Crispy Gochujang Potato Salad (Smashed Baby Potatoes with Creamy Gochujang Dressing)

Smashed baby potatoes turn golden and crisp, then get tossed in a spicy, creamy gochujang yogurt dressing. Perfect summer side.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 1

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Calories: 180

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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For the Potato Salad

• 2 pounds baby yellow potatoes about 900 g; scrub clean
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 30 ml; California olive oil if available
• 4 whole Persian cucumbers about 240 g; diced
• 1 bunch fresh chives finely chopped for garnish
• to taste fine sea salt for the boiling water and final seasoning
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

For the Gochujang Dressing

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 240 ml; 2% or whole milk yogurt works well
• 1 medium shallot roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons gochujang Korean chili paste; add more to taste
• 2 tablespoons honey 30 ml; use maple syrup if you prefer
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 60 ml; tamari works for gluten-free
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 45 ml; unseasoned
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped

Method

 

Cook the Potatoes

1. Fill a large pot with water, add a generous amount of salt, and bring it to a rolling boil.
2. While the water heats, scrub the baby yellow potatoes well to remove any dirt.
3. Add the clean potatoes to the boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes, until fork tender. Avoid overcooking.
4. Drain the potatoes and rinse them under cold water until cool enough to handle.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the potatoes on it, leaving a few inches between each one. Use two sheets or work in batches if needed.
7. Using the flat bottom of a cup or jar, gently press down on each potato to smash it to about 1/2 inch thick.
8. Brush the smashed potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
9. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, flipping the potatoes about three-quarters of the way through, until golden and crispy.
10. Take the potatoes out of the oven and let them cool on the pan for a few minutes.

Make the Gochujang Dressing

1. While the potatoes cool, combine the Greek yogurt, shallot, gochujang, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and fresh ginger in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy, then taste and adjust the seasoning with extra salt, honey, or gochujang as needed.

Assemble the Salad

1. Rinse the Persian cucumbers and cut them into small dice.
2. Place the chopped cucumbers in a large bowl with the cooled crispy potatoes.
3. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and cucumbers and toss gently until everything is coated.
4. Sprinkle the chopped chives on top.
5. Serve immediately while the potatoes are still crisp.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 6gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 410mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7g

Notes

Press the potatoes to about 1/2 inch thick and leave space between them so they crisp evenly.

The dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead; keep it covered in the refrigerator.

Leftovers will soften overnight. To re-crisp, spread them on a sheet pan and warm at 425 degrees F for 5 to 7 minutes.

For a spicier dressing, stir in extra gochujang 1 teaspoon at a time.

For a dairy-free version, use thick plant-based yogurt and swap the honey for maple syrup.

Persian cucumbers add crunch, but English cucumbers or quartered baby cucumbers also work.

Best served warm or at room temperature right after assembling.

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Why You’ll Love This Crispy Gochujang Potato Salad

I’ve had one too many sad, soggy potato salads in my life. You know the ones. The kind that sit at a BBQ for hours, turning into a heavy, gloopy mess that nobody actually wants on their plate. This crispy gochujang potato salad is different, I promise.

This is the potato salad that gets *comments*. Golden, crunchy-edged smashed baby potatoes tossed in a creamy, spicy, slightly sweet gochujang dressing. It’s a “Korean potato salad” in the loosest sense of the term, borrowing the fermented chili paste for a serious flavor upgrade. If you’re tired of the same old potluck salads, this is your move.

It’s the sizzle of the first crispy potato hitting the spicy dressing, and the dramatic crunch after years of bland, boring bites. It works as a BBQ side recipe, a vegetarian side dish for your next Taco Tuesday, or just a spectacular weeknight upgrade to your dinner table.

Key Ingredients for Gochujang Potato Salad

Making a great gochujang potato salad comes down to a few key players. The best part? This isn’t a science project. You can find almost everything at your local Ralphs or Vons, with maybe one special trip to the international aisle. Here’s what you need to know:

• Baby Yellow Potatoes: These are the absolute MVPs. Golden potatoes cook faster and crisp up way better than russets. Their waxy texture holds up to the smashing and roasting without turning to mush.
• Gochujang (gochu-what?): It’s a Korean red chili paste. Imagine a miso with a gym membership. It’s spicy but fruity, savory, and fermented. You’ll find it in a red tub in the international aisle or online. Don’t be intimidated, it’s about to become your favorite condiment.
• Plain Greek Yogurt: This is the creamy heart of our potato salad dressing. It’s tangy, thick, and makes the whole thing feel light instead of heavy.
• Persian Cucumbers: They add a fresh, cool crunch that plays perfectly against the crispy potatoes. No need to peel them.
• Fresh Chives vs. Green Onions: Fresh chives bring a gentle oniony bite. Finely chopped green onions work beautifully here too, so use whichever looks best at the store.
• The Flavor Brigade: Shallot, fresh ginger, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a touch of honey. These build the dressing’s backbone through your blender, bringing heat, tang, and a savory depth.

For the dressing, you’ll notice we’re blending everything together. This is key. It emulsifies the soy sauce, vinegar, and honey into the yogurt so you get a smooth, creamy, brick-red spicy potato salad dressing in seconds. If you want to keep it dairy-free, use a thick plant-based yogurt and swap the honey for maple syrup. I won’t judge.

