Easy Creamy BBQ Potato Salad recipe
Sunshine, BBQ, and potato salad go together like two peas in a pod. This luxe easy creamy BBQ potato salad is about to make your summer Barbecue game stronger than ever. Think tender-to-the-bite potatoes, juicy tomatoes, sweet peas, tender chickpeas, and creamy mayonnaise. Plus, smoky barbecue flavors. This is the potato salad dreams are made of.
Jump to RecipeThis easy creamy BBQ potato salad recipe is like a mouthful of summer sunshine. Featuring juicy tomatoes, tender potatoes, sweet peas, and protein-rich chickpeas, packed full of fragrance thanks to the aromatic thyme and oregano and speckled with salty capers. Not to mention the mouthwatering creamy homemade dressing that brings it all together.
Eat this bowl of deliciousness hot or cold, as a side dish or as a healthy lunch.
Why you need to make Creamy Vegan Barbecue Potato salad:
- It’s a cooling, creamy bowl of juicy vegetables, tender potatoes, and lots of herbs, all wrapped in a blanket of creamy dressing.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Easy to make
- Simple ingredients
- Meal prep friendly
- A must serve a barbecue side dish
- Kid-friendly recipe
- Healthy and full of nutrients
- Great pot luck and party recipe
Ingredients for Easy Creamy Barbecue Potato Salad
The ingredients list overall for this mouthwatering potato salad is pretty simple overall, but it packs its own flavorful textural punch. The dressing is creamy and full of barbecue flavors. It’s a simple, delicious, and meal prep friendly salad that’s a must bring to pot licks, parties, and a great BBQ stable side dish.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 6 medium white potatoes or Yukon gold
- Peas
- Chickpeas
- Cherry or plum tomatoes
- Capers
- Vegan mayonnaise (or regular if you prefer)
- Herbs and seasoning
Meal prep potato salad
Yep, you read that right. This creamy vegan BBQ potato salad is a great meal prep recipe. You can make it hours in advance, or even the day before, because the dressing keeps all the vegetables fresh and delicious. Just keep your ready-made potato salad in a sealed container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
How to make the best spicy Potato salad
Making the dressing – because this creamy potato salad is all about juicy and tender vegetables wrapped in a blanket of creamy dressing.
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Set aside.
Making the best creamy BBQ potato salad
Step 1. Cut the potatoes into dice and pour them into a large salad bowl. Slice or dice the tomatoes as you prefer and add them to the bowl.
Step 2. Next, add chickpeas, chopped capers, and dried oregano and gently toss to combine everything.
Step 3. Pour the dressing on top and mix to combine everything. Finally, add more salt if needed and garnish with fresh basil.
Step 4. Serve and enjoy.
What are the best potatoes to use in potato salad
You need a really tender, meaty potato to make the best potato salad. You can use any type of potatoes but some of the best potatoes to use in potato salads are:
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- White potatoes
Either of these will always give your potato salad that tender texture we all adore.
Canned chickpeas vs dried chickpeas
There are pros and cons to both types. I personally prefer using canned chickpeas because 1. I’m lazy, and 2. Canned chickpeas always guarantee that the chickpeas are tender, delicious, and cooked to perfection.
If you prefer cooking your own chickpeas, that’s completely doable. Follow the steps below to cook the best, soft and tender chickpeas.
How to cook chickpeas to tender perfection
- Cooking your own chickpeas often requires more time than the packaging instructions claim if you want to get really tender, chewy, and delicious chickpeas that are as good as canned chickpeas.
- Rinse the chickpeas well before pouring them into a pot. Cover with water and season with salt.
- Bring the pot to a boil and cook for 40 minutes or until the chickpeas are completely tender to the bite. If the chickpeas aren’t tender, they still need to cook for longer.
- Once the chickpeas are tender to the bite, drain away from the water.
- Your chickpeas are done and ready to use to make hummus, in salads, or in anything else you want to make.
Note: it’s important to really cook the chickpeas for a long time until they are completely tender to the bite because it will make a big difference in how well they turn out in any recipe.
What to serve with potato salad
Potato salad goes well with almost everything. Serve it with any kind of grilled vegetables, BBQ favorites, or try one of these:
- burgers
- Sliders
- Kidney bean skewers
- Cauliflower wings
How to store this vegan potato salad?
Store this potato salad in the refrigerator in a sealed container to keep it fresh and delicious longer.
Any type of beans and even lentils will work really well in this potato salad:
Black beans
Red kidney beans
White beans
Green lentils
Red lentils
There are a lot of good vegan mayonnaise options on the market. Here’s a quick rundown of the top 5 best vegan mayonnaise options on the market:
Best overall vegan mayo: Thrive Market Vegan Mayonnaise
Vegan mayonnaise with avocado oil: Chosen foods classic vegan Mayo
One of the most popular: Veganaise
Hellman’s Vegan Végétale Mayo
Sir Kensington’s Special Vegan Mayo
This easy vegan mayonnaise dressing is a dream. It’s not just simple to make it’s also meal prep friendly and can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for several days with no problem.
Tip: Keep this vegan dressing ready-made in your fridge at all times, so you always have a delicious creamy dressing to put on everything from sandwiches to salads.
Easy Creamy BBQ Potato Salad recipe
Ingredients
- 6 medium White Potatoes or Yukon Gold around 3 lbs. cooked
- 1 cup Peas
- 1 15oz can Chickpeas Rinsed and drained
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes (or small tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp Capers Chopped
- 1 cup Vegan Mayonnaise or regular, if you prefer
- ½ tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- ½ tsp Salt more to taste
- ½ tsp Ground Pepper
- 2-3 tbsp Chopped Chives
- 1 handful Fresh Basil Chopped
Instructions
Making the dressing
- In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, salt, pepper, fresh chives, and smoked paprika. Set aside.
Making the potato salad
- Cut the potatoes into dice and pour them into a large salad bowl. Slice or dice the tomatoes as you prefer and add them to the bowl.
- Next, add chickpeas, chopped capers, and dried oregano and gently toss to combine everything.Pour the dressing on top and mix to combine everything. Finally, add more salt if needed and garnish with fresh basil. Serve and enjoy.
Are you looking for more easy Barbeque side dishes? You might like some of these salads: