Keto Potato Salad Recipe

Our Keto Potato Salad Recipe is made without Cauliflower for an even Tastier Faux-tato Salad. Our Gluten-Free and Diabetic Version of Low Carb Yogurt Mayonnaise Potato Salad uses Turnip Radish, which gives you the Best Potato Alternative.

Served with mini burgers, cheese meatloaf, tomato mozzarella baked chicken, or Hasselback chicken, your dinner will be the best.

This quick and easy “potato” keto salad flavored with pickles, mayonnaise, and yogurt is not only a great low-carb side dish but also entirely gluten-free and extremely delicious. Served with a piece of fish or meat, it is a great keto side dish everyone will love.

Easy keto salads

Our holiday salad is a part of the salad selection we can alternate in our lifestyle.

Starting summer with delicious broccoli salad with bacon and refreshing Tabbouleh salad.

Grilling with your friends where our Taco salad bowl with Mexican ground beef will outrank everyone’s dish, and TikTok green goddess salad brings all healthiness.

And then we have all-year favorites, especially with kids, such as avocado egg salad or tuna salad you can use as a spread for lunches.

Mock Potato Salad Recipe

Today we concentrate on holidays and my favorite potato salad.

Potato mayonnaise salad is the main side dish in most Middle European families during Christmas dinner immediately after our sauerkraut soup has been eaten. 

Prepared a day in advance, gives this super yummy low-carb potato-less salad time for all of the ingredients to join together into one extra flavorful feast.

Faux-tato salad as a holiday keto side dish

In Slovakia, where I come from, it is very popular to serve classic potato salad during the winter and special events when the whole family gathers. 

In Austria, where I live, this super famous real potato salad is served in every traditional restaurant together with its famous schnitzel as comfort food. 

But summer BBQ is also a great additional crowd pleaser gathering, where this no potato – potato salad with less carbs always comes in handy.

With our low-carb burgers, your kids will enjoy the whole meal and get so many vegetables that nobody will ever know. A perfect keto BBQ side. 

And therefore, it would not be me if I would not add it to our selection of recipes. Of course, I had to make a few changes to serve our low-carb needs and replace the real potatoes with something else. 

Cauliflower potato salad

The first time I made this famous low-carb potato salad was about eight years ago, and it was made with cauliflowers as the most used low carb vegetable instead of potatoes. I made it for our family Christmas, where we all got together and we were just at the beginning of our low-carb journey. At the same time, a traditional potato salad was served as well. Therefore, everyone could have tried and compared one to the other. 

To my surprise, they all loved it but said that although it is nice, you could taste the cauliflower there. The kids did not like it. And that made me stop trying for a while.

Gluten free and keto substitutes to potato

A few years later, I started experimenting with other low-carb vegetables as a replacement for potatoes and found quite a few great ideas.

And I have tried them all. 

You can use any of those low-carb vegetables as a replacement for potatoes: 

• Celery roots
• Cauliflower
• Rutabaga
• Turnip
• Daikon radish
• Kohlrabi
• Radish

The two winners were rutabaga and turnips. They both actually taste like potatoes after being mixed.  

At my discovery, I have found the love of daikon and made delicious pickled daikon you can also use in this salad. I can’t wait to try other root veggies in my recipes.

What is the difference between rutabaga (swede) and turnip?

At first, as I was in the market, I could not see a difference. That is how I coincidentally bought both of them, thinking they were the same type. 

Only after cutting them did I realize what I had bought. 

They both looked pretty similar if you saw them in the shop. They are about the same size and have a pinkish to purplish half layer of skin. 

The white part is where you have to concentrate. 

Rutabaga vs turnip

Rutabaga is more of a dirty yellowish-white, whereas turnips have a nice, almost snow-white color.

Once you cut them both, rutabaga is entirely yellow from the inside. 

Turnips on the other side are entirely white.

After doing a bit of research before even trying them, I found out that rutabagas have more carbohydrates than turnips, which was one of the reasons why I have chosen what I did. 

Also, rutabaga are sweeter once you cut them. Turnips look a bit more like potatoes. 

Turnip as an alternative to low-carb cauliflower salad

After several batches, my family and I have decided turnip is best for this particular recipe. And that is what stayed. 

I have used Turnip in our recipe and that is how the faux potato salad is actually made. 

Turnip is a great vegetable, similar to a radish in its crunchy taste. Great to eat raw. Just cut it into slices. 

As you can see, in our recipe, I have used green peas and carrots, not keto, but in small amounts. Those 2 ingredients are the one that makes this recipe almost identical to regular potato salad. They only add a little to the carbohydrate count. I wanted to keep this salad’s real identity and not make something completely different.

Variations of potato salad

Every family has its recipe and adds a few more ingredients, as I have done. From time to time, I alternate, but as you might wonder, you can add to this flavorful salad:

• mustard
• chopped dill
• chopped hard boiled eggs
• fresh red onion
• paprika
• chopped green onions
• cauliflower florets
• crispy bacon
• pickled daikon

Yogurt as an additional salad ingredient

One more addition I have to commit to. 

Usually, this famous potato salad is made entirely with only mayonnaise as a base. But already about 15 years ago, I replaced half of the portion of mayonnaise with yogurt, as it was much lighter to the taste, and we love it this way. You might enjoy it as well. 

If not, add more mayonnaise and skip the yogurt part. 

Keto mayonnaise

If you would like to know more about mayonnaise and our lifestyle, check is mayo keto article.

How many carbs are in keto potato salad?

As we are all looking at the carb count, I should mention this for you. One portion contains 6 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber.

