Roots and Radishes

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Spring Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe
  • Eat More Plants (Free Guide!)
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Spring Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe
  • Eat More Plants (Free Guide!)
×
Home » Recipes » Healthy Sides

Easy Pesto Potato Salad

Modified: Mar 23, 2024 · Published: Jun 14, 2022 by Tera Gigot · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 1 review

Welcome to the easiest pesto potato salad ever! Crispy roasted potatoes and onions come together with plenty of your favorite pesto, plus a few fresh herbs for good measure. Serve it as a side dish to your favorite main, whether it's barbecue season or for any time.

Pesto potato salad in white ceramic bowl with white linen on side, parsley sprinkled around, on beige and white surface this recipe

This simple pesto potato salad is nothing short of delicious, and it's ready for all your upcoming spring and summer barbecues! Whether you eat it warm, room temp, or cold, this potato salad is sure to become a new side dish favorite.

If you have extra pesto on hand after making it, I highly recommend trying this family favorite pesto pasta salad with chicken!

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Instructions
  • Pesto Potato Salad FAQs
  • 📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Small brown potatoes, fresh parsley, chives, olive oil, pesto, red onion, and salt and pepper sit on a light beige and cream surface. These are ingredients for pesto potato salad.
  • Potatoes - Potatoes are nutrient-packed, with protein and fiber to fill you up. I used the potatoes we got in our first CSA share of the season (yay!), which were a smaller, brown potato with a texture similar to red potatoes. Red potatoes, Yukon golds, fingerling, or any small potato variety will work well.
  • Red onion - Once roasted, red onion will add sweetness to the potato salad.
  • Pesto - Use your favorite store bought pesto, or make your own! I used my homemade vegan parsley walnut pesto recipe, and I subbed in a little bit of basil and fresh chives to use up some herbs.
  • Extra virgin olive oil - For roasting the potatoes and onions.
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Fresh parsley and chives

Substitutions & Variations

Try the following substitutions and variations to make this recipe work for you!

  • Vegan - To make this pesto potato salad vegan, make sure you use a vegan pesto. My parsley pesto recipe is vegan if you want to make your own, otherwise you can use your favorite store bought brand!
  • Reheat - While this recipe is intended to be a potato salad... we kinda-sorta love to crisp it up in our air fryer as leftovers! It's less potato salad-y and a lot more like pesto roasted potatoes, but gosh is it good.
  • Breakfast wrap filling - If you reheat the potato salad on the stove, in the oven, or in an air fryer, those crisped potatoes are delicious in a breakfast wrap with eggs.
  • Plant-based protein - Add some drained chickpeas (toss in olive oil and salt) to the roasting pan for the last few minutes of roasting the potatoes and eggs. They will cook slightly (but not overly so). Toss the lightly toasted chickpeas in with the potato salad for a plant-based protein boost!
  • Hard-boiled eggs - Roughly chop 3-4 hard-boiled eggs and toss in them with the potato salad for extra richness and protein. I'm completed obsessed with using my Ninja Foodi to make hard-boiled eggs.
  • Bacon - Crisp up some bacon to your liking and crumble into the potato salad.

Instructions

Potatoes and red onions diced large and coated in olive oil, salt, and pepper, on baking sheet

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss large-diced potatoes and red onion in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet.

Roasted potatoes and red onions on baking sheet with wooden spoon scooping some potatoes

Step 2: Roast the potatoes and onions for 30 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes to crisp up the potatoes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Pesto potato salad ingredients in white ceramic bowl

Step 3: Transfer the potatoes and onions to a large bowl, and add pesto, parsley, and chives.

Pesto potato salad in white ceramic bowl with white linen on side, parsley sprinkled around, on beige and white surface

Step 4: Toss to coat evenly, then taste and add more pesto, herbs, and/or salt as needed.

Hint: Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to keep potatoes from sticking! Even with a good coating of olive oil, my potatoes stuck in some spots on my sheet pan (it's getting worn out). An extra nonstick layer always helps!

Pesto potato salad scoop on large copper spoon on small white plate, on beige and white surface

Pesto Potato Salad FAQs

Can pesto potato salad be made vegan?

Yes! I use a homemade vegan pesto (so easy to make at home), and you could also use a store bought vegan pesto if desired. All the rest of the ingredients are from plants.

How do I serve pesto potato salad?

I love this pesto potato salad most at room temp, but honestly it's delicious warm or cold too. It's easily served as a side dish (double or triple the recipe for more people), but we've also eaten the leftovers in wraps or with eggs.

How do I store this potato salad?

You can store this pesto potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I don't recommend freezing it due to the way the texture changes.

Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!

