Authentic German Potato Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
This authentic German potato salad recipe known as Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat is what you will find served in restaurants throughout the country and is made with broth, vinegar, oil, and a dash of mustard and sugar. This remains my favorite potato salad and is made just the way my Mutti and Oma always made it!
I’m a huge potato salad fan and I enjoy it in all its varieties. But my all-time favorite is German potato salad like the kind I grew up with in the Swabia region of Southern Germany: Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat. I’m also the ultimate critic when it comes to potato salads. I’ve probably eaten Swabian potato salad a couple of hundred different times throughout my life in Germany and I will tell you, not all potato salads are created equal, that’s for sure. Hands down the best versions I’ve had were served in southern German restaurants. For any of you who have lived in or visited that area of Germany, you know exactly what I’m talking about: You just can’t beat that restaurant-style Swabian potato salad.
There is one exception to this: My mom’s Swabian potato salad comes closer to the restaurant versions than any others I’ve had. (She also makes the best mayonnaise-based potato salad and it’s her recipe that inspired my Classic Potato Salad.) And so I’ve taken my mom’s German potato salad recipe and have made just a few tweaks replicate that perfect German restaurant quality flavor and texture. And I’m confident you’re going to love the results as much as we do!
Key German Potato Salad Ingredients
The ingredients in a traditional Swabian potato salad recipe are few and simple, but there are a few tricks that are absolute musts for getting it right. Here are the key ingredients:
- The right potatoes: This is the biggest challenge here in the U.S. In Germany you can find potatoes that you simply cannot find here. Unlike Russet potatoes, for example, which are flaky, mealy, and generally flavorless, the kind used in potato salads in Germany are firm, deep yellow in color, buttery and flavorful. And they keep their shape well. The closest you can get to those here are Yukon Gold potatoes and those are the ones I recommend for this recipe. Also, be sure to boil the potatoes in their skins – don’t peel them first.
- Beef broth: For the best flavor there is no substitute, it must be beef broth. And it must be very strong beef broth. And it must be hot when you pour it over the potatoes so they soak it up. Make sure you let the potatoes sit for at least a full hour after you pour the broth over. If you’re vegetarian or vegan you can substitute vegetable broth.
- German mustard: I know the recipe doesn’t call for much, but it must be German mustard (mild) if you want it to taste the way it’s supposed to. The kind I use in most of my German recipes is the Alstertor Düsseldorf Style Mustard (click link for convenient access on Amazon).
- Vinegar: No apple cider or balsamic vinegar. It needs to be the strong white vinegar. A vinegar very commonly used in Germany for this salad and salad dressings is called Essig Essenz (can also be found in some Asian grocery stores – Koreans like to use it for kimchi). It’s super concentrated vinegar and you only need a very little of it. If you have access to this vinegar, you would add just a teaspoon or two in addition to the white vinegar, and reduce the amount of white vinegar accordingly. Of course you’ll always want to do a “taste test” before pouring the final mixture over the potato salad.
- Onions: You want them crunchy but not overly so, and you want them saturated with flavor. So add them to the beef broth/vinegar mixture when you heat it up.
- Oil: Lots of it. In olden days homemade beef broth would be used which contained plenty of fat. Nowadays we mostly use store-bought broth in cans or beef bouillon cubes/granules which are all void of fat. So adding oil is absolutely essential to achieving the right texture. As my German mom says, Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat needs to be “schmalzig”. Use a neutral-tasting oil. Germans typically use either rape seed oil (Rapsöl) or sunflower oil.
Pro Tip: The longer the potato salad sits, the better it will taste. I recommend making it the day before and letting it sit in the fridge until the next day. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
German Potato Salad Recipe
Let’s get started!
Select small Yukon Gold potatoes that are uniform in size. Scrub the peels and boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender when pierced with a fork. Do not overcook – you don’t want them mushy. Let them cool down until you’re able to handle them and peel them while they’re still warm.
Slice the potatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices.
Put the potatoes in a large glass mixing bowl and set aside. (Don’t use metal or it will react with the vinegar.)
Add the beef broth, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and white pepper to a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
Add the chopped onions to the broth mixture and quickly bring it to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling remove it from the heat.
Pour the onion/broth mixture over the potatoes, cover with plastic wrap or a large plate and let sit at room temperature for at least one hour. Then pour the oil over the potatoes and carefully stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
The flavor of this Swabian-Style German potato salad only gets better over time and this tastes best the next day.
It’s best served at room temperature.
Enjoy!
