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    Home » Recipes

    Korean Potato Salad

    Published 07/13/2022. Updated 07/13/2022

    Jump to Recipe

    This soft, creamy, and crunchy Korean potato salad is easy to make with a few easily found ingredients. Serve chilled or at room temperature.  

    DSC6667 2 - Korean Potato Salad

    This creamy, mayonnaise-based potato salad (gamja salad, 감자 샐러드) is the potato salad I grew up on! You’ve probably had a similar type of potato salad from an array of side dishes at Korean restaurants. This recipe is my mom’s potato salad with my little tweaks.

    While there are many variations of potato salad, the classic version, also referred to as yetnal (옛날, old-style) gamja salad, is made with mashed boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, crunchy vegetables such as cucumber and carrot, and sometimes fresh and/or dried fruits such as apple and raisins.

    The consistency of the potato is soft and smooth, and the salad gets nice textural contrasts from the other vegetables. My mom’s potato salad wasn’t overloaded with lots of other ingredients. She would use a small amount of each ingredient and cut everything small and thin to go well with the soft mashed potatoes.

    This type of potato salad is usually served as a side dish. Placed on a soft roll or between slices of bread, it’s also enjoyed as a sandwich. I love having the leftovers as a breakfast sandwich. When I make potato salad solely for sandwiches, however, I add a lot more crunchy vegetables, including sliced green cabbage and onions. It’s a slightly different recipe, which I hope to share soon.

    DSC6517 4 e1657745098180 - Korean Potato Salad

    Korean potato salad is very easy to make, and this recipe is highly flexible. Feel free to use more or less of the ingredients than what’s in the recipe or add additional ingredients. Simply adjust the amounts of the seasoning ingredients to taste.

    Korean potato salad ingredients

    • Potatoes: Russet (aka baking) potatoes are great for this type of potato salad. The starchy potatoes give a nicely soft texture. I also like Yukon gold potatoes which have a buttery flavor and creamy texture.
    • Hard-boiled eggs: The eggs are classic for this salad but you can omit it if preferred.
    • Cucumber: This adds a nice crunch, color and fresh taste to the salad.
    • Carrot: This also adds a nice crunch, color and fresh taste to the salad.
    • Mayonnaise: Use your favorite mayonnaise. The sweetness and acidity of the mayonnaise widely vary depending on the brand. This is fine because you can adjust it to your taste by adding sugar and/or vinegar/lemon juice.
    • Optional filling ingredients: Other common ingredients include apple (thin, small slices), raisins (or dry cranberries), and onion (finely chopped). Some people also use ham (finely chopped), corn, etc.
    • Optional flavoring ingredients: Although not classic for this type of Korean potato salad, you can use sour cream or plain yogurt to swap out some of the mayonnaise if you like. A little bit of mustard or dijon mustard will be good too.

    DSC6544 - Korean Potato Salad

    How to make Korean potato salad

    Peel and cut the potatoes into about 1.5-inch pieces. Try to cut them into the same size for even cooking. Drain and mash them until smooth. I like to leave some chunks for a mix of texture.

    DSC6700 3 - Korean Potato Salad

    Place the egg(s) in a small sauce pot with cold water covering the egg(s). Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat off, cover, and let the eggs cook in hot water for 12 – 13 minutes. Once cooked, remove the eggs and place them in cold water to cool for about 10 minutes before peeling. Gently tap the egg on the countertop to crack all sides. Try to get underneath the film/membrane and start peeling. It’s easier if you peel them in water or under running water.

    Cut the cucumber and carrot in half lengthwise and thinly slice. Lightly sprinkle the cucumber with salt and set aside for a few minutes to remove moisture. No salt is necessary as the carrot doesn’t contain as much moisture as the cucumber.

    Roughly chop the egg(s), leaving the yolk if using it for optional garnish.

    DSC6574 3 - Korean Potato Salad

    Combine everything, except the egg, and mix with the seasoning ingredients. Taste and add more mayonnaise, salt, and/or sugar to taste. I add the egg at the end not to break up too much. 

    You can serve this potato salad at room temperature or chilled. It can keep well in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.

    DSC6678 - Korean Potato Salad

    For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow  along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

    DSC6517 4 e1657745098180 500x500 - Korean Potato Salad

    Korean Potato Salad

    5 from 10 votes
    Side Dish
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 pound potatoes Russet or Yukon gold
    • 1 boiled egg (or 2 eggs)
    • 2 ounces cucumber
    • 2 ounces carrot
    • 6 tablespoons mayonnaise - use your favorite start with 5 TB and use more to taste (see note)
    • salt and pepper to taste start with 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon sugar - optional
    • 1 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1 tablespoon vinegar - rice, white, apple cider, etc.

    Other optional ingredients (see note)

    • 1 tablespoon raisins or dried cranberries
    • 1/4 small apple (sweet variety), cut into thin, small slices
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

    Instructions

    • Peel and cut the potatoes into similar size chunks (1 to 1.5-inch pieces).
      DSC6552 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Place the potatoes in a medium size pot, and cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and continue to boil the potatoes until easily pierced with a fork or a chopstick.
      DSC6559 1 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Drain and mash the potatoes in a mixing bowl with a fork until smooth. Leave some small chunks if you like. Set it aside.
      DSC6571 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Place the egg(s) in a small sauce pot with cold water covering the egg(s). Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat off, cover, and let the eggs cook in hot water for 12 - 13 minutes. Remove the eggs and place them in cold water for about 10 minutes before peeling.
      DSC6563 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and thinly slice. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Set it aside while preparing the other ingredients, and then tightly squeeze to remove moisture.
      DSC6700 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Cut the carrot in half lengthwise and thinly slice. No salt is necessary as the carrot doesn’t contain as much moisture as the cucumber.
      DSC6686 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Roughly chop the egg(s), leaving the yolk if using it for optional garnish. See optional garnish below.
      DSC6574 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Add the cucumber, carrot, mayonnaise (start with 5 tablespoons), salt (start with 1 teaspoon), optional sugar, and lemon juice (or vinegar) to the bowl with the mashed potatoes. Mix everything well. Taste and add more mayonnaise, salt, and/or sugar to taste.
      DSC6581 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad
    • Throw in the chopped egg and toss gently to evenly distribute the egg pieces.
      DSC6588 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad

    Optional egg yolk garnish

    • Press the reserved egg yolk through a strainer over the top of the salad or into a bowl if using later.
      DSC6809 768x513 - Korean Potato Salad

    Notes

    Optional filling ingredients: Other common ingredients include apple (thin, small slices), raisins (or dry cranberries), and onion (finely chopped). Some people also use ham (finely chopped), corn, etc.
    Optional flavoring ingredients: Although not classic for this type of Korean potato salad, you can use sour cream or plain yogurt to swap out some of the mayonnaise if you like. A little bit of mustard or dijon mustard will be good too.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

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    Hi! I'm Hyosun, and I am a Korean-American mom of two wonderful grown-up children. Here, you will learn how to cook Korean dishes the way we Koreans traditionally eat at home. Read More...

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