With creamy potatoes, crisp veggies, and a kiss of tangy Kewpie mayo, Japanese Potato Salad is the facet that disappears first at each gathering.
Japanese Potato Salad shines at summer time cookouts, but its wealthy, balanced taste makes it a weeknight common in my residence. Prepared in about half-hour, it presents an irresistible mixture of fluffy potatoes, crunchy cucumber, and candy corn—a texture celebration in each chunk.
If you happen to love chilled Japanese salads, attempt my Inexperienced Bean Shiraae (Mashed Tofu Salad), Soba Noodle Salad, or this Heat Mushrooms Salad with Sesame Dressing subsequent!
What’s Japanese Potato Salad?
Japanese potato salad (ポテトサラダ) has vibrant greens, hard-boiled eggs, and bites of ham folded into gently mashed russet potatoes. A splash of rice vinegar lifts the wealthy Kewpie mayonnaise, giving the facet dish its signature sweet-tart end in contrast with American potato salads. Cherished for greater than 120 years, you’ll spot it in all places in Japan—from bento bins to izakaya menus.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Simple to customise the veggies, flavorings, and proteins
- Satisfying and versatile as a facet dish, bento, or snack
- Make-ahead pleasant, and it’s my go-to dish for a celebration and potluck!
Substances for Japanese Potato Salad
- Russet potatoes
- Corn
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Laborious-boiled egg
- Ham
- Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise
- Rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- Kosher salt and freshly floor black pepper – or use sea salt
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Substitutions
- Russet potatoes: Japanese potato salad is creamier than its Western counterpart. Russet potatoes are simpler to interrupt as much as obtain that signature creamy mouthfeel. I don’t advocate utilizing waxy varieties like Yukon gold potatoes.
- Corn: Recent is greatest, however you should utilize canned or frozen.
- Ham: If you happen to don’t eat meat, skip it.
- Japanese Kewpie mayo: I extremely advocate this mayo made with egg yolks as a result of it’s richer than American mayonnaise. Discover it at Asian markets, some mainstream grocery shops, and on Amazon. If you happen to don’t have it, attempt including 2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar to 1 cup of American mayonnaise. Or, study Tips on how to Make Japanese Mayonnaise.
- Rice vinegar: If you happen to don’t have it, use ½ Tbsp lemon juice, apple cider, Champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
Tips on how to Make Japanese Potato Salad
Preparation
- Lower veggies. Peel and minimize potatoes. Slice cucumber, carrots, and ham; salt cucumber slices, then squeeze out extra moisture.
- Blanch the veggies and boil an egg. Place sliced carrots and frozen corn in a pot of water and produce to a boil. Prepare dinner till simply tender. On the similar time, cook dinner frozen corn in accordance with the package deal directions. Drain effectively.
Cooking
- Prepare dinner potatoes. Place potatoes in a pot of chilly water, boil, and simmer till tender (about quarter-hour). Drain.
- Season and mash. Gently mash whereas heat, leaving some small chunks. Sprinkle with rice vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let cool.
Assemble
- Mix and season. In a big bowl, fold cooled potatoes with cucumber, carrots, corn, eggs, and ham. Add mayo to the potato combination. Cowl and chill within the fridge not less than 1 hour so flavors meld.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
- Thinly slice cucumbers and carrots. Skinny slices of the veggies give a pleasant texture and mix easily with the fluffy mashed potatoes.
- Chilly-start potatoes. Starting in chilly water yields evenly cooked, tender items.
- Dry substances = creamy salad. Squeeze cucumber and let potatoes steam-dry for a luscious (not watery) texture.
- Season heat potatoes. They take in vinegar, salt, and pepper greatest whereas sizzling.
- Go away some chunks. Just a few potato bits add a pleasing texture (non-obligatory).
- Cool earlier than including mayo. Mixing whereas sizzling could cause mayonnaise to separate.
- Chill to enhance taste. An hour (or in a single day) within the fridge deepens style.
Variations and Customizations
- Further veggies. Stir in peas, string beans, thinly sliced onion, or chopped scallions.
- Protein swap. Change ham with flaky canned tuna for a lighter take.
- Apple twist. Add crisp diced apple for light sweetness and crunch.
- Potato Salad Pork Rolls. Use leftovers to fill skinny pork slices, roll, and pan-sear for tomorrow’s bento.
What to Serve with Japanese Potato Salad
This Japanese potato salad recipe pairs superbly with:
- Karaage – crispy Japanese fried hen for final consolation.
- Hambagu (Japanese Hamburger Steak) – its savory gravy loves the creamy salad.
- Teriyaki Salmon – the sweet-savory glaze meets tangy potatoes.
- Japanese Milk Bread – unfold potato salad between comfortable slices for a basic sando.