How to Make Crispy Gochujang Potato Salad

Let’s walk through the method. It’s broken down into four stages, and each one is pretty hands-off. The recipe card below has the exact measurements, so this section is all about the *why* and the *how* for perfect results.

Stage 1: Boil ‘Em. Fill a large pot with water and salt it generously. You want it to taste like the ocean. Scrub the baby potatoes clean and drop them into the rolling boil. You’re looking for fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Don’t overcook them, or they’ll fall apart when you smash them. Drain and rinse under cold water until they’re cool enough to handle, but not completely cold. This 5-minute cooling step is non-negotiable. If you try to smash steaming-hot potatoes, they turn to paste.

Stage 2: Smash and Roast. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the cooled potatoes. Now for the fun part. Use the flat bottom of a cup or jar and press down gently. You want each potato smashed to about 1/2 inch thick with craggy, rough edges. Those edges are exactly what’s going to turn golden and crispy in the oven. They need space! An overcrowded tray means steamed potatoes. Use two sheets if you have to. Brush them with a little olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, then roast for 45 to 50 minutes, flipping once about three-quarters of the way through.

Stage 3: Make the Gochujang Dressing. While those potatoes are roasting and filling your kitchen with the best smell, make the dressing. Toss the Greek yogurt, roughly chopped shallot, gochujang, honey, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, and fresh peeled ginger into a blender. Blend until it’s completely smooth and creamy. Taste it. This is when you adjust things. Need more sweetness? Add a drizzle of honey. Want more heat? Whisk in another teaspoon of gochujang. This dressing gets even better if you let it hang out in the fridge for a day or two. The flavors really meld together.

Stage 4: Assemble and Toss. Dice your Persian cucumbers into small chunks and add them to a large bowl. Once the potatoes are out of the oven and have cooled for a few minutes, add them to the bowl. Pour the dressing over everything and use a gentle hand to toss. You want the creamy spicy dressing to coat every nook and cranny, but you don’t want to break the potatoes apart. Sprinkle the chopped chives over the top. That’s it. This is best served immediately while those potatoes are still crisp.

Chef’s Tips for Extra-Crispy Potatoes

I’ve made this crispy gochujang potato salad more times than I can count, and I’ve made every mistake in the book. Here’s how to get perfect results, every single time:

• ❌ Not cooling the potatoes before smashing: They fall right apart and turn into a gluey mess. ✅ Solution: Cool them until you can handle them comfortably. It keeps the potato structure intact for smashing.
• ❌ Crowding the baking tray: The potatoes will steam rather than roast. Some might even get soggy instead of crispy. ✅ Solution: Give them personal space, people. A single layer with a few inches between each potato is the golden rule for crispy potatoes.
• ❌ Using russet potatoes: They cook slower, absorb too much water, and crisp up far less effectively. ✅ Solution: Stick with baby yellow potatoes or another golden variety. They’re the sweet spot for the perfect texture and flavor.
• ❌ Skipping the shallot and ginger: These add such an essential aromatic base to the dressing. ✅ Solution: Trust them. The punchy shallot and zingy fresh ginger are what make the gochujang potato salad dressing feel dynamic instead of just spicy.

What to Serve with This Potato Salad

Since it’s summer, this dish deserves a spot in your weekly rotation. It makes a killer side dish for outdoor grilling, but it’s so much more than that. It’s actually the perfect side to any of these main courses:

• Grilled Chicken: The spicy, tangy dressing cuts right through smoky, charred chicken thighs or breasts.
• Korean BBQ: This is a match made in heaven. Serve it alongside your favorite grilled meats.
• Burgers: Swap out your sad deli potato salad for this crispy, spicy version. Your burger will thank you.
• Picnic Spreads: For a potluck, you could also make a giant batch of these special potatoes. Place the assembled salad on a serving platter up to 4 hours ahead and cover it loosely. The dressing won’t get gloopy in the sun like a mayo-based salad.

Storage and Reheating Guide

So, you have leftovers. That’s great, but let’s be real: the texture is best on day one. Those crispy edges will soften overnight as they hang out in the fridge with the dressing.

For storing: Keep the salad covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. The dressing holds up well thanks to the yogurt.

To re-crisp: If you want to bring the crunch back, this is the trick. Spread the leftover crispy gochujang potato salad onto a sheet pan in a single layer. Warm it in a 425 degrees F oven for 5 to 7 minutes. You won’t get the full original crunch back, but you’ll get it close enough that you’ll eat the whole tray standing at the counter.

Make-ahead option: You can absolutely cook and smash the potatoes 1 day ahead and keep them in the fridge. You can also make the gochujang dressing up to 2 days ahead. Just keep them separate and assemble before serving for the best crispy texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Potato Salads to Try

If you’re obsessed with the crispy gochujang potato salad as much as I am, you’ll love exploring other adventurous takes. This dish really makes you look at sheet pan potatoes in a whole new light, turning a classic American side category into a globally inspired affair.

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to save it for your weekend cookout or picnic. And when you make it, I want to see those crispy bits! Tag me on Pinterest so I can check out your beautifully crunchy creation. It makes my whole day seeing you in the kitchen getting after it.

Let’s keep the inspiration flowing. You can discover more delicious ideas and save this recipe to your boards by checking out my Pinterest profile right here: follow along for more boldly flavored side dishes.

Source: Learn More About This Dish