Olivier Salad, or Russian potato salad, is a meal on its own. Loaded with lots of vegetables, meats and eggs and finished with creamy mayo, this Russian salad is so satisfying and filling!
While I was born and raised in Mongolia, I grew up in a small Russian community. And inevitably, Russian cuisine was part of my childhood.
You can’t imagine Russian cuisine without Olivier salad/Салат Оливье. Actually, it’s not just Russian, it’s a Slavic thing. And because Mongolia was heavily influenced by Russian culture, this Russian salad is also very popular in Mongolia.
It’s a staple at every holiday dinner table, especially on New Year’s Eve.
And I’m SO excited to share with you my version of this Russian potato salad recipe.
What is Olivier Salad?
Russian potato salad, also known as Olivier Salad, is more than just a potato salad. It’s basically a loaded potato salad with lots of add-ins like meats, peas and carrots, hard-boiled eggs and fresh herbs.
I don’t believe there’s one and only traditional version of this salad. Every family has their own variation.
- Some use bologna, others use smoked sausage.
- And some use pickles, others use fresh cucumbers.
- Some cook the potatoes and carrots and then dice them. Some dice them and then cook them.
And that’s the beauty fo this salad. You can try it as written first, and then adjust it to your own liking.
- Not a dill fan? Add parsley then.
- Want more mayo? Add more mayo.
- Sub red onion for the scallions.
- Use your favorite sausage, salami, or even cooked chicken.
Choice is yours. I personally like to use summer sausage in my potato salad.
How to make Russian potato salad
Step 1. Cook the vegetables
- I like to dice the potatoes and carrots first and then cook them. It’s a sticky mess to cut cooked potatoes, I don’t like that.
Prevent mushy potatoes
Since it’s easy to overcook the diced potatoes and turn them into a mush. And to prevent that, add half a tablespoon of white vinegar in the water and your potato cubes will hold the shape perfectly!
Step 2. Hard boil eggs
- And if you’re not a fan of peeling cooked eggs, try this genius trick for no-peel hard-boiled eggs!
Step 3. Prepare the rest of the ingredients
- While potatoes and carrots are cooking, chop up onions, sausage, pickles and herbs.
Step 4. Mix everything up.
- Now, the easy part. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix everything up.
While you can serve this potato salad right away, I like it when it’s nicely chilled, which makes it a perfect make-ahead salad!
I love this Olivier salad! It brings warm and fuzzy feeling from my childhood and holiday spirit whenever I make it.
I usually make a huge batch, and enjoy bowlfull for several days. It keeps really well in the fridge. Actually, the longer it sits, the better it becomes.
Russian Potato Salad (Салат Оливье)
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes washed and peeled, if desired (2lbs/900g)
- 3 medium carrots washed and peeled (10oz/300g)
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar Note 1
- 4 hard-boiled eggs Note 2
- 7 oz (200 g) summer sausage Note 3
- 4 oz (100 g) dill pickles
- 1 (15oz) can sweet peas drained
- 1 teaspoon dill paste or fresh dill
- 4-5 green onions Note 4
- 1 cup mayo
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes and carrots into small uniform cubes.
- Place them in a large pot and fill with water.
- Add salt and vinegar. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let it cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, cut the sausage and pickles into small cubes, and chop the green onions.
- Cut the hard-boiled eggs into small cubes as well.
- If using fresh dill, chop them as well.
- In a large bowl, combine potatoes, carrots, sausage, pickles, peas and green onions.
- Add mayo and dill and mix until well combined.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
⭐️ Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a review and let us know how you liked it!
Tips & Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 24, 2014.
We had an exchange student from Russia who lived with us for a year. She was a DELIGHT . She loves to cook. At holidays I’d give her a new recipe I hadn’t made and she’d make it. It was always delicious. We had 3 other teen daughters still living at home. Irina fit right in and became one of their sisters and another daughter of ours. We loved her and she loved us. It was so hard to say goodbye. We all cried and hugged. We miss her. I miss her cooking. If she was here for Easter Id have her make this delicious looking potato salad. She made a similar dish one time but it had cooked beets. It was very good. We love & miss you Irina ❤️
An amazing salad recipe. I substituted the sausage with ham and it was a wonderful salad!
Yay, so happy you tried and loved this recipe. Thank you for your feedback, GJ!
I have made this numerous times. Best potato salad ever, thank you.
So close to the one I made my partner for his birthday (from his family recipe) – all the same except we have no carrots in it…SO Good!
Hi!! So glad you had tried Olivier salad!! Hope you’ll try my version another time. 😉
It looks finnicky, but it’s super easy to make and the measurements are easy to recall, tastes amazing and looks so colorful and appetizing, thanks for sharing!
Aww, thank you so much for your kind feedback!! I agree, it may look complicated, but it really is not. So happy you loved it. Thanks again!
This potato salad is amazing! Made for a dnd group for our “Russian” potluck night and it was devoured. It’s so delicious. I will definitely be making it again
Hi, Milinda. I’m so happy you chose to make my potato salad recipe. That sounds a like fun and delicious potluck! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Wonderful! I subbed frozen baby sweet peas for the canned, red onion soaked in water for the green onion, and ham was my meat of choice. Cool tip about the vinegar in the water; I’ll use that in the future for other recipes.
So happy you loved the recipe, Marissa. Thank you for your feedback!