No-Mayo Bacon Potato Salad
This easy no-mayo bacon potato salad tosses tender baby potatoes with crispy bacon, fresh parsley and a tangy mustard dressing!
I have never been the world’s biggest potato salad fan. If I’m going to spend my carbs on a side dish, I usually want pasta, rice or corn—and the traditional mayo-heavy versions can be a little too rich for me.
But add tender baby potatoes, crispy bacon and plenty of fresh parsley, then toss everything in a tangy mustard dressing made with a spoonful of bacon drippings? Suddenly I am completely on board!
This easy no-mayo bacon potato salad is fresh, flavorful and just right for picnics, cookouts or any dinner that needs a seriously delicious side dish.
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🥔 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 Here’s how you make potato salad with bacon and parsley!
- 🤔 Recipe FAQs
- No-Mayo Bacon Potato Salad
- 👩🏻🍳 Variations on this recipe
- 😍 Other potato salad recipes we love!
- ⭐️ We want to know what you think!
- 🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: A light and tangy no-mayo potato salad made with tender baby potatoes, crispy bacon, fresh parsley and mustard dressing.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 6 servings
- Calories: 180
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Cookouts, picnics, potlucks and an easy side dish for grilled dinners.
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🥓 Bacon brings the magic: Crispy bacon adds smoky, salty flavor—and a little bacon drippings makes the dressing extra delicious.
- 🥔 Baby potatoes make it easy: Their tender skins mean there’s no peeling required!
- 🌿 Parsley keeps things fresh: A generous handful adds bright flavor and color to every bite.
- 💛 No mayo needed: The tangy mustard and red wine vinegar dressing is flavorful without feeling heavy.
- 🧺 It’s made for sharing: This simple potato salad is an easy addition to cookouts, picnics and potlucks.
Quick digression: Speaking of fresh parsley often reminds me that we once had a guinea pig named Wilbur who treated parsley and basil like his own personal salad bar.
Wilbur didn’t have a whole lot of personality—he was essentially a baked potato with fur—but he could always be counted on to help with an overenthusiastic herb garden. Good old Wilbur. We still miss that little parsley-loving guy.
🥔 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Baby potatoes: Red, yellow or multicolored baby potatoes all work beautifully. Cut them into similarly sized halves or quarters so they cook evenly. There’s no need to peel them!
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon gives you especially hearty, crispy pieces, but regular bacon works too. Be sure to save the drippings—they add smoky flavor to the dressing.
- Olive oil: Use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, since its flavor comes through in this simple dressing.
- Red wine vinegar: This gives the salad its bright, tangy flavor and balances the richness of the bacon and olive oil.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon adds a gentle sharpness and helps the oil, vinegar and bacon drippings blend into a smooth dressing.
- Fresh parsley: Use flat-leaf Italian parsley if possible; it has more flavor than curly parsley. One full cup may sound generous, but it keeps the salad tasting wonderfully fresh.
- Salt and pepper: Salt the potato cooking water as well as the finished salad. Potatoes love salt, so taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 Here’s how you make potato salad with bacon and parsley!
You obviously need a nice big bowl of these…
…and you can use all red, all yellow or a mixture. Just try for the smallest ones you can find, for nice bite-sized potato salad wonderfulness.
But I digress. Last but not least, this potato salad also includes bacon, and need I say more about THAT?
You start by cooking up the potatoes in salted water until they are just tender, and while that is happening you cook up some chopped bacon until it is crispy. Then add the bacon drippings to some mustard, vinegar and a little olive oil to make a light, flavorful dressing.
Drizzle the dressing over the potatoes, add the bacon and the parsley…and you’re done! The longest part of this is the 1o or so minutes you spend boiling the potatoes — it really couldn’t be easier.
So here you go, a recipe for a potato salad that I actually LIKE. (Because I know you were worrying about that).
🤔 Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can make it several hours ahead and refrigerate it. For the freshest flavor and crispiest bacon, let it come toward room temperature and give it a gentle toss before serving.
It’s delicious warm, at room temperature or chilled. I especially like it slightly warm, when the potatoes absorb plenty of that tangy bacon-mustard dressing.
Baby red, yellow or multicolored potatoes are ideal because they hold their shape and have thin skins that don’t need peeling. Fingerling potatoes also work well.
