Dairy Free Macaroni Salad
Creamy, crunchy and incredibly easy to make, this dairy free macaroni salad is perfect for summer BBQs and potlucks! Crowd pleasing and wonderfully classic, it’s loaded with colorful veggies, elbow pasta and the perfect simple dressing. Egg free, gluten free and vegan options included.
Delightfully classic and oh-so-easy to pull together, this delicious dairy free macaroni salad is sure to be on repeat all summer long.
And it’s not hard to see why:
- We have loads of colorful, crunchy fresh veggies.
- Perfectly al dente noodles.
- And a creamy yet light dressing that has just the right touch of sweetness and tang.
All combining into a fantastic simple side that pairs wonderfully with just about any picnic or BBQ fare.
How To Make
So, let’s chat about how this easy dish goes down:
Cook pasta. First up, we’ll boil some elbow macaroni until al dente, then drain and rinse well with cold water.
Combine with mix-ins. We’ll add the pasta to a large bowl, along with lots of assorted veggies.
Whisk dressing. Next, we’ll quickly mix together a simple dressing made with mayo, vinegar, maple syrup and seasonings.
Toss together. Finally, we’ll give everything a good mix and then pop the salad in the fridge to chill for several hours before enjoying.
Tips & Tricks
- To cut down on the overall recipe time, get the pasta going first. Then prep all the other ingredients while the water boils and the noodles cook.
- As for the veggies, you’ll need about 1 small bell pepper, about 2 medium carrots, about ½ of a small onion and about 2 to 4 small celery stalks to get the listed amounts.
- Feel free to adjust anything in the pasta salad to your taste. Add more veggies or tinker with the dressing. It can easily be customized as desired.
How To Store
Fridge: The salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
This is also one of those dishes that I find tastes best the second day (after the flavors have really had time to meld). Making it fantastic to prep in advance.
Finally, because the dressing is mayo based, please do not leave the salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours for food safety reasons. And make sure it’s less than 1 hour if outside in the heat.
Additional Dairy Free Side Dish Recipes:
- Dairy Free Italian Pasta Salad
- Dairy Free Coleslaw (No Mayo)
- Dairy Free Potato Salad (No Mayo)
- Dairy Free Broccoli Salad
- Mexican Bean Salad
- Summer Veggie Quinoa Salad
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Dairy Free Macaroni Salad
Creamy, crunchy and incredibly easy to make, this dairy free macaroni salad is perfect for summer BBQs and potlucks! Crowd pleasing and wonderfully classic, it’s loaded with colorful veggies, elbow pasta and the perfect simple dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni (gluten free if needed)
- ¾ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- ¾ cup grated carrot
- ¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 cup dairy free mayo*
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, rinse well with cold water, then add to a large bowl.
- To the bowl, add the bell pepper, carrot, peas, onion and celery. Toss to combine then set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt, pepper and garlic powder until smooth. Taste and adjust any of the flavorings as desired (i.e. more vinegar, more maple syrup, etc.).
- Pour the dressing into the bowl with the pasta and toss until well combined. Taste and season with additional salt / pepper as needed (I usually add about ¼ to ½ teaspoon more salt).
- Cover and allow to chill in the fridge for at least several hours. Give the pasta a good stir then enjoy!
Notes
*While most mayo is dairy free, please be sure to double check the ingredients just in case.
To keep the salad egg free / vegan - use egg free / vegan mayo.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 329mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Made this salad for a quick weekday lunch, turned out nicely and loved both flavour and texture. It’s very convenient for a lunch on the go. Only addition I did, was to top with some grated vegan cheese https://violifefoods.com/. Will definitely keep the recipe!
So happy you enjoyed Jenniffer! Love the idea of adding the violife cheese – that’s our favorite brand 🙂