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. Maybe fourths.
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 or eggless egg salad, this is another one of those all-time favorite family dishes that is irresistibly 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.
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
- Bell Pepper - optional
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
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, backyard barbecue get-togethers, 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, onion, (and bell pepper if you are using it). Slice olives.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled macaroni, celery, onion, peppers 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. I have included bell pepper as an option because my mom loved it in this salad, but I usually prepare it without. That's just me.
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!
If you love this recipe ★★★★★ please be sure to rate it below! Sharing your experience lets me know that you enjoyed it and will help other readers decide if they should give the recipe a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad
Equipment
- large bowl
- medium bowl
- 4 qt saucepan or stovetop pot
- Knife
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
- ¼ C bell pepper diced (optional)
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, olives, and (optional) peppers
- 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
Storage:
Refrigerate salad in an airtight food safe container up to 3 days.Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Chantel says
This was delicious !!!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Chantel! Can you see me smiling? 😁 I'm so happy you enjoyed the macaroni salad! Thank you for sharing!💚
Cindy says
I finally made it! It is absolutely delicious. Thanks Con.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Yay Cin!!! I'm so happy you love it. I'm hooked on it. 😁 Thanks so much for letting me know!
mildred says
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.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
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!
millie says
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.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Millie! Macaroni salad sounds really good right now. I might make a batch today myself!😊 Thanks for sharing!💚🥕
scott edwards says
Yum
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
You know it! 🥕💚