This creamy vegan cheese pasta salad is rich, tangy, and packed with cheesy flavour in every bite. Made with elbow macaroni and coated in a smooth cheesy dressing, it's quick to make and perfect for lunchboxes, picnics, BBQs and easy summer lunches.
If you love comforting pasta salad, then this recipe is the one for you, and you might also like this Cold Vegan Pasta Salad which has lots of veggies.
Unlike many pasta salads that rely on mayonnaise alone, this one has an extra creamy, cheesy dressing that clings beautifully to the pasta. It's delicious served on its own or alongside sandwiches (try serving it with these gorgeous Carrot Sandwiches), burgers, or a green salad (dressed with this tasty French Dressing)
⭐ Why You'll Love This Salad
- Ready in under 20 minutes
- Extra creamy cheese dressing
- Simple supermarket ingredients
- Great for meal prep
- Can be served hot (stir the sauce in while the pasta is hot instead of cooling the pasta under cold water first) or cold
- Ideal for lunchboxes and picnics
- Easy to tweak with extra vegetables
- Family friendly
At-a-Glance - cheesy Pasta Salad
⏲️ Ready in: 17 minutes
👪 Serves: 4
🍽 Calories: 176
🧾 Main ingredients: Elbow macaroni pasta, spring onions (green onions/scallions), vegan cheddar & cream cheese, paprika
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian
This is such a comforting lunch; it's like a hug in a bowl. You are going to love it!
Summarise & save this recipe:
💭 What Makes this Pasta Salad so Creamy?
- Vegan cream cheese - creates a smooth, rich dressing
- Vegan mayonnaise - adds a silky texture that coats every piece of pasta
- Grated vegan cheddar - boosts the cheesy flavour and texture
- Paprika - adds gentle warmth and colour
- Spring onions (green onions/scallions) - cut through the richness with an oniony bite
📋 The Ingredients You Need
Made with a few simple ingredients, this delicious vegan pasta salad is so quick and easy to make.
The recipe card has the full ingredient list, method, and notes.
- Cheddar - if your vegan cheddar doesn't have a lot of flavour, you can add some nooch (nutritional yeast) to boost the cheesy flavour
- Mustard - a blob of mustard added also boosts the flavour
- Paprika - I use mild paprika, but for a bit of heat, you can add hot paprika
👩🏻🍳 Choosing the Right Pasta
| Pasta shape | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Elbow macaroni | Classic choice, holds dressing well |
| Small shells | Catches little pools of dressing |
| Fusilli (spiral pasta) | The twists trap the cheesy sauce |
| Farfalle (bow-tie pasta) | Adds texture and looks pretty |
👩🏻🍳 It's so Important to cool the pasta
Top tip when making pasta salad - when the pasta is cooked, run it under cold water.
Cooling the pasta quickly stops it cooking and removes excess starch, which prevents it sticking and becoming claggy.
Instead, you will have glossy, firm pasta; the dressing coats beautifully without it clumping together.
👩🏻🍳 How to keep the Pasta Salad Creamy when you Store it
- Cool the pasta with cold water and drain the excess water off it well before adding the dressing
- Store in an airtight container
- Give it a good mix to coat the pasta again before serving (the dressing will settle at the bottom of the tub)
- If the dressing thickens in the fridge, add a teaspoon of mayo or a splash of plant milk.
👩🏻🍳 How to make Dairy-free Cheese pasta salad
Step-by-step photos to show you how easy this plant-based cheese pasta salad is to make. Continue to the recipe card for the full ingredient list.
Step 1
Step 1 - Cook the pasta until al dente, then cool under running water and shake well to remove excess water. Leave it to drip dry while you make the simple cheese sauce in a large bowl or mixing bowl.
Step 2
Step 2 - Season the cheese sauce well and add the spices, the mix well to combine.
Step 3
Step 3 - Add the spring onion and mix into the cheese sauce; sometimes I add grated carrot and sweetcorn too.
