Vegan Macaroni Salad

Enjoy my easy, creamy vegan macaroni salad, made with fresh, wholesome ingredients. Naturally gluten-free and perfect for picnics and barbecues, it delivers all the classic deli-style flavors you love—only healthier, thanks to its plant-based twist. The homemade dressing takes it to the next level, making it truly irresistible!

Making vegan macaroni salad without mayo really only requires a few extra ingredients, for a healthy, whole-foods based dish. Here is what I use:

🔪 How To Make Vegan Macaroni Salad

This is a fairly simple recipe that requires 3 main parts to be made, then mixed together and you’re done! Here is how I make my healthy vegan macaroni salad:

Cook The Pasta: I start by cooking the pasta according to the package directions. Once it’s done, I drain the noodles, rinse it under cold water, and add it to a large bowl.

Sauté The Sweet Pepper: While the pasta cooks, I sauté the chopped sweet pepper over medium heat with a bit of veggie broth (or oil) and a dash of salt. It takes about 5-7 minutes to get nice and soft.

Prepare The Veggies: While the pepper cooks, I place the celery, red onion, dill pickles, pickle juice, and black pepper in the large bowl, ready for mixing.

Make The Creamy Dressing: Next, I whip up the creamy dressing by blending all the dressing ingredients until it’s smooth and silky.

Combine Everything: I add the creamy dressing to the bowl with the pasta and veggies, then mix it all together. I taste it to adjust the seasoning—I usually need an extra ½ teaspoon of salt.

Chill The Salad: I place the salad in the fridge while I clean up, letting it chill so the flavors can fully marinate.

Garnish & Enjoy: Once it’s cold and ready, I garnish it with my favorite toppings and dig in!

📖 Variations 

Whenever I want to switch things up from this classic version, I make a few simple changes:

Gluten-Free Option: In order to make this a gluten free macaroni salad, all you need to do is use gluten-free pasta. For this cold-pasta recipe, I recommend choosing a gluten-free pasta that keeps its texture in the fridge and doesn’t get mushy. The only brand I’ve found that works is Bionaturae gluten free pasta.

Other Mix-Ins: You can definitely change this up to make it your own. The ingredients I use here are to capture that spot on deli flavor, but you can add in even more. Load up this vegan macaroni salad with vegetables, herbs, and more for added flavor and nutrition. Here are some of my top ideas:

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Olives
• Green onions
• Mushrooms
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Tomato
• Peas
• Fresh dill
• Fresh parsley
• Cubed or shredded cheese – plant based or standard
• Hard boiled eggs (this would make this a recipe for vegetarian macaroni salad)
• Meat eaters can add in chopped bacon, salami, or ham

🍽 Serving Suggestions

There are so many amazing dishes that go with my dairy free macaroni salad! I literally can have it with anything but generally, think picnics and barbecues. Here are some of our faves:

• High Protein Veggie Burgers
• Vegan Chicken Sandwich
• Vegan Pigs In A Blanket
• Veggie Hot Dogs
• Tofu Skewers
• Apple Walnut Salad

🧊 Storing And ♨️ Reheating

Refrigeration: I store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will be best to eat within 2-3 days, but safe to eat for up to 5. It will keep out of the refrigerator longer than the traditional mayo filled kind, but I don’t let it sit out for more than a few hours. Let’s be honest, chilled macaroni salad always tastes better than room temperature!

Freezing: I usually don’t freeze this dish as it won’t be quite as good once defrosted. The texture usually changes. I find it best to mix up the dressing and freeze that separately. When I am ready to serve, I simply defrost the dressing, give it another blend if it has separated, then mix with the pasta and veggies.

❓Recipe FAQs