Lebanese potato salad is delightfully light and refreshing. Creamy potato chunks tossed through herbs in a lemon and olive oil dressing.
What is Lebanese Potato Salad
In Arabic, potato salad is called salatat batata or batata salata which translates to potato salad.
Put simply, this salad features boiled potatoes mixed with dry and fresh herbs, dressed with freshly squeezed lemon and extra virgin olive oil. The result? A light, tasty, and healthy potato salad that pairs well with various dishes.
It's a great side dish, free from mayo, dairy, or cream, making it naturally vegan and gluten-free.
About The Ingredients
Here are notes on some of the ingredients, the complete list with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
Potatoes that can be boiled or steamed are perfect for this salad, the best types are all-rounder potatoes, red potatoes or russet potatoes. There are loads of Lebanese recipes containing this ingredient such as cold kebbet potato or batata harra which are spicy potatoes.
Flat-leaved fresh parsley should be chopped small. It is best to discard the hard stalks, the soft stalks can be finely sliced and used in this salad, as these contain a lot of flavor.
Spring onion (scallions or green onions) are finely sliced and add the most delicious umami flavor. These can be replaced with shallots, white or red onion.
Dried ground mint, a little of this goes a long way and gives salata batata a minty coolness. You can swap this out for fresh mint leaves that are finely sliced, however, in my family, we prefer dried mint.
Fresh garlic clove, whilst completely optional, is quite delicious. Only a small clove is needed which is crushed prior to tossing through the salad. I have also made this salad with frozen crushed garlic and it worked out well. As it is only a small amount, the garlic defrosts quickly when at room temperature.
Extra virgin olive oil it is important to use seriously good olive oil as it is imperative to the taste and can alter the taste.
Fresh lemon juice is as important as olive oil, avoid using store-bought lemon juice as it can sometimes taste bitter and contain unwanted ingredients.
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper can be added to taste.
Be as liberal as you want with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper (I don't know of any Lebanese family that measures as it is all done to taste)
If you'd like a bit of a chili kick, add some red pepper flakes to taste.
How To Make Lebanese Potato Salad
Boil The Potatoes
There are a few ways to boil potatoes, and I usually decide based on how my day is going.
After washing the potatoes, you can either boil them whole or peel and cube them into 1-inch chunks before boiling.
Whichever method you choose, place the potatoes in cold water, then bring it to a soft boil over high heat.
Then reduce to medium heat and boil until fork tender (the boiling time varies depending on the size of each potato, check them regularly).
Avoid a rolling boil, as this can overcook the potatoes; aim for al dente quality rather than mashy consistency.
Strain the potatoes from the water and set them aside to cool while you're preparing the other ingredients.
Once the boiled potatoes have cooled enough to handle, peel the skin (or you can leave the skin on, I prefer the skin off) and cut the potato into bite-sized chunks, think of 1-inch cubes.
Chop The Herbs
Trim off hard stalks and chop parsley which should not be coarse or fine. Do the same to the fresh mint if you are using this. Slice off the roots off the spring onions and then slice thinly.
Whisk The Dressing
In a small bowl whisk lemon juice, salt, black pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic cloves and dried mint together.
Toss and Serve
In a large mixing bowl, add the potato chunks and all other ingredients, including the dressing. Gently toss everything together, taking care to preserve the shape of the potatoes.
Serve this at a bbq, or family gathering with foods such as skewered tofu and eggplant dip.
Pro Tips
Warm potatoes are fine to use when making this Lebanese potato salad as it can be served warm or cold, I love it either way.
Storage
Once this salad has cooled down to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The next day and every subsequent day this salad becomes more flavorsome.
More Lebanese Salads
Lebanese people love serving any form of salad with every meal, here are some delicious ones you should check out.
For a simple side try either tomato salad, arugula salad or Lebanese butter bean salad.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Lebanese Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1⅔ lb Potatoes
- ¼ cup Parsely chopped
- ¼ cup Spring Onions (scallion/green onions) finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dried mint (fresh is good too) finely chopped
- ¼ cup Olive oil extra virgin
- ¼ cup Lemon juice fresh
- 1 pinch Salt to taste
- 1 clove Garlic (optional) crushed
- 1 pinch Black pepper freshly cracked, to taste
- 1 Water for boiling potatoes
Instructions
- Place the washed potatoes in cold water in a large pot, then bring it to a soft boil over high heat. Then reduce to medium heat and boil until fork tender. Do not overcook the potatoes. Allow the potatoes to cool down and then cut them into even bite-sized chunks (with skin or off).1⅔ lb Potatoes, 1 Water
- In a large bowl, add the potato chunks, spring onion, parsley, mint, and garlic. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and black pepper.¼ cup Parsely, ¼ cup Spring Onions, 1 tablespoon Dried mint, ¼ cup Olive oil, ¼ cup Lemon juice, 1 pinch Salt, 1 clove Garlic, 1 pinch Black pepper
- Add the dressing to the potatoes and gently toss together. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm or chilled.
Video
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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Corinne
Hi Janelle, this looks delicious (5 stars for that!). Can I used dried parsley as I have quite a bit of it and need to use it.
Janelle Hama
Hi Corinne,
Thank you!
I do not recommend it, but if you are stuck, try it. I will alter this salad though.
Enjoy
J
Ema Moes
What components of this recipe can be made in advance? I’m worried about cutting the potato’s and keeping them in the frig in water over night. Won’t that do something to the texture of the potatoes? Thank you!
Janelle Hama
Hi Ema,
I would prepare the potatoes, then once cooled store them in the fridge. I would also pre-chop all other herbs and vegetables, and prepare the dressing and store them separately in the fridge too. Then when it's time, toss them together and you're done.
Enjoy
J
Sarah
I've potato salad (who doesn't!) but all that mayo can be a bit much sometimes. This looks fresh and tasty, adding it to the BBQ sides list for summer 🙂
Violette
The recipe calls for spring onions yet in direction shallots are mentioned. I assume both should read spring onions right?
Janelle Hama
yes, you are correct! Although shallots could work too
Sylvie
I love a good potato salad but I always follow the same recipe - I absolutely want to try this one now! Love how fresh and light this recipe is with all the fresh herbs. Yum!
Rachi
Love a good potato salad, never tried this before. Will give it a try soon.
Anita
Oh wow! This is my first time trying Lebanese potato salad, and I love it. It's so light and refreshing compared to my usual mayo heavy version of potato salad.
Denay DeGuzman
This Lebanese potato salad is easy to make and so delicious! My husband has requested that I make it again. Score!
Jessie
I love potato salad I am going to need to give this one a try. It really does sound like it might keep it a little lighter.
Monica
This is so fresh and delicious - light years above any potato salad with mayo! I love the Mediterranean flavors and all the helpful tips that you shared!
Sarah
Lebanese potato salad us one of my favourite Middle Eastern salads. I can't even imagine going back to putting mayo on my potato salad.