Cut them into similar-sized pieces and simmer just until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Avoid a vigorous boil, which can make the potatoes break apart.
Store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The bacon will soften a little, but the salad will still taste delicious.
Pop your question in the Comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Let’s cook up some baby potatoes and bring on the bacon! 🥔🥓
No-Mayo Bacon Potato Salad
This easy no-mayo bacon potato salad tosses tender baby potatoes with crispy bacon, fresh parsley and a tangy mustard dressing!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes, cut in halves or quarters
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- 4 slices bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Put the potatoes in a pot with water to cover and one teaspoon salt and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and run under cold water, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
- While potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6-8 minutes. Drain on paper towels, saving the drippings.
- Mix the reserved drippings, oil, vinegar and mustard with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Drizzle over potatoes and toss. Add bacon and parsley and toss again. Realize that you DO like potato salad after all.
👩🏻🍳 Variations on this recipe
😍 Other potato salad recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Little Wilbur! OMG he looked adorable! Love this potato salad Kate. Bacon makes everything better! And love the light mustard vinaigrette. Have a great week!
Bacon DOES make everything better! :)
Oh, Wilbur! So cute. That takes me back to some Guinea pig memories!
I ate a lot of heavy potato salad at gatherings when I was a kid, so I always prefer non-mayo based now. This is so fresh and summery. And BACON!! ????
Guinea pigs are the best – we did love our Wilbur! Happy long weekend, Amanda!
OMG, guinea pigs! A memory from my childhood just floated past…the part of the family that “we don’t talk about” came to visit when I was maybe five or six. They were travelling the country in an old school bus — the kind that were bright yellow and had a snout, only theirs was painted rather decoratively. And they raised guinea pigs. OMG! There were so many cages and little critters running loose in their home that I don’t know how they found a place to lie down and sleep!
Of course, as little kids, my cousin and I wanted guinea pigs of our own, but our mothers simply shuddered at the thought of their babies being in what they were sure was a flea and plague infested environment, so no new pets were acquired. LOL! I guess you’d have to call those folks hippies, huh? And I’ve got to say that your Wilbur was a very handsome specimen of his kind. RIP Wilbur. ;)
Love your guinea pig remembrances, Ruthie! And yes, Wilbur was a lovable guy. Memories…. :)
I remember my little brother in kindergarten loving the story of Humm the Hamster who loooooved parsley. Did you ever read that book? I’ll be trying this potato salad recipe soon.
Finally, another human who doesn’t get on board the typical potato salad train. THIS, however, sounds delish. My sister makes one that’s similar and I love it. I also love me a good German potato salad. Bacon is also involved, so ya know…..
Finally, another human who doesn’t get on board the typical potato salad train. THIS, however, sounds delish. My sister makes one that’s similar and I love it. I also love me a good German potato salad. Bacon is also involved, so ya know…..
Finally, another human who doesn’t get on board the typical potato salad train. THIS, however, sounds delish. My sister makes one that’s similar and I love it. I also love me a good German potato salad. Bacon is also involved, so ya know…..
ps.
I sliced my potatoes instead of doing them in quarters, but I think it would work equally well for hash browns either way.
ps.
I sliced my potatoes instead of doing them in quarters, but I think it would work equally well for hash browns either way.
ps.
I sliced my potatoes instead of doing them in quarters, but I think it would work equally well for hash browns either way.
I made this with cilantro instead of parsley, since I was out of parsley. It was yum!
BUT I had some leftover and for breakfast the next morning, I made hashbrowns out of it! The bacon crisped up, the flavor came out even more from the dressing and it was delish!
Thanks for sharing such a easy and tasty dish Kate!
I made this with cilantro instead of parsley, since I was out of parsley. It was yum!
BUT I had some leftover and for breakfast the next morning, I made hashbrowns out of it! The bacon crisped up, the flavor came out even more from the dressing and it was delish!
Thanks for sharing such a easy and tasty dish Kate!
I made this with cilantro instead of parsley, since I was out of parsley. It was yum!
BUT I had some leftover and for breakfast the next morning, I made hashbrowns out of it! The bacon crisped up, the flavor came out even more from the dressing and it was delish!
Thanks for sharing such a easy and tasty dish Kate!
always looking for a good potato salad recipe! thanks.
always looking for a good potato salad recipe! thanks.
always looking for a good potato salad recipe! thanks.