This creamy vegan macaroni salad is fresh, colourful and packed with crunchy vegetables, chickpeas and a creamy dairy-free dressing. Ready in just 15 minutes, it's perfect for lunchboxes, picnics, BBQs and easy summer lunches.
Made with a few everyday ingredients, it's a quick recipe that's just as delicious as a light lunch or served as a side for grilled food, like these Jerk Tofu Skewers.
Unlike heavily dressed deli salads, this version is lighter while still creamy and filling. The fresh basil adds a burst of flavour, while crisp vegetables add colour and crunch. If you like this, you may also like this Vegan Cheese Pasta Salad.
At-a-Glance - Macaroni Salad
⏲️ Ready in: 14 minutes
👪 Serves: 4
🍽 Calories: 284
🧾 Main ingredients: elbow macaroni (or straight-cut macaroni), red pepper, sweetcorn, chickpeas, fresh basil & mayo
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian & gluten-free (if you use gluten-free macaroni)
You are going to love this simple pasta salad that's so easy to tweak and perfect when you want something a bit more filling for lunch,
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- At-a-Glance - Macaroni Salad
- ⭐ Why You'll Love This Macaroni Salad
- 💭 What you Need for a Good Pasta Salad
- 💭 Why is macaroni a good shape for pasta salad?
- 💭 Which other shapes work well?
- 👩🏻🍳 Rinse that Pasta
- 📋 What you Need
- 🥕 Best Vegetables for Macaroni Salad
- 💭 Why add Chickpeas?
- 👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Macaroni Salad
- 👩🏻🍳 Variations
- 💭 FAQs
- 🥗 More Vegan Salads to Try Next
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐ Why You'll Love This Macaroni Salad
- Ready in under 15 minutes
- Simple supermarket ingredients
- Creamy but no dairy
- Packed with vegetables
- The chickpeas add protein and texture
- Great for making ahead
- Perfect for lunch and picnics
- Keeps well in the fridge for a few days
💭 What you Need for a Good Pasta Salad
It's all about getting the balance right.
- A creamy dressing
- Firm and glossy pasta
- Crunchy vegetables
- Fresh herbs
- Plenty of seasoning
💭 Why is macaroni a good shape for pasta salad?
- Easy to eat
- The dressing coats the pasta well
- Bite-sized
- Mixes well with finely chopped veg
💭 Which other shapes work well?
| Pasta shape | Rating | How well it works |
|---|---|---|
| Elbow macaroni | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Holds dressing well |
| Farfalle (bow-tie pasta) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Looks good, adds texture |
| Fusilli (spirals) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Twists trap the dressing |
| Small shells | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Holds pools of dressing |
| Penne | ⭐⭐ | Too large, better hot with rich sauces |
👩🏻🍳 Rinse that Pasta
Once cooked (until al dente - cooked but a little firm), it's important to rinse the pasta under cool water until it's cold and glossy.
If you don't rinse it, it will continue cooking, get claggy, and may stick together. Never rinse pasta when serving it hot, but always rinse it when making pasta salad.
📋 What you Need
Here are the simple ingredients you need for this tasty pasta salad; the full ingredient list and method are in the recipe card.
- Macaroni - farfalle is a good choice too
- Chickpeas - I use rinsed canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), but you can soak and cook dried chickpeas
- Fresh basil - I also love dill in creamy salads like this and my Vegan Dill Salad and Vegan Dill Slaw, but you can use any fresh herbs; chives and parsley work well too
🥕 Best Vegetables for Macaroni Salad
- Celery - finely chopped
- Bell pepper - red, yellow, orange or green, deseeded and finely chopped
- Spring onions - finely chopped
- Carrot - grated
- Cucumber - seeds scooped out and chopped
- Peas - lightly cooked
- Sugar snap peas (snow peas) - lightly cooked and sliced
- Red Onion - thinly sliced
- Cherry tomatoes - halved
- Sweetcorn - tinned or freshly cooked
💭 Why add Chickpeas?
