When summer rolls around, and you want to serve something different at your family picnic, this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad has your back! Made with pickle juice, fresh dill, and other delicious ingredients like white onion and cheese, this is sure to pack a punch every time you make it.
Table of contents
Dill Pickle Salad
I know it’s hard to believe, but can you believe it’s almost summer?! 😲
I love to plan potential new meals ahead of time since I’m always looking into new recipes!! This Dill Pickle Salad, for instance, is one I’m definitely going to serve this summer at all our family get-togethers. We’ve tried it out already, and y’all, it’s a winner! It’s sour and salty and savory all in one and INCREDIBLY satisfying. I could almost eat it as a meal.
Just imagine your typical pasta salad made with dill pickle juice, actual pickles, and a sprinkling of fresh dill. That’s what dill pickle pasta salad is like! It’s ready in less than a half hour and best eaten cold for that awesome accompaniment to all your favorite BBQed food. I hope you enjoy it!
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad: Ingredients & Equipment
For this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad recipe, you will need …
Ingredients
For the salad
- rotini pasta – cooked al dente.
- pickle juice – you’ll coat your cooked pasta in this ingredient to really nail that yummy, tangy pickle flavor!
- dill pickles, cheddar cheese, white onion – other tasty (and sometimes crunchy) additions to the dill pickle salad, so it isn’t JUST pasta!
For the dressing
- mayo and sour cream – the base of your pasta salad dressing, which makes it a bit “heavier” than normal salad dressing and allows it to really coat the pasta.
- dill pickle juice, and fresh dill – these really drive that dill pickle flavor home!
- onion powder, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper – the rest of your dressing ingredients, which make it savory with a kick!
Equipment
- pot – for cooking the pasta.
- bowls – for combining salad ingredients, dressing ingredients, etc. You’ll need about 3.
How to make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
First, prep/cook your pasta. In a large pot of boiling water, cook your pasta until it’s al dente. (Al dente pasta means the pasta is softened but still firm!) Then strain the liquid from the pasta. Rinse it with cold water, then strain it again.
Second, coat your pasta in pickle juice. Place the pasta in a medium bowl and pour pickle juice over the top. Toss the pasta well so the pickle juice coats all the pasta! Let this sit for 5 minutes, then strain out the excess pickle juice.
Third, combine your ingredients. In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients, including the strained pasta. Toss it to combine. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together all the dressing ingredients until well-mixed.
Finally, enjoy your salad! Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to mix well until the pasta salad is evenly coated in dressing. Serve immediately!
Summer Salad: FAQs
This is a quick recipe that only takes about 25 minutes. You’ll need 15 minutes to prep the ingredients and 10 or so to cook the pasta altogether.
It should make enough for about 8 servings. If you’re planning on bringing this to a picnic or something like that, you’ll want to double, triple, etc the recipe!
Yes, absolutely! Don’t leave it out for too long, especially in the sun outside, due to the presence of the mayo, sour cream, etc, in the recipe. Plus, it’s best served cold.
Typically, Dill Pickle Pasta Salad can last in the refrigerator for 3-5 days if stored properly in an airtight container. If you notice any signs of spoilage, such as a sour or off smell, mold, or sliminess, it’s best to discard the salad. To extend the shelf life of the pasta salad, you can try to keep the dressing separate and mix it in just before serving.
While you can freeze pasta salad, it’s not recommended to freeze pasta salad with mayo or sour cream because they can separate and become watery when thawed, affecting the texture and taste of the salad. If you want to freeze pasta salad, it’s best to omit the mayo and sour cream and add it after thawing, just before serving.
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Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pasta salad
- 12 ounces dry rotini pasta
- ½ cup dill pickle juice
- 2 cups whole dill pickles sliced and cut into quarters
- 2 cups cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
- ½ cup white onion diced
For the dressing
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until it is al dente. Strain the water from the pasta. Rinse the pasta with cold water and strain.
- Place the pasta in a medium bowl and pour the pickle juice over the top. Toss the pasta well so pickle juice coats all the pasta. Let this sit for 5 minutes, then strain out the excess pickle juice.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients (including strained pasta), then toss to combine.
- In a medium bowl, stir together all dressing ingredients until well-mixed. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine until the pasta salad is evenly coated in dressing.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.
Notes
- The pasta should be cooked to al dente, meaning that the pasta is cooked (softened) but still firm. You don’t want the pasta too soft, or it will fall apart when tossed with the other ingredients.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
I love this salad, and I admit I leave out the cheddar cheese..lasts for a couple days in the fridge too.
I make this a lot using small shells and adding diced ham. It is delicious.
This pasta salad is amazing! The only tweaks I did was to add fresh celery, garlic powder and mustard powder. So good!!!