My Greek potato salad skips the heavy dressing and leans into a bright, herb-packed vinaigrette with roasted eggplant for a veggie-forward twist. It's my take on a classic potato salad meets Greek salad. Built for warm-weather meals and easy entertaining.
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Think tender potatoes, briny olives, creamy feta, and a punchy dressing that soaks into every bite. Perfect for pairing with dill roasted salmon, chicken, or grilled flank steak. However, I will say that this is my go-to dish for serving with grilled lamb shoulder chops. Because this recipe is packed with veggies, it doesn't need an additional side dish.
📖Why My Recipe Works
When testing this recipe, I found that adding cucumber made the potato salad watery, and it didn't store as well. So I nexed it and instead tried roasted eggplant. It added a soft caramelized flavor to contrast with the potatoes.
Tossing warm potatoes with vinaigrette helps them absorb flavor instead of just being coated. Skipping mayo keeps the texture clean and lets the herbs and olives shine.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Eggplant - Choose small, firm eggplants for less bitterness and better texture when roasted.
- Potatoes - I use skin on baby potatoes, but you can use a larger waxy potato cut into chunks.
- Kalamata Olives - I think capers are the best substitute or skip them if you aren't an olive fan.
- Onion - To cut the bite of the onion you can soak in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes and then drain and dry.
- Tomatoes - I used cherry tomatoes to keep things easy, but a diced fresh garden tomato is just as good.
- Oil - A good quality makes all the difference.
- Vinegar - I prefer red wine vinegar, but white wine or champagne vinegar can also be used.
⏲️Tips for Making Greek Potato Salad
- Roast your eggplant until it's just tender with lightly golden edges. Don't rush it.
- Add the pine nuts at the end to ensure they toast without burning.
- Make sure your water is well salted. No amount of seasoning to taste will make up for that.
- Let the potatoes steam dry so they don't water down the potato salad.
- You can whisk your dressing by hand or use a blender for a slightly creamy result.
- Dress the potatoes first, while they are still warm, so they absorb some of the flavor.
- Once cooled, combine everything gently so the potatoes stay intact, the herbs don 't wilt and the feta doesn't disappear into the mix.
Make Ahead
This Greek Salad Potato Salad can be made a full 24 hours before my guests arrive. If you are making this ahead of time, follow the recipe through assembly and only add the remaining vinaigrette before serving. This prevents your salad from going watery.
Personally, I also like to only add my herbs prior to serving to make sure they look their best, but that's mostly a matter of aesthetics.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more FLAVORFUL recipes?
📖 Recipe Card
Greek Potato Salad (No Mayo)
Ingredients
Potato Salad
- 2 small eggplants chopped
- 1 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 2 lb baby potatoes cut into quarters and with skin
- ½ cup Kalamata olives halved and de-pitted
- ½ large red onion thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups feta cheese crumbled
- 1 ⅔ cups cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced
- 1 ½ Tablespoons fresh dill minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint minced
Greek Dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the eggplant with olive oil and dried oregano. Spread on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Add the pine nuts and continue roasting for 5 minutes, until the eggplant is tender and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.2 small eggplants, 1 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tablespoon dried oregano, ⅓ cup pine nuts
- While the eggplant is roasting, place the potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cook for 13 to 14 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and let sit in the colander for a few minutes to dry.2 lb baby potatoes
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the red wine vinegar and honey. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoon honey, ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil, Salt and black pepper to taste
- Transfer the warm potatoes to a bowl and toss with a portion of the vinaigrette until evenly coated. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled eggplant, pine nuts, potatoes, olives, red onion, feta, cherry tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Add the remaining vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled.½ cup Kalamata olives, ½ large red onion, 1 ½ cups feta cheese, 1 ⅔ cups cherry tomatoes, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, 1 ½ Tablespoons fresh dill, 2 Tablespoons fresh mint
Notes
- The best way to ensure the potatoes and eggplant cool quickly is by transferring them to large mixing bowls and moving them to the fridge. They'll be ready to add to your salad in 10-15 minutes.
- If you find the taste of raw onion to be too strong, soak your onion slices in cold water for 10 minutes. This will give you a milder taste.
- If you decide to let your salad cool in the fridge, make sure to let it rest at room
temperature for at least 5 minutes before serving it. This will help you achieve the perfect texture for your feta and potatoes, as well as bring the vinaigrette back to its original state.
🌡️ Storing Leftovers
- Leftover salad will keep in the fridge for 4 days.
Equipment
- Large stockpot
Nutrition
Common Recipe Questions
If you want a nut alternative, sliced almonds will be the best choice. For a nut-free option, go instead for sunflower seeds. Especially when toasted, both of these ingredients will give you the same crunch and texture as the pine nuts (and are also more affordable).
Yes, of course! If you use the air fryer, reduce the cooking time from 20 to 10-12 minutes. If you grill the eggplant, avoid chopping it and opt for thick slices instead. Depending on how much smoky/charred flavor you like, grilling them will take around 8-10 minutes.
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