recipe, I used baby gold potatoes. They required around 15 minutes to boil until fork tender.
Your cook time may vary slightly depending on how large your potatoes are and which variety your purchase.
If this is your first time making potato salad with bacon, I recommend checking the potatoes every 3 minutes after they’ve been boiling for 10 minutes. This way you won’t accidentally overcook them!
Yes! You can make this bacon potato salad up to 4 days before serving it. If you do make this ahead of time, be sure to give it a good toss before serving to help redistribute all of that yummy dressing!
This is a super versatile recipe! You could swap frozen corn for fresh, arugula for spinach, cilantro for parsley, green onion for red, and so forth. It’s a flexible recipe based on what flavors you enjoy most.
Yes! If you want to quickly toss this dish together in the morning for a lunchtime gathering (or simply are short on time most days!), you’re welcome to boil the potatoes and chill them in the fridge until ready to use.
For this bacon potato salad recipe, I recommend using baby gold potatoes (aka Yukon Gold potatoes). Generally speaking, you want a small potato with a thin skin.
There’s no need to so long as you use baby gold or Yukon Gold potatoes. The skin is thin enough to eat, plus it adds a subtle texture and nutrients.
What to Serve with Bacon Potato Salad
Try pairing this vinegar and bacon potato salad recipe with one or more of the following entrees:
- Juicy Baked Chicken Breasts
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon
- Maple Glazed Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
- Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Honey BBQ Grilled Chicken
In general, I find that potato salad pairs well with any grilled protein! I especially love it with chicken, pork, or beef recipes like hamburgers.
Recipe Video
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Potato Salad with Bacon
This no mayo potato salad with bacon is ready in just 30 minutes! It's a vinegar potato salad the whole family will love.
Ingredients
Bacon Potato Salad
- 2 pounds baby gold potatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt, for the boiling water
- 1 pound bacon
- one small/medium red onion, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced or pressed
- 1 medium/large ear fresh sweet corn with kernels cut off (3/4 cup frozen corn may be substituted)
- 1 to 2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely measured
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley (regular or Italian flat-leaf), finely chopped
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- To a large pot, add the potatoes, cover with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and allow potatoes to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until done and fork-tender. Drain and rinse potatoes under cold water to stop the cooking process; set aside. While potatoes cook, make the bacon.
- To a large skillet, add the bacon and cook over medium heat until done and as crisp as desired, about 10 minutes, flip intermittently. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and when it’s cool enough, crumble it; set aside.
- To the skillet with the bacon fat, add the onion and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, stir intermittently.
- In the last minute of cooking, add the garlic, stir, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Take skillet off the heat and set aside.
- To a very large bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and whisk to combine; set aside.
- Halve or quarter the potatoes depending on their size and add to the large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, red onion and garlic (use a slotted spoon to remove because there will be excess bacon fat in the skillet; discard oil in a small container – don’t pour it down the drain), corn, spinach, parsley, and toss well to combine.
- Taste potato salad and make any necessary adjustments, i.e. more salt, pepper, sugar, dash of extra mustard or vinegar, etc.
- Serve immediately if desired or cover and refrigerate until chilled. Potato salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Woman's Day
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 1379mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 19g
More Potluck Salads:
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad – Goodbye mayo-loaded, mushy, boring potato salad. Hello to a Mexican-inspired potato salad full of flavor and texture with corn, black beans, peppers, and cilantro! Great for outdoor events and lunchboxes because there’s no mayo!
Warm German Potato Salad — A classic potato salad made with tender red potatoes, bacon, onions, and a tangy vinegar dressing! This no-mayo potato salad is a family favorite side dish that’s perfect for parties, picnics, and potlucks!!
Watergate Salad — The classic side salad that’s light, sweet, fluffy, and creamy! Made with just 6 ingredients including pineapple, pistachio pudding mix, marshmallows, maraschino cherries, pecans, and whipped topping!
Ambrosia Salad — This classic fruit salad is made with pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes, coconut, and tossed in a light and creamy, tangy-yet-sweet dressing! The EASIEST side dish ever — just add everything to one bowl and stir!
Grape Broccoli Bacon Salad — My FAVORITE recipe for the classic salad with a tangy dressing that everyone LOVES!! Flavor and texture galore in this EASY salad that’s perfect for parties, picnics, and potlucks!!
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad — Calling all pickle fans, you’re going to love this creamy pasta salad with crunchy dill pickles in every bite! Along with cubes of cheese and crumbled bacon, this pasta salad will be the star of your next picnic, potluck, barbecue, or summer holiday!
Amish Pasta Salad — A family-favorite classic pasta salad recipe with al dente pasta, bell peppers, celery, red onions, and hard-boiled eggs tossed in a creamy tangy-sweet dressing!
Originally posted June 13, 2016 and reposted May 31, 2021 with updated text.
12/08/2022 made this tonight at first when I tasted the dressing I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but when I mixed it in with the potato salad OMG it all came together and it was absolutely delicious.. my son also enjoyed it and it is now going to be used instead of store bought dressings .. Thank you for sharing your recipe 😊😊
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was absolutely delicious for you and your son!
This potato salad is delicious…I plan to make it for a party in 2 weeks. I enjoyed the flavor more when it was still warm vs. cold. If I want to make it in advance and reheat, do you have a suggestion for how to reheat ?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious!
