This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad features a creamy dressing with a bright dill flavor, tangy and crunchy bites of dill pickles and sweet pickled carrots. Packed with pickle flavor, it is sure to be the star of your next potluck or BBQ.
I apologize to all those traditional pasta salads out there, but I have to be honest. I don’t usually care for creamy pasta salads. They are usually bland and swimming in mayo. It’s like someone just dumped a jar of mayo on noodles and called it a salad, not my thing. But this is NOT your average creamy pasta salad.
My Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is packed with crunchy pickles, bright dill, and a creamy but tangy greek yogurt dressing with just a touch of mayo. If you are like me, you will love this creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad.
This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad actually came about because I was craving my favorite Dill Pickle Dip, but was headed to a family dinner where I wanted to show up with something more substantial than just an appetizer. So I took all of my favorite elements of the Creamy Dill Pickle dip and transformed them into this pasta salad, and it was a hit!
I readily admit that I am a little pickle obsessed, but this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a dish that even non-pickle lovers will enjoy.
At that dinner, we actually ended up having way more food than Steve’s siblings and I could possibly eat (and it was all delicious!). So I ended up with quite a bit of this pasta salad leftover. I would be lying if I said that I was sorry to have so much leftover, as I happily ate this with lunch and dinner for the next couple of days (and maybe breakfast too, but don’t tell anyone).
What is in Dill Pickle Pasta Salad?
For this Dill Pickle Pasta salad, I wanted it to be all about the pickle flavor. So I used sliced dill pickles as well as some homemade Quick Pickled Carrots. To really bring home the pickle flavor, just in case that wasn’t enough, I also used pickle juice (straight from the pickle jar) and some dried dill in the dressing.
The pickled carrots are the perfect addition to this pasta salad as they add a nice crunch and sweetness, so it is well worth the extra step to whip them up (and they aren’t really that difficult). However, if you don’t have time to make the carrots, you can just substitute some julienned raw carrots instead.
For the pickles, I recommend Baby Dill Pickles. These aren’t a pickle I would usually snack on, but they have just the right amount of crunch and flavor for this pasta salad. I find that baby dills are just a little softer than the crinkle cut slices or spears, which can have a tough skin that isn’t quite right in this pasta salad. Plus they are just the right size to slice into rounds, making great bite sized pieces.
I tied everything together with a creamy greek yogurt based dressing. The greek yogurt ads a nice tang and creaminess without leaving this too heavy, like some all mayo dressings can do.
Can I Make Pickle Pasta Salad Ahead of Time?
This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a great make ahead dish (in fact, it gets better after sitting for about 2 hours), making it perfect for BBQs and summertime potlucks. I can just picture it paired perfectly next to some rich and meaty ribs or pulled pork. You can make the pasta salad up to a couple of hours in advance, and just refrigerate until ready to eat.
The pasta salad leftovers will keep for several days, but as with a lot of pasta salads, the noodles can absorb the dressing over time, so it may dry out a little. If this happens, I find just stirring in a little more greek yogurt and a splash of pickle juice brings it right back.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ½ lb rotini pasta (about 3 cups)
- ¼ yellow onion
- 1 cup baby dill pickles thinly sliced into rounds
- ¼ cup pickled carrots (see note - can substitute regular carrots)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (cubed)
Creamy Dill Pickle Dressing
- ¼ cup mayo
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 2 tbs pickle juice
- ½ tsp dried dill weed
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Finely dice onion, and add to a small bowl. Fill with cold water until the onion is just covered, and let sit about 15 minutes while you prep the additional ingredients. (Soaking the onion is optional, but it will help mellow out the raw onion flavor.)
- Julienne pickled carrot slices long ways so you end up with long skinny match sticks. If using regular carrots, julienne the carrots.
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and mix.
- When the noodles are cooked, drain, and rinse with cold water.
- Add pasta to a large bowl, and add salad ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and mix to coat everything evenly.
- Refrigerate at least 1 – 2 hours to chill.