Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
If you want to have the most unique pasta salad at your spring or summer gathering, you need to make this insanely delicious dill pickle pasta salad. The dressing is creamy, tangy, and so flavorful with that pickle-punch and crunch we all love. Not to mention it’s a wildly colorful dish everyone will be raving about!
I am thrilled to finally share another fabulous pickle recipe for you! This easy dill pickle pasta salad recipe is not hard to make but PACKED with so much flavor.
If you’ve got a jar of pickles lying around (or one of my big dill pickle fans) try out my Homemade Dill Pickle Potato Chips (Air Fryer) or my Dill Pickle Hummus!
Ingredients
Ingredient notes:
- Dill pickles: I like to use whole dill pickle spears that are chopped into smaller pieces. You could also use baby dill pickles. Save some of the dill pickle juice to add more dill pickle flavor to the pasta!
- Spice: Garlic powder will add more flavor to this dish!
- Red onion: Make sure to finely chop this (you don’t want to eat a giant piece of onion in your pasta salad!)
- Red pepper: I love the addition of diced bell peppers in this dish. If you don’t like red, use another color like orange or yellow.
- Pasta: The type of pasta you use is really up to you! Choose a smaller pasta such as rotini, macaroni, or farfalle.
- Fresh dill: I HIGHLY recommend fresh dill for this recipe for great dill-y flavor. You can use dried dill, it’s just not quite as potent. (See recipe for the substitution amount)
- Mayo: This is the main part of our dressing ingredients. If you’re vegan, use a vegan version.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions or Swaps
- Try out another version of pickles like sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, or another local variation (I love to get some from the farmers market!).
- You can make this pasta gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta (available at most grocery stores).
- If you don’t have access to dill, you can use fresh parsley.
- Try white onion instead of red for a less potent onion flavor.
📝Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to boil and add your pasta. Cook to package instructions until al dente. Once it’s cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
Prepare your dressing in a small/medium sized bowl. Whisk together your mayo, tahini, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and pickle brine.
Step 2: In a large bowl combine your cooled pasta with your chopped pickles, red pepper, shredded carrot, red onion, feta cheese (optional) and fresh chopped dill. Pour the dressing over the top and gently mix until combined.
*Taste and add salt or pepper if desired. The pickles add quite a bit of saltiness already.
Step 3: You can serve right away or chill for 20-30 minutes. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
▶︎Pasta salad lovers will love this Tofu Pasta Salad with strawberries and balsamic or refreshing Pesto Orzo Salad and Quinoa Chickpea Salad!
❓Recipe FAQs
Store leftover dill pickle pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain its freshness and prevent it from absorbing other odors. Consume within 3-5 days for best quality.
Yes, you can use other types of pickles such as bread and butter pickles or spicy pickles to add a variety of flavor!
You can, but creamy pasta salads do not freeze well and are more likely to get soggy and the sauce will separate. Therefore, I do not recommend freezing this dill pickle pasta salad.
Yes, you can add other herbs such as parsley or chives. Fresh always taste best, if possible.
You can prepare most of the components, but wait to dress the salad until right before eating.
This salad is great for the spring and summer holidays, like Memorial Day! For more check out these fabulous Vegan Memorial Day recipes!
▶︎Serve this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad at your summer party alongside some delicious Southwest Black Bean Burgers or Buffalo Tofu Wrap! This is the BEST pasta salad that will surely be a hit amongst guests!
Pro Tips
- Add in other fresh veggies you like such as cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, zucchini (or other summer squash), or spinach/kale!
- Use a drippy, smooth tahini (not the kind that is thick at the bottom of the jar).
- Add more protein to this dish with the addition of chickpeas or white beans!
⇨ More Summertime Favorites ⇦
▶︎Try out this fresh and bright broccoli crunch salad that is great for spring or summer!
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Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
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Equipment
- Large pot for pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz small pasta of choice such as farfalle, rotini, penne
- 1/3 cup mayo (if possible, vegan)
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp pickle brine from jar
- 3/4 cup diced dill pickle spears
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles (optional) (dairy-free if vegan)
- 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and add your pasta. Cook to package instructions until al dente. Once it's cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.8 oz small pasta of choice
- Prepare your dressing in a small/medium sized bowl. Whisk together your mayo, tahini, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and pickle brine.1/3 cup mayo, 1/4 cup tahini, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 3 tbsp pickle brine from jar
- In a large bowl combine your pasta with your chopped pickles, red pepper, shredded carrot, red onion, feta cheese (optional) and fresh chopped dill. Pour the dressing over the top and gently mix until combined. *Taste and add salt or pepper if desired. The pickles add quite a bit of saltiness already.3/4 cup diced dill pickle spears, 1/2 cup shredded carrot, 1/2 cup diced red pepper, 1/2 cup diced red onion, 1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles (optional), 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- You can serve right away or chill for 20-30 minutes.Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
- You can use pickle spears or small dill pickles. Make sure to chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Other veggie additions: cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, zucchini (or other summer squash), or spinach/kale. You could even add chickpeas or white beans for more protein!
- Use a high quality, smooth tahini that isn’t clumpy.
Yum! We had beautiful weather yesterday and decided to grill some chicken and made this to go with it and it was a huge hit. Loved the addition of the feta cheese!
Hi Wendie! So glad your family enjoyed it 🙂 I love the addition of the feta too!!
It was amazing!
Thanks Liz!
So yummy! Makes me want to fire up the grill. This will definitely become part of my summer pasta dishes.
Thanks Lisa!! It is the perfect summer pasta salad!!
I’m on the fence when it comes to dill pickles, but my daughter LOVES them, so we made this dill pickle pasta salad together. She raved about it, and even I thought it was pretty good. She’s taking the rest to school for lunch tomorrow!
Aww I’m so glad your daughter liked it Sage! Thanks for your nice review!!
Both my husband and I are obsessed with dill pickles so making this recipe was a no brainer. I made it this past weekend and we ate the whole bowl between the two of us. So good! We will be making this again and again!
So happy to hear!! My husband and I loved it too!