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My easy German Potato Salad recipe is a perfect side dish for your next cookout, picnic, or family pot roast dinner! Complete with creamy potatoes, crispy bacon, and fresh herbs, this homemade potato salad recipe is ready in just 35 minutes and is packed with flavor.
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Authentic German Potato Salad
Living in Florida, picnics and cookouts are a must for my family. We love to get out in the sun and enjoy a meal together outside. One of the best backyard cookout and picnic side dishes is potato salad, so this easy German potato salad recipe is a staple for me!
When it comes to German side dishes, potato salad is a little different from what you might expect from American-style potato salad. The German variation is known as Kartoffelsalat, and is served warm with a vinegar dressing and bacon fat mixed through.
This makes German potato salad into an extra special side dish I guarantee you and your family will love. This is classic, good picnic food perfect for pairing with sandwiches, BBQ, and more of your favorite family dinner ideas!
Hot German Potato Salad FAQ
Unlike American potato salad, German potato salad does not always require the potatoes to be peeled, and is prepared with a tangy vinegar dressing and bacon fat mixed through the potatoes.
You can serve German potato salad hot or cold according to your preference. Though traditionally warm, leftover German potato salad served cold always tastes just as delicious.
Though German potato salad does not contain eggs, you can add hard-boiled eggs if you like. Follow this recipe for hard-boiled eggs if you would like to easily make hard-boiled eggs for potato salad.
German Potato Salad Ingredients
- Yukon gold potatoes
- Bacon strips, reserving bacon fat when cooking
- Red onion, finely diced
- Fresh dill, chopped
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Chicken stock
- Sugar
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Red wine vinegar
- Japanese rice vinegar*
- Vegetable oil
If you can’t use Japanese rice vinegar, use ¼ cup more of red wine vinegar, making a full cup. I do not recommend substituting other kinds of vinegar for the rice vinegar in this recipe.
How to Make German Potato Salad
- Boil potatoes in their skin in salted water, enough to cover the potatoes, until fork-tender (about 20 minutes). Check at 15 minutes, as smaller potatoes may finish cooking sooner. Drain, and allow to cool enough to handle.
- In a skillet, cook bacon until crispy (or make Air Fryer Bacon). Drain bacon on a paper towel, saving 2 Tablespoons of the rendered fat. Chop cooked bacon and set aside. Then, while potatoes cook, dice onion and chop the dill and parsley. In a separate bowl, mix chicken stock, sugar, salt, pepper, and both vinegars.
- When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and cut them in half, then cut into ¼-inch slices. Place in a large mixing bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over the potatoes. Stir gently to mix through; the warm potatoes will soak up the dressing.
- Add bacon, onion, and herbs, along with the reserved bacon fat. Stir again, gently. Reserve some bacon to sprinkle over the top if desired.
- Let sit for 5 minutes, then add the oil. Start with ¼ of the oil and fold in gently, then add the remainder. The mixture will appear soupy at the bottom, but over the next 15-20 minutes, the potatoes will soak it up.
- If you have any leftover bacon bits, sprinkle them over the top before serving. Serve (for best results, warm or at room temperature), and enjoy!
Make-Ahead Instructions
- Prepare the German potato salad as instructed.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Rewarm gently in the oven when ready to serve, and mix through.
Warm German Potato Salad Recipe Tips
- Boil the potatoes whole and let them cool a bit. This technique makes the potatoes easy to peel and cut—much easier than trying to do it when they are uncooked!
- The dressing for German potato salads is typically oil and vinegar dressing with a bit of sugar, plus chicken stock. Pour it on when the potatoes are warm so they soak up all the tangy deliciousness. If you wait too long and the potatoes cool too much, they won’t absorb enough of the flavor.
- Add the fresh dill, parsley, and lots of crumbled bacon bits for an exciting blend of flavors in every bite! I recommend saving some bacon bits and herbs to sprinkle over the top just before serving for a beautiful presentation and to add a little crunch.
More Picnic Side Dishes
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
- Spanish Potato Salad
- Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs
- Honey Ham Salad
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📋 Recipe
Best German Potato Salad Recipe with Bacon
Equipment
- 1 Bowl for mixing
- 1 Skillet for cooking bacon
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- ½ pound bacon strips reserving about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup Japanese rice vinegar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in their skin in enough salted water to cover the potatoes until fork tender about 20 minutes. Begin checking at 15 minutes because smaller potatoes could be done sooner. Drain and allow to cool so that they can be handled and peeled.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain bacon on a paper towel and save about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Chop the cooked bacon and set aside. While potatoes are cooking, dice onion and chop dill and parsley.½ pound bacon strips, 2 tablespoons fresh dill, ¼ cup fresh parsley, 1 small red onion
- In a separate bowl, mix chicken stock, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegars. Peel potatoes and cut in half, then in ¼-inch slices. Place in large mixing (or serving) bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the potatoes and stir gently to incorporate. The warm potatoes will soak up dressing.¼ cup chicken stock, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ¾ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup Japanese rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- Add the bacon, onion and herbs. Add the reserved bacon fat and stir gently again.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes, then add oil. Start with ¼ and fold in gently. Then add remaining oil. The mixture will be soupy at the bottom but over the next 15 or 20 minutes, the potatoes will soak it up.½ cup vegetable oil
- If you’ve saved any parsley or bacon bits, sprinkle them over just before serving. German potato salad is best served warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Boil the potatoes whole and let them cool a bit. This technique makes the potatoes easy to peel and cut—much easier than trying to do it when they are uncooked!
- The dressing for German potato salads is typically oil and vinegar dressing with a bit of sugar, plus chicken stock. Pour it on when the potatoes are warm so they soak up all the tangy deliciousness. If you wait too long and the potatoes cool too much, they won’t absorb enough of the flavor.
- Add the fresh dill, parsley, and lots of crumbled bacon bits for an exciting blend of flavors in every bite! I recommend saving some bacon bits and herbs to sprinkle over the top just before serving for a beautiful presentation and to add a little crunch.
Do believe the German relatives (on my husband’s side) would definitely approve. Yukon Golds are sooo yummy and I am definitely partial to Japanese rice vinegar.
I used to snub the German version when I was a kid. Now, it’s my favorite!!! This looks like a perfect recipe!
This is a gorgeous German Potato Salad and really looks scrumptious! Those bacon crumbles are really calling my name!
I like mine warm but I wouldn’t turn down a cold bowl of this potato salad!
I love potato salad, but HATE when the potatoes are drowning in a rich, creamy mayo-based dressing. This sounds so much lighter and refreshing, and perfect for ANY picnic!
I much prefer the German vinegar-based dressing than the mayo versions – this looks great!