Japanese Potato Salad is a staple of Japanese home-cooking because it’s so easy to make and uses ingredients everyone usually has at home! This classic side dish combines potatoes, ham, and vegetables with mayonnaise to create a delicious blend of flavors with a creamy and crunchy texture. It’s perfect for a summer barbecue, as part of a simple meal at home, or to add to a bento box!
Table of contents
- What is Japanese Potato Salad?
- Difference Between Western Potato Salad and Japanese Potato Salad
- Ingredients Required for Making Japanese Potato Salad
- Step by Step Instructions For Making Japanese Potato Salad
- Serving Suggestions for Japanese Potato Salad
- Variations and Customizations of Japanese Potato Salad Recipe
What is Japanese Potato Salad?
Japanese potato salad is a dish made with potatoes, mayonnaise, and a variety of other ingredients. It is a popular side dish in Japan and is often served with meals or as a part of bento boxes. The potatoes are usually mashed or roughly chopped, depending on the desired texture. Other ingredients that are typically added include cucumbers, carrots, onions, and ham. It’s all then mixed together with Japanese mayonnaise to create a creamy and filling salad. Some other ingredients that are often included are hard-boiled eggs and corn. I personally also chose to add some chopped up apple for crunch and a bit of sweetness.
Difference Between Western Potato Salad and Japanese Potato Salad
What sets Japanese potato salad apart is its texture and flavor. You can have variety of textures in one salad: a typical potato “hoku hoku” texture, a crunchiness from ingredients like apple and carrot, and a creaminess from Japanese kewpie mayonnaise.
The biggest difference in texture comes from the type of potatoes used. Many potato salad recipes say that waxy potatoes such as yukon gold potatoes are most suitable for potato salad because they have a high water content and will therefore hold their shape when the cooked potato is tossed with other ingredients. However, Japanese potato salads are half mashed so the potato should be a starchy or all-rounder variety such as russet potatoes. That way, when the potato is mixed with Japanese mayonnaise, the mashed part of the cooked potato creates a creamy texture but there is still some “hoku hoku” potato texture (this is explained in the potato croquette post).
Another main difference is that Japanese potato salad uses Kewpie mayonnaise. Kewpie mayonnaise is a popular brand in Japan that has a slightly sweeter and tangier flavor. It’s also made from only egg yolks compared to traditional mayonnaise which is made from whole eggs. This gives Japanese potato salad a unique flavor that differs from other potato salads.
Ingredients Required for Making Japanese Potato Salad
To make the perfect Japanese potato salad, you will need the following ingredients:
- Potatoes: Choose starchy potatoes such as russet potatoes for a creamy yet “hoku hoku” texture.
- Cucumbers: Use Japanese cucumbers if available, as they have a crisp texture and mild flavor. If you can’t get Japanese cucumbers, use Lebanese, English, or Persian cucumbers.
- Carrots
- Onions: Use yellow or white onions for a milder flavor.
- Ham: this is optional.
- Apples: I used apples for a bit of sweetness and extra crunch. This is optional.
- Mayonnaise: Use Kewpie mayo for the authentic Japanese potato salad flavour that’s slightly sweeter and tangier. If you can not access this mayo, you can make your own following my recipe.
- Salt and pepper: Season the salad to taste with salt and black pepper.
These ingredients can be adjusted according to your personal preference and taste. Feel free to add other ingredients such as corn or hard-boiled eggs for additional flavor and texture.
Step by Step Instructions For Making Japanese Potato Salad
Making Japanese potato salad is easy and can be done in a few simple steps:
- Cook the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks. Boil for 10 minutes. Check if the potatoes are cooked by inserting a skewer. If it goes through, the potato is cooked.
- Prepare the vegetables and other ingredients to combine: While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the vegetables, apple, and ham. Cut the onion and carrot into bite-size pieces. Put the onion and carrots in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes on 500w and set aside. Cut the ham and apple into small pieces and slice the cucumber thinly. Combine mayonnaise and milk.
- Mash the potatoes: Drain the water from the potatoes, put them back in the pot/saucepan and shake them around to rough up the outsides a little. Mash the potatoes a little, but ensure you leave some potatoes still in shape.
- Combine the ingredients: place the mashed potato, onion, carrot, apple, cucumber, and ham in a large bowl to combine. Add the mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Serve: You can serve straight away or chilled. If you are going to make ahead and leave the potato salad to chill, place the salad in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator till serving. It will keep in the fridge for a few days.
Tips to Make Delicious Japanese Potato Salad
Here are some tips to make a delicious Japanese potato salad :
- Choose the right potatoes: Use starchy potatoes like russet potatoes for the best texture. To achieve that “hoku hoku” texture, it is usually suggested that you boil the whole potato with skin intact but this way the potatoes take a lot longer to cook. I usually peel and cut them into smaller sizes so they are cooked in a much shorter time. Make sure to shake the cooked potatoes in the pot after draining out the water to remove any excess liquid and help the excess moisture in the potatoes to evaporate.
