That colour, that flavour, that crunch, that creaminess, that macaroni yumminess, that's what I call a delicious pasta salad! Super easy to make with just 10 ingredients and takes less than 20 minutes to prepare. This Easy Vegan Macaroni Salad is the perfect side dish for your BBQ, picnic, or potluck!
There are three keys to making the best vegan macaroni salad:
- Chop those veggies small! To make sure that each bite has a mix of flavours and texture, I like to finely chop all the veggies. This makes every bite equally delicious (no large random chunks of celery)!
- Don't use too much mayo. I love vegan mayonnaise, but the worst is when a macaroni salad is dripping in way too much of the stuff. I use about half the amount of mayo as a traditional recipe, which is the perfect amount to get creamy noodles, while still keeping the dish light and fresh tasting.
- Sweet gherkins. The final touch of flavour in this macaroni salad is using sweet gherkins and a splash of the gherkin juice. This adds the perfect amount of tang and sweetness that takes this macaroni salad to the next level without adding any sugar.
Now that you know the secrets you can make the best macaroni salad ever! This pasta salad can also be made gluten-free (just use gluten-free pasta noodles), and can be made oil-free too (see the recipe notes).
Now on to making this delicious side dish!
To Make Easy Vegan Macaroni Salad:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
In a large bowl mix together the vegan mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sweet gherkin juice, dijon mustard, and garlic powder. (I like to mix the dressing directly in the salad bowl to save dirtying an extra dish, but if you are preparing this recipe ahead of time then you might want to mix it in a separate small bowl, see notes).
Add the cooled macaroni noodles along with the red bell pepper, celery, red onion, and gherkins. Toss well to combine. Garnish with black pepper and parsley if desired. Serve fresh.
I love this easy vegan macaroni salad as a side dish along with my vegan seitan steaks, seitan burgers, or crispy breaded tofu steaks.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
10 ingredients and 20 minutes to make, this pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any BBQ, picnic, or potluck. Gluten-free and oil-free options.
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, (gluten-free if preferred)
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sweet gherkin juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- ¼ of a red onion (¼ cup), finely chopped
- 6 sweet gherkins, finely chopped
- black pepper and chopped parsley, (optional for garnish)
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
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In a large bowl mix together the vegan mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sweet gherkin juice, dijon mustard, and garlic powder. (I like to mix the dressing directly in the salad bowl to save dirtying an extra dish, but if you are preparing this recipe ahead of time then you might want to mix it in a separate small bowl, see notes).
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Add the cooled macaroni noodles along with the red bell pepper, celery, red onion, and gherkins to the bowl with the dressing. Toss well to combine. Garnish with black pepper and parsley if desired. Serve fresh. (See recipe notes if you plan on making this ahead of time).
Make-ahead tips: The dressing can get absorbed by the pasta if it rests for a while, so for the creamiest noodles prepare the dressing separately, then toss with the pasta and vegetables up to an hour before serving.
Vegan Mayonnaise: for a lower fat or oil-free version, sub the mayonnaise for ½ cup plain non-dairy yogurt or ½ cup of my vegan sour cream recipe from Fuss-Free Vegan (page 207).
Egg flavor: traditional macaroni salad often contains hard-boiled eggs. While I don't miss this flavour in this macaroni salad, if you would like to add it, simply add a pinch of black salt (also called kala namak) which has an eggy taste.
Nutrition
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Fantastic! My family loved this recipe and we will make it a staple from now on and it goes into the "binder"! Your very creative and smart on your recipes and I appreciate it!
I bought some soy curls and can't wait to get going on your recipes with that 🙂 Hoping you will come up with a burrito with soy curls. Blessings
Oh I love that idea!! Thank you so much, Pam! Thrilled you're enjoying my recipes so much 🙂
Love this! And I never liked macaroni salad before going vegan. I swapped sweet pickles for regular and added a touch of maple syrup the second time i made it but both ways are amazing! 10/10
So happy you enjoyed!
This was so good and easy to put together! I thought the dressing stayed nice without soaking in for a few days in the fridge.
OMG so yummy ! Thank you for such a flavourful salad. It was so easy to make. This will definitely be my go to macaroni salad.
Wonderful!! SO thrilled you loved it, Kate 🙂
Maria,
Thank you so much for your timely response. That was kind and professional of you. I assure you I had no intention that you provide me with advice on a "local situation". I attempted to say that I have difficulty finding vegan products in my area; I have, in fact, researched ad nauseam. I was simply asking (based on your expertise in vegan foods) if you might know of any easily obtainable, commonly known vegan pasta brands with which I am not aware---again, based on your expertise. I did not intend for you to supply information on a local situation. The comment on my limited resources is my problem. I was not asking you to solve that issue; rather, if you might know of a commonly known, easily obtainable product (not what area it might be found}.Another example where syntax in the written form does not definitively reflect the true meaning intended vs the verbal intonation. I must end with the fact I thoroughly enjoy your recipes (your vegan mozzarella to name one)
Hi Karen, I'm not associated with the website, sorry if that wasn't clear. I'm just another fan of the site!
This was so good and so nostalgic! My mother always put either sweet pickles or sweet relish in her mac salad. YUM!
Wonderful! So happy you loved it, Dottie 🙂
This will be my go to for pot luck! And for home. Thank you..Loved it..
Yay! SO happy to hear that 🙂
I do like your recipes;however, I have noted that some are not vegan (based on my understanding of vegan ingredients). I would like to make the "Easy Vegan Macaroni Salad", but macaroni shells are not vegan (egg ingredient making the shells). Please advise. I do ask that if you suggest vegan macaroni brands that may be bought in stores...I no longer live in a large city; rather, it is a podunk area which provides no "special" products. The closest possible city that might have vegan selections is a one hour one way drive. Please respond.
Hi Karen, it's great you're wanting to make sure that your ingredients are vegan. I don't think it's fair to expect a recipe creator to have answers for your local situation though. Sometimes we just have to do our own research to be sure that what we make using recipes meets our personal standards. In my experience, egg ingredients are not used in most pastas but one does definitely have to watch labels as sometimes they are!
Hi Karen, I've been vegan for 7 years and have written vegan recipes for about 6 years, so you can trust that my recipes are vegan. 🙂 Most dried pasta is vegan and doesn't contain eggs, just check the ingredients to be sure. (It's always a good idea to check the ingredients of anything you purchase as brands and ingredients of all food can vary). But you don't need to buy any kind of special brand of pasta. Almost all brands will be vegan. Hope that helps!