- Adds extra protein
- More fibre
- Makes the salad more filling
- Budget-friendly
- Adds texture
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Macaroni Salad
These step-by-step photos will show you how easy this salad is to make; the full recipe is in the recipe card.
- Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente, then rinse under cold water until cold and glossy.
- Step 2: Cut your red pepper to approximately the same size as the corn.
- Step 3: Add the cooked pasta to a mixing bowl, then add the veg and herbs.
- Step 4: Add the cucumber and chickpeas.
- Step 5: Add the mayo and season well.
- Step 6: Mix well and serve Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Variations
Here are a few tweaks you can make to really vary this salad.
- Creamy dill macaroni salad - add lots of chopped fresh dill
- Tex-Mex macaroni salad - swap the chickpeas for black beans and add fresh coriander and finely chopped jalapeños (optional); you could also add paprika to the dressing
- Greek macaroni salad - for veg, add halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber, black olives and crumbled feta (you could add this Creamy Feta Dressing or this Greek Dressing which is more of a vinaigrette, instead of mayo)
- Italian macaroni salad - add sundried tomatoes, olives and some pesto to the mayo; try this Homemade Cashew Pesto or Sundried Tomato Paste
- Cheesy macaroni salad - add vegan cream cheese and nooch (nutritional yeast) to the mayo
💭 FAQs
If your pasta is mushy, it is overcooked, was left to sit in the hot water too long, or not rinsed in cold water to stop the cooking process.
If your salad is watery, it probably means the pasta wasn't well drained, or the washed vegetables were not patted dry before adding. Also, leaving the watery seeds in cucumber can water down the dressing.
It probably needs more seasoning. Always taste to check the seasoning, and if you want more flavour, you can add more fresh herbs or a small dollop of mustard to the dressing.
🥗 More Vegan Salads to Try Next
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 125 g dried elbow macaroni see notes for other pasta options
- ½ red pepper sliced and diced
- 3 tablespoon cooked sweetcorn
- 3 tablespoon cooked chickpeas
- 6 tablespoon vegan mayo
- handful fresh basil leaves chopped
- pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook and rinse your pasta until it's cold and glossy.
- Prep your veg and add the pasta and veg to a large bowl.
- Add fresh basil and mayo to the bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Mix well and taste to check the seasoning.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use straight-cut macaroni, bow-tie pasta (farfalle) or spiral pasta (fusilli) instead of elbow macaroni.
- Make sure your only cook the pasta until it is al dente (cooked but firm) and rinse under cold water until completely cold. This will result in glossy firm pasta for the best pasta salad.
- You may use more mayo if you would like a thicker dressing but you may need more seasoning.
- You can keep this pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To serve allow to come to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving as the cold dampens the flavours.
- It would serve 2 for lunch or 4 as a side.
Dannii says
You can't beat a pasta salad for an easy lunch option. This vegan version looks delicious.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh this is definitely the dish for you and it's so easy too.
Rachna says
This is so easy to put together. I love pasta and the fact that you have used so many fresh veggies. I will definitely try it out.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yes it works great as a side dish or a lunch Hope you try it.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
It really is worth making and a nice change from sandwiches in the lunch box.
Unknown says
This looks like a great side dish. Can't wait to try it.
Natalie says
Oh yum! What a lovely salad. So light and delicious. I must give this a try. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh do try it. It's so quick to make and tastes really good.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes it's really good. Actually it's a bit too moreish. It's easy to go back for another portion.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes, do try it Jill and let me know what you think.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes, it's a perfect one for kids and a good way to get in some extra veg.
Jess says
This is perfect for lunch for my family right now while we are doing online school. Quick, easy, and delicious!
Anonymous says
This looks so yummy. I never thought of making a salad with macaroni. I will buy some at the weekend and make this next week. Jill
Erika says
This macaroni salad looks amazing. I can't wait to try your recipe!
Maria says
This salad looks so refreshing. I'll definitely give this a try.