You will love this spin on classic vegan macaroni salad! The absolutely perfect summer pasta salad. Ready in under 20 minutes and easily Allergen Free!
If you are a macaroni salad fan, then this vegan macaroni salad is going to be an instant hit. And no worries if you aren’t or aren’t sure, we are positive that we can drive you over to the macaroni salad loving fan club.
Macaroni salad is an iconic summer side dish staple. You will see it everywhere from main courses for family dinner when mom’s don’t feel like cooking to a staple at every family get together all summer long.
Fortunately, it’s pretty simple to make a vegan macaroni salad and there’s not much that you have to alter. It’s ready is just about 20 minutes or less and even better the next day, making it great for meal prep!
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Why You’ll Love This Dish
- Easy – This recipe only takes 20 minutes to make!
- Great for Meal Prep – this is one of those recipes that only gets better with time which is perfect for meal prep as you can make it 3-5 days in advance and use as needed
- Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly – this recipe is easily Top 9 Allergen Free which means it’s a great option to serve to everyone
🥘Recipe Ingredients
Gather your ingredients!
- Noodles – In the photos, we are using elbow noodles as it’s the traditional base for macaroni salad and holds sauce well; however, feel free to use your favorite shape. Note: that smaller noodles make more than larger ones.
- Sweet Pickles – We are sweet gherkins in this recipe because of the flavor balance
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Noodles – If you’d prefer, feel free to use gluten free noodles or even something like zucchini or sweet potato noodles if you’d like.
- Sweet Pickles – You can also use dill pickles or relish if you’d prefer that over sweet.
- Stretch this meal – Feel free to add more vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, red onions and more to this, or something like chickpeas, tofu or mushrooms would be a good addition if you like them to stretch this.
Step by Step Instructions for vegan macaroni salad:
Step 1. Cook your pasta according the package directions. When done drain and rinse until cold water, add to a large bowl and toss with the vinegar and oil.
While pasta is cooking, add dressing ingredients to a blender or cup of an immersion blender.
Step 2. Blend well until creamy and combined.
Step 3. Add dressing and remaining pasta ingredients into bowl with pasta.
Step 4. Stir well to combine. Add more salt and pepper as desired. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4-6 hours before serving for best results.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes. Use a gluten free pasta and a safe vegan mayo for you (try soy free Veganaisse) and this recipe will be top 9 allergen friendly.
Yes. Once made, let cool completely and you can store in an air tight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Yes, just make sure to use a large enough pot and bowl to hold all your ingredients.
No, we don’t recommend freezing this dish.
Other Vegan Pasta Salad Recipes to Consider:
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Did you make and love this recipe?
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Vegan Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad
- 2 qt water
- 2.5 tablespoon salt, for water only
- ½ lb macaroni noodles
- 2 tablespoon sweet pickle juice
- ¾ cup peas (can be frozen and thawed or fresh)
- ½ cup red onion, minced
- ½ cup celery, minced (about 2 ribs)
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ½-3/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- ⅓ cup sweet gherkins, diced
- ¼ cup scallions, thinly slices
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¼ tablespoon vegan sugar
- ¾ tablespoon lemon juice (can sub with apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire
- 2 tablespoon sweet pickle juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add water and salt to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add uncooked pasta and cook according the package directions. When done drain and rinse until cold water, add to a large bowl and toss with the sweet pickle juice.
- While pasta is cooking, add dressing ingredients to a blender or inside an immersion blender cup.
- Add dressing and remaining pasta ingredients into bowl with pasta and stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper as desired. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4-6 hours before serving for best results.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 6/19/2019 and updated on 6/18/2023.
Sue Crayne
Really good! Will definitely make again, for sure! I might try omitting the oil in the dressing next time, see how that works. SInce vegan mayo is mostly oil, I’d like to cut out some. 🙂
Larisha Bernard
So glad you enjoyed it!
Taylor M.
Fantastic recipe. Refreshing and filling. My cousin introduced me to this blog and it opened my world to my new favorite recipe. Very simple and tasty.
LarishaBernard
So happy that your cousin shared with you! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 We appreciate you taking time to leave your thoughts!
Jordan Garcia
YUM YUM YUM YUM!!!! I made this for a camping trip and it was delicious! Whatever was leftover, was on my lap for the ride home. Macaroni salad was my favorite side dish growing up – and this was the PERFECT vegan version! I absolutely loved the lemon-y taste and the crunchy veg! Even after the pasta was finished, I add all the saucy veggies by themselves. SO GOOD!! Thank you!!
LarishaBernard
We appreciate you so much for taking the time to leave a review and so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe.
Jordan Garcia
I’ve made this four times so far. I can’t stop!
LarishaBernard
We’re so happy to hear it’s a favorite!!!
Jen
Just finished making this. It’s our favorite macaroni salad recipe! I cook the pasta in the instant pot (1lb pasta on low for 4 min then a quick release). Added black olives, cherry/grape tomatoes & basil. First time I made it I only had about 1/8 c lemon juice. I used 1/8 c ACV. So delicious!!! Can’t wait to try the potato salad!
LarishaCampbell
OMG! Thank you for sharing! I’m soooo happy that you liked it. I appreciate you taking the time to let us know! And thanks for the tip on the IP!