Vegan Kimchi Potato Salad

Vegan Kimchi Potato Salad with tofu and sesame is quick, easy to make, creamy, and full of flavors! It’s great as a side dish with grilled goodies or fried tofu, and it also makes a lovely weeknight dinner on its own. Plus the leftovers make a great lunch for the next day.

Kimchi Potato Salad is a very simple recipe with a fun twist on a beloved classic. Roasted potatoes, soft tofu that mimic hard boiled eggs, green onions, and sesame seeds are combined with a creamy mayo-yogurt dressing. And of course kimchi, the true star of this dish.

Vegan Kimchi Potato Salad is…

• fully plant-based
• quick and easy to make
• creamy and luscious
• spicy (but the spice level is easily adjustable)
• filling
• perfect as a side dish
• also great as a main dish
• suitable for meal-prep

How to make Vegan Kimchi Potato Salad

Making this Kimchi Potato Salad is really simple.

Start by roasting the potatoes until golden and crispy around the edges. Roasting gives the salad a deeper flavor and a better texture than simply boiling the potatoes in my opinion. You want them soft in the middle, but with some crispy bits too.

While the potatoes are in the oven, prepare the dressing by whisking together vegan mayo, yogurt, chopped kimchi with some of its juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and seasonings. The dressing should taste creamy, tangy, savory, and slightly spicy. You can always adjust the amount of kimchi depending on how strong or spicy you want the salad to be.

Once the potatoes are done, combine them with the dressing, tofu cubes, and chopped green onions. You can mix everything while the potatoes are still warm, which helps them soak up more flavor, or let them cool first for a more classic potato salad texture. Finish with extra kimchi and toasted sesame seeds on top before serving.

What’s kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish, most commonly made of napa cabbage, green onions, carrots, and radish. It’s spicy, tangy, savory, and packed with delicious umami flavor. Kimchi adds a lot of depth to simple dishes like this potato salad.

I like to use a homemade, extra spicy kimchi for this, but of course you can also simply buy some in the stores. Just make sure it’s vegan. Most traditional kimchi is made with fish or shrimp, so check the ingredient list. Luckily there are many vegan brands available nowadays, either in larger supermarkets, Asian stores, or online.

Tips for the best Vegan Kimchi Potato Salad

• Don’t overcrowd the baking tray! The potatoes roast better and get crispier that way
• Taste the dressing before mixing everything together, since kimchi brands can vary a lot in saltiness and spice level
• The salad gets even more flavorful after sitting in the fridge for a few hours
• If you want it extra creamy, add a little more mayo or mash some of the tofu into the dressing

Customize it the way you like it!

• I personally really enjoy using roasted potatoes in my potato salads. But you can also use cooked potatoes, if you prefer. Smashed potatoes are amazing here too

• Feel free to play around with the ratio of the dressing. A 1:1 ratio of vegan mayo and unsweetened soy yogurt is a great start, but you can adjust it to your liking. Use more mayo or more yogurt, add extras like blended cashews or sunflower seeds for extra creaminess, or use blended tofu as a base. All work well

• Play around with the amount of kimchi you use here. Double the amount, if you want extra kick, or cut back on it a little, if you don’t like things too spicy. You can also use white kimchi, if you want all the umami flavors without too much heat

• Add extra veggies like steamed broccoli, roasted bell pepper, shredded carrot, chopped or smashed cucumber, or fried kale

More vegan potato recipes to try!

• Easy Vegan Potato Waffles (Savory Hash Brown Waffles)
• Hungarian Potato Noodles w/ Cabbage & Tofu
• Roasted New Potato & Asparagus Salad
• Skordalia – Greek Garlic and Potato Dip
• Roasted Potato Bowl w/ Almond Dressing
• Vegan Broccoli & Potato Tots
• Hungarian Potato Casserole
• Hummus Potato Salad w/ Roasted Vegetables
  

Print