Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (2024)

This Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad) recipe is such a unique recipe. It’s a traditional dish in Russian cuisine and is served in most restaurants and at parties. This salad is also well known as the Russian Salad or Olivye in the Ukrainian community.

Other traditional Russian/Ukrainian recipes to try are the hearty borscht and meat pelmeni.

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (1)

What is Olivier Salad?

Sharing the recipe for the traditional Russian potato salad, also known as Olivier Salad (Olivye) and referred to as Russian salad in our times.

Olivier Salad usually has peas, potatoes, carrots, onions, meat, pickles, and eggs all mixed with mayo. The meat used is either bologna, chicken, or ham.

The potatoes, eggs, and carrots are cooked by boiling the skin in water and then peeled.

Perfect cubes: Use this SLICERto get the perfect-sized even pieces every time.

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (2)

When to serve Olivier Salad (Olivye)?

Olivier salad is popular around the traditional New Year’s, Christmas, and Easter holidays.

It is also a salad served at most parties and family get-togethers in the Russian/Ukraine communities. Those of us who live in the United States and are slowly adjusting to more Americanized food don’t serve this salad as often as our parents did, but still considered a treat for parties.

This salad will keep well for days in the refrigerator. Mix everything and add the mayo at once, or add mayo to the salad fresh when serving.

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (3)

Tips to make Russian Potato Salad

Cooking the vegetables.

Cook the potatoes and carrots together. Check the readiness of the potatoes and carrots with a knife; it should pierce through the center easily. Cooking them the night before is a great idea; once cooked, refrigerate (skin on).

NOTE: The secret to the BEST olivye is allowing the cubed pickles to drain overnight in a sieveor squeezing out all the juices if in a hurry (add the pickles to a few paper towels and squeeze). This way, the juices from the pickles don’t overpower the flavors of the remaining ingredients and add sogginess to the salad.

What meat can I use?

You can use cooked chicken, ham, or bologna for the recipe. If purchasing bologna in the deli department, ask for low-sodium bologna. It makes a huge difference. You can also ask them to cut the slices thicker so they are cubed evenly.

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (4)

A twist on Olivye Salad:

I like to add new twists to traditional recipes. My biggest favorite addition I added to this salad is fresh cucumbers and using fresh peas instead of canned (fresh frozen peas, thawed). The crunchiness of the fresh cucumbers gives it so much flavor. The canned peas are so soggy and taste mushy using fresh peas takes the salad to a new level. You’ll never want to go back to canned peas again.

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (5)

Our tradition with Olivier Salad:

So we have this tradition with Olivier Salad (Olivye salat) my mom started. If we serve Olivye, we must also serve stuffed cabbage rolls.

Other Traditional Russian Recipes to Try:

  • Dill Pickle Soup– A unique soup with pickles as the main ingredients.
  • Russian Bread– So easy to make with wonderful results.
  • Potato Pierogi Recipe– Cheesy onion potato-filled pierogi.

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad)

Author: Valentina

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (6)

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4.94 from 16 votes

This Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad) recipe is a traditional dish in the Russian cuisine and served in most restaurants and parties. This salad is commonly known as the Russian salad and Olivye in the Ukrainian community.

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 potatoes, cooked and cubed
  • 3 carrots, cooked and cubed
  • 6 eggs, cooked and cubed
  • 3/4 lb meat, cubed
  • 3 dill pickles, cubed
  • 1 sweet onion, cubed
  • 1 cup frozen fresh peas
  • 1/2 english cucumber (2 small cuces), cubed
  • 1 cup mayo
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp sugar, optional
  • dill to taste

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

Nutrition

301kcal Calories15g Carbs13g Protein20g Fat3g Saturated Fat129mg Cholesterol412mg Sodium604mg Potassium3g Fiber4g Sugar3385IU Vitamin A16.7mg Vitamin C64mg Calcium3.2mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 301Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 129mg43%

Sodium 412mg18%

Potassium 604mg17%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 3385IU68%

Vitamin C 16.7mg20%

Calcium 64mg6%

Iron 3.2mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

(The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Russian

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (7)

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88 comments

  • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (8)

    • Ray Ellis

    Can you add chopped celery to this recipe.

    • Reply
    • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (9)

      • Valentina’s Corner

      You sure can, Ray. I hope you love the recipe.

      • Reply
  • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (10)

    • Zach Wheat

    This is one of my favorite dishes of all time and I get sad if I go too long without eating it. From all the comments I can guess I’m not the only one. The first time I had this was in Los Angeles at a Persian resturant with a coworker from Iran and have ate it at every Persian restaurant since. I didn’t know it was Russian until I lived in Israel with a Ukranian roomate and dated a Russian girl. I reccomend Persian cucumbers if you can find them because they are small and add so much more crunch.

    • Reply
    • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (11)

      • Valentina’s Corner

      Thanks for the Persian cucumber tip, I’ll have to try that. And this salad is a favorite of mine as well, especially during the Holidays

      • Reply
  • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (12)

    • Anne Talovich

    Don’t mean to be a jerk but is there a way to do this without pork?

    • Reply
    • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (13)

      • Valentina’s Corner

      You can leave out the meat entirely or substitute for cooked chicken.

      • Reply
  • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (14)

    • Kelli

    We used 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 mayonnaise like I have seen our Ukrainian friends do and this salad was perfect. I only ha e dried dill weed at this time of the year so we used an ample amount of it. I left out the cucumbers because my husband dislikes them. We very much enjoyed your recipe and we will make it again and again.

