This vegan macaroni salad recipe is the BEST EVER. An easy Pasta salad with raw healthy veggies, smoked tofu and a creamy mayo based dressing that's incredible! Tart sweet salty savoury! Perfect for a backyard bbq, picnic or potluck! Eggless and dairy free! you'll love it!
Step into my vegan kitchen folks I’ve got a doozy- MY Vegan Macaroni Salad!! It's amazing! I am not kidding! It has the classic flavours similar to traditional and Hawaiian macaroni salad we know and love but kicked up 10 notches!! Simple, homemade and delicious!
With some added goodies like smoked tofu, fresh chopped tomatoes, black olives along with the usual suspects red pepper, crunchy celery, red onion, and dill pickles
And the salad dressing!- OMG! vinegar, sugar, dill, spices, pickle juice, vegan mayonnaise (veganaise) and a splash of plant milk tie everything together for a pasta salad with exceptional flavour and texture!
I know the typical dressing contains mustard and or lemon juice but this is honestly way better! so don't be tempted to add them!
I guarantee everyone who tastes this salad will want the recipe! It's a total winner! The perfect summer salad! And it's so affordable to make! Which is great because who has ever said they had a good store bought deli
macaroni salad? NO ONE EVER! Haha!
Ok lets get to it- read on people!😊
How do you make Vegan Macaroni Salad?
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Don't over cook! Drain pasta, add back to the pot and cover with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain in a colander and toss with a good drizzle of oil. Add to a large salad bowl.
While the noodles are cooking prep and chop the veggies, pickles and tofu and add to the salad bowl.
Mix the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl: vegan mayo, plant milk, vinegar, pickle juice, herbs and spices, and sugar, pour over the noodles and veggies and mix well. Season with salt and pepper if necessary
Cover and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes and mix again just before serving! This salad is best served the same day! Enjoy!!
Pro tips for the perfect pasta salad!
- do not over cook the noodles
- chill noodles right after cooking to stop the cooking process
- coat the cooled pasta in oil right after draining to prevent the salad from drying out!
- mix and serve the same day
What do you serve with Macaroni Salad?
You can enjoy this salad along side of so many things:
- Easy Vegan Quiche Recipe
- Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich
- Vegan Turkey Recipe (Seitan)
- Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings (Frank's Red Hot)
- Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe
- Vegan Salisbury Steak
- Vegan Burger (Best Grillable Vegan Burger)
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
or have a bowl straight up for lunch as it does have protein from the tofu!
OK GUYS LETS MAKE SOME VEGAN MACARONI SALAD, IT'S
easy
creamy
slightly smoky
full of crispy vegetables and pasta
kid friendly
delicious
satisfying
sweet and tangy
easily gluten free
Enjoy guys! Happy day to you! feel free to leave a comment and a rating below. I would love to hear from you.
Follow me on PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM for more tasty Plant Based Vegan Recipes❤️
Want more Classic Vegan Summer Salads? Here you go!
- Vegan Caesar Salad (Best Caesar Dressing!)
- Best & Easiest Vegan Broccoli Salad
- Classic Vegan Coleslaw
- Vegan Potato Salad Recipe
Best Vegan Macaroni Salad - Easy Too!
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan macaroni salad recipe is the BEST EVER. An easy pasta salad with raw healthy veggies, smoked tofu and a creamy mayo based dressing that's incredible! Tart sweet salty savoury! Perfect for a backyard bbq, picnic or potluck! Eggless and dairy free recipe! You'll love it!
Ingredients
For salad:
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni noodles
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced (or any colour)
- ¼ - ⅓ cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes and their juices
- 1 large dill pickle, chopped
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- ½ pack smoked tofu (100 grams), cubed into bite size pieces
For dressing:
- ¾ cup vegan mayonnaise, I use vegenaise
- ¼ cup unsweetened non dairy milk , I used almond milk
- 1 and ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to package instructions. Don't over cook! Drain pasta, add back to the pot and cover with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain in a colander and toss with a good drizzle of oil. Add to a large salad bowl.
- While the noodles are cooking prep and chop the veggies, pickles and tofu and add to the salad bowl.
- Mix the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl: vegan mayo, plant milk, vinegar, pickle juice, herbs and spices, and sugar, pour over the noodles and veggies and mix well. Season with salt and pepper if necessary
- Cover and chill the salad in the fridge for 20 minutes and mix again just before serving! Best served the same day! Enjoy!!
- Lovely with my Grillable Vegan Burger or Sliced Vegan Turkey Seitan Recipe and along side other salads like Coleslaw, Caesar Salad, Potato Salad or Broccoli Salad!
Notes
- Gluten free: use gluten free pasta
- I use Soyganic Smoked Tofu for this recipe if you can't find it you could substitute some chopped tofu bacon or leave it out completely and add a ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke (to the dressing) if you like (optional)
- could sub apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar but I like recipe best as written
- prep time doesn't include chill time
- Salad will keep covered in fridge for 3-4 days but tastes the best the first day it's made. It does not freeze well!
- the dressing for this recipe is also so tasty on green salad and fresh or grilled veggies and more!
- This recipe is adapted from my original recipe I made for years that contained cubed ham and cheese and is also inspired by Pioneer Woman
Tips for perfect macaroni salad:
- do not over cook the noodles!
- chill noodles right after cooking to stop the cooking process
- coat the cooled pasta in oil right after draining to prevent the salad from drying out!
- mix and serve the same day
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Category: Salads, Snacks & Sides
- Method: Stovetop / Salad bowl
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
charlene kinne says
This salad is delicious!! I added a little lemon juice to the dressing and the only thing I would do different next time is leave the sugar out. I didn't care for the taste of the sugar in it. But other than that, it's a keeper!
CeCe says
Ok, new vegan here… stupid question….how do you smoke the tofu?
Verna says
No questions are stupid 🙂 I buy mine smoked it is really tasty and no need to press it usually, for too lazy to smoke it myself. Hope that helps, enjoy the salad!
Elizabeth Belden Handler says
I make mine much the same way, with one big difference. As soon as the pasta is drained I put it into a bowl and add the dressing, stir it up, and put it in the fridge to cool. This infuses the macaroni with all the good flavor that’s in the dressing. When cool I add the veggies, stir and serve.
Verna says
Sounds lovely Elizabeth thanks for your feedback!
Melody says
Very good recipe! First time attempting a vegan macaroni salad. Changes I made, I used cherry tomatoes, I added peas and cilantro and a little vegan shredded cheese. My noodles were gluten-free brown rice elbows so it’s very versatile too! Thank you for the great recipe!
Verna says
Yay!! Thanks for the wonderful feedback and suggestions. Glad you enjoyed it Melody.
Tina says
Best pasta salad I’ve ever made! and no one knew it was vegan
Verna says
thanks so much!
Midge says
The dressing for this is the best , I put it on everything .
Verna says
Glad you like it Midge! It's definitely tasty. Thanks so much for your comment!
Angela says
So delicious!! My toddler is such a picky eater and he just devours this dish! Thank you!
Verna says
Oh that's so nice to hear your little one is enjoying the pasta salad. Thanks for the comment Angela.