Healthy Buttermilk Ranch Potato Salad

Healthy Buttermilk Ranch Potato Salad is a great alternative to conventional, full-fat potato salad recipes that you’ll find at almost every summer backyard barbecue! This healthier potato salad recipe is easy to make and it is packed with flavour! You’re going to love this crowd-pleasing side dish recipe for summer!

Summer picnics and outdoor cookouts just aren’t the same without a few key essentials.   The problem with most picnic side dishes is the amount of fat and calories in them. There’s nothing like a good potato salad recipe to go with the burgers, barbecue chicken, and pretty much anything coming off the barbecue this time of year. The trouble is, store-bought potato salad is often terribly high in fat, empty calories, and a whole lot of artificial ingredients and preservatives. Of course, there’s always homemade potato salad, but most recipes are SO high in fat and just not a great choice if you’re trying to maintain a healthy diet.

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I love making this Healthy Buttermilk Ranch homemade Potato Salad because I can keep the amount of fat in the dressing to a minimum while adding so much delicious flavour in a healthy way by using Greek yogurt, low-fat buttermilk, and fresh herbs from my backyard garden! This salad is super simple to make, and the buttermilk ranch dressing is unexpectedly tangy with the perfect ranch flavour.

There’s nothing better than backyard barbecue food in the summertime, especially when it’s made with fresh, healthy ingredients. This healthy buttermilk ranch potato salad is the perfect side dish to serve with all your favourite grilled meats. I love it with this Grilled Chicken Souvlaki, my delicious Turkey Burgers, hot dogs, or even just alongside grilled veggies. And it doesn’t get any easier to make than this! Just shake up the dressing in a mason jar and toss it with cooked potatoes! And you can even leave the peels on the potatoes because, let’s be honest, who has time for peeling potatoes? Not this girl…

How to Make Healthy Buttermilk Ranch Potato Salad

The dressing I use on this healthier potato salad is inspired by Ina Garten’s Buttermilk Ranch dressing from her Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? cookbook (affiliate link). I’ve maintained most of the original flavours but kept the amount of added fat to a minimum, keeping this recipe as light as possible. It’s quick and easy to make and it’s so delicious, it’ll be the perfect simple side dish to serve at your next backyard barbecue!

I like to use this large dutch oven to boil the potatoes in.

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Healthy Buttermilk Ranch Potato Salad

This healthier potato salad is lower in fat and calories than traditional full-fat potato salad recipes. The secret is using low-fat buttermilk in the dressing.

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By Chrissie

Yield 8

Recipe: Ingredients 

0.5x1x2x

For the Dressing:

• ▢ 2/3 cup low fat buttermilk
• ▢ 1/2 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tsp sea salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves pressed or crushed and finely minced
• ▢ 2 finely chopped scallions or green onions include the white part
• ▢ 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

For the Potato Salad:

• ▢ 3 lbs baby potatoes you could use large potatoes and cut them into small chunks but halving baby potatoes just gives this dish such a nice appearance
• ▢ 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• ▢ 1/8 cup chopped fresh chives for garnish

Recipe: Instructions 

• To a large mason jar add the buttermilk, yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and Dijon mustard.
• Finely chop the scallions, the basil and the garlic. I find a garlic press works great for adding garlic to salad dressings.
• Add them to the mason jar, shut the lid very tightly and shake it all up for about 1-2 minutes. You can blast some music or do a funny dance while you do this...whatever makes you happy.
• At this point, stick it in the fridge and forget about it for at least 2 hours. I often make this dressing 24 hours ahead of time which allows the flavours to blend nicely.
• Wash and halve 3 lbs of baby potatoes (I used both yellow and red potatoes, but you could use just yellow or just red, or whatever you want, really). Personally, I prefer to leave the peel on potatoes when making potato salad for several reasons: it increases the amount of fibre, it helps the pieces of potato stay together, and it gives the potato salad a beautiful, homemade, and rustic look. I also loathe peeling potatoes, so there's that.
• Once the potatoes are washed well and halved, stick them in a large pot and add enough water just to cover them.
• Add the pot to the stove on medium-high heat and wait for the water to boil. Once the water begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium, cover the pot and let the potatoes cook for about 8-10 minutes. You'll have to check on them every few minutes to make sure they don't over-cook. You'll know they're done when you can pierce one with a fork without too much force but all the pieces are still intact.
• Use a colander to drain the potatoes and rinse them under cold water until they cool to room temperature.
• Once the potatoes are cool, be sure to let them dry for a few minutes before assembling the salad. If your potatoes are wet the dressing won't stick to them and you'll end up with a mess. The best way to do this is to lay them out on a clean kitchen towel for a few minutes.
• While you're waiting, chop the fresh dill into pieces small enough that the taste isn't overwhelming but big enough that you can still see the lovely wispy bits.
• Add the potatoes to a large bowl and add the dressing. Toss the potatoes until they're well coated. Add the dill and toss gingerly just until you can see the tiny sprigs of dill throughout.
• If you're serving this dish at a dinner party or to a crowd, now's a good time to transfer it to a clean bowl. Tossing the salad in this creamy dressing creates quite a mess.
• Garnish the top with some chopped fresh chives, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve!

Recipe: Notes

When making homemade salad dressings like this it's always best to make them a day or two ahead of time to allow the liquid ingredients to fully absorb the flavours of the herbs.

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Recipe: Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Buttermilk Ranch Potato Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 175 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 3mg1%

Sodium 429mg19%

Potassium 775mg22%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 46IU1%

Vitamin C 36mg44%

Calcium 65mg7%

Iron 1mg6%

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

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

Healthy buttermilk ranch potato salad is great for serving to friends at a barbecue or taking to a potluck or family dinner because it’s simple, easy, and serves at least 6-8 people. It goes great with any dish, but we love serving it with these Skinny Greek Turkey Meatballs or with this Ginger Soy Grilled Chicken!  

I hope you enjoy this healthy buttermilk ranch potato salad recipe! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite summer dish for backyard dining?

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