It is a great option to have a bowl full of this delicious salad as it’s packed with so many nutrients at only 4 grams of net carbs. 

How to make keto potato salad recipe using turnip?

Kitchen tools you might need for keto potato salad:

• Big cooking pot
• Large bowl
• Cutting board
• Vegetable peeler
• Sharp knife
• Whisk wiper
• Sieve

Ingredients needed:

• Turnip
• Onion
• Carrots
• Canned green peas
• Jar of dill pickles with its liquid
• Mayonnaise
• Greek yogurt
• Salt
• Pepper

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR FAUX POTATO LOW-CARB SALAD

First step: Cut turnips and carrots

Peel the turnips entirely. Cut all the turnips into bite sized pieces with a sharp knife, as regular potatoes typically do.

At the same time, cut fresh carrots and place them all into a bowl ready for cooking.

Second step: Cut onions and pickles

Cut onion and all the pickles into small tiny squares and place them aside. At the same time, prepare your other ingredients. 

Third step: Prepare the salad dressing

In a big glass bowl, prepare your dressing. Add yogurt with mayonnaise and approximately 1/3rd of a cup of liquid left from your pickle jar.

Adding the Pickle liquid adds excellent flavor and will also liquidize the dressing. 

Be careful and add a little bit at first. If more needed, do that later. 

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Mix all with your whisk into one perfectly smooth dressing. 

Cover and place in the fridge to cool a bit. 

Fourth step: Boil turnips with carrots

Already pre-cut turnips and carrots need to be cooked a bit to soften. Place them all into a cooking pot, add boiling water, bring to a boil and let it cook until tender for 15 minutes maximum. 

Prevent the turnips and carrots from boiling for a long time. Otherwise, they will turn mushy.

I always take a piece after about 10 minutes to try if it is fork tender and decide on the longer cooking time afterward. 

If you are using fresh green peas, add those in at the last 1 minute into the pot. Drain and cool.

Fifth step: Strain and shock

Once your carrots and turnips are boiled, strain them through a strainer and pour a very cold pot of water to shock them, so they immediately stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside. Ensure you strain them well, as turnips retain much more water than potatoes. 

You can also dry them on a dry towel to get as much water from them as possible. Add into a mixing bowl.

Sixth step: Add all into a big glass bowl

Add all remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl, such as the onion, pickles, and green peas.

Pour the whole dressing you have stored in the fridge. 

Seventh step: Mix together and season

Using two spatulas, gently mix the ingredients and salad dressing together. Keep mixing until all of the dressing gets evenly distributed. This sometimes takes me a good 5 minutes.

Once mixed, take a spoon and taste.

Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours before you are ready to serve.

Tips for making the best keto “potato” salad: 

• Season with salt and pepper if it needs a bit more flavor. 
• If the dressing is too thick, add more pickle juice and mix. 
• Not sour enough? Add more pickles in. 
• Turnips can also be roasted in a single layer on a baking sheet or steamed.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What low-carb vegetable replacement is there for a potato?

• Celery roots
• Cauliflower
• Rutabaga
• Turnip
• Daikon radish
• Kohlrabi
• Radish

How to cook a turnip?

There are a few different ways to cook turnips.

1. You can cook it whole, peel the skin, and cut it later. On the other hand, this will take much more time as turnips are pretty big, and getting them fully cooked takes much longer.
2. You can microwave the turnips for about 6 minutes, which could also be an option. 
3. Another option is to bake the turnip. They taste perfect on their own, but for this salad, I do prefer cooked ones.
4. In our method, peel, cut, and boil already pre-cut turnips. This takes much less time and gets all the turnips to cook evenly. 
5. Additionally, you can add a bit of turmeric for the color if you want an exact potato eye appeal. 

Can you make a keto potato salad day in advance?

Yes, and it is exceptionally suggested.

While mixing the salad fresh and serving it straight, there is no time for the salad to gain its full potential. 

During a few hours of this low-carb potato salad in the refrigerator, all the vegetables will have time to soak in the dressing thoroughly, and the authentic taste of the salad will intensify. 

You can still serve it straight away. It is even more tasteful the day after.

So for sure, make it a day in advance.

As an additional point, you will have the whole salad ready first thing in the morning.

My turnip has got a bitter taste. What to do?

Some turnips have an outer layer, just under the skin, with a bitter taste. This is the part where most of the bitterness is present.

If that is the case, try to peel them further down. 

Parsley and crumbled bacon as a perfect garnish for the flavors you love

Before you serve your salad some garnishes are great to add. For me personally, chopped parsley or fresh herbs are used most of the time. But you can also pick crumbled bacon bits, or small pieces of prosciutto.

How to store keto potato salad?

If you plan to serve it all the next day during a big gathering, store it in the big glass bowl you will use the next day. Ensure you thoroughly mix it once again just before serving, as some of the dressing could stay on the bottom of the bowl. 

Additionally, storing our keto potato salad in Mason jars for later use gives you the exact servings you might need for that particular lunch or dinner. 

Can you freeze low-carb mayonnaise salad?

Any salad with mayonnaise as a base for the dressing is better left in the fridge.

Freezing this salad will separate the eggs, oil, and vinegar in mayonnaise and will turn it into a watery texture. 

Remaining the perfect texture of the mayonnaise salad is difficult after unfreezing it.

And therefore, this is one of the very few recipes. I do suggest avoiding freezing it.

Keto Recipes that pair well with “potato” salad

• Mini burgers
• Grilled shrimp skewers
• Cheese meatloaf
• Tomato mozzarella baked chicken
• Hasselback chicken
• Pellet grill brisket
• Smoked leg of lamb
• Keto Air Fryer chicken tenders

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