A veganized version of classic deli-style macaroni salad that is spot on to the original, and maybe even better!
This vegan macaroni salad is creamy with the perfect crunch of veggies, and it brings me right back to my childhood. As a kid, macaroni salad was a staple at all of our summer cookouts. It was always my favorite side dish and I always piled my plate up with as much as humanly possible.Â
Since I was such a fan of macaroni salad as a kid, I thought it was the perfect summer picnic recipe to veganize. As you may expect, it’s pretty easy to make this dish vegan. With a simple swap of mayo for vegenaise, you’re well on your way to enjoying an elevated version of the macaroni salad you know and love.Â
One thing I have noticed is that no two macaroni salads are exactly alike. It’s pretty much up to your preference as to what veggies you’d like to include. The most classic veggies in macaroni salad are celery, bell peppers, carrots, and onions, but you can also get fancy and put tomatoes, peas, olives, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.
To make this recipe a little bit healthier, we swapped out some of the vegenaise for plain unsweetened dairy-free yogurt. This helps cut down the fat and makes it a bit lighter, which I like because I can eat more ????.
If you’re hungry for more picnic recipes we’ve got plenty for you!Â
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
A veganized version of classic deli-style macaroni salad that is spot on to the original, and maybe even better!
Ingredients
Dressing
3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt (or you can use more mayo)
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely minced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Black pepper, as desired
Additional Ingredients
8 oz. gluten-free macaroni noodles (or noodles of choice)
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup thinly sliced celery
1/3 cup finely diced red (or green) onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add in the carrot, red bell pepper, celery, onion, parsley, dill and the cooled macaroni noodles. Fold everything together until well combined and uniform.
Serve immediately or place it into the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Notes
Store the macaroni in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Feel free to customize this recipe and add/omit vegetables and herbs of your choice! This woul be great with peas, olives and even diced vegan cheddar cheese.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
These recipes look tempting, but anything with 3/4 cup of vegan mayonnaise or coconut oil is NOT healthy food! I’d love to see more low or no oil things that look as delicious as these do!
We have lots of oil-free recipes on the blog 🙂 We also never claimed that this was a health food, just a veganized version of the classic dish. Our goal here is to create something for everyone. If you want to make it healthy, try just using the vegan yogurt 🙂
Made a half recipe to test. This is a nice solid base for a macaroni salad and easily customizable.
I had to use dried herbs so used 1/3 less (after dividing in 2) so it will need to sit to meld those flavors but I can see keeping this in the summer rotation but full fat since this will be a potluck salad for work.
This is absolutely delicious ???????? just another amazing recipe from you guys. Thank you for always coming up with great recipes that can work for everyone.
Love you guys ????
Looks so good! I was planning on making this today but I don’t have sweet relish. Can I substitute it with chopped pickles or will it give it a different flavor? Should I add a sweeter if I do? If so what sweeter no use suggest and how much? Thanks
I made this and it came out so good. I had a lot of veggies in my fridge to use up so I chopped up yellow summer squash, zucchini, broccoli and carrots and blanched them for about 2 minutes with the cooking pasta. I opted for all mayo, no yogurt and the relish really makes this recipe taste like the macaroni salad of my childhood. So perfect for any BBQ or summer potluck!
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These recipes look tempting, but anything with 3/4 cup of vegan mayonnaise or coconut oil is NOT healthy food! I’d love to see more low or no oil things that look as delicious as these do!
We have lots of oil-free recipes on the blog 🙂 We also never claimed that this was a health food, just a veganized version of the classic dish. Our goal here is to create something for everyone. If you want to make it healthy, try just using the vegan yogurt 🙂
Just made this and it is fabulous!! My daughter is not a huge fan of pasta salad and she can’t stop eating this one! Thanks!
★★★★★
Made a half recipe to test. This is a nice solid base for a macaroni salad and easily customizable.
I had to use dried herbs so used 1/3 less (after dividing in 2) so it will need to sit to meld those flavors but I can see keeping this in the summer rotation but full fat since this will be a potluck salad for work.
★★★★★
Definitely going to be giving this a try next week, it looks delicious!
Shannon | https://shannonmichelle1.blogspot.com
This is absolutely delicious ???????? just another amazing recipe from you guys. Thank you for always coming up with great recipes that can work for everyone.
Love you guys ????
★★★★★
Looks so good! I was planning on making this today but I don’t have sweet relish. Can I substitute it with chopped pickles or will it give it a different flavor? Should I add a sweeter if I do? If so what sweeter no use suggest and how much? Thanks
Chopped pickles would be just fine! We do that all of the time and it tastes great 🙂
I made this and it came out so good. I had a lot of veggies in my fridge to use up so I chopped up yellow summer squash, zucchini, broccoli and carrots and blanched them for about 2 minutes with the cooking pasta. I opted for all mayo, no yogurt and the relish really makes this recipe taste like the macaroni salad of my childhood. So perfect for any BBQ or summer potluck!
★★★★★
oh this macaroni looks so good!!!!!! love the easy recipe.
Thanks so much!