    • Reply
    • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (15)

      • Valentina’s Corner

      I love the combination of sour cream and mayo, that’s give the salad a lighter taste. Thank so much for trying our classic olivier salad recipe.

      • Reply
  • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (16)

    • Nikki

    How much salt and pepper do you exactly put in this recipe?

    • Reply
    • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (17)

      • Valentina’s Corner

      Nikki, I’d say about one teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. (You can start with 1/2 tsp of salt, mix it in and see if you need that extra 1/2 teaspoon.)

      • Reply
  • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (18)

    • Jack

    Cucumber instead of Dill Pickles? WTF? No Go!!!

    • Reply
    • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (19)

      • Valentina’s Corner

      Hi, Jack. We don’t do it instead of dill pickles, we have dill pickles as that’s a must. We just love the fresh crunch of the added cucumbers in the salad. 🙂

      • Reply
    • Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (20)

      • Lessa

      Felt the need to reply to “Jack”… the recipe clearly lists dill pickles and cucumbers, which is exactly how Russians have always made this. Please read the recipe before making a rude commend. Thank you Valentina!

      • Reply

More Comments

Olivier Salad Recipe (Russian Potato Salad) (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients of Olivier salad? ›

Olivier salad is a classic Russian dish made with finely diced potatoes, carrots, pickles, boiled eggs, sweet peas, onions, and bologna or ham tossed with a creamy mayonnaise dressing and a dash of salt and pepper.

What does Russian salad contain? ›

Chop potatoes and carrot. Peel and chop eggs. Mix potatoes, carrot, eggs, pickles, peas, ham, and dill together in a large bowl. Stir in mayonnaise until salad is evenly coated.

Why is it called Russian salad? ›

Russian salad was originally called Oliver salad based on the Moscow-based Belgian chef who invented it. During the 20th century, the dish spread throughout Europe and adopted the name Russian salad.

Can I freeze Russian potato salad? ›

Can I freeze Russian potato salad? Because of the mayonnaise and yogurt, this salad won't freeze well.

Is Russian salad good for health? ›

It is a very complete dish that provides various benefits depending on the ingredients, most common are potatoes, green peas, beans, and carrots: Rich in minerals: iron, phosphorus, potassium. Vitamins: A, B, C, E, and K.

How long does Russian salad last in the fridge? ›

Russian salad should always be stored in the refrigerator in a container that closes well, so that air and microorganisms cannot enter. You will read somewhere that the shelf life is five days, but we advise you to store it at a temperature of about 4 degrees Celsius and eat it within three days, to be completely safe.

What is Russian potato salad made of? ›

This is no ordinary potato salad. This salad consists of potatoes, turkey hot dogs, pickles, scallions, hard-boiled eggs, and sweet peas. All of the ingredients are finely chopped and dressed with mayonnaise.

Where did Russian potato salad originate? ›

What does Russian salad dressing taste like? ›

As you may have guessed from the ingredient list, it has a ketchupy, mayonnaise-y, horseradish-y taste. In all seriousness, it's pleasantly creamy with light tomato overtones and a slight kick from the horseradish.

Does Russian Salad contain fish? ›

Ensaladilla rusa 'Russian little salad' is widely consumed in Spain and it is served as a tapa in many bars. It typically consists of minced boiled potato, minced boiled carrots, canned tuna, minced boiled eggs, peas, and mayonnaise. In Italy, insalata russa has the same ingredients.

Why is it called Olivier salad? ›

Origin of Olivier Salad

Based on my research, the original version of the salad was invented in the 1860s by a cook of Belgian origin by the name of Lucien Olivier. Lucien was the chef of the Hermitage, one of Moscow's most celebrated restaurants.

Do they eat Russian Salad in Russia? ›

It is eaten in Russia and many former Soviet countries. In other countries around the world it is called Russian salad, but in Russia and some other Eastern European countries, people use the name olivye. The salad was invented in the 1860s in Moscow by a Belgian chef named Lucien Olivier, for whom the dish is named.

Can I eat 2 week old potato salad? ›

Assuming your potato salad is stored in the refrigerator, the USDA recommends that it be consumed within five days of when it was mad.

Can you eat potato salad after 7 days? ›

Blame it on the bad bacteria that grow rapidly when food remains in the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F for more than two hours. 2 This means that potato salad made without mayo isn't exempt from these time and temp guidelines. Bottom Line: When stored safely, fresh potato salad should keep for up to five days.

Is potato salad good after 5 days? ›

According to StillTasty.com, prepared potato salad—whether homemade or store-bought, dressed with vinegar and oil or mayonnaise—will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days if stored properly.

What is Greek salad made of? ›

A traditional Greek salad consists of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell pepper, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. This classic combination is delicious, so I stick to it, just adding a handful of mint leaves for a fresh finishing touch.

What is the main ingredient of bound salad? ›

Bound salad: ingredients such as meat, poultry, fish, egg, or starch such as potato, pasta, or rice and bound with mayo. Vegetable salad: cooked and/or raw vegetables (coleslaw); can be bound with mayo or mixed with vinegar/oil dressing.

What is a common ingredient in salad? ›

Most leafy vegetables that can be eaten raw are used: all varieties of lettuce, garden cress and watercress, endives, cabbage, spinach, escarole, romaine (cos), arugula, and fresh herbs. Other vegetables, raw or cooked—tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, beets, and so on—may garnish the green salad.

What is the most popular salad ingredients? ›

A typical salad starts with raw greens, such as lettuce, spinach, kale, mixed greens or arugula. However, you can also add several other raw vegetables. Some popular raw veggie toppings include chopped carrots, onions, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms and broccoli.

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