Hands down the best Vegan Macaroni Salad, made with all the classic ingredients and tossed in a simple creamy sauce. This picnic-perfect dish is sure to be a hit at every potluck!
Macaroni salad is a must have at any cookout, barbecue or potluck, and today I’m going to share with you the absolute BEST vegan version. It’s incredibly creamy and flavorful, and is sure to be a hit at your next get-together!
Just like my Best Vegan Potato Salad, this Vegan Macaroni Salad is a classic summer dish that no one would guess is vegan.
It’s also ridiculously easy to make in less than 30 minutes. Chill for another 30 minutes (or longer, perfect for make ahead!) and you’re good to go.
Ingredients needed
In my perfect vegan macaroni salad, the main ingredients are:
- Elbow noodles – Feel free to use gluten free if needed.
- Celery
- Red bell pepper
- Red onion – May leave it out if you aren’t a fan.
- Fresh dill – This is such a yummy addition, but you can leave it out if needed, or use parsley instead.
- Sweet pickles – Or sweet pickle relish.
- Easy creamy dressing – Vegan mayo, sweet pickle juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard and garlic powder.
How to make vegan macaroni salad
First, cook the noodles. Drain and rinse with cold water, then add to a large bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and stir gently, so the noodles don’t stick together.
Finely chop all the vegetables and add to the bowl with the noodles. Make the simple dressing in a medium bowl by whisking the ingredients together, then pour into the bowl with the noodles and vegetables.
Toss until everything is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors can mingle together. Stir once more before serving.
How long will macaroni salad keep?
Macaroni salad will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, in a covered container. It’s the perfect make ahead potluck dish!
Serving suggestions for vegan macaroni salad
Looking to have a backyard cookout with all vegan options? Try any of the following recipes:
- Vegan Steak
- The Best Vegan Baked Beans
- Vegan “Chicken” Kebabs
- Vegan Chicken – Make it barbecue style!
- Sticky BBQ Tempeh Ribs
- BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork
More potluck perfect vegan salads
- Vegan Egg Salad
- Vegan Chicken Salad
- Vegan Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Classic Vegan Coleslaw
The Best Vegan Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces macaroni noodles
- 2 ribs celery, minced
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, minced
- 1/4 small red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped sweet pickles (or sweet pickle relish)
- 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
Creamy Dressing
- 1 cup vegan mayo
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons mustard (yellow or dijon)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- few shakes black pepper
- tiny pinch garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare the macaroni noodles according to package instructions, then immediately rinse well with cold water. Add the drained noodles to a large bowl and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and stir, so the noodles don't all stick together.
- Finely chop the celery, red bell pepper, red onion, dill, sweet pickles and add them to the bowl with the noodles.
- Make the dressing: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over your macaroni salad ingredients and toss until everything is well coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes if you can to allow the flavors to meld together. It will keep for 4-5 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. Stir before serving and enjoy!
Notes
- I used regular macaroni noodles, but you can make this gluten free if needed by using gluten free pasta.
- Feel free to leave out any vegetables you don’t like, such as the celery, red onion or red bell pepper.
- Instead of apple cider vinegar, you may use red wine vinegar. Or lemon juice if you can’t have vinegar.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published June 2019 and has been updated with an improved recipe that is easier and tastier!
I love macaroni salad but hate making it because I always mess it up. This is simple and turned out great.
I omitted the bell peppers and added some frozen peas. I had some tofu cashew mayo I needed to use up, and I added some black salt for some eggy flavor.
So good! I will make this again and again!
We love this salad. Wonder what you serve with it…
Hi, how much dill would I use if I have only dried?
Perhaps a teaspoon or so of dried dill.
My go-to recipe for vegan gluten free Mac salad. Delicious and refreshing! My non-celiac omnivore family members love it as much as I do. Thank you Nora!
You bet, Tina! I’m happy to hear you and your family love the Macaroni salad recipe! Thanks for sharing your awesome review and feedback!
Delicious! Tastes like a nicer, fresher version of the grocery store macaroni salad I ate as a kid. This would be a crowd pleaser for a Fourth of July picnic 😋
Perfect for a picnic! Thanks for your great review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Fantastic recipe! Made twice today, once for my mother and her guests and it was so good, I made it for my family. Didn’t change one thing! It was excellent!
