This Olivier Salad recipe is my take on the classic Russian potato salad with a creamy herbed dressing, potato and carrot, tangy pickles, sweet onion, and hard-boiled egg.
It’s funny, the first time I had Russian potato salad was in Amman, Jordan. When my ex-husband and I lived in Amman, our favorite restaurant was Castle of Hospitality.
We went there once a week and even though we ordered different main courses each time, we always ordered the same sides: Lebanese bread, grilled halloumi cheese, tahini salad, and Salad Olivier (which they just called Russian salad).
During that time I fell in love with this creamy potato salad. It was a beautiful balance, almost like a dance. Soft potato, crunchy cornichons. Sweet carrot, savory onion. A simple creamy dressing with a complexity that you couldn’t put your finger on. And fresh herbs to wake everything up.
This is a special potato salad that I think you’ll enjoy just as much as I do. If you’re used to bland and boring potato salad recipes, get ready to have your opinion changed!
Olivier Salad is a perfect dish for any time of year. It’s a traditional part of Christmas or New Year’s celebrations in Russia, but it also pairs well with summertime fare.
This potato salad is great for a barbeque during warm months! It pairs well with just about anything you can grill up, from steaks and chicken or burgers and hot dogs. It’s also delicious served with roast chicken or baked fish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It makes enough to feed a crowd! If you’re looking for a budget-friendly side dish to bring to a potluck, this is a great option.
- The chicken is optional. It adds flavor and bumps up the protein, and is a good way to use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. However, this salad is just as delicious without it. Or you can use ham, bologna, or sausage if that’s what you have on hand.
- Get ready for a flavor-packed potato salad! The creamy dressing, fresh herbs, and savory aromatics come together for a delicious dish.
The Best Salad Olivier Recipe
Nowadays, Salad Olivier is one of those classic dishes that has about as many variations as a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
This recipe is my version. It has plenty of potato for a hearty base. Carrot and onion for sweetness. Dill pickles for tang. Chicken breast and egg to make it filling. And a decadent creamy mayo-based dressing that’s laced with sour cream and redolent with fresh herbs.
The beauty of this dish is that you can put your own spin on it!
Russian Potato Salad Ingredients
- Starchy potatoes
- Carrots
- Chicken breast
- Frozen peas
- Sweet onion
- Dill pickles
- Hard-boiled eggs
Creamy Dressing Ingredients
- Mayo
- Sour cream
- Scallions
- Dill
- Dijon mustard
- Salt
- Black pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the Potato and Carrot
Add the diced potatoes and carrots to a 3-quart saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer until the vegetables are softened, but not mushy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Make the Dressing
Whisk together all ingredients for the creamy dressing (reserving 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh dill for garnish). Cover and keep in the fridge until using.
Step 3: Mix it Up
Once the potato and carrot is cool, add all remaining ingredients for the potato salad (except the 1 hard-boiled egg that’s wedged or sliced) and the creamy dressing to a large bowl. Gently toss to coat everything.
Step 4: Serve
Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish the top with the wedged or sliced hard-boiled egg and the remaining 1 teaspoon chopped dill.
Storage
Store this potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Tips
- Instead of chicken, you can use diced ham, bologna, or sausage.
- Dill pickles add tangy crunch to this creamy potato salad. However, if the idea of dill pickles doesn’t thrill you, instead you can use 1/2 cup rinsed, drained and small-diced cornichons or 2 tablespoons rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped capers. Or you can omit the pickles and add 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar to the dressing.
- I love the slight tang that sour cream adds to this dressing! But if you prefer, you can omit it and use unflavored Greek yogurt or more mayo.
Salad Olivier FAQs
Where Did Olivier Salad Originate?
Belgian chef Lucien Olivier of Hermitage in Moscow invented this dish in the 1860’s. You can read more about the history of Olivier Salad on Wikipedia.
Why is it Called Salad Olivier?
It’s called this after the name of the chef who invented the salad.
Can You Freeze Potato Salad?
Because of the mayonnaise in this salad, I don’t recommend freezing it. Once it’s thawed, the dressing will likely separate and may appear curdled.
