This Italian Potato Salad is fresh, simple, and packed with flavor. Made without mayo, it's tossed in a bright vinaigrette with green beans, olives, and plenty of fresh herbs. It's gluten free, dairy free, and a bright Mediterranean twist on a classic.

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This potato salad has creamy potatoes that are laced with crisp green beans and salty olives and then heaped with fresh herbs which make for an excellent aromatic side dish to pair with any main course. This recipe is simply different from other potato salads making it a great recipe that is the perfect summer side dish.
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Without mayonnaise, this is a lighter, healthier option that still packs a punch of flavor and is a fresh-tasting salad that can easily become a vegan potato salad. Ideal for health-conscious eaters, this homemade potato salad uses wholesome, gluten-free ingredients, making it suitable for various dietary needs.
I'm not a huge potato fan but this is the best potato salad recipe that I have eaten and is now my personal preference for a salad. If you love a good gluten-free salad, then you will have to try my Gluten-Free Pasta Salad or the Mediterranean Lentil Salad With Feta!
This recipe was adapted from Big Heart, Little Stove by Erin French.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this gluten-free potato salad:

Ingredient Notes:
- Olives - You can use Nicoise olives or any black olive in this recipe. If you are looking for another green olive instead of the Castelvetrano, try a pitted greek olive. Castelvetrano olives are easy to find in most grocery store shelves.
- Potatoes - Baby potatoes or small red potatoes work best in this recipe. I tested with other types and the potatoes fell apart when I added the dressing.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Additions & Substitutions
Additions:
- Onion - Adding either red onion, white onion, fresh chives, or green onions would provide more onion flavor and crunch to the salad.
- Bacon - Who doesn't love crispy bacon or pancetta? Either would work in this salad.
- Protein - Add in some tuna or cooked chicken for some added protein and to make this a complete meal.
Substitutions
- Vinegar - If you don't have seasoned rice wine vinegar on hand, you can substitute either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. Basically any white vinegar will do.
- Make It Vegan - Substitute a vegan butter or omit the butter.
How To Make Italian Potato Salad: Step-By-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:

Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the shallots, garlic cloves, vinegar, and lemon juice. Set it aside.

Step 2: In a medium pot, combine the potatoes, ¼ cup of kosher salt, and just enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the warm potatoes, rinse them with cold water, and set them aside until cool. Once cool, halve or quarter the potatoes. and set aside again.

Step 3: Fill a large mixing bowl with ice and cold water. Set the bowl aside. In a large pot, combine 3 quarts of water with the remaining kosher salt and bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the green beans and cook until bright green and tender but crunchy, about 1 minute. Immediately drain the beans and transfer them to the ice water to cool and chill, about 3 minutes. Drain and cut the beans into 1 ½ inch pieces. Set aside.

Step 4: In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, green beans, green olives, and the kalamata olives. Add the shallot mixture and olive oil. Toss to coat.

Step 5: In a small bowl combine the basil, fresh dill, and parsley. Add to the potato mixture and toss to combine.

Step 6: Drizzle with the browned butter and sprinkle with the lemon zest, flaky sea salt and toss to combine. Serve.
Tips:
Taste and adjust the seasonings as the potatoes soak up the flavor.
Confidence Tip
Do not overcook the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until just fork tender, then immediately drain and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
It is better to boil the baby potatoes whole, cool them, and then cut them for the salad.
Use the best quality potatoes you can find. In this recipe I use a baby potato which won't fall apart when boiling them. I also use a baby or fingerling potato in my Smashed Fingerling Potato recipe.
Store this gluten-free potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up 3 days.

Main Course Meals To Serve With This Salad

Italian Potato Salad With Green Beans And Fresh Herbs
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Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tablespoon shallots finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salad
- 1 ½ lbs baby potatoes
- ¾ cup kosher salt
- 5 oz green beans stems removed
- ½ cup Castelvetrano olives pitted and halved
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsely chopped
- 2 tablespoon butter browned on the stove and melted
- 1 lemon zested
- flaky sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the shallots, garlic cloves, vinegar, and lemon juice. Set it aside to allow the flavors to meld while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- In a medium pot, combine the potatoes, ¼ cup of kosher salt, and just enough water to cover the potatoes.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the warm potatoes, rinse them with cold water, and set them aside until cool.
- Once cool, halve or quarter the potatoes. and set aside again.
- Fill a large mixing bowl with ice and cold water. Set the bowl aside.
- In a large pot, combine 3 quarts of water with the remaining kosher salt and bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the green beans and cook until bright green and tender but crunchy, about 1 minute. Immediately drain the beans and transfer them to the ice water to cool and chill, about 3 minutes.
- Drain and cut the beans into 1 ½ inch pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, green beans, green olives, and the kalamata olives. Add the shallot mixture and olive oil. Toss to coat.
- In a small bowl combine the basil, fresh dill, and parsley. Add to the potato mixture and toss to combine.
- Drizzle with the browned butter and sprinkle with the lemon zest, flaky sea salt and toss to combine. Serve.








Rita says
Yey! Gluten free! My family loved this recipe we paired it with lamb chops yum!
Anonymous says
Yey! A gluten-free Potato Salad! I was looking for one and found this. Made this yesterday and the whole fam loved it! We paired it with lamb chops yum!