This Jamaican potato salad is so delicious, creamy with a sweet potato twist and is completely free from dairy. It's made with my homemade vegan mayonnaise recipe and is so perfect to pair with rice and peas and so many other Caribbean cuisines.
Now that summer is not too far away I'm sure you are probably thinking of recipes that pair well with the warmer weather .i.e my Roasted Ackee Salad and my Vegan Bean Salad.
If that is the case then Charla has got you covered with this potato salad recipe. It's made with Caribbean sweet potato, you know those red skin potatoes from the islands? Yes those!
Giving your potato based salad some natural sweetness. This is great for anyone who has a sweet tooth but wants to keep it healthy. Then this salad is for you!
I have also included some pickle/relish to enhance the flavour but this is a totally optional step and added a bit of seasoning too.
Again, all of this is optional so you have the liberty of playing around with the taste to suit your preference.
You don't have to wait until summer to roll out this potato salad. You can serve it any time of the year including Christmas, thanksgiving or for any special occasions that you have planned.
Reasons to make this recipe
- It's a great way to use some sweet potato.
- Perfect for the summer time - think BBQ, picnic's
- Bring along to a potluck.
- Very easy to make.
- It's dairy free and vegan friendly (meaning no eggs/eggless).
- You can make this salad any time of year.
- It's so versatile, you can add some mixed vegetables.
Boiling the sweet potato
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.
- Add the chopped sweet potato and reduce the heat to medium and cook the potato until tender (check the readiness with a fork, it should be soft when cooked).
- Drain off the water, rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and leave the potato to completely cool down.
Making the potato salad
- In a medium bowl, add the red onion, celery, relish, seafood seasoning and half of the chives/parsley.
- Fold the mayonnaise into the sweet potato and combine with the rest of the ingredients.
- Season with pink salt, black pepper and additional parsley/chives to taste.
- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Notes and tips
- You can use a vegan mayonnaise of your choice or alternatively, use my homemade recipe
- This is the Seafood Seasoning that I used, it's VEGAN, just the name may throw you off.
- Feel free to jazz things up by adding additional vegetables like green peas, carrots, sweetcorn even cassava if you want to.
- Gluten free relish is difficult to get, if you can't get any simply use gherkins/pickles. You can do what I did by pureeing the amount I used with 2-3tbsp of maple/agave and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
- Don't over cook the potato or it will become too soft/mushy. Make sure to rinse the sweet potato with cold water to prevent further cooking.
- You can make ahead of time i.e. the night before so it's ready for the morning.
- This potato salad should last a few days when stored in the refrigerator.
- You can purchase the red skinned sweet potato from any Caribbean grocery store/market place (head to a neighbourhood with a high African/Caribbean community).
- The amount of seasoning will be at your discretion, you don't have to add any herbs i.e parsley, chives etc.. if you don't want to.
- Control the level of mayonnaise you, if you want extra creaminess - add more mayo and use less if you don't.
More vegan potato recipes to try
- Vegan Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
- Dairy Free Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding
- Irish Potato Bread
- Caribbean Potato Curry
**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**
Jamaican Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 - 2½ lb sweet potato (900g) chopped
- ½ a small red onion sliced (optional)
- 1 stalk of celery sliced thinly
- ⅓ cup sweet relish/pickle (80g) optional, can used gherkins/capers instead
- 1-2 teaspoon seafood seasoning (5-10g) THIS IS VEGAN!
- 1 teaspoon parsley (5g)
- 1 teaspoon chives (5g)
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise (225g) see notes
- pink salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
To cook the sweet potatoes
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.
- Add the chopped sweet potato and reduce the heat to medium and cook the potato until tender (check the readiness with a fork, it should be soft when cooked).
- Drain off the water, rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and leave the potato to completely cool down.
To make the potato salad
- In a medium bowl, add the red onion, celery, relish, seafood seasoning and half of the chives/parsley.
- Fold the mayonnaise into the sweet potato and combine with the rest of the ingredients.
- Season with pink salt, black pepper and additional parsley/chives to taste.
- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- You can use a vegan mayonnaise of your choice or alternatively, use my homemade recipe
- This is the Seafood Seasoning that I used, it's VEGAN, just the name may throw you off.
- Feel free to jazz things up by adding additional vegetables like green peas, carrots, sweetcorn even cassava if you want to.
- Gluten free relish is difficult to get, if you can't get any simply use gherkins/pickles. You can do what I did by pureeing the amount I used with 2-3tbsp of maple/agave and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
- Don't over cook the potato or it will become too soft/mushy. Make sure to rinse the sweet potato with cold water to prevent further cooking.
- You can make ahead of time i.e. the night before so it's ready for the morning.
- This potato salad should last a few days when stored in the refrigerator.
- You can purchase the red skinned sweet potato from any Caribbean grocery store/market place (head to a neighbourhood with a high African/Caribbean community).
- The amount of seasoning will be at your discretion, you don't have to add any herbs i.e parsley, chives etc.. if you don't want to.
- Control the level of mayonnaise you, if you want extra creaminess - add more mayo and use less if you don't.
EllenHodges
Hi Charla did you know you can kick it up a notch to make the potato salad more delicious l add fresh grated onions juice mix in gently it makes a difference
Charla
Thanks for the tip!
Brenda
This looks really good! I love potato salad! I'm confused though because you say sweet potato and it looks like white potatoes? Are Jamaican sweet potatoes white?
Charla
Hi Brenda, Yes, the flesh of Jamaican sweet potatoes are white to a creamy hue, that do look like your regular potatoes on the inside to a certain degree but the exterior of them is red. I've posted a link to another recipe where I'm using the same potatoes so you know what it looks like https://thatgirlcookshealthy.com/caribbean-potato-stuffing-virgin-islands/
Danielle Wolter
Yum! I loved how this came out so nice and tangy. Definitely a regular on the rotation.
Charla
I'm so glad that you liked it too Danielle.
Sandhya
I am totally making this Sweet Potato Salad. It's creamy and has got all of my favorite ingredients.
Charla
Thanks Sandhya!!
HEATHER PERINE
What a fun twist on a classic I grew up with! Loved that it was made with sweet potatoes and vegan mayo. So, so tasty!!
Charla
Thanks Heather, great potato salad for the vegans!
Juli
This was the perfect potato salad! I'm always looking for a fun potato salad variations!
Charla
I hope you give it a try Juli
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this jamaican potato salad! It's really easy to make and it taste amazing! Loved it!
Charla
Thanks for the positive feedback Allyssa.