Olivier Salad

Olivier Salad, also known as Russian Potato Salad, is a great addition to any meal, whether you serve it as a side or as the main course. This savory dish perfectly exemplifies how simple ingredients can create something exceptional. It combines potatoes, meat, eggs, and peas, making it the ultimate comfort food.

overhead view of olivier salad in a black serving bowl.


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Russian potato salad

Olivier salad is also known as salade Russe, or in my house, it is simply Russian potato salad. Many of you may have never heard of this type of potato salad which is a unique take on the potato salad we are all familiar with.

This Olivier salad is full of texture, super creamy, and ridiculously addicting. The recipe includes potatoes, eggs, meat, onions, peas, carrots, mayonnaise, and some sour pickles.

I enjoyed this salad and many Russian-style dinners thanks to my fiancée Michael, who was born in Russia and taught me a lot about Russian food.

What Is Olivier Salad?

Olivier Salad is a tradition in many post-Soviet countries on New Year’s Eve, Christmas, Easter, and many other celebrations. Olivier is not like most types of American potato salad. The most significant differences are the inclusion of meat and sour pickles.

What makes Olivier the one potato salad recipe you must try

This unique potato salad is a step above any potato salad you’ve ever tried. It has chunky pieces of eggs and vegetables coated with creamy mayo. It becomes complete with tangy onions, dill pickles, and peas.

But what makes it stand out even more is the addition of meat. You can include ham, chicken, bologna, or even corned beef, or a combination of different meats. It is no surprise that this dish can be enjoyed as a main course due to its fulfilling ingredients that satiate your hunger while also being refreshing.

Why you’ll love Russian potato salad

This recipe is suitable for a small gathering since it yields eight servings. It’s not every day that you see potato salad with this combination of ingredients, so everyone will surely be blown away by this salad and how delicious it is!

It is also easy to prepare as you can cook the carrots and potatoes in the same pot. After cooking, you can chop the eggs and vegetables. Use a vegetable slicer or just roughly chop them without worrying about creating perfect cuts, which gives the salad a rustic look.

This recipe is easily customizable. Use whatever meat you have on hand to reduce food waste and create a potato salad that is your own.

Brief history of Salad Olivier

Olivier salad, or salade Russe, wasn’t actually created by a Russian but by Chef Lucien Olivier, a Belgian working for a restaurant in Moscow in the 1860s. This salad was so tasty that everyone wanted the recipe, but Olivier wouldn’t share it.

The dish was then adapted by Ivan Ivanov, who published the recipe. Over the years, it gained popularity in Russia and throughout the rest of the Soviet Union, Europe, and even other parts of the world.

It’s quite amazing how many different cultures have made delicious variations on this style of potato salad!

Why this Is the recipe you must try for Russian Olivier Salad

This Olivier salad recipe doesn’t skimp on texture or creaminess. If you are a fan of American potato salad, you’ll absolutely love this classic Russian dish. In fact, you may like this salad so much that you may end up using any dinner as an excuse to make it!

This Olivier potato salad recipe is a great way to use up any leftover meat, such as duck, lamb, or chicken.

This is also a perfect recipe to prepare way ahead of time. All you have to do is cook and chop the vegetables and eggs, then place them in the fridge in separate containers until you’re ready to make the salad. Mix everything together when you’re ready to serve.

Olivier Salad Ingredients

This is not a fancy salad, so you don’t need any fancy ingredients, just:

  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • White onion
  • Green sweet peas (frozen peas are great to use)
  • Eggs
  • Mayonnaise
  • Meat or fish
  • Sour dill pickle
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh dill
olivier salad ingredients.

How to Make Russian Olivier Salad

This Olivier salad recipe couldn’t be simpler to make. Just follow these steps:

  1. Peel and boil the potatoes in a large pot and add the carrots halfway through the cooking process. They are done when fork-tender.
  2. Hard boil the eggs and peel them.
cooked potatoes, carrots, and eggs for olivier salad.
  1. Allow everything to cool.
  2. Use a knife to dice them into bite-sized pieces. Place the dices in a large bowl.
olivier salad ingredients in a large bowl.
  1. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well blended.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.
olivier salad in a bowl and a green napkin.

Tips for making the best Olivier Potato Salad

  • Be sure to use sour dill pickles – this Russian salad was not intended for sweet pickles.
  • Place the pickle cubes in a sieve to drain overnight. Or, if you forget to do this, you can squeeze out the juices using some paper towels. This way, the pickle juices won’t add sogginess to the salad or overpower the flavors of the other ingredients.
  • Use a vegetable slicer or chopper for perfect evenly-sized pieces every time. 
  • This salad tastes better if you make it a few hours before serving or even the evening before.
  • Canned peas taste mushy, but using frozen or fresh peas takes the salad to a new level. You’ll never want to go back to canned peas again.
  • Make your own homemade mayonnaise for the best fresh flavor.