For more traditional German recipes try my:
- Rouladen
- Sauerbraten
- Schweinshaxe
- Spätzle
- Käsespätzle
- Semmelknödel
- German Potato Dumplings
- German Goulash
- Kartoffelpuffer
- Königsberger Klopse
- German Sauerkraut Soup
- Senfbraten
- Schnitzel
- Jägerschnitzel
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- Frikadellen
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address and we’ll send it straight to your inbox!
Authentic German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds small firm, yellow-fleshed waxy potatoes (e.g. Yukon Gold) of similar size, skins scrubbed and peels left on
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water mixed with 4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (Vegans: use vegetable bouillon)
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- a few splashes of Essig Ezzenz , (highly recommended for the best, authentic flavor)
- 3/4 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons mild German mustard (If you can't get it, use regular yellow mustard)
- 1/3 cup neutral-tasting oil
- Fresh chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in their skins in lightly salted water until tender. Allow the potatoes to cool until you can handle them. Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/4 inch slices. Put the sliced potatoes in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add onions, beef broth, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove from heat and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Cover the bowl of potatoes and let sit for at least one hour.
- After at least one hour, gently stir in the oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. If too much liquid remains, use a slotted spoon to serve. Serve garnished with fresh chopped chives. Serve at room temperature. Note: This potato salad is best the next day (remove from fridge at least 30 minutes before serving).
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet May 9, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I had an acquaintance that I’ve since lost touch with. He was from Stuttgart. He made a fabulous potato salad that he always served room temperature. It was yellow potatoes, sliced cucumber, oil, vinegar and Maggi, plus lots of salt. Do you have a recipe for something like that? I would love to get the details. Thank you in advance!
Hi Sieglinde, cucumber is a common addition in potato salads throughout Germany. I’ve never personally seen Maggi added to potato salads but I have heard of people who like to add it. My hunch is that if you make this recipe and simply add some thinly sliced cucumber with the onions along with a few shots of Maggi it will taste very much like the potato salad your friend made. Let us know what you think!
Thank you Kimberly. I did exactly what you suggested and it was delicious!
By some miracle, I came across this website while looking for an authentic Kartoffelsalat Rezept. I used to live in Germany and am pretty picky about my potato salad too. Thank you so much for the tips. I made this yesterday and let it sit overnight. It is delicious! Just how I remember it.
I’m so happy to hear that, Clare, thank you so much! I hope to “see” you around regularly :)
My Oma and mother are from Esslingen and her recipe is a little different from yours. There’s no mustard or sugar and uses vegetable or chicken bouillon. She also adds thinly sliced cucumbers in the salad as well. Have to try your version one day to taste the difference.
Hi Monika, as with most traditional recipes there probably as many variations of potato salad as there are cooks!
Hi Kimberley, so pleased I found your site. I.m going to try your schnitzel. All this time I’ve prepped it ahead thinking it was the right thing to do. Some of the coating used to fall off.You say to crumb it lightly just before cooking. I’ ll definitely try it your way. I’m a Dutch born Australian and love cooking. I want to try this potato salad too. Perfect for our hot weather.Thanks again. Adriana
Hi Adriana, I’m equally thrilled that you find my site – welcome! Please let us know what you think of the Schnitzel and potato salad once you’ve had the chance to them. Greetings to sunny Australia!
Hi, if I refrigerate the potato salad overnight before serving, should I add some chives right away? And more on top right before I serve? Or how do you do it? I am thinking the chives add a bit of flavor.
Hi Iz, I often garnish it with chives and yes, the flavor goes wonderfully with it. You can do it either way and it’ll taste great – add them the night before or the next day. If you want to maintain the bright green color though add them after the salad has cooled.
Yes! This sounds just like the potato salad I had in Munich. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Awesome, Steph, let us know what you think! :)
HI Kimberly your recipe is right on but their are a couple things you might want to experiment with, just before I left Stuttgart the chef at my favorite restaurant in busnau taught me how he made his, just let me know if you would like his recipe and I can email it to you.
Hi Jeff! This recipe is the traditional version but I’m always interested in contemporary twists. Sure thing, you can either email it to me or post it here, thanks!
Jeff, can you send that recipe to me? I love this recipe, but it’s not exactly like what I had in Stuttgart, pretty close to Busnau. ;-)
i have just returned from my first time in Berlin, and have fallen in love with Christmas in Berlin. We had super meals, but the thing which has stuck with me was a meal with potato and cucumber salad as a side dish, so simple and so delicious.
I agree, Annette, German potato salads in all their varieties are simply awesome! So glad you were able to experience the Christmas season in Berlin. Nothing beats Christmas in Germany for atmosphere.