- Add texture with other ingredients: Aside from the usual cucumber, carrot, and onion, other ingredient suggestions to add crunch and more texture to the salad include apples, chopped boiled egg, raisins, and green peas.
- Use Kewpie mayonnaise: Kewpie mayonnaise is a popular Japanese brand known for its rich, creamy taste. It adds a unique flavor to Japanese potato salad that sets it apart from traditional American versions.
Serving Suggestions for Japanese Potato Salad
Japanese potato salad can be served in a variety of ways and pairs well with many dishes. Here are a few serving and pairing suggestions:
- Serve it as a side dish with grilled or roasted meats such as teriyaki chicken, pork, or negimaki beef.
- Include it in a bento box for a complete and balanced meal. Pair it with rice, protein such as karaage fried chicken or miso glazed salmon, and some pickled vegetables.
- Use it as a filling for sandwiches or wraps. Spread the salad on bread or tortillas and add your favorite toppings such as lettuce, tomato, and bacon.
- Enjoy it as a light meal on its own. Serve the salad with a side of miso soup and some steamed rice for a satisfying and comforting meal.
Variations and Customizations of Japanese Potato Salad Recipe
While the classic Japanese potato salad is delicious on its own, you can add your own personal touches and variations to enhance the dish. Here are a few ideas:
- Add diced ham or hard-boiled eggs for added protein and flavor.
- Mix in some corn kernels or peas for a pop of color and sweetness.
- Sprinkle some chopped green onions or parsley on top for added freshness.
- Experiment with different seasonings such as miso, rice vinegar, or mustard to give the salad a unique twist.
Related Recipes
Korokke Recipe (Japanese Potato Croquettes)
Japanese Kabocha Squash Salad
Nikujaga (Japanese Beef and Potatoes)
If you liked my recipe for Japanese potato salad, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I see your wonderful creations!
Japanese Potato Salad ポテトサラダ
Video
Ingredients
- 500 g Potato
- 50 g Onion
- 25 g Carrots
- 50 g Ham
- ¼ Small apple
- 25 g Cucumber
- 3 tbs Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 tbs milk
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks. Boil for 10 minutes. Check if the potatoes are cooked by inserting a skewer. If it goes through, the potato is cooked.
- While the potatoes are being cooked, chop the onion and carrot into small pieces then put them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes on 500w and set aside.*1
- Cut the ham and apple into small pieces. Slice the cucumber thinly.
- Combine the 3 tablespoons mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon milk. Set it aside.
- Turn the heat off and drain the water from the potatoes, put them back in the pot and shake them around to rough up the outsides a little.
- Mash the potatoes a little, but ensure you leave some potato chunks still in shape. *2
- Place the mashed potato, onion, carrot, apple, cucumber, and ham into a bowl and add the mayonnaise mixture and mix to combine. *3
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste then serve.
This came out quite well, but I want to point out an error in your text. Keeping mayonnaise imported from Japan indeed contains msg, that’s part of the reason why it’s so good. The domestic American version uses yeast extract to fake it.
Most of the anti MSG sentiment stems from a backlash against Asian restaurants in the 70s and ’80s. MSG is widely used elsewhere in the world that is pretty much a naturally found glutamate that is not harmful, in fact it is the umami flavor that you taste in many foods, that elusive fifth taste. Any study that showed a symptom such as headache was done back in the day and usually involved injecting a far greater amount of MSG that you would ever get from eating it. The health benefit from using MSG is that you can drastically reduce the amount of salt in a recipe.
Poor misunderstood MSG. Don’t be scared of it it’s delicious.
Agreeing with Tim! What we were told in the US about MSG was very misleading — I had some while in China and it blew me away with a flavor I’ve never had before. I really think the bad rep sadly came from anti-Asian mentality as Tim noted.
Thank you for being so deep in when to mash and add the mayo, plus the other background info, it was extremely helpful! I’ve been searching for a good version of this recipe after tasting a similar dish at my favorite Minneapolis restaurant, Obento-ya. The spot went out of business a couple years ago, but they used apples, green onion, and hard boiled eggs in their version. It was delightful!
Do you know how long this lasts in the fridge or if you can freeze it and have it keep good texture when thawed? I want to make it for my daughter’s lunch but she won’t go to school for a few days. Lovely site and thank you!
Hi Madeleine, I don’t think potato is suitable for freezing. It will last in the fridge for a couple days.
Hello, I’m reading your blog all day and I found many delicious receipes to try but this one attracted my attention because in my country, Poland, we have very similar salad and I think it’s pretty amazing since both countries lays at opposite side of the world. 🙂 In Poland every family have their own receipe. But there’s always potatoes and mayo. Carrot too but also parsley and celery, boiled. And eggs. Some people add picled cocumber, some cocumber in brine. Some like apples too. I think Germans eat it too.
Anyway, I’m going to try your salad this week. Looks so yummy! Greetings
Hello,
Sorry how could I cook without microwave?
Yoroshiku
Hi Karina, you can just parboil the onion and carrot together:D