Recipe variations and ingredient substitutions

The sour pickles and meat impart the flavor to this traditional Russian potato salad recipe. Keep in mind that during the Soviet era, salads like this were made with whatever was available at the time. This makes this salad Olivier super flexible, and you can easily play around with it and make it your own. Here are some suggested variations:

  • Use half mayo and half sour cream, and add some cucumber and granny smith chopped apples. Garnish with chopped green onions. 
  • If you are feeding someone with an egg allergy, you can use crème fraiche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise and omit the hard-boiled eggs.
  • If you feel adventurous, other pickled vegetables, such as beet pickles, would go well in this salad. 
  • Try smoked beef sausage and some mild cheddar cheese.
  • Chopped celery would give it a little crunch.
  • Add a little Dijon mustard to give it another layer of flavor.
  • Add other fresh herbs.
  • Try it Iranian style. Boil a chicken with onion, red paprika powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Add the shredded chicken meat and some of the chicken juices to the salad with potatoes, green peas, pickled cucumbers, eggs, lemon juice, and mayonnaise. Thanks to reader Pantea who described this.

What to serve with Russian Potato Salad

This salad is perfect for your holiday celebrations or a family cookout. Here are some serving ideas.

  • Make it look attractive by placing it on a bed of lettuce leaves on an attractive serving platter.
  • Serve this as a side dish instead of regular potato salad at your next BBQ. It pairs perfectly with grilled meats. 
  • For an authentic full-blown Slavic feast, serve this Russian potato salad with some shashlik (kabobs)cabbage rollspiroshki (filled hand pies), and/or a bowl of borscht.

A Russian cookbook may be a great gift for someone who likes cooking.

How to store Salad Olivier

Don’t let the potato salad sit out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.

This salad will keep well in an airtight container for a couple of days in the refrigerator. If you keep the mayo separate, it will last up to 5 days.

Note that you should not freeze Olivier salad. The mayo and starchy potatoes will not thaw well, and you’ll end up with a mushy salad.

olivier salad in a bowl and a serving spoon behind it.

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overhead view of olivier salad in a black serving bowl.

Olivier Salad

Olivier Salad aka Russian potato salad is an amazing take on potato salad.  
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Russian
Keyword: Olivier Salad, Potato Recipes, Potato Salad Recipes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 258kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes peeled
  • 2 carrots peeled (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped sour dill pickles
  • 1 cup green peas canned or thawed from frozen
  • 1 cup diced meat – ham, bologna, chicken, or corned beef
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Boil the potatoes until tender. If you would like carrot in your salad, add the carrots halfway through the potato cooking process.
  • In a separate pot, hard boil the eggs. Drain, rinse with cold water, and peel.
  • Allow the potatoes, eggs, and carrots to cool. Then chop them into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl.
  • Add the onions, dill pickles, green peas, meat, and mayonnaise.
  • Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Video

Notes

This is a very flexible recipe and this is how I enjoy it the best. Some people may find this type of potato salad a little bland, here the sour pickles, and the meat really adds the flavor impact. Keep in mind that during the Soviet era, salads like this were made with what was on hand and available. Feeling adventurous, other pickled vegetables would go well in here. Don’t forget to garnish with a little dill weed.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 544mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2775IU | Vitamin C: 18.8mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joshua McGee

    Thank you for posting this!

    My wife grew up making this in Ecuador, where the recipe calls for shrimp, omits the pickle, and incorporates celery, parsley, cilantro, and dill.

    I spent some of my childhood in Hokkaido, Japan, where it is made with trout!

    I prepared it last night with leftover lamb and home-fermented golden beet pickles. What a flexible recipe this is!

    If you have a manual food chopper (the kind with a plunger) it can be used to prep everything very quickly.

  2. Robert Jan Scholte van Mast

    From my mother I know the recipe for a potato salad she used to serve for special occasions. She learned it from het mother as well. It is based on the Salade de Russe or Salade de Olivier. She used well cooked beef (meat from the belly) to mix with the potatoes and other ingredients.
    First she peeled the potatoes and boiled them with a pinch of salt. After cooling the potatoes were diced and mixed with Mayo and put away in the fridge. The meat was bought as “Soup Meat”. Most of the time with a bone. On simmer for a whole evening, could 4 to 5 hours.
    Bouillon was used for Sunday soup, Meat came very tender. After cooling for about one hour this was mixed with the potatoes and then, around night time, stage one was finished. On Sunday the mix was dressed up. On a bed of salad leaves the mix was spread out and covered with a Sour cream Mayo finish. This was decorated with all kind of bites, like 3 asperges in a slice of Schwarzwalder Ham, eggs with spiced egg yokes(most of the time curry) , pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, Amsterdam white and yellow unions.

  3. Mark

    I use half sour cream and half mayo plus I add granny smith chopped apples. It’s a lot better that way. Even my Ukranian friend said he likes my version better.

