German potato salad is supposed to come to the table warm, glossy, and full of bacon flavor. It tastes tangy first yet lightly sweet against the salty bacon.
The problem with a lot of versions is that the vinegar takes over. You taste sharpness first, while the potatoes underneath stay bland or watery. Not this recipe. The potatoes get tossed with the bacon dressing while they are still steaming hot so they absorb the flavor instead of just wearing it on the outside.
Ingredient Notes
- I prefer using red potatoes because they hold their slice shape when boiled and tossed warm. Yukon Gold works in a pinch. Russets are a no-go. They will fall apart and you’ll end up with chunks of starch in dressing.
- Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be substituted for the white vinegar. However, I find the white vinegar to be the most traditional choice.
- Angela, an independent recipe tester, used Dijon mustard, already in her fridge, rather than making a special trip to the grocery store for German-style mustard. She said the potato salad tasted just as good. American style yellow mustard is not a good substitute in this recipe.
- Red and yellow onion are interchangeable in this recipe.
- Dicing the thick sliced bacon before cooking helps give you nice uniform bacon pieces. I also find that the bacon cooks more evenly in the skillet.
- This German potato salad is ideal for juicy burgers, sizzling sausages, and grilled corn on the cob.
Watch Out For These Steps
Remove the potatoes from the heat just before they seem fully done. They will continue cooking from residual heat after draining, and overcooked potatoes fall apart once the warm dressing gets folded in.
After draining, let the potatoes sit uncovered in the warm pot for a minute or two while the dressing finishes. The excess surface moisture steams off, which helps the vinaigrette cling instead of turning watery underneath the salad.
Toss the potatoes with the bacon vinaigrette while both are still hot. Warm potatoes absorb the dressing into the surface instead of letting it sit on the outside. That is what gives German potato salad its glossy, seasoned-through texture instead of tasting like plain potatoes covered in vinegar.
When mixing, fold the potatoes gently rather than stirring aggressively. The finished salad should have tender potato pieces that stay intact and coated in dressing, with visible bacon throughout, not a mashed or heavy texture.
Potato Salad Recipe Options
- Amish Potato Salad
- Ranch Potato Salad
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Mustard Potato Salad
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
Make-Ahead and Storage Guidelines
Make-ahead
You can make German potato salad ahead of time but it does change overnight. The potatoes keep absorbing dressing in the fridge, and by the next day the bowl looks drier and less glossy than it did the day before.
You can eat it as is – or you can use broth to replace the moisture the potatoes have pulled in overnight. Just add about ¼ cup of chicken broth before warming. Cover the dish with foil and warm at 325°F for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once partway through.
Storage Instructions
In the fridge, you can store this potato salad up to four days in a sealed container The salad is still good the next day eaten at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you sit down to eat.
Freezing is not recommended. The potatoes become grainy and watery once thawed, the dressing loses its glossy texture and the bacon loses its crispness completely. It’s a recipe that’s quick enough and cheap enough to make fresh when you want it.
Recipe Test Notes – Updated May 2026
This recipe has been on the site since July 2024, but I kept coming back to the same issue: the vinegar was slightly too sharp once the salad sat for a few minutes.
In May 2026, I had Angela, my recipe tester, make the potato salad twice. One version had ½ cup vinegar the other version had ⅓ cup. Everything else was kept exactly the same.
Testing them side by side made the difference immediately obvious. The reduced amount still gave the salad the tangy flavor German potato salad is known for, but the dressing tasted more balanced and less harsh against the bacon and onions.
That single adjustment changed the overall texture and feel of the finished salad. Instead of tasting sharp and separated, the dressing coated the potatoes more naturally and stayed savory after resting.
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German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds petite red potatoes, cut into quarters (approximately 1 ½ inch in size)
- 8 ounces bacon, diced into ½ inch pieces (6 to 7 slices thick cut)
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons German style mustard, Boar’s Head brand (see tips)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided (2 tablespoons in potato salad and 1 tablespoon for garnish)
Instructions
- To a large (5 quart) stock pot add the red potatoes and cover with water. Be sure that you have about 1 to 2 inches of water over the top surface of the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, allow the potatoes to cook for 8 to 10 minutes or just until fork tender. You do not want your potatoes to overcook as they will fall apart once mixed with the other ingredients.
- While the potatoes are boiling, start cooking the bacon. Add the bacon pieces to a medium skillet, on medium heat, and allow the bacon to crisp, and render its fat for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the crispy bacon from the skillet. Place it onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess grease and set aside. Leave all the rendered bacon fat in the skillet.
- To the skillet of bacon fat, add the diced yellow onions, salt and black pepper. Cook the onion for 2 to 3 minutes or just until translucent and tender.
- Add the mustard, granulated sugar, and white vinegar. Whisk until all the bacon fat is fully blended with the other ingredients. Remove from the heat.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the water from the stock pot leaving the potatoes in the pot.
- Pour the warm dressing over the potatoes then add the crispy bacon and 2 tablespoons of the chopped fresh parsley. Very gently stir together the ingredients of the german potato salad being careful not to break apart the potatoes too much as you are mixing.
- Transfer the german potato salad to a large serving bowl and garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.
Nutrition
Comments
Gloria says
This is so perfect for summertime BBQ!
Diane Lamain says
I thought I’d try something a bit different from traditional creamy potato salad along side some pulled pork that I had made. I had everything on hand. I always gravitate to those recipes. It was simple and delicious. Any recipe that includes bacon always goes over well in my household.