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)

Did you make this recipe?

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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 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.

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.

Why is Russian salad 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.

Is Russian salad healthy or not? ›

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.

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.

Where is Russian salad popular? ›

This salad is one of the most important appetizers at the New Year's salad buffets in Russia, as well as in some of the other countries of the former USSR.

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 country is Olivier Salad from? ›

Origin of the Russian Salad. Russian Salad (Ensalada Rusa) was originally invented by Lucien Olivier for a Moscow restaurant called Hermitage in 1860s. It became very popular in Russia and can now be found in any restaurant across the country. It's traditionally served on any Holiday, gatherings, birthday parties etc…

What dressing is close to Russian? ›

Thousand Island dressing is the perfect substitute for Russian dressing, as they are very similar.

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.

Is Thousand Island the same as Russian dressing? ›

While there are a lot of overlapping ingredients, there are also some key differences between these two iconic slathers. To start, both are mostly made from a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup, but generally, Russian dressing is a little spicy while Thousand Island tends to be on the sweeter side.

What is the most unhealthy salad? ›

Worst: Iceberg Wedge Salad

Thanks to the blue cheese or ranch dressing and bacon crumbles, it can pack in four times the fat of a T-bone steak. It also falls short in the nutrition department. That's because iceberg lettuce contains fewer vitamins and minerals than most dark leafy greens.

What is the unhealthiest salad dressing? ›

12 Unhealthiest Salad Dressings You Can Buy
  1. Olive Garden Classic Caesar. ...
  2. Kraft Thousand Island. ...
  3. Marie's Chunky Blue Cheese. ...
  4. Girard's Champagne Vinaigrette. ...
  5. Wish-Bone Sweet French. ...
  6. Olive Garden Parmesan Ranch. ...
  7. Origin Salad Dressing And Marinade. ...
  8. Ken's Creamy Wisconsin Blue Cheese.
May 17, 2024

What is the difference between French and Russian salad dressing? ›

A French dressing is rooted in oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, ketchup, minced shallot or garlic, sugar, and paprika. On the other hand, the Russian dressing mainly comprises mayonnaise, ketchup, hot sauce, minced onion, pickle horseradish, and paprika.

Where did Russian potato salad originate? ›

What is in Kraft Russian dressing? ›

vinegar, water, vegetable oil blend (sesame and caonla and/or soybean), soy sauce (water, hydrolized corn and soy protein, salt), rice wine vinegar, pineapple juice concentrate*, red miso powder (fermented soy, salt), spices, xanthan gum, dried garlic, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), sucralose, ...

What is the meaning of Russian salad? ›

/ˌrʌʃn ˈsæləd/ [uncountable, countable] ​a dish consisting of pieces of cooked vegetables, covered with mayonnaise. Definitions on the go.

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