Shake up your potato salad game with Papas a la Huancaina, a Peruvian potato salad with a flavorful cheese sauce that can be made with ingredients from any grocery store.

A blue platter filled with Papa a la Huancaina.

What is Papas a la Huancaina?

Papas a la Huancaina is a traditional Peruvian potato salad, named after the Huancayo region of central Peru. It consists of boiled, sliced potatoes smothered in a unique and flavorful cheese sauce. It can be served an an appetizer or side dish.

I first started making it about a decade ago, when I worked at a food magazine. I was assigned the task of developing a Papas a la Huancaina recipe that could be made with ingredients from an American grocery store.

I tested this dozens of time before it was published, in order to get the ratio of potatoes to sauce correct, as well as make sure the cheesy habañero-infused sauce was pleasantly warm, but not too spicy for the average diner.

The recipe below is the result of many months of work, and dozens of tests. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Why you’ll love this Peruvian Potato Dish

  • Potato salad with egg and bacon potato salad are great, but if you’re looking to shake things up this summer and try a truly different kind of potato salad, this is the one!
  • If you’re a fan of “Hot Ones” and want to try something with habañero pepper in it, this is the perfect dish to ease you into it. Papas a la Huancaina is not necessary HOT or even spicy, but you could say it has a pleasant “warmness” to it.
Ingredients on a wooden surface, including potatoes, lettuce, eggs, olives, lime, habanero pepper, cheese, garlic, chives, oil, salt and evaporated milk.

What is Papa a la Huancaina made of?

  • potatoes – yellow potatoes are what we want for this dish, because they cook up creamy but hold their shape well when boiled.
  • queso fresco – the primary ingredient in the Huancaina sauce.
  • lime juice – adds a touch of acidity to balance the richness of the cheese in the sauce.
  • garlic – just one clove will give the sauce great depth of flavor.
  • evaporated milk – this thins the sauce to a pourable consistency and adds a slight sweeteness.
  • olive oil – adds richness to the sauce.
  • habañero pepper – we’re using just a half of a pepper (and none of the seeds or membranes) to provide the sauce with its characteristic heat.
  • salt – for seasoning the potato cooking water and the sauce.
  • lettuce – used as a bed for the potatoes for serving.
  • hard-boiled eggs – a traditional garnish that adds a contrasting texture.
  • black olives – another traditional garnish that adds a briny flavor.
  • chives – an optional garnish that adds a mild onion flavor and touch of color.

How to Make Papa a la Huancaina

Four yellow pototoes in water in an orange Dutch oven.

1. BOIL. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just tender. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool slightly.

Before and after photos showing sauce for a Papa a la Huancaina recipe being made in a food processor.

2. SAUCE. While the potatoes are cooking, make the sauce by blending the lime juice, garlic, queso fresco, evaporated milk, oil, habanero and salt in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Before and after photos showing sliced yellow potatoes being arrange over lettuce on a blue platter.

3. ARRANGE. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Peel the potatoes, slice them and arrange them over the lettuce.

Before and after photos showing Peruvian potato salad being assembled on a blue platter.

4. FINISH. Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Garnish the dish with the eggs, olives and chives.

Peruvian Potato Salad Home Chef Tips

  • Wear rubber gloves when handling the habanero pepper, and do not touch your eyes or face!
  • Traditional Huancaina sauce is often made with an aji amarillo pepper, or aji amarillo paste, but habañero peppers are comparable and easier to find in American grocery stores, which is why we’ve used that here.
A blue platter filled with Peruvian potatoes.

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How to serve Peruvian Potatoes

Papas a la Huancaina can be served chilled, at room temperature or just ever so slightly warm (so, by the time you drain the potatoes and allow them to cool enough to slice them, they’ll be at a good temperature).

The traditional way to serve this Peruvian potato dish is to arrange the sliced potatoes over lettuce leaves, then pour the sauce over the potatoes. Traditional garnishes are a FEW slices of hard boiled egg and black olives, but not too many (but if you want to add more, be my guest).

This dish makes a great appetizer or side dish for grilled meats or fish, like flat iron steak or grilled sockeye salmon.

Or, serve it as part of a larger spread of Peruvian dishes, such as lomo saltado or pollo a la brasa.

A blue platter filled with Papas a la Huancaina.

Papa a la Huancaina Recipe storage

If you have leftovers, transfer them to a storage container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days. 

A blue platter filled with Papa a la Huancaina.

Papas a la Huancaina

Shake up your potato salad game with Papas a la Huancaina, a Peruvian potato salad with a flavorful cheese sauce that can be made with ingredients from any grocery store.
5 from 1 rating

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 pounds yellow potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
  • 8 ounces queso fresco roughly crumbled
  • ½ cup evaporated milk
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ habañero pepper seeded and roughly chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ head iceberg lettuce
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs peeled and sliced
  • ¼ cup pitted black olives halved
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Place potatoes in saucepan and cover with cold salted water by two inches; heat to boiling. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain; cool slightly.
  • In blender or food processor, blend lime juice, garlic, queso fresco, evaporated milk, oil, habanero and salt until smooth.
  • Arrange lettuce leaves on large serving platter. Peel potatoes and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and arrange over lettuce.
  • Drizzle sauce over potatoes; garnish with eggs, olives and chives.
Calories: 236kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 392mg, Potassium: 519mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 529IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 230mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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