Olivier Salad: Classic Recipe and All the Variations | Costless
Olivier salad — the classic holiday recipe and all its variations
Olivier salad is the centerpiece of any holiday table. It's that big bowl that shows up at every celebration: tender, hearty, dotted with peas and juicy little cubes. We break down the classic Olivier recipe, the original "old-school" version, plus takes with chicken, sausage and red fish — and work out how much it costs today to make a full bowl for the whole family.
Olivier salad is a classic holiday salad made from boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs, green peas, pickled cucumbers and boiled sausage (or boiled chicken), dressed with mayonnaise. All the ingredients are diced into small, roughly equal-sized cubes and mixed with the dressing. The salad was created in the 19th century by the chef Lucien Olivier; it later became a traditional holiday dish in Ukraine and many countries across Europe.
Olivier at a glance: time, servings, calories
- Prep time: 30 minutes (boiling the vegetables)
- Cook time: 20 minutes (dicing and dressing)
- Servings: 8–10 (a large holiday bowl)
- Difficulty: easy
- Calories: ~190–250 kcal per 100 g (depending on the dressing)
- Cuisine: festive, international
What Olivier salad is, and a little history
Olivier is a salad of finely diced boiled vegetables, eggs and a meat component (sausage or chicken), brought together with a mayonnaise dressing. Its signature flavor is the combination of tender potato, sweet peas and the gentle tang of pickled cucumbers.
The salad is named after the chef Lucien Olivier, who created it in the late 19th century. The original recipe was far more refined than today's — made with game, crayfish tails and a special sauce, and it was kept secret for a long time. The recipe was later simplified to everyday ingredients, and it was in this "popular" form that Olivier became a must-have holiday dish in Ukraine and many countries across Europe.
Today almost every family has its own version of the salad: some add sausage, others boiled chicken or beef, fresh or pickled cucumber, an apple, or a heaping scoop of peas. It's exactly this variety that keeps Olivier a living culinary tradition rather than one fixed recipe.
Ingredients for classic Olivier
An approximate set of ingredients — for a large bowl (8–10 servings). This is the base lineup, easy to adapt to your taste.
The base
- Potatoes — 4–5 medium (about 500 g)
- Carrots — 1–2
- Chicken eggs — 5–6
- Canned green peas — 1 can (about 400 g)
Meat and cucumbers
- Boiled sausage (Doktorska style) or boiled chicken fillet — 300–400 g
- Pickled or marinated cucumbers — 3–4 (about 200 g)
Dressing
- Mayonnaise — 200–250 g (or a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream)
- Salt, ground black pepper — to taste
- Onion or green onion, fresh dill — optional
Classic Olivier: step-by-step recipe
The key principle of a great Olivier is that every ingredient is diced into small, equal-sized cubes, and the salad is dressed right before serving.
- Boil the vegetables and eggs. Wash the potatoes and carrots and boil them in their skins until tender (potatoes ~20–25 minutes, carrots ~20 minutes). Hard-boil the eggs (8–9 minutes). Cool and peel everything. It's best to boil the vegetables ahead of time and chill them — cold ones are easier to dice into even cubes.
- Dice the ingredients. Cut the potatoes, carrots, eggs, sausage (or chicken) and cucumbers into small cubes about 0.7–1 cm. The more even the dice, the more delicate the salad.
- Prepare the peas. Open the can of green peas and drain off the liquid. Let them drain well so the salad isn't watery.
- Combine everything. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, carrots, eggs, sausage, cucumbers and peas. Add finely chopped onion if you like.
- Dress it. Add the mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper to taste, and gently stir. Don't dress more salad than you'll eat at once — dressed Olivier keeps less well.
- Let it rest. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30–60 minutes — that's when the flavors come together. Garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
Tip: to keep the salad from going watery, lightly squeeze the brine out of the cucumbers after dicing, and let the peas drain thoroughly. Dress only the portion of Olivier you're serving — keep the rest of the ingredients diced and stored separately.
The original ("old-school") recipe
The classic Olivier of the late 19th century was substantially different from the holiday version we know. Instead of sausage, it used boiled game meat or hazel grouse, with crayfish tails, fresh lettuce, capers and olives, dressed in a complex sauce based on a Provençal mayonnaise. It was a haute-cuisine restaurant dish, not a home salad.