    • Robert Jan Scholte van Mast

      I used to have a Russian recipe book. Potatoes should be cooked first, than you peel, more flavour and gives very nice dices. Apples and Citrus fruits should be added to the salad. Sour cream mixed with mayo I also do. But what I’ve learned from my Russian book, is that such a salad should stay over for one night in a fridge. Potatoes mixed with meat, boiled eggs and vegetables and just half of the sour cream.This is for the cooked meat to give its flavour. The cold salad shall be mixed with rest of sour cream and mayo, apples, citrus if you want and dressed up to your wishes with pickles, etc.

      Salade de Russe is the Mother of all Salads.

  4. Natasha

    I have two versions of this salad – winter (like you described) and summer – I usually make it with fresh cucumber and sour apple (Granny Smith works perfectly), no onions and lots of chopped baby dill. Carrot is a must. Everything has to be finely cubed. Tastes summer fresh 🙂

  5. James

    5 stars
    I made this delicious olivier salad for my wife last night, and we loved it. We didn’t have any white onions, so we used red onions instead.

    This site is a great resource for delicious receipes, and definetely a site I’ll be checking out, when I have no clue what to make. Added this to my favourites. Thank you

  6. Pantea

    You will be surprised to hear that Olivier Salad is one of the best known and most popular salads in Iran. Try it “Iranian style” and boil a chicken with onion, red paprika powder, garlic powder, black pepper and salt, debone it when well cooked and add the tattered chicken meet and some of the chicken bouillon to the salad with potatoes, green peas, pickled cucumbers, eggs, lemon juice and mayonnaise. Very tasty 🙂

    • Stephanie

      Actually that one I did know 😉 I have a Persian friend that told me that when she saw me post the recipe. We both declared that we liked this style of potato salad more than we liked very day American style potato salad. I think the additional protien in there makes it very good. I want to try adding the paprika and garlic powder though, I bet it would be very tasty with those two additions.

  7. Jewel

    I have never seen an Olivier salad that called for beef, only chicken or pheasant. My kids are adopted from Russia and I keep trying different recipes to try to find one that tastes “right’ to them. I’ll give this a shot! (And yes, chop everything very tiny!)
    My fiancee and his family was from Russia, they made theirs with ham, or beef, or whatever was handy. They emphasized you made this salad with what you had available. My favorite version of this salad was made from the corned beef. Anyway you slice it, this is delicious potato salad.

  8. Marsha

    I love this salad with chicken. My Russian friend turned me on to it several years ago. We have it at Christmas and for any dinner to give us an excuse to make it! Really, you have to just try it! And you have to chop everything very tiny or my friend will fuss at me!

  9. Anamaris

    Do share any beets recipes. I love them, but have only had them with vinaigrette (sorta pickled), in the potato salad and there’s an awesome limeade my mom used to make.

    • Sabina

      You can make a beets salad, just boil some beets it takes a while so be patient make sure to peel them first, you will also need to boil two potatoes depending on how big or small portions you are making when they are done boiling slice them into tiny cubes add baby pees slice some onions also in cubes and boil some carrots also slice those up in cubes after done boiling mix everything together with olive oil salt and black pepper.

      • stephaniemanley

        Oh that sounds very good. I have had the beet salad that is grated beats in sour cream, that is quite good too.

  10. Stephanie

    So, I never had that salad with beets. I wouldn’t put it past anyone from doing it. From what I learned about soviet era cooking, is that you learned to be very flexible. My fiancee’s parents used their balcony to pickle just about anything that could be pickled so they would have variety. They were fortunate Russians, as they were both well placed in their respective jobs, so they were luckier than most Russians. Still, food variety, was not broad. I have had beets prepared many different ways though!

  11. Anamaris

    Well, this is interesting. I must’ve heard you wrong at the restaurant, I thought you said the Russian salad had beets, I guess you said beef. In Panama, we serve a Ensalada Rusa (Russian salad) which is a potato salad with the addition of beets. Of course, I had to do a google search, and have only found 1 other recipe with beets!!! Krezy!

    PS: I really enjoyed meeting you. Thanks for putting the group together.

  12. Deborah

    Ever since I went to a Russian restaurant on vacation, I’ve been looking for this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!

  13. Diana B.

    I grew up in Argentina and we often had “Ensalada Rusa” (Russian Salad). Ours had peas, carrots, tuna fish or chicken, potatoes and home made mayonnaise. It was a great family favorite that I still make for my kids today.

  14. Richard Stevens

    I love potato salad and this one looks delicious! Although I have never had meat in a potato salad, I imagine the corned beef and sour pickles really add a nice salty sour zing. Must give this one a try! With a Vodka Martini of course! 😉

  15. Fran

    This looks good to me. Potatoes go with so many things that it’s easy to see it here and corned beef has the right flavors to pump up the taste.

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