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This Instant Pot German potato salad features a bacon dijon vinaigrette. It’s a delicious, healthy side dish that can be served warm or cold.
In honor of our recent trip to Germany, I’m sharing one of my family’s favorite German recipes. This Instant Pot German potato salad reminds me of the side dish we saw on just about every menu in traditional Bavarian restaurants during our travels. And I ordered it every single time.
While I love American potato salad too, there’s something special about the flavor of this German version. The sauce features bacon fat, vinegar, and mustard, and the chopped bacon gives the salad an irresistible flavor.
The secret to perfect potatoes for potato salad is the Instant Pot. After just 4 minutes cooked at high pressure, the chopped potatoes are all uniformly tender but not mushy. I can never achieve this consistency when I boil potatoes on the stove.
This potato salad is a little different from the versions we found in restaurants in Germany. Most of those used thinly sliced potatoes, and they tended to be a bit pureed and mushier. While the flavor of the traditional Kartoffelsalat was delicious, I prefer the texture of cubed potatoes.
Typical German potato salad at a restaurant in Germany
I like to serve my Instant Pot German potato salad warm, but it also tastes great out of the fridge. It can be stored for several days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. For a hearty German meal, serve it with sausage and sauerkraut.
Watch this short video to see the easy process behind this delicious side dish:
Instant Pot German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds red skin potatoes chopped
- 6 strips of bacon chopped
- 2 tbs diced shallot or red onion
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbs pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute (medium), and add the chopped bacon to the pot. Cook it on the Saute setting until brown, stirring constantly. Once the bacon is cooked, remove it from the pot, but leave the grease in the pot. Set the bacon aside.
- Add the shallots to the pot and cook on Saute for a minute, until softened. Transfer the cooked shallot and bacon grease into a medium bowl. Scrape with a silicone spatula to remove as much as possible from the pot. Add the vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the shallot. Stir to combine.
- To cook the potatoes, pour a cup of water into the Instant Pot and add a steamer basket to the pot. Place the chopped potatoes in the steamer basket. Seal the pot and set it to 4 minutes on manual high pressure. Once it’s done cooking, do a quick release and carefully remove the steamer basket full of potatoes from the pot using a pot holder.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Pour the shallot/vinegar sauce over the warm potatoes. Stir to coat evenly, then add the cooked bacon and stir.
- Serve warm, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Estimate
Instant Pot German Potato Salad Price Breakdown
This recipe costs $4.93 to make, or $.31 per serving. Try this Instant Pot German potato salad for an authentic taste of Bavarian cuisine.
Rachel says
Can this recipe be doubled in a 6 qt Instant Pot… I need to make 10 lbs worth of potatoes for an event and I hope I don’t have to do it in 5 batches.
Annemarie says
I haven’t doubled this recipe, but you should be able to cook more potatoes in each batch. As a rule of thumb, I don’t fill my pot more than half way. Also, you’ll need to consider the size of your steamer basket, and how many potatoes it can hold. Let me know how it turns out if you do try doubling it.
Ellen says
This is a really good recipe. I made it and the only thing I did different was to throw the vinegar into the pot as the onions finished and used it to scrape all the good stuff off the bottom of the pot!
Annemarie says
Great idea, Ellen! Thanks for sharing.
traci says
I love to cook potatoes in the Instant Pot. It’s simply the best, with perfect results. I love German potato salad too! What a great idea to bring the two together 🙂
Jessie says
I LOVE German potato salad and have always needed a good recipe! Thank you!
Gabi says
Each region in Germany seems to have its own potato salad speciality. I’m sure that my hubby would be thrilled by your bacon flavored Bavarian potato salad.
Kristine says
Oh my goodness! This potato salad looks delicious. I hadn’t thought about using the IP for potato salad, what a genius idea! Making this, thanks!
Claudia Lamascolo says
we are big fans of german style potato salad and this one looks fabulous, I love all the flavors and now I must have this pot to make it looks and taste this great!
Gloria says
I am a potato lover. Potato salad in the summer is a must. You can never have too many to put through the recipe rotation. This sounds delicious.
Dana says
I love super simple recipes using my Instant Pot. It’s perfect for crazy busy evenings.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
I must be going through a potato salad phase because I’m kind of obsessed with them right now. I just made a French potato salad — and now I’m gonna HAVE to make this German one. YUM!