The simplified modern version came later, when the expensive ingredients were swapped for affordable ones — boiled sausage, ordinary cucumbers and ready-made mayonnaise. If you want to get closer to the original, replace the sausage with boiled chicken or turkey fillet, add a little fresh apple for a gentle tang, and dress it with a mix of mayonnaise and a spoonful of mustard.
Popular variations of Olivier
Olivier with chicken
The most popular "lighter" version: instead of boiled sausage, you use boiled chicken fillet (about 300 g). The salad turns out more delicate and less fatty. Boil the chicken in salted water with a bay leaf, cool it and cut into cubes.
Olivier with sausage
The classic "homestyle" version with boiled Doktorska sausage. This is the one most often made for the holidays — hearty, quick and familiar to everyone since childhood.
Olivier with red fish
A festive "premium" version: the sausage is replaced with lightly salted red fish (salmon, trout or pink salmon). The fish goes in instead of meat, and the amount of pickled cucumbers is reduced a little so it doesn't overpower the flavor. The mayonnaise is often mixed with sour cream.
Olivier with shrimp
Another festive option — with boiled shrimp instead of sausage. The seafood makes the salad lighter and more refined; a dressing of mayonnaise and lemon juice pairs well with it.
Tips for a perfect Olivier
- Even cubes. Cut all the ingredients to roughly the same size — that way the salad looks neat and tastes consistent.
- Cold vegetables. Only dice fully chilled potatoes and carrots — warm ones crumble and turn the salad into mush.
- Less moisture. Drain the brine from the cucumbers and the liquid from the peas, otherwise the salad will be watery by the next day.
- Dress in portions. Store the diced base and the mayonnaise separately, and combine them before serving — that keeps Olivier fresh for longer.
- Balance the dressing. Don't "drown" the salad in mayonnaise — add it gradually, just until the ingredients come together.
How much the ingredients for Olivier cost
Olivier is one of the most budget-friendly holiday dishes: vegetables, eggs and peas are inexpensive, and a single large bowl is enough for a big gathering. The priciest components are the meat (sausage or chicken) and the dressing, so those are exactly where it pays to look for good deals.
Prices for the same products vary significantly between chains and depend on the season — especially before the holidays, when peas, mayonnaise and sausage often go on sale. Before you head out shopping, compare prices at the supermarkets and find the best deals on the Costless deals page — we collect and update supermarket prices every week, so you see the real price on the shelf.
Here's the full basket of ingredients for classic Olivier — add it to your shopping list and compare the price of every product at the stores near you.
Tip: add the Olivier set to your favorites on Costless and turn on price-drop alerts — you'll catch a sale on sausage, peas or mayonnaise right before the holidays.
Frequently asked questions
What do you need for Olivier salad?
For classic Olivier you need boiled potatoes, carrots and eggs, canned green peas, pickled or marinated cucumbers, boiled sausage (or boiled chicken) and mayonnaise. Everything is diced into small cubes and dressed with mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
What is the original Olivier recipe?
The original recipe from the late 19th century was a restaurant dish with game, crayfish tails, capers and olives in a complex sauce. The modern home version is a simplified take, where the expensive ingredients were replaced with boiled sausage, ordinary cucumbers and ready-made mayonnaise.
What can replace the sausage in Olivier?
Most often the sausage is replaced with boiled chicken or turkey fillet — the salad turns out lighter. For festive versions, lightly salted red fish or boiled shrimp are used.
Which cucumbers go in Olivier — pickled or fresh?
Classic Olivier is made with pickled or marinated cucumbers — they give it that characteristic tang. Fresh cucumbers make the flavor milder, but the salad goes watery faster, so they're used less often and added right before serving.
How long does Olivier keep?
Olivier dressed with mayonnaise keeps in the refrigerator for no more than 24–48 hours. To keep the salad fresh longer, store the diced ingredients and the dressing separately and combine them before serving.
Can you make Olivier in advance?
Yes. Boil and dice all the ingredients the day before the holiday and store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Dress the salad with mayonnaise 30–60 minutes before serving — that way it stays fresh and isn't watery.
How many calories are in Olivier?
Classic Olivier with sausage and mayonnaise contains about 190–250 kcal per 100 g. A lighter version with chicken and a dressing of mayonnaise and sour cream is roughly 130–170 kcal per 100 g.
Planning a holiday table? Round it out with other dishes of Ukrainian cuisine — cabbage rolls and varenyky with various fillings.