This vegan German potato salad with tempeh bacon is served warm with a savory mustard vinaigrette. The potato salad is cooked in one pan so the potatoes absorb the flavors of the onions, garlic, and vegan bacon.
German potato salad is so much different than the classic mayo and egg-laden potato salad. They're more like distant cousins. German potato salad is basically a stovetop casserole. It's full of caramelized onions, garlic, bacon, and it's served warm right off the stovetop with a tangy vinaigrette and fresh herbs. This may sound like a strange combination, but I promise it all comes together! I probably overuse the phrase "ultimate comfort food" but it's truly fitting for this dish.
Before I knew much about German potato salad, I assumed it was served cold and that maybe it would be automatically vegan friendly since there's no mayo. Totally wrong! It usually calls for a chicken or beef broth and it's chock full of bacon. Luckily there are easy vegan substitutes for both of those.
Prefer mayo potato salad with onion and celery, or want to make both kinds for a potato salad showdown? I've got you covered with my Vegan Potato Salad with Fresh Dill & Parsley.
🥔 Ingredients
- Red or Yukon Gold potatoes
- Vegan butter
- Tempeh bacon or other vegan bacon
- Onion
- Garlic
- Vegan "chicken" broth or "beef" broth
- Apple cider vinegar
- Spicy brown mustard
- Sugar or maple syrup
- Liquid smoke
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh parsley and/or chives
Potatoes
I suggest using red or Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe. Both of these types of potatoes are creamy and delicious and absorb the vinaigrette nicely. Warm German potato salad is traditionally made with red potatoes and they add a pop of color, so I went with red potatoes.
Tempeh bacon/vegan bacon
I used tempeh bacon to replace the bacon in this recipe. It adds a ton of flavor to the sauce and the nutty flavor of the tempeh pairs well with the creamy potatoes.
Vegan Broth
I recommend using a vegan "chicken" or "beef" broth for this recipe rather than a vegetable broth. The broth adds a lot of flavor and helps meld together the components of the dish.
The BulkFoods Vegan Chicken Base and Beef Base are staples in my kitchen. I also love the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. I like to keep these types of bouillon on hand for making broth and adding to soups and rice. Plus, they take up less space in your cabinet than cans or cartons of broth! I use the "chicken" base most often, but the "beef" base is a key ingredient in recipes like Vegan French Onion Soup.
🍽 Equipment
You don't need any special equipment for this recipe, but if you have one, I recommend using a cast iron pan (surprise surprise...it's my most-used kitchen item!). The cast iron pan makes the tempeh bacon all crispy, the onions nice and golden, and it heats the food evenly.
No matter what kind of pan you use, don't rinse it off between steps! The tempeh bacon gives the onions a lightly smoky flavor and the leftover vegan butter captures all of the wonderful flavors and coats the potatoes.
🔪 Instructions
Scrub the potatoes and chop off any eyes and bring to a boil in a large pot. Boil until soft, 15-18 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the vegan butter in a cast iron skillet or other large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned.
Transfer the cooked vegan bacon to a cutting board and chop into ½ inch pieces. Do not rinse the cast iron pan.
Add the chopped onion to the pan over medium heat and cook until golden, 7-8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the broth to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and add the vinegar, spicy brown mustard, sugar, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Chop the potatoes into 1 inch pieces and add the chopped potatoes and vegan bacon to the cast iron pan, stirring to coat with the mixture.
Add more salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle the parsley on top. Serve warm.
💭 Tips
- You can use any kind of vegan bacon in this recipe. I used tempeh bacon because the texture and nutty flavor complement the flavors of the potato salad.
- I added liquid smoke to the recipe because the flavor of tempeh bacon isn't quite as strong as regular bacon. If you're not a fan of the smoky flavor of bacon, you can reduce the amount or leave it out.
- This recipe is even better the next day reheated! The flavors have a chance to meld overnight.
🥗 Pairs well with
Mix up your barbecue sides and try your German potato salad alongside barbecue seitan "pulled pork" sandwiches.
Marinate some seitan and cook it up on the stovetop for a vegan "meat and potatoes" dinner.
Vegan Stollen with Marzipan Filling
To continue the vegan German food theme, stollen would be a great dessert after your meal. My stollen is one of my most popular recipes around the holidays, so give it a try if you want a project!
📖 Recipe
Vegan German Potato Salad with Tempeh Bacon
This vegan German potato salad with tempeh bacon is served warm with a savory mustard vinaigrette. The potato salad is cooked in one pan so the potatoes absorb the flavors of the onions, garlic, and vegan bacon.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs red potatoes (about 7-8 small potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 10-12 slices uncooked tempeh bacon or other vegan bacon (see note)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley and/or chives
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes and chop off any eyes and bring to a boil in a large pot. Boil until soft, 15-18 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegan butter in a cast iron skillet or other large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned.
- Transfer the cooked vegan bacon to a cutting board and chop into ½ inch pieces. Do not rinse the cast iron pan.
- Add the chopped onion to the pan over medium heat and cook until golden, 7-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the broth to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and add the vinegar, spicy brown mustard, sugar, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- Chop the potatoes into 1 inch pieces and add the chopped potatoes and vegan bacon to the cast iron pan, stirring to coat with the mixture.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle the parsley on top. Serve warm.
Notes
- Need a recipe for tempeh bacon? Try my Sweet and Smoky Tempeh Bacon. You'll use about half the block of tempeh for the potato salad so you can either halve the recipe or snack on the extras while you cook!
- You can use any kind of vegan bacon in this recipe. I used tempeh bacon because the texture and nutty flavor complement the flavors of the potato salad.
- I added liquid smoke to the recipe because the flavor of tempeh bacon isn't quite as strong as regular bacon. If you're not a fan of the smoky flavor of bacon, you can reduce the amount or leave it out.
- This recipe is even better the next day reheated! The flavors have a chance to meld overnight.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 651mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 12g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on seitanbeatsyourmeat.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
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