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    Home » German Salads

    German Potato Salad with Cucumber

    Published: May 26, 2021 · Modified: Aug 13, 2024 by Marita Sinden · 10 Comments

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    German Potato Salad with Cucumber

    Do you love German potato salad and German Cucumber Salad - then this recipe is for you! This classic cucumber potato salad is made with a broth-and-vinegar dressing and fresh dill. The ultimate combination for your BBQ this summer, a salad that is filling and refreshing at the same time.

    German Potato Cucumber Salad 

    There are hundreds of different German potato salad recipes in Germany. Every family has their own. Potato salad has been part of Germany’s food culture since the 17th century. When people abroad hear the term "German potato salad" - they think of a boiled potato salad made with a broth vinegarette. However, potato salads have regional variations.

    In the south of Germany, Bohemia, and Austria, the recipes tend to use a dressing made from broth, oil, and vinegar. (See the Swabian Potato Salad for example) In the North, potato salads using a dressing with mayonnaise (affiliate link) is more common. (See the Northern German Potato Salad for example)

    Not only do the dressings in the recipes differ, but also the ingredients. So for example in the East of Germany a potato salad made with Fleischsalat, is very popular, whereas this is a cucumber dill potato salad. This salad with naturally vegan and vegetarian.

    More German Potato Recipes

    • Northern German Potato Salad.
      Authentic Northern German Potato Salad
    • German Potato Salad on a White Plate. Around there is some cut up apple, a jar of Ghekins and some unpealed potatoes
      German Potato Salad with Apple and Gherkins
    • Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat ( Swabian Style Potato Salad)
      Simple Swabian Potato Salad (Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat)
    • Hot German Potato Salad
      Warm German Potato Salad with Bacon
    German Cucumber Potato Salad

    How to make potato salad with cucumber and dill 

    Ingredients:

    • waxy potatoes (Russet, red potatoes, Charlotte, Royal jersey or Yukon gold are good varieties to use)
    • onion
    • cucumber (use an English Cucumber. If you want you can peel it, but I prefer to wash it, and it it with the peel on.)
    • vegetable broth /stock
    • sugar - just a little bit to create the traditional sweet and sour flavour.
    • mustard (affiliate link) ( if you can use German mustard (affiliate link), otherwise dijon mustard (affiliate link) will do)
    • neutral oil (I used sunflower oil, but rapeseed oil or avocado oil is also good)
    • white vine vinegar (can be substituted with cider vinegar)
    • Salt and pepper to taste.
    • 2 tablespoon fresh finely chopped dill / use more if you are using dried dill as the flavor is weaker 

    Recipe Steps

    1. Bring a large pot of water with the salt to boil. Wash the potatoes with the skin on and boil them until soft.
    2. In the meantime, peel and finely dice the onion. Heat the sunflower oil in a pan and fry the onions until translucent. 
    3. Pour the vegetable stock (affiliate link)/broth into the pan and boil with the onions on medium heat for about 5 minutes. 
    4. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper, sugar and white wine vinegar and mustard (affiliate link)
    5. Once the potatoes are boiled you can peel them while still warm.  Slice the potatoes into 1 cm wide slices and place into a large salad bowl. 
    6. Pour the warm dressing over the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool for about an hour and the warm potatoes soak up the vinegarette. Before serving, add in the cucumber and dill. Guten Appetit!

    Variations

    This is an updated post. In my original posts, I had added in ½ lb / 200 g of sliced radishes which also worked well. See below the old images.

    German Potato Salad with Radishes in a Bowl
    Vegan Potato Salad in a bowl. Left a chopping board with cucumber and radishes, above some salad servers
    German Potato Salad on a Place. A chopping board with radishes and cucumber is above

    How to serve German Potato Cucumber Salad?

    Serve this cucumber dill potato salad cold and chilled. There are recipes for warm potato salads, but this is meant to be a refreshing light salad. 

    This salad pairs well with grilled meats and sausages. It also made a good side to Schnitzel. Here are some popular German dishes to serve with your potato cucumber salad.

    • A Goldenbrown Vienna Schnitzel on a plate with parsley potatoes. At the top you can see a bowl of cucumber salad. The plate is white and on the right you can see a fork.
      Best Wiener Schnitzel Recipe (Austrian Veal Schnitzel)
    • Turkey Schnitzel (Putenschnitzel Wiener Art)
    • German Schnitzel with cucumbers and lemon slices.
      Schweineschnitzel - Traditional German Schnitzel
    • German white sausage with mustard
      Weisswurst - Traditional German White Sausage
    • German Bratwurst Casserole
      The Best German Bratwurst Casserole
    • Frankfurter Sausages (The Original German Hot Dog)
    German Cucumber Potato Salad

    Storage Instructions

    Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge. It should be good up to three days.

    Prepare this cucumber and potato salad ahead of time. I would suggest making it the night before. For the best result add the cucumber and dill on the day you are serving it.

