If you love Caesar salad, you’ll be all over this potato salad twist. Think crispy bacon, creamy Caesar dressing, golden parmesan shards and crunchy scallions – all tossed with tender, buttery potatoes. It’s ready in 30 minutes, easy to prep ahead and perfect for BBQs, picnics or summer entertaining.
Caesar salad, but with a clever twist. This is your new go-to summer side: think all the best parts of a classic Caesar (crispy bacon, sharp parmesan, that gorgeous dressing) tossed with tender potatoes instead of soggy lettuce. It’s bold, it’s seriously moreish and it only gets better as it sits.
Perfect for meal prep, potlucks, BBQs or picnics – this is a make-ahead hero that holds up beautifully for days.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – it takes just 20 minutes to make.
- Made for entertaining – easy to prep ahead and serve cold.
- PACKED with flavor – think crispy bacon, parmesan, scallions and an incredible Caesar dressing you’ll want to drizzle on everything.
Ingredients
- Potatoes. Go for small waxy potatoes, not starchy ones – this helps them hold their shape after cooking. You want them tender and creamy inside, not crumbly. Look for baby Yukon Golds, red potatoes, fingerling potatoes or new potatoes. Avoid russets as they’ll fall apart.
- Scallions (spring onions). Swap these for flat-leaf parsley, chives or very finely diced red onion if you prefer.
- Caesar dressing. I love to make my own Caesar dressing here, but you can of course use a store-bought dressing to keep things easier if you like. If you do make the dressing (I highly recommend it!), you’ll need garlic aioli (or mayo), garlic, white miso paste, parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard (or whole grain), fish sauce and black pepper. A traditional Caesar dressing uses Worcestershire sauce and anchovies, but here I’m swapping in fish sauce and miso paste, which gives a similar flavour.
How to make it
Cook your potatoes in lots of salty water over medium heat, and cook your bacon until super crispy. Mix your Caesar dressing, and make your crispy parmesan shards.
Add the cooked potatoes, crispy parmesan, crispy bacon, sliced scallions and 1/2 cup of the dressing into a large mixing bowl. Give everything a very good mix, making sure the dressing coats all the potatoes. Pile onto a serving plate and serve with more dressing on the side.
Four things to serve the potato salad with
Got a question?
Waxy potatoes are best to use when you’re making potato salad. They hold up well to being cooked for a longer period of time in water (starchy, fluffy potatoes will start to fall apart quickly). They also have a gorgeous, creamy texture that’s lovely when cold. New potatoes, Jersey Royals, and red or fingerling potatoes are good ones to go for.
Yes! Potato salad gets even better over time as the flavor in the dressing has time to absorb into the potatoes, and the flavors all get to know each other. This salad will keep well for 5 days, stored in the fridge in a covered container.
This depends on whether you’re keeping your potatoes whole or you’re chopping them into chunks. I’m keeping them whole in this recipe (and chopping any really big ones in half), so it will take 15 minutes for them to boil when whole. If your potatoes are larger, it can take 20 minutes, but just keep checking them. Once you can pierce them easily with a fork, they’re ready.
Technically, yes, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The texture of the salad will be quite different after freezing – it will be very mushy. If you heat it up after freezing, it will be a lot more enjoyable than serving it cold, but I’d personally stay away from freezing potato salad.
As potatoes sit, the water content will continue to release from them, seeping into your salad. To combat this, if you’re making the salad ahead of time, make sure your cooked potatoes are dry and cool before mixing them with the dressing. If they’re hot, as they dry and the steam evaporates, it will turn into water and will make your dressing runny.
Like this recipe? Here are more potato ideas you might enjoy
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
Print
Creamy Caesar Potato Salad with Bacon
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
If you love Caesar salad, you’ll be all over this potato salad twist. Think crispy bacon, creamy Caesar dressing, golden parmesan shards and crunchy scallions – all tossed with tender, buttery potatoes. It’s ready in 30 minutes, easy to prep ahead and perfect for BBQs, picnics or summer entertaining.
Ingredients
For the salad –
- 2.2 lb (1kg) baby potatoes (Yukon Gold, red, fingerlings or new potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons salt (for cooking the potatoes)
- 6 slices of bacon, finely chopped
- 3 scallions (spring onions), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
For the creamy Caesar dressing –
- 1 cup aioli (or mayonnaise)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes. If using larger baby potatoes, cut them in half or thirds so all the pieces are roughly the same size. Place them in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender but still hold their shape. Drain well in a colander, then return to the empty pot to cool slightly.
- Mix the Caesar dressing. To a bowl, add 1 cup of aioli, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of miso paste, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Use a fork to mix until smooth and well combined, breaking up the miso as you go. Set aside.
- Make the crispy parmesan shards. Preheat oven to 360°F (180°C) fan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon small piles of the remaining ½ cup parmesan onto the sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Cook the bacon. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chopped bacon until very crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Assemble and serve. In a large bowl, gently toss the cooled potatoes with the crispy bacon, crispy parmesan shards, scallions and ½ cup of the creamy dressing. Mix well so every potato is coated. Add more dressing at this point if you like, or serve the remaining dressing on the side. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with extra scallions if you like, and enjoy!
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: For best results, use waxy potatoes like red, fingerling, or Jersey Royals. Avoid starchy roasting potatoes like Russets, Maris Piper, or Agria, which can fall apart. Yukon Golds work too, but keep a close eye while boiling to avoid overcooking. If you’re short on time, feel free to skip making the Caesar dressing and use a good-quality store-bought version, though I highly recommend trying the homemade dressing for the best flavor!
MAKE AHEAD: This potato salad is a fantastic make-ahead dish and it actually tastes better after the flavors have had time to mingle. Store it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just be sure the potatoes are fully cooled before tossing with the dressing; warm potatoes release moisture as they cool, which can make the salad watery.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This salad is perfect for potlucks or summer barbecues and works wonderfully with roasted or grilled meat. Try it with miso grilled chicken, sticky gochujang chicken, lamb koftas, slow-roasted crispy pork belly or maple miso glazed salmon. You can also serve it as part of a salad spread alongside green goddess salad, broccoli crunch salad, grilled peach, tomato and burrata salad, smacked cucumber salad, peach and halloumi salad and sesame soba noodle salad. Or, enjoy it by itself!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: salads
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
- Calories: 330
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 730mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
0 Comments