What are the healthiest potatoes for potato salad?

December 8, 2025 •

3 min read

While potatoes have often been given a bad rap, emerging research reveals that all potatoes are a healthy source of nutrients, especially when prepared and served correctly. This guide explores what are the healthiest potatoes for potato salad, focusing on varieties that offer specific nutritional advantages like antioxidants and gut-supporting resistant starch.

Quick Summary

An exploration of potato types for a nutritious salad. It details the best varieties, including antioxidant-rich colored potatoes and shape-retaining waxy spuds, and cooking methods that maximize health benefits and flavor.

Key Points

Choose Waxy Varieties: Opt for waxy potatoes like red or fingerling types for potato salad, as their low starch content helps them hold their shape without getting mushy.
Embrace Colorful Potatoes: For an antioxidant boost, use purple potatoes. They contain anthocyanins, which offer anti-inflammatory benefits and a striking color.
Cool Your Potatoes: Refrigerating cooked potatoes overnight increases resistant starch, which improves gut health and helps stabilize blood sugar.
Leave the Skin On: The potato's skin is where most of its fiber and nutrients reside. Keep it on, especially with thin-skinned varieties like red potatoes, for added nutritional value.
Consider Sweet Potatoes: For a nutrient-dense alternative, use sweet potatoes. They are packed with beta-carotene and fiber, creating a flavorful and healthy salad.
Prepare with Healthy Dressings: To avoid unhealthy fats, use olive oil, vinegar, or yogurt-based dressings instead of traditional mayonnaise made with seed oils.
Avoid Starchy Varieties: Steer clear of starchy potatoes like Russets, as they tend to crumble when boiled, resulting in a mashed potato-like consistency rather than a salad.

Waxy vs. Starchy: The Best Texture for Your Salad

Potatoes are categorized by their starch and moisture content, which directly impacts their texture and how they behave when cooked. For potato salad, the ideal texture is firm and creamy, not mushy. This is where waxy potatoes shine, holding their shape perfectly after boiling and tossing with dressing. Starchy potatoes, conversely, are better for mashing or baking as they absorb liquids and can fall apart easily.

The Healthiest Waxy and All-Purpose Choices

Red Potatoes: A classic choice for potato salad, red potatoes are low in starch and retain their shape exceptionally well. Their thin red skin, which is packed with nutrients, can be left on, adding flavor, fiber, and color. The skins also contain quercetin, a powerful antioxidant.
Fingerling Potatoes: These small, waxy, and elongated potatoes are perfect for salads. They have a buttery flavor and are easy to prepare, often requiring just a quick boil. Their thin skins are also edible and nutrient-rich.
New Potatoes: Harvested young, these are small, thin-skinned, and waxy. They are excellent for potato salad as they are firm and have a delicate flavor.
Yukon Gold: An all-purpose variety, Yukon Golds are a good middle ground. Their moderately starchy nature allows them to absorb some dressing while their waxy properties help them maintain their structure. They also provide a beautiful yellow color and a naturally buttery flavor.

Unconventional Choices with Superior Nutritional Profiles

While traditional waxy potatoes are a great choice, some less conventional spuds offer a significant nutritional boost, particularly in antioxidants.

Colorful Potatoes for an Antioxidant Boost

Purple Potatoes: These brightly colored spuds contain anthocyanins, the same powerful antioxidants found in blueberries. A diet rich in anthocyanins has been linked to lower inflammation and better heart health. Purple potatoes also produce a lower blood sugar spike compared to white potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes: Though a different botanical species, sweet potatoes make a delicious and healthy alternative for a non-traditional potato salad. They are extremely high in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, which is vital for vision and immune health. They also offer a different flavor profile that can complement a variety of dressings.

Cooking Methods for Maximizing Health Benefits

How you prepare your potatoes is just as important as the variety you choose. To maximize health benefits:

Cool the potatoes: Cooking and then cooling your potatoes (e.g., refrigerating overnight) increases their resistant starch content. This type of starch passes through the small intestine undigested, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and supporting overall digestive health.
Leave the skin on: Much of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals are concentrated in the skin. Choosing waxy or thin-skinned potatoes makes this simple.
Avoid excessive frying: Frying can increase fat and calorie content and diminish some nutritional value. Boiling or steaming is the best approach for a healthy potato salad.
Opt for healthy dressings: Substitute unhealthy fats with quality oils like extra virgin olive oil or yogurt-based dressings.

Comparison of Healthy Potato Varieties for Salad


Potato Variety	Starch Content	Holds Shape?	Key Nutritional Benefit	Best For...
Red Potato	Low (Waxy)	Yes	High in Quercetin (Antioxidant)	Classic & European-style salads
Yukon Gold	Medium (All-Purpose)	Yes	Buttery flavor, versatile	Creamy dressings, all-purpose salads
Purple Potato	Medium	Yes	Anthocyanin Antioxidants	Adding color and antioxidant power
Sweet Potato	High (Starchy)	Best cubed	Beta-carotene (Vit A), Fiber	Unconventional, robustly flavored salads
Fingerling	Low (Waxy)	Yes	Small size, rich flavor	Rustic, gourmet-style salads

Conclusion

When deciding what are the healthiest potatoes for potato salad, the choice ultimately depends on your nutritional priorities and desired texture. For a firm, traditional potato salad, opt for a waxy variety like red or fingerling potatoes and keep the skin on to maximize fiber and antioxidants. If you're looking to boost your salad with powerful anti-inflammatory compounds, vibrant purple potatoes are an excellent choice. Regardless of the spud, cooling the potatoes after cooking will increase resistant starch, benefiting gut health. By making mindful choices about your potato variety and preparation, you can transform a simple side dish into a nutritious and flavorful component of any meal.

One helpful resource for further culinary guidance is the Food Network's article on choosing the right potatoes for your recipe, which can be accessed here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, sweet potatoes are a good option, especially if you want a nutrient-dense alternative. They are rich in beta-carotene and fiber, but their starchy nature means they cook differently and create a softer texture compared to waxy potatoes.

The skin contains a significant portion of the potato's nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Leaving the skin on boosts the overall nutritional profile of your potato salad.

Waxy potatoes, such as red potatoes, new potatoes, and fingerlings, hold their shape best. They have less starch and more moisture, making them ideal for dishes where you want the potato pieces to remain intact.

The process of cooking and then cooling potatoes creates resistant starch. This prebiotic fiber is not digested in the small intestine but instead feeds healthy bacteria in your gut, supporting digestive health.

Purple potatoes are healthier than white potatoes due to their high content of anthocyanin antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure. They also cause a smaller blood sugar spike than white potatoes.

Yes, Yukon Gold potatoes are an excellent choice. As an all-purpose variety, they have a moderate starch content that allows them to hold their shape while still absorbing dressing flavors well. Their naturally buttery taste can also reduce the need for extra fats.

Healthier dressing options include those made with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, or Greek yogurt. These can offer flavor and probiotic benefits without the excess calories and unhealthy fats found in traditional mayonnaise.