    Do not freeze this salad. Technically it should be possible but taste it is a NO NO! When defrosted the potatoes become a little soggy and soft.If you made too much potato salad it is a way better option to give a portion to friends or neighbours or combine it with different other dishes (see above) so it does not get too boring.

    More German Salad Recipes

    • Spinach and Beetroot Salad
      German Spinach and Beetroot Salad
    • a bowl of German coleslaw
      Traditional German Coleslaw (Krautsalat)
    • German Apple Carrot Salad with lemons and carrots in the background
      Traditional German Carrot Salad (Karottensalat)
    • a bowl of cucumber radish salad
      Creamy German Cucumber and Radish Salad

    This post was first published in May 2014 and updated in May 2021, July 2024

    Recipe

    Easy German Potato Salad with Cucumber

    Marita
    A easy German potato salad made with cucumber and dill. The potato salad is based on a vinegarette made from broth, oil and vinegar.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Resting Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine German
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 328 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 kg potatoes  waxy potatoes such as red potatoes, Yukon Gold, Russet, Charlotte, Royal jersey or new potatoes
    • 150 ml vegetable broth/ stock 5 fl oz
    • 1 English cucumber
    • 1 white onion about 120 g/ 4.5 oz
    • 2 tablespoon fresh chopped dill use more if you are using dried dill as the flavour is weaker 
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 tsp mustard
    • 3 tablespoon sunflower oil other vegetable oil 
    • 3 tablespoon white wine vinegar alternativley use cider vinegar
    • salt and pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Bring a large pot of water with the salt to boil. Wash the potatoes with the skin on and boil them until soft.
      1 kg potatoes 
    • In the meantime, peel and finely dice the onion. Heatthe sunflower oil in a pan and fry the onions until translucent. 
      1 white onion, 3 tablespoon sunflower oil
    • Pour the vegetable stock (affiliate link)/broth into the pan and boil with the onions on medium heat for about 5 minutes. 
      150 ml vegetable broth/ stock
    • Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper, sugar and white wine vinegar and mustard (affiliate link)
      1 teaspoon sugar, 3 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon mustard (affiliate link)
    • Once the potatoes are boiled you can peel them while still warm.  Slice the potatoes into 1 cm wide slices and place into a large salad bowl. 
    • Wash the cucumber. You can peel it if you prefer, but that is optional. Using a vegetable mandolin, or a sharp knife slice the cucumber into thin stripes. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt, this will drive our the excess moisture our of the cucumber.
      1 English cucumber
    • Pour the warm dressing over the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool for about an hour and the warm potatoes soak up the vinegarette.
      2 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
    • Before serving, add in the cucumber and dill. Guten Appetit!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 6gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gSodium: 201mgPotassium: 1297mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 152IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword German Potato salad with dill, German potato salad with oil and vinegar, Vegan German Potato Salad, Vegetarian German Potato Salad
    Did you make this recipe? I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Please leave a quick Comment and star rating. I appreciate your feedback.

    More German Salads

    • Sauerkraut Salad
      Easy Sauerkraut Salad
    • Bavarian Sausage Salad (Wurstsalat)
      German Wurstsalat (Bavarian Sausage Salad)
    • Fleischsalat
      Authentic Fleischsalat Recipe (German Meat Salad)
    • German Egg Salad with Pickles
      Easy German Egg Salad with Pickles and Apple (Eiersalat)
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    Comments

      5 from 6 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jean says

      August 30, 2022 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      LOVED this... when I saw it had radish in, I was not sure, but so glad I did. Now will use this salad every time. Thank you for this

      Reply
      • Marita says

        September 14, 2022 at 12:07 pm

        I am happy that you gave this recipe a try. It is so easy and my family loves it as well.

        Reply
    2. Lesley says

      May 27, 2021 at 10:32 am

      5 stars
      I love a good potato salad and dill is one of my favourite fresh herbs to use.

      Reply
      • Marita says

        May 27, 2021 at 10:36 am

        Thank you Lesley, hope the rain clears up so you can try it on your next BBQ

        Reply
    3. Emily says

      May 27, 2021 at 4:35 am

      5 stars
      We love German potato salad in my house and I can't wait to try your recipe!! And I love that German food always has Dill because I love, love, love dill! LOL! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Marita says

        May 27, 2021 at 10:37 am

        Thank you Emily. Hope you enjoy this

        Reply
    4. Gregory Halpen says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      I am not always a fan of sweet-ish savory dishes, but this looks AMAZING! I would do make this too. A great alternative to potato salad made with Mayo.

      Reply
      • Marita says

        May 26, 2021 at 3:18 pm

        Thank you hope you get to try it

        Reply
    5. Jeannie says

      May 26, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      5 stars
      this looks delicious, a vegan potato salad! I need a plate now

      Reply
      • Marita says

        May 26, 2021 at 7:38 pm

        Thank you Jeannie

        Reply

    Hi, I'm Marita

    Food enthusiast & home cook. I returned to Germany after living in the UK for 20 years. Here at My Dinner, you will find traditional and authentic German recipes with cultural backgrounds.

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