Korean Potato Salad

Korean potato salad (gamja salad) served on a plate with arugula, featuring creamy mashed potatoes with apples, carrots, cucumber, and egg

If you’ve ever sat down at a Korean table filled with banchan, you’ve probably spotted it—that humble scoop of potato salad tucked among all the vibrant little side dishes. Familiar, yet somehow completely different.

The first time I tried it was at Makchang Dodook, and I was instantly hooked. It was creamy, slightly sweet, and had this unexpected crunch from fresh ingredients that made it so addictive. Since we do Korean BBQ at home all the time, I had to recreate it—and now it’s a regular on our table.

Close-up of Korean potato salad with chunks of potato, apple, cucumber, and carrot on a bed of greens

Korean potato salad, or gamja salad, is a creamy, slightly sweet, and beautifully textured side dish made with fluffy potatoes, tender-crisp carrots, crunchy apples, and sometimes even more fun add-ins depending on the household. It’s soft—almost like mashed potatoes—but with little bites of freshness and crunch in every spoonful.

Serve it just like any other banchan alongside rice and mains, or scale it up and let it shine as a larger side dish for gatherings (it disappears fast).

Creamy Korean potato salad with soft mashed potatoes, crunchy apples, cucumbers, and carrots served as a banchan side dish

💡 Feel free to experiment with your own additions to this Korean potato salad—sweet corn adds a pop of sweetness, while ham or even macaroni elbows can make it heartier.

Korean Potato Salad Recipe

Yield
4-6 servings

Prep Time
15 mins

Cook Time
10 mins

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Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, cut into thin slices
½ cucumber, thinly sliced
½ small onion, diced
2 large hard-boiled eggs
1 red apple (I always use fuji apple)
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
optional add ons: ½ cup corn kernels and cubed ham

Instructions

Step 1. Cook the potatoes and carrots.

Steam or boil the potatoes until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. If boiling, add the carrots during the last 8 minutes of cooking. If steaming, you can steam the potatoes and carrots together until tender.

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, cut into thin slices

Steaming cubed potatoes and sliced carrots in a pot until fork-tender

Step 2. Salt the vegetables.

While the potatoes are cooking, sprinkle salt over the cucumber and onion. Let them sit for about 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture.

½ cucumber, thinly sliced
½ small onion, diced

Sliced cucumbers and diced onions sprinkled with salt to draw out moisture

Step 3. Cool the cooked vegetables.

Remove the potatoes and carrots from heat and let them cool slightly until easy to handle.

Cooked potatoes and carrots draining in a colander and cooling slightly

Step 4. Prepare the cucumber and onion.

Rinse lightly to remove excess salt, then squeeze out as much water as possible using paper towels. This keeps the salad from becoming watery.

Hands squeezing salted cucumber and onion in paper towels to remove excess water

Step 5. Prepare the eggs.

Separate the egg whites and yolks. Chop the egg whites into small pieces. In a separate bowl, mash the yolks with a fork until fine and fluffy.

2 large hard-boiled eggs

Chopped egg whites and mashed egg yolks in separate bowls for Korean potato salad

Step 6. Mix the salad.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, cucumber, onion, apple, and mayonnaise. Add the chopped egg whites and gently mix until combined. Lightly mash the potatoes as you mix if you prefer a softer, fluffier texture. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

1 red apple
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Mixing potatoes, carrots, cucumber, onion, apple, and mayonnaise in a bowl

Step 7. Finish and serve.

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the mashed egg yolks on top for garnish.

Korean potato salad topped with fluffy mashed egg yolks on a serving plate

Step 8. Storage.

Store Korean potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Since it contains mayonnaise, it’s best kept chilled and shouldn’t be left at room temperature for extended periods.

Tips for Success

Steaming the potatoes helps prevent excess moisture, giving you that soft, fluffy consistency without becoming watery.

Don’t skip salting the veggies: This step draws out moisture from the cucumber and onion so your salad stays creamy, not soggy.

Squeeze well: Really press out as much liquid as you can from the cucumber and onion—this makes a big difference.

Mash to your liking: For a more traditional texture, lightly mash the potatoes while mixing so it’s soft and scoopable, almost like a chunky mash.

Balance the sweetness: The apple adds natural sweetness, so taste before adding anything extra—every apple is a little different.

Make it ahead: This salad actually tastes better after a few hours in the fridge once the flavors meld together.

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