Mom's Vegan Macaroni Salad

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, 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

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

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!

Recipe

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.