More Ukrainian and Russian Recipes to Try
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xoxo, Faith
Salad Olivier Recipe (Russian Potato Salad)
Equipment
Ingredients
Potato Salad:
- 1 1/2 pounds starchy potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups diced)
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast diced (leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken works great)
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 small sweet onion diced small
- 1/2 cup dill pickles rinsed, drained well, and diced small
- 4 hard-boiled eggs 3 diced and 1 cut into wedges or slices
Creamy Dressing:
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 scallions green and white parts, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill divided into 2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the diced potatoes and carrots to a 3-quart saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer until the vegetables are softened, but not mushy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and cool to room temperature.
- Whisk together all ingredients for the creamy dressing (reserving 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh dill for garnish). Cover and keep in the fridge until using.
- Once the potato and carrot is cool, add all remaining ingredients for the potato salad (except the 1 hard-boiled egg that’s wedged or sliced) and the creamy dressing to a large bowl. Gently toss to coat everything.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish the top with the wedged or sliced hard-boiled egg and the remaining 1 teaspoon chopped dill.
- Serve.
Faith’s Tips
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 9 to 10 cups of potato salad, or about 12 (3/4-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store this potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Chicken Substitute: Instead of chicken, you can use diced ham, bologna, or sausage.
- Dill Pickle Substitute: Instead of dill pickles, you can use 1/2 cup rinsed, drained and small-diced cornichons or 2 tablespoons rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped capers. Or you can omit the pickles and add 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar to the dressing.
- Sour Cream Substitute: Instead of the sour cream in the dressing you can use unflavored Greek yogurt or more mayo.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on December 30, 2010. I updated it with more information on June 9, 2022.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
I know this salad as Olveh and mine is a Persian recipe, when we cook the chicken, we add in turmeric and advieh spice blends, and mash the potatoes I do like fresh flavours of peas and dill added to the mix. It’s a really delicious summertime salad and is so good in sandwiches. I just love your recipe!
I am really excited to see this! Years ago I had a salad made by a woman who’d escaped Czechoslovakia and this was it! However, she used canned peas, which I think were considered fancy in Russia and easter Europe because they probably cost an arm and a leg. I prefer your substitution of frozen peas!
Delicious and amazing as usual, Faith!
You’re making me long for summer with this dish. Mmm, creamy potatoes with lovely dill is a dish I could eat seconds and thirds of. ;)
A very nice salad to go with grilled meats but I woould have it as a light lunch.
Faith, I could give you a big, wet motherly kiss for this recipe! I was a student in Russia about 35 years ago, fell head over heels in love with the potato salad there, have been trying (unsuccessfully and repeatedly) to reproduce the flavor since then, and I think this recipe is it! Cornichons and capers are what I couldn’t figure out. I’m off like a shot to make this right now. Mwah!
Barbara, Yay, I’m so excited!! I hope this is it! :)
A lovely salad with an interesting origin. The bonus is that you lightened it up in a very tasty way.
Potato salad freshly prepared this way is always a pleasing allure to my tummy ;O)
Have a great day Faith and flavourful wishes,
Claudia
This looks really delicious and would be something Finns would love to have featuring in their NYE table!
Happy New Year Faith! May you have a wonderful 2011! Your salad looks wonderful. I love the sides of grilled halloumi cheese and Lebanese bread too!
hooray for peas! i’ve never heard of this particular salad-type concoction, but there’s a lot to like about it. happy new year to ya! :)
Oh delicious. I have never heard of Salad Olivier…and I’m excited to be introduced to yet another exciting recipe. I didn’t know that you once lived in Amman. My sister and I visited Jordan last year, and we were swept away by the culture and landscape. Thank you for sharing with me all that you do. I wish you many blessings and much joy in the New Year!
What a delicious looking potato salad. Can you believe I have never made potato salad yet? It should be a resolution for the new year! Speaking of, Happy New Year, my friend! I am so glad to have gotten to know you here in the blogging world! :)
I love it when I learn a little history on a salad. I didn’t know you lived in Jordon Faith…, how exciting, you must have delved deeply into middle eastern cooking there, now that’s exactly how I love to learn about a country’s cuisine too. Happy New Year Lovely Faith…, I do hope 2011 is your best year yet and I look forward to many, many more foodie adventures with you.