Hi Nathalie. I’m so glad you loved the macaroni Salad! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Absolutely fabulous! I don’t know how you updated this recipe, but brava! I followed this to the letter (except for adding raw onion) and it was easy & fast to assemble and tasted great. In the past, I remember it being good the night of, but really yummy later, like it needed to marinate. This macaroni salad was perfect from the first bite! I think the earlier version had pickle juice added twice, in the dressing and in the pasta mix. I was frustrated because I was buying pickles almost soley for the juice. This version is more affordable, less wasteful, and tastes better. So, it’s s win-win for Nora and your happy followers! I’ll be making your mac salad all summer:)
I made this for a vegan potluck and everybody liked it! Thank you so much for the consistently delicious and easy recipes!
Thank you, Gira, for your wonderful review and feedback! I’m so glad you are loving the macaroni salad! I appreciate you using my recipes, and wish you happy cooking!
OMG!!! Since going plant based 2 years ago, i have been looking for recipes that mimic some of the favorites from the past. I saw this recipe and since I have been craving Mac salad, I thought I’d give it a try. This is the best ever Mac salad I have ever made! Soooo much better than those at the burger joints we used to go to!! Thank you so much for your tireless work to make old favorites healthy!!
You are welcome, Regina! Thank YOU for your words of kindness – they made my day! I am thrilled that you loved the macaroni salad! I appreciate your awesome review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi Nora, I am absolutely excited to try out this fun spring/summer picnic classic! I only have dried dill weed though and I was wondering what measurement I should use since 1/4 c of fresh dill makes quite a difference. I appreciate your feedback and all of your recipes. My boyfriend and I have made quite a few from your awesome website and we have loved them all!
I hope you love it! I would use only 1-2 teaspoons of dried dill. Thank you!
Just made, so good. Love you, Nora. Have been making your recipes for years; thank you so much for making good food so simple.
Aw thank you so much!
My go to macaroni salad! Love the flavor.
I changed it a bit:
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
2 red and/or yellow bell peppers
Really delicious. Thanks Nora!
I’m glad you love the salad, and appreciate you sharing your recipe update ideas! Thanks for your wonderful feedback! Happy cooking!
Awesome recipe! It tastes great. I added carrots to substitute for the bell pepper and I didn’t add the sugar and it came out just right for my taste. Will happily make again!
Thank you for the wonderful feedback and review, Maiya!
Delicious! I did substitute sweet pickle juice for dill pickle juice because that is all I had in the fridge. My whole family loved this recipe.
Hi Karen. How awesome the recipe was a hit with your family! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback!
I absolutely HATE sweet pickles and was worried I wouldn’t like this recipe. It’s absolutely delicious! Definitely a trust the process moment. I swapped the red onion for shallot (my grocery store was out of decent looking red onions) and it worked out great. Might add some shredded carrots next time. This was a crowd pleaser for vegans and non-vegans (myself!) alike.
Hi Anita. I’m glad you tried the recipe and loved it! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback!
This dish was a huge success. We made it tonight for a family dinner and my non vegan in-laws loved it so much they asked to take home the leftovers! This will definitely be on repeat.
How wonderful the salad was a hit! Your wonderful feedback and review is so appreciated! Thank you!
Nora,
Once again I was not disappointed, nor was 60 other vegans at an annual picnic!!
Thank you! Cara
Hi Cara! That salad fed a crowd! How awesome! Thank you for your great review and feedback!
This has become a staple over the years. It is so easy. So delicious. I make it ahead of time and let the flavours mingle! I also double the fresh dill. Love love love this recipe.
Hi Erica. Thank you for your fabulous review and comments! How wonderful you are loving the salad! Happy cooking!
This is the best macaroni salad I’ve ever made, vegan or not: not too saucy and just the right amount of crunch and flavor. It will be a regular at our family get-togethers.
This recipe is SO good I’ve made it 4 times in 2 weeks! I first tried in the night before hubby and I went on a road trip and was surprised how moist it stayed (normally the pasta absorbs the dressing and it’s left looking oily). Actually I made a double batch for our trip once hubby taste tested it.
The only thing I did differently was use garlic pickles since that’s the only kind we ever buy and it was DELICIOUS!!!
I’m going to make the same base and use chickpeas and baby potatoes f9 a potato salad. Another winner!
Hi Michelle. I’m thrilled you loved the salad! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!