This easy and flavorful Turkish Potato Salad is made with tender potatoes and a zesty mayo-free dressing. It's the perfect side dish for potlucks, family dinners, or meal prep—and it’s a one-bowl wonder you can whip up in just 30 minutes!
If you’re looking for a fresh, flavorful twist on a classic, this Mediterranean Potato Salad is one I’ve perfected over the years. Growing up, I learned to make authentic Mediterranean dishes with ingredients like lemon, olive oil, and sumac, and I’ve used that experience to create recipes that capture the vibrant flavors of the region.
Just like with my Turkish Labneh and Arabic Hummus recipes, I’ve tested and refined this salad to make it easy, reliable, and delicious for you to make at home.
If you are looking for more potato salad recipes check out my Classic Potato Salad, Potato Salad With Spring Onions, and Smashed Potato Salad.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: The simplicity of the recipe makes it accessible to both seasoned cooks and beginners in the kitchen. It's a dish that anyone can prepare and feel proud of.
- Customizable: With the freedom to add personal twists and variations, you can totally make the salad you own.
- Refreshing and Light: In contrast to heavy and mayo-laden salads, this dish offers a refreshing and light option that is perfect for warm weather.
Ingredients
- Baby Potatoes: I love using a mixture of red potatoes and yellow baby potatoes. You can also use Yukon gold potatoes, which also work well. Depending on the size of the potatoes you may need to cut them into large chunks.
- Green Onions/Spring Onions: You will use both the green and the white part of the green onions.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley. Italian leaf parsley is ideal as it contains far more flavor than the curly variety.
- Mint: Fresh mint. While it's tempting to use dried herbs, I highly recommend using fresh herbs in this salad.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: If you don't have extra virgin olive oil, you can use avocado oil, however, it won't be as flavorful. You really want to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, as it provides so much flavor to this dish.
- Lemon Juice: You really want to use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Please do not use the lemon juice from the bottle. This is a simple recipe with minimal ingredients so you want to ensure they are of high quality!
- Sea Salt: You will want to use Sea Salt, Kosher Salt, or Celtic salt.
- Sumac: If you haven't had a chance to cook with Sumac, this is your opportunity! Sumac is a popular spice used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. Sumac has a tart and tangy flavor and is a key ingredient in this dish. Thankfully these days you can find it at your local grocery store or order it online.
- Aleppo Pepper: If you don’t have Aleppo pepper, you can substitute it with crushed red pepper flakes, or chilli flakes.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions And Variations
- Yogurt Twist: For a creamy texture, add a dollop of thick Greek yogurt to the dressing. This will add a luscious texture and additional tang to the salad. You could also add a dollop of my Lemon Yogurt Dill Sauce.
- Veggies: Play around with adding additional veggies to this dish. You could add red onion or red peppers.
- Herb It Up: Add additional herbs like fresh dill, or cilantro for an extra fresh kick!
- Cheesy: Crumble some tangy feta cheese over the salad for a creamy and salty twist.
- Sweet Treat: Add a handful of pomegranate seeds to the mix for a little sweetness.
- Meat Lover: For a meaty twist, try cooking up some smoked bacon, chopping it into thin slices, and then mixing it into the salad for a nice crunch. Additionally, smoked, diced ham would also be wonderful.
- Olives: You can add kalamata olives or green olives which would be a nice addition to this dish.
How To Make Turkish Potato Salad
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, then cut them into bite-size pieces and place them in a large pot of salted cold water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender (approximately 15-20 minutes).
While the potatoes are cooking chop the green onion, parsley, and mint and set aside.
Step 2. Once the potatoes are done, drain them well and add them to a large bowl.
Step 3. To the potatoes add the chopped herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, sumac, and Aleppo pepper, then gently toss to combine.
Step 4. Taste the potato salad and adjust seasonings as needed. You may want to add a little bit more lemon juice for additional zing, or more salt, depending on your taste buds. Allow the salad to cool and serve at room temperature.
Expert Tips And Notes
- Chop Your Potatoes: For easier handling, chop your potatoes into bite-sized pieces before you boil them! It’s not fun to try to chop hot potatoes after they have been cooked.
- Don’t Overcook Your Potatoes: The potatoes must hold their shape in this dish, so ensure you cook them until they are fork-tender. If you overcook them, there is a good chance they will become mushy and fall apart when you toss the potato salad.
- Let It Marinate: Allow the salad to marinate in the dressing overnight for an even more intense flavor. This will infuse the potatoes with a ton of flavor.
What To Serve With Turkish Potato Salad
I love making this potato salad when grilling or attending a BBQ in the summer months, as it can sit out at room temperature for hours. Here are some ideas for what to serve this salad with.
- Grilled Meats & Fish: I love pairing this side dish with Smoked Burgers, Smoked Hot Dogs, Smoked Whole Chicken, Traeger Grilled Salmon, or BBQ Grilled Chicken.
- BBQ Classics: Serve alongside your favorite BBQ side dishes like Traeger Baked Beans, Smoked Asparagus, or Creamy American Coleslaw.
- Middle Eastern Spread: Create a Middle Eastern spread by pairing it with Arabic Hummus, Turkish Labneh, and your favorite kabobs.
Storage And Reheating
- Storage: Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: There is no need to heat this dish, but I would recommend taking it out of the fridge 15-30 minutes before serving to take off some of the chill.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend using a potato that will hold its shape well once cooked. Either Yukon Gold, red-skinned potatoes, or yellow potatoes would be a great choice. I’d recommend that you avoid using starchy potatoes, like russet potatoes as they tend to break apart easily during boiling, which can result in a mushy salad.
It's typically served cold or at room temperature. The flavors of the salad meld together beautifully when allowed to chill in the refrigerator. As a side note, since this is no mayo potato salad, it can sit out at room temperature.
Yes! Just add some extra Aleppo pepper, or red chili flakes to kick up the heat.
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Turkish Potato Salad (Patates Salatasi)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Baby Potatoes
- 4 Green Onions chopped
- ⅓ cup Chopped Parsley
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Mint
- 2-3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ Lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Sumac
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly, then cut them into bite-size pieces and place them in a large pot of salted cold water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender (approximately 15-20 minutes). While the potatoes are cooking chop the green onion, parsley, and mint and set aside.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain them well and add them to a large bowl.
- To the potatoes add the chopped herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, sumac, and Aleppo pepper, then gently toss to combine.
- Taste the potato salad and adjust seasonings as needed. You may want to add a little bit more lemon juice for additional zing, or more salt, depending on your taste buds. Allow the salad to cool and serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Chop Your Potatoes: For easier handling, chop your potatoes into bite-sized pieces before you boil them! It’s not fun to try to chop hot potatoes after they have been cooked.
- Don’t Overcook Your Potatoes: The potatoes must hold their shape in this dish, so ensure you cook them until they are fork-tender. If you overcook them, there is a good chance they will become mushy and fall apart when you toss the potato salad.
- Let It Marinate: Allow the salad to marinate in the dressing overnight for an even more intense flavor. This will infuse the potatoes with a ton of flavor.
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