Step 4
Step 4 - Mix the sauce into the pasta and taste to check the seasoning; adjust if necessary.
🥦 Extra vegetables you can add
- Lightly cooked broccoli or cauliflower florets
- Grated carrot
- Cooked frozen sweetcorn or canned sweetcorn
- Finely chopped red pepper
- Half moons of cucumber (cut the piece of cucumber in half lengthways, then scoop out the watery seeds with a teaspoon, before cutting into half moons)
- Cooked frozen peas
🥬 You could add fresh Herbs too
- Dill
- Parsley
- Chives
- Basil
If you don't have fresh herbs, you can add some dried herbs to the cheese sauce; they will soften in the sauce.
🧀 Make it even Cheesier!
Take the cheese flavour to the next level!
- Add vegan parmesan to the sauce; have you tried my Vegan Parmesan with Garlic and Herbs?
- Add nooch (nutritional yeast) to the sauce for extra umami cheesy flavour
- Smoked vegan cheddar will give a stronger cheesy flavour
- A small dollop of mustard will help to enhance the flavour of cheese
🥗 Serving ideas
Here are a few ideas of what to serve this cheesy pasta salad with for different occasions.
| Perfect for BBQs | Great for lunch | Picnic Favourites |
|---|---|---|
| Bean Burgers | Sandwiches | Chickpea Sausage Rolls |
| Vegan sausages | Wraps | Filo Hand Pies |
| Tofu Skewers | Soup | Dill Coleslaw |
| Vegetable skewers | Salad | Fruit salad |
For more ideas, check out my Vegan Picnics and Packed Lunches pages.
💭 FAQs
If it has sat for a while, the dressing will settle in the bottom of the dish or container; give it a good mix before serving to coat it evenly in the sauce.
Some vegan cheddars are very mild in flavour, you can add extra cheese flavour by adding nooch (nutritional yeast) or Vegan Parmesan.
If you're pasta is mushy it is overcooked or your didn't rinse it under cold water to remove the excess starch and to stop it cooking .
👩🏻🍳 More Easy Vegan Pasta & Noodles to Try Next
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Creamy Cheese Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 125 g dried elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoon vegan cream cheese
- 5 tablespoon vegan mayo
- 3 tablespoon vegan cheddar grated
- pinch paprika more if you like
- pinch salt and pepper
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot with plenty of water until al dente (firm but cooked). Check the packet instructions as a guide.
- Drain the pasta in a colander then cool under running cold water until completely cold.
- In a large bowl, mash the cream cheese to soften it, then add the mayo and grated cheese.
- Add a generous pinch of paprika and season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Pour the pasta into a large bowl and mix in the cheese sauce. Taste it to check the seasoning.
- Mix in the spring onions, then serve.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cheese pasta salad can be kept in the fridge for 3 days. Store in an airtight container. Give it a stir to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce before serving as the dressing can settle at the bottom of the tub.
- For the best flavour, take the pasta salad out of the fridge for 5-10 minutes to take the chill of it.
Jill says
So cheesy and indulgent for lunch but easy to make. 5 stars. Jill x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I will take those 5 stars all day long Jill and I am so glad you like it.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yes it really is creamy and delicious.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Haha, yes it is cheesy.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
We tend to go for a coconut based one. Either Tesco's own brand or Violife.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh well that's perfect timing.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yeah! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yes it actually has more flavour the next day.
Unknown says
I made it for lunch, and it turned out deliciously! So easy too!
FoodHussy says
looks good - especially with the super bowl coming up - i have a vegan friend coming!
Anonymous says
Creamy and delicious! This cold pasta salad was a hit! So tasty too!
Jamie says
This is so creamy and delicious! I love how this can be made in advance for a quick and easy lunch!
Vicky says
Creamy pasta!!! What a delicious dish!
Anonymous says
That looks yum Jacqueline and you got me with cheese! Jill
Anonymous says
What cream cheese do you recommend? The one I tried wasn't very nice.