★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
A Timeless Side Dish
This dill pickle macaroni salad is a yummy summer side dish! It's a classic, old-fashioned recipe that has withstood the test of time because it's perfect for potlucks, picnics, and backyard family barbecue.
It also makes a great dish to bring to an event since this recipe makes a large batch. Cut in half to feed fewer people.
Packs Well To-Go
Pack this mac salad to-go for lunches and day trips. Great for making ahead and taking to the beach, pool or on the boat.
Makes a great summer dish dish with dinner.
Enjoy this macaroni salad on it’s own or as a side for grilled chicken or BBQ.
Lightly Creamy
This pasta salad isn't super heavy. It's cool and lightly creamy with crisp vegetables and tender pasta tossed in a tangy avocado oil mayonnaise + sour cream dressing.
The dressing is made with healthier avocado-oil mayonnaise and pickle juice! So it's not super thick or overly sticky. It's lightly creamy, tangy and refreshing.
You can even adjust the amount of pickle juice to thicken or thin out the sauce.
Vegetarian or Add Protein
This pasta salad can be made with or without hard boiled eggs as a vegetarian dish or you can add meats such as ham or cubes of cheese.
Make it a Meal
Pair this creamy pasta salad with my Grilled Cajun Chicken Sandwiches for an easy summer meal.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Here's everything you'll need.
The Main Ingredients
- Macaroni pasta. Be sure to rinse after draining to remove some excess starch and thin out the texture.
- Celery. Slice thick or thin depending on how much crunch you want.
- Red onion. This is more mild than other onions but you could use a yellow or white onion; however, I would use half the amount and very finely chop.
- Green onion. Thinly slice these going from white all the way up to the green. Chop as well, if desired.
- Red bell pepper. Or choose any color you prefer. Green tends to be less sweet than the colored peppers.
- Dill pickles. I prefer the more gourmet pickles found in the fresh vegetable aisle but your typical dill pickles work well, too.
- Carrots. You can dice, grate, or shred these depending on how much crunch you like.
Dressing Ingredients
- Avocado mayonnaise. This is lower in calories, contains vitamins and fiber. It's a great healthier alternative to typical mayonnaise.
- Pickle juice. This is simply the juice found in the jar of pickles. There may be some garlic chunks, go ahead and add those in too!
- Dijon mustard. This adds a layer of flavor. You can add more or less to taste.
- Sour cream. This adds some tang and creaminess without so much greasiness which you can get using too much mayo.
- Finally, sugar and spices. Table sugar adds a hint of sweetness to balance out the vinegar of the pickle juice and just highlights the vegetables as well. Spice include: paprika, salt, pepper and garlic and onion powder are optional.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
Here's a snapshot of the steps involved to make this recipe.
Note: Adding hard-boiled eggs is optional but is a great way to boost protein.
- Cook and drain macaroni.
- Hard boil and chop eggs (if adding).
- Chop pickles.
- Chop remaining veggies and add to large bowl.
- Fold in the dressing ingredients and spices
- Chill to marinate and then serve.
The full recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions is below.
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Traditional mayo gives you that creamy, rich texture. Light mayo works but does introduce a tang that some like, some don't.
Using avocado oil mayonnaise reduces calories, adds vitamins as well as fiber and contains healthier fats (instead of trans and saturated fats). It's a bit pricier than regular mayo, the health benefits may be worth it.
Pickles add a tangy kick and a nice crunch to macaroni salad, which helps balance out the creamy dressing. They also give it that classic, familiar flavor a lot of people love. Not into pickles? You can totally swap them out for something like celery or olives.
If your macaroni salad isn’t creamy, the pasta might’ve soaked up the dressing—especially if you made it ahead of time or didn’t use enough sauce. Try mixing in a bit more mayo, milk, or even a splash of pickle juice just before serving. Also, make sure your pasta is cooked just right so it holds the dressing better. You want to undercook it slightly (by about 1 minute), known as al denté. This allows the pasta to absorb some dressing without over saturating the noodles.
★ More Pasta Salad Recipes ★
Looking for more side dish ideas?
Browse all my easy side dish recipes. Be sure to Pin your favorites for later!
This easy recipe for dill pickle macaroni salad was featured on South Your Mouth!
Creamy Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz macaroni pasta
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and diced
- 1 cup carrot diced or shredded
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup dill pickles diced
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
Dressing
- 1 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup pickle juice
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon sugar more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder optional or add to taste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder optional or add to taste
Optional Proteins
- 6 hard-boiled eggs sliced or chopped
- 1 cup diced ham
- 1 cup cheese* cubed
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Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package, al dente. Drain and then rinse with cold water. Set aside and let cool
- In a large bowl, combine red bell pepper, carrot, celery, dill pickles, red onion, and green onions.
- Add dressing ingredients: avocado oil mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, Dijon mustard, sugar, paprika, and salt and pepper (to taste). Gently fold to combine.
- (Optional) Fold in sliced hard-boiled eggs, ham and/or cheese cubes if desired.
- Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Toss right before serving.
Notes
- Pickle juice may contain pieces of garlic. Try to add those in when you add the brine. Those garlic pieces will add nice flavor!
- You may need a substantial amount of salt especially if you do not salt your pasta when cooking. Use your discretion. Add it at the end and sample bites until you get it just right for your liking.
- Add extra pickle juice to thin out the sauce as needed. Sauce will thicken as it marinates.
- *Choose any kind of cheese. Monterey jack, pepper jack, and cheddar all work well.
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