Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Dill pickle pasta salad is made with rotini pasta noodles, baby dill pickles, red onion, and cheddar cheese. All tossed together in a creamy dressing made with mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, dried dill, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Easy Pasta Salad With Dill Pickles

I LOVE and easy cold pasta salad! They’re a quintessential addition to any summer barbecue or picnic! Perfect for packing up and bring along on any summer adventures.

CROWD PLEASER – This salad is an easy addition to any barbecue, picnic or potluck! Feel a large crowd alongside hamburgers or hot dogs. The flavors of this salad are simple and something that most people will enjoy.
CHEAP – It’s inexpensive too! All ingredients can be purchased under store brand names to help save a little money (like I did with the Great Value brand from Walmart).
EASY – You can assemble this salad in the morning before you plan to serve. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to dish it up as it tastes best cold!

This pasta salad has wonderful dill flavor. Choose your favorite brand of baby dill pickles and either dried or fresh dill for the best taste. I used my favorite avocado mayonnaise (I get it at costco) too! It’s easy to swap out a few ingredients to make this gluten free and dairy free for anyone who needs it.

Recipe Ingredients

This cold salad uses simple delicious ingredients. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need with full ingredient details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

PASTA – This recipe uses 13 oz of rotini pasta noodles. Feel free to swap with macaroni, penne or any other favorites.
DILL PICKLES – These are the star of the show! You’ll need 2 cups of chopped dill pickles, and ¼ cup of dill pickle juice from the jar.
ONION – Finely chop 1 small red onion for this recipe. Red onion works best for it’s sweet and spicy flavor when it’s served raw.
CHEESE – This recipe uses 8 oz of cheddar cheese that is cut into small cubes.
DRESSING – The dressing is creamy and flavorful with the perfect hint of dill! It’s made using ¾ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup pickle juice, 1 Tbsp dried dill (or use 2 tsp fresh dill), ¼ tsp of salt and pepper each, and ½ tsp of onion powder.

Four images showing steps to make recipe. First is cooked pasta in a strainer. Second is dressing ingredients in a bowl unmixed, third is chopped cheese, pickles, onion and pasta noodles in a bowl. Fourth is creamy dressing poured overtop of salad ingredients.

How To Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

COOK PASTA – Cook the pasta noodles al dente in a pot of boiling water (pasta should be firm and not mushy). Drain and then rinse the pasta under cold water. Place it in the fridge for a few minutes to help cool down or it will melt the cheese.
PREP – While pasta is cooking you can chop the dill pickles into small circles, dice the red onion, and chop the cheddar cheese into small cubes. Add these ingredients to a large salad serving bowl and set aside.
DRESSING – Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, dried dill, onion powder, salt and pepper to a medium bowl. Mix together until you reach an even creamy consistency.
ASSEMBLE – Now add the cold pasta to the large salad bowl with other ingredients. Give them a quick toss. Next, drizzle the dressing over top and mix until it is evenly coating all ingredients.
CHILL – Cover the salad bowl and place it in the fridge for two hours. This will allow all ingredients to chill and flavors to meld together.

How To Store Leftovers

This salad is best served fresh on the same day! However, leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Gently stir the ingredients just before serving again.

Creamy dill pickle pasta salad recipe in a white oval bowl.

Recipe Tips

Try to serve this salad the same day you make it. Ingredients will taste the freshest then.
It is important to chill the cooked pasta before adding other ingredients, otherwise you will melt the cheese!
Cook the pasta until it is softened but still firm (al dente). Mushy pasta will not taste good in this recipe so you don’t want to overcook it!
Raw red onion has a spicy kick to it! If you want to lessen that flavor, soak the chopped onion in cold water for 5 minutes, and it will help release some of that spiciness.
Keep the salad covered and chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different pasta?

Yes absoulutely! Any pasta shape will work for this recipe including macaroni, penne and spagetti noodles.

Can I use gluten free pasta?

Yes! You can use a gluten free pasta incuding rice pasta, quinoa pasta and chickpea pasta. Personally, I find that rice pasta or gluten free pasta blend works the best in a cold salad. Just cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it has softened but is still firm (al dente), and follow the recipe instructions after that.

Can I eat this warm?

Nope. The creamy dressing will melt and so will the cheese. I definitely don’t recommend eating this warm.

Close up of rotini pasta, cheese, dill pickles and onion, all in a creamy dressing of the pasta salad.

Dill pickle pasta salad is the perfect addition to any summer meal. It’s a delicious combination of rotini pasta noodles, dill pickles, red onion, and cheddar cheese. All tossed with the perfect creamy dill dressing! Consider this a new staple for any barbecue or potluck for all the dill pickle lovers out there!

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