Here is my favorite French potato salad with green beans, featuring tender fingerling potatoes, crisp green beans, and a tangy Dijon vinaigrette with shallots, garlic, and plenty of fresh herbs.
This potato salad is what I bring to every summer potluck and backyard barbecue. It’s lighter than the mayo-heavy versions, and the combination of warm potatoes soaking up that mustardy dressing is just perfect. Plus, it actually gets better after sitting for a bit, which makes it ideal for making ahead.
Why You’ll Love This French Potato Salad with Green Beans
- Light and refreshing – Unlike mayo-heavy potato salads, this French-style version uses a tangy Dijon vinaigrette that keeps things fresh and won’t weigh you down.
- Simple ingredients – You probably have most of these pantry staples on hand already, and the fresh ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store.
- Perfect for gatherings – This dish can be served warm or at room temperature, making it ideal for potlucks, picnics, or backyard barbecues where you don’t have to worry about keeping it chilled.
- Ready in under an hour – From start to finish, you’ll have this flavorful side dish on the table in less than an hour, making it great for weeknight dinners or last-minute entertaining.
- Healthier option – Packed with vegetables and dressed with olive oil instead of mayonnaise, this potato salad gives you all the satisfaction with better-for-you ingredients.
What Kind of Potatoes Should I Use?
Fingerling potatoes are ideal for French potato salad because they hold their shape beautifully after cooking and have a naturally buttery, creamy texture. You can find them in different varieties like Russian Banana, French Fingerling, or Purple Peruvian – any of these will work great. If you can’t find fingerlings at your grocery store, small Yukon Gold or red potatoes make excellent substitutes since they’re also waxy potatoes that won’t fall apart when tossed with dressing. Just cut them into bite-sized pieces so they’re similar in size to fingerlings, and you’ll get the same delicious results.
Options for Substitutions
This French-style potato salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:
- Fingerling potatoes: You can use baby potatoes, new potatoes, or even Yukon golds cut into bite-sized pieces. Just keep the skin on for that classic French potato salad look and texture.
- Sherry vinegar: If you don’t have sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar work great. You could even use apple cider vinegar, though it’ll give a slightly different flavor profile.
- Dijon mustard: Whole grain mustard makes a nice substitute and adds some texture. Regular yellow mustard will work in a pinch, but use a bit less since it’s milder.
- Shallot: No shallots? Use the white part of a green onion or a small amount of red onion (about 2 tablespoons minced) for a similar mild onion flavor.
- Green beans: Fresh green beans are best here, but frozen will do if that’s what you have. Just thaw them first and reduce the cooking time slightly since they’re already blanched.
- Fresh herbs: While fresh parsley and thyme really make this dish shine, you can use dried herbs if needed – just use about 1/3 of the amount called for.
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking
The biggest mistake with potato salad is adding the dressing to cold potatoes – warm potatoes absorb the vinaigrette much better, so toss them with the dressing while they’re still hot for maximum flavor.
Overcooking your green beans will leave you with mushy, dull vegetables instead of crisp, bright ones, so keep a close eye on them during that 1-2 minute blanching time and immediately drain them when they’re tender-crisp.
Many people cut their potatoes before boiling, but cooking them whole (or halved if large) prevents them from getting waterlogged and falling apart – just slice them while they’re still warm after draining.
Finally, don’t skip the chilling time, as this salad tastes best when the flavors have had time to blend together in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
What to Serve With French Potato Salad?
This French potato salad is perfect alongside grilled chicken, steak, or fish since the tangy Dijon dressing complements just about any protein you throw at it. I love serving it at summer cookouts with burgers or hot dogs, or even as part of a picnic spread with rotisserie chicken and crusty baguette. It’s also great on its own as a light lunch, maybe with some sliced hard-boiled eggs on top for extra protein. Since it’s already got green beans mixed in, you don’t need much else, but a simple tomato and cucumber salad on the side never hurts if you’re feeding a crowd.
Storage Instructions
Store: This potato salad actually gets better after sitting for a few hours as the flavors meld together. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just give it a good stir before serving since the dressing might settle a bit at the bottom.
Make Ahead: You can totally prep this salad a day in advance, which makes it perfect for potlucks or picnics. The green beans and potatoes will soak up all those delicious flavors overnight. Just wait to add the fresh herbs until right before serving so they stay bright and fresh.