Fascinating story! I love hearing about your adventures abroad. Keep ’em coming and happy New Year~
Love the salad! I’m so happy that I met you Faith! You are the sweetest! Happy New Year! :)
Yummy salad, I am on a lookout for a nice one since I am into salad a lot these days.
Happy New Year to you!!
Have a wonderful New Year!
This salad sounds wonderful! Fancy potato salad! :) I am definitely going to make it! Thanks for sharing it with us!
The salad look refreshing and delcious!
Tasty and beautiful! I love that you used half mayo and half yogurt, making it a much lighter affair. Have a happy and healthy New Year!
Looks so delicious! It’s very much like German potato salad, only finer. :-))
Happy New Year!
Angie
This reminds me of tuna noodle salad with potatoes in place of the tuna and noodles! I wonder if that was made as a spin-off of this one. Anyway, it looks great! A happy new year to you too!
I’ve never heard of either Salad Olivier or Russian Salad, but this sure looks a lot like a delicious version of potato salad! :) Love the peas and carrots in this! Have a Happy New Year!
Happy almost new year faith! I’ve actually never heard of this salad before, so thanks for the intro to it. Sounds delicious and I love recipes that can be made with what you have on hand too.
Faith, we don’t have this salad in western Canada. I have never heard of it by that name, but we do know Russian Salad. Some know it, though it is served only in specialty restaurants that cater to Eastern European Cuisine. Married to a man from the Balkans, I have learned that Russian Salad is as potato salad is here: the measure of your mother’s ability to cook rests upon her ability to make a phenomenal potato salad… and no one else’s is EVER as good as your mom’s!
I have a post about Russian Salad, too. You might find my recipe interesting. It is considerably different than yours, but, somewhat the same. The story of mine is sad, though. You will see if you read it.
I bought Vanja a Christmas present of three nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and we have arrived here earlier today. We have both been to Banff numerous times, and I have stayed here a few times before, but this is his first. I am REALLY excited because we just booked a husky sleigh ride for New Year’s Day. This is a new offering in the mountains, here, as the husky sleighs are only in the territories up North – so I am teeming with excitement!
Happy New Year to you!
:)
Valerie
Your salad looks great, but I’m especially interested in the fact that you lived in Amman. Jordan is one of those countries I’d LOVE to visit. Lucky you!
We make this salad here also and we call it Russian salad too. I really enjoy a nicely made salad as this one. Happy New Year to you too Faith!
This is one of my favourite salads ever as my best friend in High School was Russian and there would always be a big container of this in the fridge! :D
Oh, Salad Olivier is my absolute childhood favorite! It’s always very yummy! We used to make it with a russian style bologna and now I add ham instead :)
Faith, I definitely agree, the more the merry. Your salad looks wonderful. I enjoy a refreshing creamy salad, actually the creamier the better for me :-P
When hubby suggests a place like that, we usually end up ordering takeout at two separate restaurants…haha. Happy almost new year, Faith!
What a beautiful salad! I love the Russian history of it! it sounds like it has some great ingredients that are big crowd pleasers too. I love it – I may be trying this one out soon!
I’ve heard of it called Russian Salad but not Salad Olivier, but whatever name it goes by, it looks delicious!
Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!
Faith,
salad oliver looks delicious.My hubby is asking for potato salad for long time, i was not making thinking of mayo, this one I need to make.
Happy New Year to you and your Family (Kol Sana Wento Tayebeen)
It’s funny just the other day I was thinking of making “Russian Salad” as i always knew.
How nice that you have lived in Amman. I always want to go Amman, Jordan maybe in coming year :)
I had never heard of Salad Olivier, but I definitely know Russian Salad :) My mom makes it too sometimes, although a little different than this version. I bet the addition of yogurt adds such a great tang! Happy New Year, Faith! I with you and Mike this best this upcoming year :) Happy blogging!!
Very interesting. familiar and yet different. my german-potato-salad-loving in-laws will love it. cheers!
Happy almost New Year Faith!! You always wow me with your knowledge & creative recipes. This salad looks great & I love how adaptable it is to ingredients we have on hand & individual taste preferences. xo
Love the name ‘Castle of Hospitality’ LOL! It reminds me of a dumpling house my husband and I tried in New York called ‘Prosperity Dumpling’
Your salad looks fabulous.
Happy New Year!
A yummy salad!
Happy New Year!
Cheers,
Rosa