Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad Recipe
This dill pickle macaroni salad recipe is a great side dish for a cookout, barbecue, or party – a great recipe using pickles & macaroni noodles, and a briny and delicious dressing! If you’re wondering what you can make with pickles, look no further than this fun twist on a classic macaroni salad recipe.
A pickle-lover side dish that the whole family will love. This recipe is great for a crowd, especially for summer entertaining!
Want more easy macaroni salad recipes? Try our vegan Hawaiian macaroni salad, our macaroni salad with Greek yogurt, and our favorite Amish macaroni salad recipe.
This Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad Recipe is probably my most Midwestern recipe yet! It’s a mashup of two of my favorite summer staples: macaroni salad and fresh dill pickles from the garden.
Our garden cucumbers have exploded this year, and every day I’m picking a few that are ready for harvest.
We’ve made these delicious dill garlic pickles a few times this summer already, and they are perfect for this creamy summer pickle pasta salad. This recipe is also perfect for those few extra pickles in the jar, and is a great summer appetizer or side dish.
Recipe Notes From Our Kitchen
- This pickle Macaroni Salad is bright, fresh, briny, and crunchy.
- It has a delicious, creamy dressing and a nice salty crunch in each bite.
- It’s loaded with flavor from the fresh vegetables and dressing.
- Ready in about 30 minutes. This is a great pickle mac salad recipe for entertaining
- It’s vegetarian and can easily be vegan or gluten-free with some simple swaps.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Pickle Macaroni Salad
See our recipe card below for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Macaroni Noodles – you can use any pasta shape you prefer, but I like macaroni! Use a gluten free variety if needed.
- Dill Pickles – while you can use homemade pickles (here is a recipe for the BEST garlic dills!) or any jarred variety you have, I like these dill pickles with no added sugar it allows me to control the sweetness in this recipe.
- Mayonnaise: I like to use this dairy free mayo to keep this recipe plant-based, but you can use whatever mayo that you would normally use in recipes. If you don’t normally like mayo, try my dairy free recipe... it’s creamy but still plant based.
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Apple Cider Vinegar, which gives this dressing a little extra tang which is really fantastic! I love using apple cider vinegar with the mother which has a great flavor. I think it gives a nice extra sweetness and depth.
- Granulated Sugar
- Fresh Dill
- Salt & Pepper
Additions and Substitutions
If you don’t like mayonnaise, you can easily substitute in Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of mayo in the dressing.
Or instead of dill pickles, you could try using sweet pickles or even a variety of chopped dill and sweet pickles together for an extra pickle flavor.
Try spicy pickles to kick this mac salad up a notch.
How To Make Macaroni Salad with Pickles
- Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse in a colander under cool water.
- On a large mixing bowl, add the macaroni noodles, onion, carrots, celery, chopped pickles, mayo, relish, pickle brine, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and fresh dill. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Our easy and simple 30-minute pickle macaroni salad recipe has chopped dill pickles, carrots, onion, and fresh herbs tossed with cooked pasta and a creamy, delicious dressing. See our recipe for full ingredient amounts and instructions. It’s the best!
Yes, you can easily make pickle macaroni salad 1-2 days before. If you do, just be sure to give the mac salad a good stir right before serving, as the dressing can settle at the bottom of the bowl.
Store any leftover pickle macaroni salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
A Tip for Growing Fresh Dill
We got this great countertop Aerogarden which is fantastic for growing herbs in the winter. We actually got it when we lived in a smaller apartment, but even now that we own an acreage we still use it year-round!
I love growing herbs on my countertop like fresh basil, dill, mint, sage, thyme, parsley, and lemon balm – perfect for this cucumber salad. It uses LED lights and water, so no messy soil needed – you can have fresh herbs at your fingertips any time.
I love picking a few springs of parsley to chop on pastas, adding basil leaves to soups, and tossing some dill in with my pasta salads. It also makes a great gift for anyone who would like fresh herbs… no big kitchen or green thumb required!
More Tasty Pickle Recipes You’ll Love!
- Spicy Pickled Green Beans Recipe
- Mexican Pickled Carrots Recipe
- The Best Pail Pickles – A No-Cook Recipe You Make in a Bucket
- Hummus Toast with Quick Pickled Cucumber Recipe
- Fresh Garlic Pickles Recipe
Let’s connect on social!
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
One Ingredient, Five Ways has tasty no-waste recipes for cooks of all skill levels
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce box macaroni noodles use gluten free if desired
- 1/2 sweet onion finely diced
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 cup dill pickles chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise use vegan if needed
- 1 tablespoon pickle brine
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse in a colander under cool water.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled macaroni noodles, onion, carrots, celery, chopped pickles, mayo, relish, pickle brine, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and fresh dill. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn from qualifying purchases from affiliate programs, at no additional cost to you. Please read our privacy policy for more information.
Better than store bought