This delicious dill pickle pasta salad will fulfill all your pickle cravings. Crunchy dill pickles are combined with onions, fresh dill, cavatappi noodles, and cubes of cheese and tossed in a creamy dressing bursting with flavor.
Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This one’s for all my dill pickle lovers. If you find yourself gravitating toward the pickle jar every so often (guilty!), you’ll love this dill pickle pasta salad recipe. It’s a simple, delicious side dish that will make all your dill-pickle dreams come true!
The best part about this flavorful pasta salad is that it tastes amazing with just about any main or side, and you can customize it however you wish! Change up the pasta, swap some ingredients, or add some extras to give it even more of a kick. The possibilities are endless.
why you’ll love it!
- An instant crowd favorite. Almost everyone loves pasta salad and dill pickles!
- It’s an easy recipe that’ll be ready to eat in no time,
- You can customize it by using your favorite kind of pickles, pasta, or add-ins.
- Make-ahead friendly.
Featured Ingredients
- Cavatappi noodles: this type of pasta is great for holding all the yummy dressing. You can use any chunky pasta you wish!
- Mild cheddar cheese: we cut cubes of cheddar cheese to get the maximum cheese flavor in every bite.
- Dill pickles: feel free to use your favorite kind of pickles! We used Claussen kosher dill.
- White onion: onion adds a delicious pungent flavor to take this dill pickle salad to the next level.
- Fresh dill: this is a dill pickle salad, so you bet we’re adding some freshly chopped dill!
- Mayonnaise: mayo acts as the base for the salad dressing. It makes it creamy and dreamy.
- Sour cream: sour cream adds a nice tang to the dressing that compliments everything super well.
- Pickle juice: pick your favorite dill pickle juice!
- Dijon mustard: a bit of Dijon elevates the flavors of this creamy pasta salad recipe.
- Paprika: adds a hint of spice so everything tastes nice!
- Lawry’s seasoning: this seasoned salt adds a delicious savoriness to the salad that just can’t be beat.
How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
COOK NOODLES
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions for about 8 minutes.
DRAIN + COOL
Next, drain and rinse your noodles with cold water. Then transfer to the refrigerator to cool for about 30 minutes.
PREPARE DRESSING
Make the dressing while the noodles are cooling. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE
Then add the cold noodles, cheddar cheese, pickles, onion, and dill to a large bowl. Add the dressing and fold together until all noodles are coated.
SERVE + ENJOY
Now it’s time to dig in! Serve your macaroni salad immediately or save it for later. Enjoy!
Easy Ingredient Swaps
- Cavatappi pasta: choose your own adventure with the noodles in this pasta salad! We love how cavatappi absorbs the dressing, but any chunky noodle will do.
- Pickles: the flavor profile for this recipe can vary depending on the pickles and pickle juice used. We used Claussen kosher dill, but use what you wish!
- Onion: swap out the white onion for red onion for a subtle twist on flavor.
- Sour Cream: Greek yogurt can be subbed for sour cream. It’ll taste just as delicious.
- Cheese: you can try out other cubed cheeses like sharp cheddar cheese or colby jack cheese.
- Herbs: don’t have fresh dill? Try the recipe out with fresh parsley, thyme, basil, or rosemary instead.
try it!
Dill Pickle Cheese Ball
If you love this dill pickle pasta salad, you have to try our dill pickle cheese ball. It’s a perfect dish to pass.
Serving Suggestions
This dill pickle pasta salad tastes even better as a side to other yummy dishes! Our sister site, Fit Foodie Finds, has some amazing recipes that would complement this easy pasta salad. Whether it’s a summer barbecue, lunch picnic, or any special occasion.
Here are some fan favorites:
- Burgers: Lemon Dill Salmon Burgers or The Best Homemade Burgers.
- Grilled Protein: Grilled Chicken Thighs, Grilled Salmon in Foil, or Tender Grilled Flank Steak.
- Summer Sides: Instant Pot Baked Beans, Pineapple Coleslaw, or Summer Corn Salad.
Storage
Store any leftover dill pickle pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Feel free to toss in additional pickles, onions, cheese, herbs, and spices to freshen up the pasta salad when serving as leftovers.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cavatappi noodles
- 8 oz. mild cheddar cheese sliced into chunks
- 2 cups dill pickles diced (~12-16 oz)
- ¼ large white onion diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill ~.75 oz.
Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup pickle juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Refrigerate to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Make the dressing while the noodles are cooling. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- To assemble the salad, add the cold noodles, cheddar cheese, pickles, onion, and dill to a large bowl. Add the dressing and fold together until all noodles are coated.
- This can be served immediately or saved for later.
Tips & Notes
- The flavor profile for this recipe can vary depending on the pickles and pickle juice used. We used Claussen kosher dill.
- Greek yogurt can be subbed for sour cream.
- Any short chunky noodle can be used.