Print

📖 Recipe

clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Pesto potato salad scoop on large copper spoon on small white plate, on beige and white surface

Easy Pesto Potato Salad


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Tera
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: ~5 cups
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

An easy pesto potato salad with roasted potatoes and red onions tossed in your favorite pesto, with fresh parsley and chives. Serve warm or room temp as a side dish for summer barbecues or any time of year!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 pound small potatoes, diced large
  • 1 small red onion, diced large
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅓ cup pesto
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped


Instructions

  1. Preheat & prep. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If desired, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Prep potatoes & onions. Toss potatoes, red onions, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Spread mixture in an even layer across the prepared baking sheet.
  3. Roast potatoes & onions. Roast the potatoes and onions at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are slightly browned and easily pierced with a fork. Set your oven to broil for 2 more minutes to help those potatoes crisp up, then remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the pan.
  4. Combine. Add roasted potatoes, pesto, and chopped parsley and chives to a large bowl. Toss to coat everything in pesto. Taste, and add more pesto, salt, and/or pepper if desired. Serve at room temp or slightly warm.

Notes

1. Storage Instructions: Store leftover pesto potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. After that, you can either enjoy it cold, allow it to come to room temperature, or reheat it in an air fryer, oven, or stovetop (in this case, it's less like potato salad and more like roasted potatoes... still SO good).

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: Sides
  • Method: Roast
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 188
  • Sugar: 2 g
  • Sodium: 413.2 mg
  • Fat: 12.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 17.1 g
  • Fiber: 2.9 g
  • Protein: 2.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Did you make this recipe?

If you loved this recipe, make sure to let me know and give it a star rating (below)! Star ratings help Roots and Radishes recipes reach more people, which helps support the continued production of our content. Also, we'd LOVE to see what you make! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @rootsnradishes  🙂

More Healthy Side Dishes

  • Italian Brussels sprouts chopped salad in large white serving bowl.
    Back-for-Seconds Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad (Vegetarian!)
  • Moroccan-spiced roasted carrots with tahini sauce drizzled over the top.
    Incredible Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
  • Greens salad with beets and carrots in large white serving bowl with serving spoons.
    Simple Citrusy Greens Salad with Beets and Carrots
  • Honey roasted parsnips with a sprinkle of finely chopped cilantro.
    Easy + Savory-Sweet Honey Roasted Parsnips

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Celso says

    June 27, 2022 at 8:49 am

    Delicious! Thank you.

    Reply
    • Tera says

      June 27, 2022 at 8:32 pm

      Glad you liked it Celso!

      Reply
Tera Gigot, the author, photographer, and recipe developer of Roots and Radishes.

Hey, I'm Tera! And I'm so glad to meet you. I've been using seasonal produce to create recipes in my Wisconsin kitchen for 12 years. Here you'll find nourishing whole foods recipes that are approachable and delicious.

More about me →

FREE 5 Day Guide: Eat More Plants! Get the guide →

Memorial Day Recipes

  • Pesto pasta salad with chicken on a white plate.
    Simple Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken

  • Pesto potato salad scooped into large copper spoon resting on small white ceramic plate, next to bowl of potato salad and small white bowl of pesto
    Easy Pesto Potato Salad

  • Healthy scotcheroos topped with flaky sea salt and cut into squares on blue and white background
    No Corn Syrup Scotcheroos (With Date Syrup Instead!)

  • Shrimp mango and avocado salad in copper serving spoon on white and light blue background
    Zesty Shrimp Salad with Avocado and Mango

  • Favorite healthy coleslaw in clear glass bowl with wooden spoon, on light gray surface
    Bright, Crunchy Vinegar Slaw (Meal Prep Friendly!)

  • Strawberry avocado basil salsa in white bowl.
    Strawberry Avocado Basil Salsa

Recipes to Make In May

  • Healthy strawberry crisp in cream-colored pie dish with copper serving spoon and two small white bowls with more crisp, with almonds and fresh strawberries on the side
    Wholesome Strawberry Crisp (SO Jammy!)

  • Pickled strawberries in a jar with black peppercorns.
    Quick Pickled Strawberries (Naturally Sweetened!)

  • Jammy egg on avocado toast with matcha tea.
    Seriously Delicious Jammy Eggs on Avocado Toast

  • Lemon dill hummus in beige serving dish with olive oil drizzled on top, with golden spoon
    Easy Lemon Dill Hummus

  • Marinated white beans in beige stoneware serving dish with golden spoon on beige and white surface, next to golden-yellow matte linen
    Easy Marinated White Beans

  • Stack of whole wheat Greek yogurt pancakes with strawberry compote on top, on white plate with fork.
    Greek Yogurt Pancakes with Strawberry Compote

Footer

↑ back to top

Info

  • About
  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for recipes and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Roots and Radishes on the Foodie Pro Theme

Pesto potato salad scoop on large copper spoon on small white plate, on beige and white surface