In terms of reheating, I would say let it sit at room temp for a bit to warm up naturally. I would serve it room temp not actually warm or hot but that’s my personal preference. If you do warm it up, briefly in the microwave would be my suggestion.
For a warm potato salad I also have this one https://www.averiecooks.com/german-potato-salad/
Can you tell me how many servings this yields? I see 10 cups, but unsure how many 10 cups will feed? 10 people?
It would depend what else you’re serving this with. If this is the ONLY thing you’re serving, likely no. But with other things, probably fine. I mean who eats more than 1 cup of potato salad if there are other options being served. You’d have to be really a potato salad lover to eat more IMO but only you know your guests’ appetites.
very similar to GERMAN POTATO SALAD……
Do you think I could sub cauliflower for potatoes in this to make it more keto friendly?
Maybe! I think that sounds good actually I would just make sure the cauliflower is not too overcooked or it will fall apart and then it will be more like a cauli mash than a potato salad.
Made this yesterday and it was SO SO GOOD!
I only had white wine vinegar which was a fine substitute.
Also added celery for more crunch, half of which I sautéed with the onion (left a bit of onion raw too). Used 3 lbs of potatoes so I doubled the dressing. Big hit!
Glad this was a big hit and turned out so well!
This was really great! We had it by itself for dinner and I am hoping it tastes just as good cold for lunch tomorrow.I added chives, thyme and cherry tomatoes from my garden as well as some roasted pumpkin. Love the dressing as well!
Thanks for the five star review and glad it worked out great for you!
Outstanding, your measurement of the dressing is spot on. My husband detests over powering vinegar taste, this was perfect blend of flavors.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was spot on for you both!
So excited to make this for a special bbq at the weekend. Only problem is that I detest corn. Can you suggest an alternative? Thank you!
Just omit it then.
We only had baby red potatoes, so I used those in the recipe and it was delicious!!! Tonight, I am going to make your Club Sandwich BLT Pasta. Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out great with baby reds! Enjoy the Club Sandwich BLT Pasta and LMK how it goes!
Big hit. Made a half recipe and omitted spinach. Great flavor
Glad it was a big hit!
That should read “couldn’t stop eating it” 😄
I recently found a new favourite potato salad but this tops it already!! Even though I like mayo, I try not to use it too much. This, however, is a much tastier potato salad without it. I love that it has cooked, rather than raw onion and includes other veggies. I’m thinking you could add other veggies such as finely chopped capsicum (peppers) or broccoli tops. I prefer it warm and could stop eating it after I made it. I added the potatoes to the dressing whilst they were still hot to further soak up the flavour. Just so delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Definitely a keeper for us.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved this potato salad!
Has anyone made this a day before? Wondering how it holds up? I ant to make it night before for bridal shower. Will I need to add more dressing the day of to freshen it up?
I would play it by ear if you need to add more dressing but making it the night before is totally fine.
Looks good
I know the recipe does not say to cook the corn. I want to make sure. I will probably be using the frozen corn. Thanks.
I really don’t see the need to cook the corn – especially if you’re using frozen – it’s already going to be on the mushy side. Cooking it will just make it mushier, but do as you think is best. If possible, I really really loved the fresh corn in this recipe and as long as it’s corn season and like 50 cents an ear, I’d recommend that if you can.
I will just probably buy some instead , rather than putting the flav0r at risk.
thank you for the reply Averie :)
YUM!! You know I love anything with bacon :) I also like to make my potato salad with an olive-oil based dressing instead of mayo. Need to give this a try!!
hi averi. just want to know if in case you don’t have any red wine vinegar. what would be the best substitute for it?
I honestly would pick some up. It’s very inexpensive and it really does a lot for the flavor of the dish. You could sub possibly with apple cider vinegar but being that I haven’t tried it personally, I’m not sure of the flavor balance.
Easy and delicious!
Averie loving this version of potato salad! So fresh and light! Pinning! :)
hey girl this looks amazing! Yummy!
YES girl! So feeling you on this – no mayo in my potato salad ever!! I recently made one for the blog with pancetta so this is giving me those vibes, and obviously they’re very good ;)
Oh my gosh I am TOTALLY making this for the 4th of July!! LOVE that it has no mayo in it!
Well if you do, LMK! The family loved this one. It was a hit with everyone who tried it.
I am with you – baby gold potatoes are perfect for a potato salad! LOVING this mayo-free version! So colorful!
Thanks, Anna!
We are so excited to try this recipe here at HQ — it’s the perfect light way to bring summer cookout flavors into our workspace. And we’re totally in love with the added bacon.
xo,
The Newsette
http://www.thenewsette.com
This reminds me of German potato salad with a few extra summer goodies added. A vinaigrette sounds just right for this–mayo just gets too heavy with potato salad and the corn and spinach would get lost. I like your use of baby potatoes–saves some time at the cutting board!
The mayo would have overwhelmed the delicate sweetness of the corn for sure, which was one of my fave parts, those sweet crunchy bites!
I like it warm every now and then, like a german potato salad. Fry up the bacon in a pan, add in onion, then vinegar, oil, a touch of dijon, potatoes (boiled or leftover roasted potatoes/baked potatoes), salt/pepper. I add a bit of lemon juice and fresh dill to brighten it up a bit.
Half the people who tried this preferred it warm rather than chilled. Totally personal preference.