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    Home » Salads

    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad

    Published: June 11, 2020 | 1:59 am, Modified: Aug 17, 2022 by Connie Edwards McGaughy This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad 🌱 Old fashioned style with a vegan twist. Just like Mom's or Grandma's but even better because it's 100% plant-based! So good, you'll go back for seconds. Or thirds. Ok . . . fourths.

    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad

    Being vegan doesn't mean giving up the favorite foods you may have enjoyed prior to choosing a vegan lifestyle. In fact, it's super easy to adapt many recipes, simply by substituting animal products with plant-based ingredients. If you've tried my recipe for vegan potato salad, this is another one of those all-time favorite family dishes that is addictively good. I think you're going to LOVE Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad.

    What makes this macaroni salad so great is the variety of flavors and textures, all in small bite-sized pieces. The salty tartness of the olives, combined with subtly sweet pickle relish; crispy, crunchy, diced celery, and the rich satisfaction of the tiny Tubetti or Ditalini pasta (also known as salad macaroni), will make you want to go back for more and probably more. Don't say I didn't warn you.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to make vegan macaroni salad
    • Instructions
    • 🥕Top Tip
    • Recipe
    • Food Safety
    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad

    Ingredients

    • Macaroni  - small salad-size pasta. I used Ditalini
    • Celery - fresh chopped
    • Onion - I prefer yellow, but you can substitute with white or red
    • Olives - black and pimiento-stuffed green olives 

    For the dressing:

    • Vegan mayo - your choice
    • Sweet pickle relish - or finely diced sweet pickles
    • Ketchup
    • Yellow mustard
    • Salt
    • Black pepper 
    • Paprika

    How to make vegan macaroni salad

    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad

    This recipe is so simple to make, boiling water is probably the hardest part. Gather your ingredients and you'll have the perfect macaroni salad ready in about a half hour. This salad is an absolute home run for afternoon events. tailgate parties, and potlucks. Bring a bowl of this with you and I promise, you won't be bringing any leftovers home.

    Instructions

    • Boil macaroni according to package directions, until al dente or just tender.
    • Rinse under cold water. Thoroughly drain.
    • Dice celery and onion. Slice olives.
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled macaroni, celery, onion, and olives.
    • Set aside.

    Dressing

    • In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
    • Pour dressing over macaroni and gently fold in, until completely combined.
    • Cover salad and refrigerate until chilled or just prior to serving. 
    • Enjoy!

    🥕Top Tip

    Keep all of your veggies diced/sliced to be about equal in size. Not much larger than the macaroni itself.

    Need more ideas for easy & delicious vegan salads? Try these!

    • Vegan Potato Salad - old-fashion style and as good as it gets!
    • Lemon Artichoke Orzo Salad - a melange of bright flavor & texture
    • Vegan Eggless Egg Salad - yummy & nutritious!
    • Southwestern Quinoa Salad - super good super food!
    • 4-Bean Fiesta Salad - colorful, zesty & loaded with protein
    • Watermelon Pico de Gallo - beautiful & so refreshing!

    very vegan 🌱 very good

    Recipe

    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad

    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad

    Connie 🥕
    Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad 💚Petite bite-size pasta, with tart olives, crisp celery & diced onion covered in a creamy vegan dressing. The perfect combination of flavors & textures makes this macaroni salad so good, you'll go back for seconds. Or thirds. Ok . . . fourths.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, outdoor dining, potluck, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine dairy free, dressing, no dairy, Plant Based, Vegan, WFPB
    Servings 12
    Calories 97 kcal

    Equipment

    • large bowl
    • medium bowl
    • Measuring spoons
    • Measuring cup
    • 4 qt saucepan or stovetop pot
    • Large spoon
    • Knife
    • Cutting board

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 16 oz pkg salad macaroni Ditalini
    • 4 stalks celery diced
    • ½ yellow onion diced
    • ¾ C black olives sliced
    • ¾ C pimiento green olives sliced

    Dressing

    • ½ C vegan mayo
    • 3 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
    • 2 tablespoon ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika

    Instructions
     

    • Boil macaroni according to package directions, until al dente or just tender.
    • Rinse under cold water. Thoroughly drain.
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled macaroni, celery, onion, and olives.
    • Set aside.

    Dressing

    • In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
    • Pour dressing over macaroni and gently fold in, until completely combined.
    • Cover salad and refrigerate until chilled or prior to serving. Enjoy!💚

    Video

    Notes

    🥕You're going to LOVE this macaroni salad. One tip when preparing it: Keep all of your veggies diced/sliced to be about equal in size. Not much larger than the macaroni itself.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 491mgPotassium: 56mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 205IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Food Safety

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    More Salads

    • 10 Favorite Vegan Recipes with Cranberries
    • 30 Favorite Vegan July 4th Recipes
    • Favorite Vegan Summer Salads
    • 30 Favorite Vegan Recipes for Mother's Day

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chantel

      May 28, 2021 at 10:03 pm

      5 stars
      This was delicious !!!

      Reply
      • Connie Edwards McGaughy

        May 28, 2021 at 10:19 pm

        Hi Chantel! Can you see me smiling? 😁 I'm so happy you enjoyed the macaroni salad! Thank you for sharing!💚

        Reply
        • Cindy

          August 16, 2022 at 11:42 am

          5 stars
          I finally made it! It is absolutely delicious. Thanks Con.

          Reply
          • Connie Edwards McGaughy

            August 16, 2022 at 12:10 pm

            Yay Cin!!! I'm so happy you love it. I'm hooked on it. 😁 Thanks so much for letting me know!

            Reply
    2. mildred

      March 12, 2021 at 4:22 pm

      5 stars
      This was way better than store bought! I am 100% vegan and I love making everything from scratch now. I used the whole bag and it was a lot which was enough to feed a whole family ha, but I finished it within 3 days.I can't wait to make this again. It was delicious!! I am trying the potato salad next.

      Reply
      • Connie Edwards McGaughy

        March 12, 2021 at 10:02 pm

        Mildred...you put a big smile on my face!😁 You know I wasn't kidding about how hard it is to resist this macaroni salad! So glad you gave it a try. Fair warning - if you like this, you're going to love the potato salad!💚 Enjoy!

        Reply
        • millie

          March 21, 2021 at 11:01 am

          5 stars
          yes!! I definitely did love the potato salad. 😀 I am making the macaroni salad again. You are right, it is hard to resist this macaroni salad.

          Reply
          • Connie Edwards McGaughy

            March 21, 2021 at 11:37 am

            Hi Millie! Macaroni salad sounds really good right now. I might make a batch today myself!😊 Thanks for sharing!💚🥕

            Reply
    3. scott edwards

      April 11, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      5 stars
      Yum

      Reply
      • Connie Edwards McGaughy

        May 20, 2020 at 8:45 pm

        You know it! 🥕💚

        Reply

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