Skinnymixer’s Japanese Potato Salad features in the Sides section of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.

If you’ve never tried Japanese Potato Salad, don’t expect your standard potato and mayo situation.

Japanese Potato Salad is creamy and comforting, but it’s also packed with texture. The potatoes are partially mashed rather than left completely chunky, then combined with crisp salted cucumber and carrot, egg, sweet corn, spring onion and creamy Japanese mayonnaise.

There’s a little rice wine vinegar and white pepper in there too, helping balance all that creaminess.

And if you can make it ahead, do. We think it’s even better the next day.

What is Japanese Potato Salad?

Japanese Potato Salad, or potesara, is Japan’s take on potato salad.

One of the biggest differences is the texture of the potato. Rather than keeping all the potatoes in firm chunks, they’re roughly mashed while still leaving some pieces intact.

The salad often includes other ingredients for colour, crunch and flavour. Our version combines potato with cucumber, carrot, egg, sweet corn, spring onion and optional ham.

Then it’s all brought together with creamy Japanese-style mayonnaise.

What ingredients you will need

The complete recipe, quantities and methods are in SkinnyAsia 2, but the main ingredients include:

Potato
Eggs
Cucumber
Carrot
Sweet corn – small tin
Spring onion
Japanese mayonnaise, such as Kewpie, or our Creamy Japanese Mayo
Rice wine vinegar
Optional ham
White pepper

Why Partially Mash the Potatoes?

Texture is one of the things that makes Japanese Potato Salad different.

We roughly mash the cooked potatoes while leaving some chunks intact, giving you a mixture of fluffy, creamy potato and larger pieces in every spoonful.

The mashed potato also combines beautifully with the mayonnaise and seasonings, helping create that characteristic creamy consistency.

Why Salt the Cucumber and Carrot?

The thinly sliced cucumber and carrot are tossed with salt and left to soften before the excess liquid is squeezed out.

This helps remove some of their moisture before they’re added to the salad.

The result is crisp vegetables without excess water diluting your creamy potato salad.

If you have a compatible Thermo cutter, you can also use the thin slice setting to prepare them.

Make Your Own Japanese Mayo

You can use store-bought Japanese mayonnaise such as Kewpie, or make the Creamy Japanese Mayo from SkinnyAsia 2.

Its rich, creamy flavour works particularly well with the fluffy potato, egg and crisp vegetables.

Is Japanese Potato Salad Better the Next Day?

We think so!

Once everything is combined, refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to give the flavours some time to come together.

But if you’re organised enough to make it the day before, it’s even better after sitting overnight in the fridge.

That makes this a great make-ahead side dish for entertaining, BBQs or dinner the following night.

Dietary & Recipe Variations

EGG FREE
Use compliant mayonnaise, omit the eggs and add finely diced firm tofu or edamame for extra texture and protein.

LOW CARB / PALEO
Replace the potato with small cauliflower florets, use compliant sweetener and make the suggested vegetable swaps. For Paleo, sweet potato is another option and apple cider vinegar replaces the rice wine vinegar.

SUPER SKINNY
Replace half the mayonnaise with Greek yoghurt and half the potato with cauliflower. You can also replace the ham with shredded cooked chicken breast.

VEGETARIAN
Replace the optional ham with edamame.

LOW FODMAP
Use canned corn, only the green part of the spring onion and compliant mayonnaise.

HALVED / DOUBLED
The recipe can be halved or doubled, with specific Thermo cooker adjustments included in SkinnyAsia 2.

What to Serve with Japanese Potato Salad

This creamy salad is particularly good alongside crispy, sticky or grilled proteins.

In SkinnyAsia 2, we recommend serving it with:

Karaage Chicken
Japanese Yakiniku Pork Belly
Your favourite grilled chicken, pork or other protein

Or add it to a table of Japanese-inspired dishes and let everyone help themselves.

Get the Recipe

The complete Japanese Potato Salad recipe, including Thermo cooker and conventional methods, preparation tips, serving suggestions and dietary variations, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.

From the Testing Team

Susan R. – I think I have a new favourite potato salad. Love the different textures. Creamy and crunchy plus the zing from the white pepper. Easy and delicious.
Leia S. – Oh my goodness! Such a beautiful potato salad. All 5 of us enjoyed it zero complaints. I love the crunch & the tang so creamy. It’s absolutely up there with the German potato salad in my opinion.
Angie G. – Love the taste and texture of this potato salad !! Its creamy, crunchy & yummy The potatoes were at perfect texture, some mashed & come crunchy. I served the salad with crumbed pork cutlet drizzled with Tonkatsu sauce yumm
Amanda E. – Oh my gawwwdddd!!! This is amazing!! I’ve just made it for dinner tonight and honestly want to eat it all now!! When I was mixing it all together, I was thinking it’d need more kewpie… but nope!! PERFECT!! Lil dude taste tested for me and actually proclaimed “I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!” And kept repeating “it’s really good mum!!!” Middle Miss just came out for a taste and just had a massive grin on her face! WINNER!!!! New fave potato salad

Some other Japanese Thermomix recipes you might love:

Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?

All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.

We cover a wide range of dietary variations in the cookbook – LC: Low Carb, GF: Gluten-free, DF: Dairy-free, LM: Low Fodmap, SS: Super Skinny, V: Vegetarian

FAQs

What makes Japanese Potato Salad different from regular potato salad?

The potatoes are partially mashed rather than simply cut into chunks, giving Japanese Potato Salad its creamy, fluffy texture. Our version also includes cucumber, carrot, sweet corn, egg and Japanese mayo, so there’s plenty of texture in every bite.

Can I make Japanese Potato Salad ahead of time?

Yes, and we recommend it. Let the finished salad chill for at least 30 minutes before serving, but it’s even better made the day before and refrigerated overnight, giving the flavours more time to develop.

SkinnyAsia2: Japanese Potato Salad