Storage Ideas
To retailer: Maintain the leftovers in an hermetic container and retailer them within the fridge for 3–4 days or within the freezer for two–3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than serving.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Sure, that is the right facet dish to make forward of time. I like to recommend getting ready it not less than 4 hours earlier than you’re able to serve or as much as 1 day.
Whereas related, Korean potato salad can characteristic both cubed or mashed potatoes and may additionally sprinkle in fruit (like apples or raisins), whereas Japanese potato salad sometimes has no fruit added. That mentioned, you may customise it together with your favourite substances.
Whereas scallions aren’t conventional, you possibly can add them to customise the salad to fit your style.
Stop your display from going darkish
To Put together the Potatoes
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Peel 2 russet potatoes and minimize them into 1½-inch (3.8-cm) items; I normally minimize every potato into 4 items. Lower the items about the identical measurement in order that they’ll cook dinner evenly.
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Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add chilly water to cowl by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Add 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the pot and activate the warmth to medium excessive. Cowl with the lid, leaving it barely ajar to keep away from a boilover. Tip: Begin cooking the potatoes in chilly water to warmth them up slowly so that they cook dinner via evenly. Whilst you‘re cooking and cooling the potatoes, put together the opposite substances (see the subsequent part).
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As soon as the water is boiling, take away the lid and cut back the warmth to medium. Prepare dinner on a delicate boil till a skewer pierces a potato easily, about quarter-hour.
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Drain the water utterly from the pot utilizing the lid to carry again the potatoes. Put the pot with the potatoes again onto the range over medium warmth to evaporate any remaining water utterly, shaking the pot always to keep away from sticking. When there is no such thing as a liquid left, take away the pot from the warmth.
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Mash the potatoes calmly, leaving some small chunks for texture. Switch the potatoes to a big bowl.
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Whereas the potatoes are sizzling, toss with 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) and freshly floor black pepper. Put aside to chill. Tip: Why not add mayonnaise right here? As a result of the mayo will separate in the event you add it to sizzling potatoes. Subsequently, work on the opposite substances whereas the potatoes quiet down.
To Put together the Different Substances
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Whereas the potatoes are cooking and cooling, put together the opposite substances. Deliver a small pot of water to a boil for cooking the carrots and corn (subsequent step). Peel and minimize 2 inches carrot in half or quarters lengthwise, after which minimize crosswise into skinny slices. You could use a mandoline slicer to chop it thinly.
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As soon as the water is boiling, cook dinner the carrot slices and ¼ cup (40 g) frozen corn for five minutes. If you happen to‘re utilizing canned corn, you don‘t have to boil it.
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Alternatively, you should utilize the microwave to warmth the carrot for a couple of minutes till a skewer pierces it easily; don’t overcook it or the carrot will get mushy. Drain the water in a fine-mesh sieve and put aside to chill.
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Add 1 massive egg (50 g every w/o shell) to the identical pot and add sufficient chilly faucet water to cowl by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Activate the warmth to medium and produce to a boil. As soon as boiling, set a timer for 11–12 minutes and cut back the warmth to keep up a delicate simmer. When the timer goes off, shock the egg in chilly water till cool.
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Peel the boiled egg and chop it into smaller items. Put aside.
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Peel 1 Persian cucumberleaving some pores and skin on to create a striped sample, and thinly slice it crosswise. Tip: If you happen to‘re utilizing a big cucumber, you might want to chop it in half or quarters lengthwise earlier than slicing it.
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Sprinkle ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over the cucumber slices, knead them together with your arms, and allow them to stand till they launch their moisture, about 5 minutes. Then, squeeze the cucumber to take away any moisture and put aside. Tip: Salt attracts out moisture via osmosis. This retains the cucumber from releasing moisture into the salad and diluting the flavors.
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Lower 2 slices Black Forest ham into 1-inch (2.5-cm) skinny strips and put aside.
To Assemble
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Add the greens, egg, and ham to the bowl of cooled potatoes and blend all collectively.
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Add 4 Tbsp Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and mix effectively.
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Style it and add extra mayo, if you would like. I added the remaining 2 Tbsp Japanese mayonnaise. As a substitute of including extra mayo, you can too add salt to carry out the flavour. I like to recommend chilling the potato salad within the fridge for 30–60 minutes earlier than serving, however you possibly can serve it instantly as effectively.
Energy: 198 kcal · Carbohydrates: 19 g · Protein: 5 g · Fats: 12 g · Saturated Fats: 2 g · Polyunsaturated Fats: 7 g · Monounsaturated Fats: 3 g · Trans Fats: 1 g · Ldl cholesterol: 42 mg · Sodium: 206 mg · Potassium: 470 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 1759 IU · Vitamin C: 6 mg · Calcium: 23 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Editor’s Notice: This publish was initially printed on August 31, 2011. It was up to date with new photographs on June 28, 2021, and a brand new video on April 12, 2024. It was republished with extra useful data on July 4, 2025.