Serve: This salad is great served cold or at room temperature. If you’ve had it in the fridge, let it sit out for about 20 minutes before serving to take the chill off. You might want to drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over it if it looks dry after storing.
| Preparation Time | 20-30 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 20-30 minutes |
| Total Time | 40-60 minutes |
| Level of Difficulty | Medium |
| Servings | 6 servings |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 1150-1300
- Protein: 20-25 g
- Fat: 60-70 g
- Carbohydrates: 140-155 g
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil (I use California Olive Ranch for its peppery finish)
- 4 tbsp dijon mustard (I prefer Maille for a true French flavor)
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves (freshly minced for best flavor)
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the vegetables:
- 2.25 lb fingerling potatoes (cut into 1/2-inch thick coins)
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 0.6 lb green beans (trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1/4 red onion (thinly sliced into half-moons)
- freshly ground black pepper
Step 1: Prepare the Vinaigrette and Mise en Place
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves, freshly minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 0.6 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
Whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, minced shallot, minced garlic, and salt in a bowl until fully emulsified.
This dressing should be made ahead so the flavors can meld together.
While the vinaigrette sits, prep all your vegetables: trim and cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces, thinly slice the red onion into half-moons, chop the fresh parsley and chives, and measure out the fresh thyme leaves.
Having everything ready before cooking ensures the hot potatoes will be dressed while still warm, which allows them to absorb the vinaigrette’s flavors more effectively.
Step 2: Cook the Potatoes and Green Beans
- 2.25 lb fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick coins
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 0.6 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the salt and fingerling potatoes cut into 1/2-inch thick coins.
Boil for about 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork—they should be cooked through but still hold their shape.
In the final 1-2 minutes of cooking, add the green beans to the same pot so they cook briefly and stay bright green and crisp-tender.
Drain everything immediately in a colander and return to the warm pot.
Step 3: Dress the Hot Vegetables
- cooked potatoes and green beans from Step 2
- vinaigrette from Step 1
While the potatoes and green beans are still warm, pour the vinaigrette from Step 1 over them and gently toss to combine.
I find that dressing hot vegetables allows them to absorb the flavors much more deeply than if you wait for them to cool.
Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the potatoes can soak up the vinaigrette, then transfer to a serving bowl.
Step 4: Finish with Fresh Herbs and Garnishes
- dressed salad from Step 3
- fresh parsley, thyme, and chives from Step 1
- sliced red onion from Step 1
- freshly ground black pepper
Once the salad has cooled to room temperature, fold in the fresh parsley, thyme, chives, and sliced red onion from Step 1.
Gently mix everything together so the herbs and onions are evenly distributed without breaking the potatoes.
Taste the salad and season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
I like to add the herbs at this point rather than earlier because their fresh flavor stays more vibrant when not exposed to the warm vinaigrette for too long.
Step 5: Chill and Serve
Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours) before serving to allow all the flavors to meld together and the salad to chill completely.
Give it a gentle stir before plating, adding any additional pepper to taste if desired.
Irresistible French Potato Salad with Green Beans
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil (I use California Olive Ranch for its peppery finish)
- 4 tbsp dijon mustard (I prefer Maille for a true French flavor)
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves (freshly minced for best flavor)
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the vegetables
- 2.25 lb fingerling potatoes (cut into 1/2-inch thick coins)
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 0.6 lb green beans (trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1/4 red onion (thinly sliced into half-moons)
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, minced shallot, minced garlic, and salt in a bowl until fully emulsified. This dressing should be made ahead so the flavors can meld together. While the vinaigrette sits, prep all your vegetables: trim and cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces, thinly slice the red onion into half-moons, chop the fresh parsley and chives, and measure out the fresh thyme leaves. Having everything ready before cooking ensures the hot potatoes will be dressed while still warm, which allows them to absorb the vinaigrette's flavors more effectively.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the salt and fingerling potatoes cut into 1/2-inch thick coins. Boil for about 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork—they should be cooked through but still hold their shape. In the final 1-2 minutes of cooking, add the green beans to the same pot so they cook briefly and stay bright green and crisp-tender. Drain everything immediately in a colander and return to the warm pot.
- While the potatoes and green beans are still warm, pour the vinaigrette from Step 1 over them and gently toss to combine. I find that dressing hot vegetables allows them to absorb the flavors much more deeply than if you wait for them to cool. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the potatoes can soak up the vinaigrette, then transfer to a serving bowl.
- Once the salad has cooled to room temperature, fold in the fresh parsley, thyme, chives, and sliced red onion from Step 1. Gently mix everything together so the herbs and onions are evenly distributed without breaking the potatoes. Taste the salad and season generously with freshly ground black pepper. I like to add the herbs at this point rather than earlier because their fresh flavor stays more vibrant when not exposed to the warm vinaigrette for too long.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours) before serving to allow all the flavors to meld together and the salad to chill completely. Give it a gentle stir before plating, adding any additional pepper to taste if desired.
