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This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad recipe is a call out to all dill pickle lovers! It’s spicy, garlicky, creamy and the ultimate summer dish. Gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free option.
The Creamy Dill Cucumber Pasta Salad is a crunchy, salty cold salad and the perfect way to satisfy that dill pickle craving. It makes a great side dish as well as a main dish at your next potluck.
Table of contents
- All about this creamy, flavorful pasta salad
- What you need for Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- serving suggestions
- How to Store Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Substitutions and Variations
- Recipe FAQs
- Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad Recipe
All about this creamy, flavorful pasta salad
This easy recipe combines two of my favorite dishes: crunchy dill pickles and pasta salad. Anytime in my life I find an excuse to enjoy more dill pickles, I’m ready and this pasta salad is the perfect solution. It’s made with chopped dill pickles and dill pickle juice to take the flavor to the next level. Trust me – if you’re a fan of dill pickles, you’ll be happy with this.
It’s the perfect side dish for a summer picnic, barbecue, or potluck with family and friends! Heck, I’d even make it for a quick weeknight lunch. The veggies stay crisp in the fridge and the mayonnaise ensures the tender pasta stays creamy all week long.
What you need for Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This creamy pasta salad not only takes just 20 minutes to make, but it only requires 10 healthy ingredients. Here’s the rundown of the 4 building blocks of a delicious dill pickle pasta salad:
- Pasta: I personally make this pasta salad with gluten-free rotini or elbow macaroni pasta, but any shortened type of pasta works well (including wheat!).
- Dressing: Today we’re swapping out the Italian dressing for a creamy dressing made with my homemade vegan mayo, Dijon mustard, garlic, and a dash of pickle brine straight from the pickle jar for the ultimate dill flavor.
- Fresh herbs: The best dill pickle salad requires a healthy serving of chopped fresh dill and chopped fresh parsley.
- Crunchy Vegetables: I like to keep it simple and use a mixture of chopped dill pickle sticks, grated carrots and pickled red onions to really bring out the dill pickle flavor.
How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Cook Cook the noodles according to package instructions or until al dente. drain then the noodles wash Well, until it cools down.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing until well combined.
- Add to Add to the cooled noodles along with the cucumbers, carrots, pickled red onions, dill and parsley. Mix coat with the dressing. season Season to taste with additional salt if needed.
- surcharge immediately or cool for more than 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s cooking tips
- Choose the right cucumbers: As a dill pickle lover, I firmly believe that some brands are better than others. I prefer to make my own homemade pickles, but when I’m short on time, Grillo’s Pickles are my go-to for good quality store-bought pickles. They’re the best I’ve ever had by far.
- Short noodles work best. When making any of my pasta salad recipes, I would recommend using pasta like macaroni, rotini, bowtie pasta, or cavatappi. They hold the dressing better and look funnier 😉.
serving suggestions
Pasta salad is always a popular appetizer, side dish, and potluck favorite, but I regularly enjoy this dill pickle version as a main course. As a side, it pairs well with several main dishes like this Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich, Vegan BLT Sandwiches, or simple proteins like this Smoky Marinated Tofu or Easy Crispy Tofu.
If you’re looking for more plant-based potluck recipes, you’ll also love this Pesto Orzo Salad, Vegan Taco Pasta Salad, and Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Pie for dessert!
How to Store Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This pasta salad will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container or in the serving bowl covered with plastic wrap. Freezing pasta salad is not recommended. Similar to creamy-based pasta dishes, pasta salads with creamy dressing don’t freeze very well due to the changes in texture and consistency that occur during freezing and thawing. As a general rule of thumb, the best pasta salads are freshly made.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten Free Option: Opt for your favorite gluten-free short pasta instead of a wheat-based pasta.
- Oil-free option: Most vegan-friendly mayonnaises at the store are oil-based. If you’re oil-free, I highly recommend making my Easy Vegan Mayonnaise from scratch. It’s 100% oil-free and can be made with tofu or whole cashews.
- Soy Free Option: Many store-bought brands of vegan mayonnaise contain soy in the form of soy protein or soy oil. If you’re allergic to soy, buy a soy-free vegan mayonnaise or make my homemade vegan mayo with cashews instead of tofu.
- Veggie Variations: Swap out the grated carrot and pickled red onions for your favorite crunchy veggies. Try peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers or enhance the salty flavor even more with your favorite olives.
Recipe FAQs
Rinsing the pasta has several purposes. Firstly, it helps to cool the noodles quickly, thus reducing the preparation time. Second, it helps remove excess starch and prevents the noodles from sticking together when mixed with the rest of the ingredients. Rinsing cooked pasta is not always the right choice, but it is highly recommended when preparing pasta salad.
What you call “regular” pickles really depends on the region. Some people use the terms “dill pickles” and “regular pickles” interchangeably, while others mean “regular pickles” mean sweet cucumbers. In short, dill pickles are soaked in a brine made from herb dill and other savory spices and herbs that give them a unique flavor.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and want to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also appreciate if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
- 8th ounces Rotini, macaroni or other short pasta shapes*
- 2/3 Cup Easy Vegan Mayo (or Store Bought)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove of garlic grated or finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon brine liquid from the mason jar
- 2/3 Cup dill pickle sticks chopped
- 1/2 Cup grated carrots
- 1/4 Cup pickled red onions chopped
- 1/4 Cup chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley
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Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente according to package directions. Drain the pasta and rinse well with cold water until cool; put aside.
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Make the dressing: While the noodles cook, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, and brine in a large bowl.
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Combine: Add the cooled noodles to the bowl along with the cucumbers, carrot, pickled red onions, dill, and parsley. Mix well; Add more salt to taste if needed.
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Serving and storing: Serve immediately or chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta instead of wheat-based pasta.
Calories: 468kcalCarbohydrates: 48GProtein: 8thGFat: 25GSaturated Fatty Acids: 3GPolyunsaturated fat: 0.4GMonounsaturated fatty acids: 0.2GSodium: 593mgPotassium: 265mgFiber: 3GSugar: 3GVitamin A: 3278IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg
