Don’t let a Whole30 prevent you from enjoying your summer cookouts! This easy Whole30 Potato Salad Carbonara recipe will be a crowd favorite. Pancetta and hard cooked eggs add richness while aioli and basil add the perfect summer twist. Gluten free and dairy free, this creamy variation of traditional potato salad is super flavorful and perfect for gatherings.
Is this Whole30 Potato Salad Carbonara healthy?
Yes! This Whole30 Potato Salad Carbonara is made with wholesome real food ingredients like potatoes, pancetta, eggs, and avocado oil mayo. It’s Paleo, dairy free, gluten free and Whole30 friendly. Read on to get the scoop on what makes this potato salad the healthy choice for your summer cookouts!
Yukon gold potatoes
The star of this potato salad is, well, the potatoes! The Yukon gold variety has a creamy flesh that makes it perfect for potato salad. Far from being empty carbs, potatoes provide you with Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin B6, and manganese. Their fiber content also makes them perfect for your detox diet plan!
Whole30 approved mayonnaise
You can’t make an amazing potato salad without mayo 🤷♀️ I don’t make the rules! To keep this recipe healthy and Whole30 compliant, go with a Whole30 approved mayo. I like Primal Kitchen, which is made with avocado oil, but there are plenty of brands and homemade recipes! Just check your ingredients.
Pancetta and hard cooked eggs
Pancetta and eggs add a delicious richness to this potato salad carbonara while upping the satiety factor. Pancetta is full of selenium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. Eggs contain nearly every nutrient you need, especially B vitamins, Vitamin A, and selenium. I recommend choosing the highest quality pancetta you can find, along with pasture raised eggs.
Nutritional yeast
Cashews combine with nutritional yeast to make a dairy free parmesan that adds more salty richness to this potato salad. Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast full of B vitamins, popular among dairy free dieters. I recommend reaching for a non fortified nutritional yeast if you have the MTHFR gene mutation. If you can do dairy, go for real parmesan cheese instead! You’ll get a good amount of calcium and phosphorus.
Can you eat potatoes on Whole30?
Yes! Potatoes are Whole30 approved. White potatoes are starchy members of the nightshade family, so they’re not strictly keto friendly or AIP friendly. However, if you can do carbs and nightshades, add these Vitamin C rich tubers into your diet.
How to make Whole30 Potato Salad Carbonara
This potato salad carbonara is super easy to make! This recipe serves about 4-6 people, but you can easily double it for celebrations.
First, bring salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes and spread out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until chilled completely.
While the potatoes are chilling, cook your pancetta over medium heat until browned and crisp. Place on a paper towel to drain.
Now make your aioli! Combine lemon juice, sea salt, and mayonnaise in a small bowl using a spatula. Set aside.
If you’re making the dairy free version of this recipe, add your cashews, salt, and nutritional yeast to your food processor. Pulse until a fine meal forms. You can skip this step if you’re using real cheese. Fold your cashew cheese or your parmesan into the aioli, and set aside.
Take your potatoes out of the fridge and transfer them to a medium sized mixing bowl. Gently fold in your pancetta, hard cooked eggs, and aioli.
Place into the refrigerator to chill; be sure to cover the bowl if you’re not eating it soon. Top with sliced basil just before serving!
How to store leftover potato salad
This recipe is super leftover friendly. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leave off the sliced basil until you’re ready to serve. No need to reheat–this recipe tastes best chilled!
Can you freeze this potato salad?
Technically, yes, but I don’t recommend it. The consistency will more than likely turn mushy and watery, as freezing adds moisture to food. It’s best to whip up a fresh batch when you get a craving! Luckily, this recipe is so quick and easy that you can have it on the table in less than thirty minutes (plus some chill time!)
Enjoy this Whole30 Potato Salad Carbonara as is, or add to your summer cookout plate alongside some burgers and fresh fruit!
Pro tips:
- You can make this dish with any potatoes you have: russet, white sweet potato, etc. However, I prefer the Yukon Gold variety for a couple of reasons. 1. You can save time by not having to peel them, and 2. they hold their shape better without getting mushy.
- I like to hard boil my eggs to still be slightly soft in the yolk. This gives the potato salad a night texture without making it dry. To do this, I wait for the water to boil, carefully lower each egg into the boiling water with a spoon, and then cook for 9 minutes. Then I remove from the water and place into a bowl of ice water to cool completely and stop them from continuing to cook.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Whole30 French Fried Onions
- Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Whole30)
- Dairy Free Cheese Sauce (Whole30)
Whole30 Potato Salad Carbonara
Ingredients
Potato Salad
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 6 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 ounces pancetta, diced, see notes for alternatives
- ½ cup mayonnaise, Whole30 approved, see notes for egg free option
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 eggs, hard boiled and chopped, see notes for egg free option
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, Torn or thinly sliced
Dairy Free Parmesan Cheese (see notes for alternative)
- 1/3 cup cashews
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Combine 1 tablespoon of salt and water in a stock pot along with cubed potatoes. Bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Drain water, and spread potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely chilled.
- Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, stirring occasionally. This should take about 8 minutes. Remove pancetta from the skillet and place on a towel to cool and absorb excess oil.
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, and sea salt. Use a spatula to fold ingredients together until well combined to create an aioli.
- Make the dairy free parmesan cheese by placing cashews, nutritional yeast, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt in a food processor, and pulse until it forms a fine meal. Fold into the aioli, and set aside.
- Place potatoes in a medium bowl; gently fold in pancetta, aïoli, and hard-cooked eggs. Top with basil just before serving. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Bacon can be substituted for pancetta.
- The dairy free parmesan cheese can be replaced with ⅓ cup parmesan cheese if tolerated and not following Whole30.
- If you cannot tolerate eggs, you can omit the hard boiled eggs and replace the mayo with this recipe.
Trying the recipe tomorrow! Sounds yummy! Granulated Garlic, I am assuming it goes into the aioli?
Can’t wait to try this! Sounds so delicious. Do you have a brand of pancetta you might recommend that doesn’t have sugar…I am having trouble finding one. Thank you!