This easy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad has become an absolute favorite of mine! It’s creamy, crunchy, and tangy, with a dressing made with real pickle juice straight from the jar and, of course, plenty of crispy bacon.
I bring it to potlucks and cookouts, and it disappears fast every single time. Once you try it, you’ll see why it’s so good!
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 mins, Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Method: Boiled pasta tossed with a creamy dressing
- Main Ingredients: Pasta, dill pickles, bacon, cheese, fresh dill
- Flavor Profile: Tangy, creamy, crunchy
- Ideal for: Potlucks, BBQs, side dishes, make ahead friendly
Ingredient Notes
- Dill pickles and pickle juice: The whole point of this pasta salad! We mix pickle juice straight from the jar right into the dressing. I really love Grillo’s pickles and also Claussen.
- Bacon: Cooked until crispy, then diced small so it’s distributed throughout.
- Pasta: I use mini bowties (farfalle), but any short pasta works well here, really.
- Cheese: Small-diced Colby Jack or cheddar. I prefer cutting it straight from a block rather than using pre-cut. It’s a simple salad, but that just means good quality ingredients are key!
- Fresh dill: Get a big, vibrant bunch with crisp stems. This is what really brings the herby flavor to life.
- Diced cucumbers and finely diced red onion add crunch and freshness.
- Dressing: A mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest, garlic powder, dill pickle juice, Dijon mustard, and a touch of honey.
As always, ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below.
Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta options: Ditalini, small shells, elbow macaroni, cavatappi, or rotini.
- Extra creamy and tangy: Swap in Greek yogurt for some or all of the mayo and sour cream.
- Make it vegan: Swap the mayo and sour cream for vegan Greek yogurt.
- Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free short pasta.
- Swap the mayo and sour cream for plain vegan Greek yogurt if you’d like.
- Add-ins: Canned chickpeas, white beans, or diced ham for extra protein.
How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Assemble pasta salad. First, cook the pasta and the bacon separately. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta (cooled down), bacon, chopped pickles, cucumbers, cheese, fresh dill, and red onions.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest, garlic powder, pickle juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve. Enjoy immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for about 30 minutes or longer if you prefer to serve it cold. Garnish your dill pickle pasta salad with extra fresh dill.
Tips for Success
- Cook the pasta just past al dente. For cold pasta salads, I actually prefer the pasta slightly more tender. It holds up well once chilled and gives the salad a better texture.
- Give the red onion an cold water bath. If you find raw onion a little too strong, soak the diced onion in cold water for about 15 minutes. This mellows the sharp flavor while keeping the onion crisp.
- Use cold-refrigerated pickles rather than shelf-stable ones when you can. They tend to be crisper and taste fresher.
- Save extra dressing on the side. This makes it easy to refresh the salad with a little more creaminess before serving leftovers!
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: You can cook the pasta, bacon, chop everything, and make the dressing up to 1 day in advance. Store separately in the fridge and toss everything together right before serving.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Refreshing leftovers: Pasta soaks up moisture as it sits, so the salad may look a little dry after a day or two. Stir in a spoonful of the reserved extra dressing to bring back that creamy texture.
Recipe FAQs
Why did my pasta salad turn out soggy?
This usually happens when the pasta isn’t rinsed with cold water after cooking (hot pasta can make the dressing too thin), or when the dressing is added too far in advance. The pasta continues to absorb moisture as it sits. If making ahead, I’d recommend adding the dressing right before serving.
Can I serve this pasta salad warm instead of cold?
It’s meant to be served chilled or at room temperature so the dressing stays creamy.
What to Serve with Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is the perfect cool, tangy side for just about any cookout spread!
Burgers: Classic Homemade Burgers, Feta Turkey Burgers, or these fresh Salmon Burgers.
Grilled proteins: Try my Marinated Lemon Chicken, Grilled Greek Skewers, or make shrimp with my lemon garlic grilled shrimp marinade.
Ribs! I think this pickle pasta salad goes really well with BBQ ribs. Try my Baby Back Ribs in the Oven recipe, or these super easy Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs.
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad has become an absolute favorite! Made with crunchy pickles and the pickle juice, this pasta salad is creamy, tangy, crunchy, and so delicious. Perfect for potlucks or as a side salad with your meal.
Servings 8 people
Calories 348kcal
Ingredients
- ¾ pound mini bowtie pasta - or similar, see notes
- 6 slices bacon
- ¾ cup chopped dill pickles
- ¾ cup diced fresh cucumbers
- ¾ cup diced cheese - Colby Jack or cheddar
- ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey - plus more to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until a little past al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely.
- Cook bacon: Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let it cool slightly. Dice the bacon into small pieces.
- Make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, dill pickle juice, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
- Assemble: In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cooked diced bacon, chopped dill pickles, cucumbers, cheese, fresh dill, and red onions.
- Add dressing: Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta salad and toss until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve at room temperature or, if you’d like to serve it cold, refrigerate for about 30 minutes or longer. Garnish with extra fresh dill.
Notes
- Cook slightly past al dente, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking and keep dressing thick.
- Short pasta shapes (like mini bowties) work best for serving and scooping.
- Pickles: Use cold-refrigerated pickles (like Grillo’s or Claussen) for maximum crunch. Shelf-table pickles tend to be less crunchy, but will work too.
- If you don’t like the strong onion flavors, you can mellow it out by soaking diced onions in cold water for 15 minutes first.
- Cheese: Block cheddar or Colby Jack cut into small cubes by hand works much better than pre-cut, which contains extra starches that can make the salad taste a little gritty.
- Make ahead: Assemble as directed but keep the dressing separately in the fridge for up to 1 day. Combine before serving.
- Storage: Keeps in an airtight fridge container for up to 3 days. Stir in extra dressing or pickle juice if it dries out.
- Do not freeze.
- Pasta: Use ditalini, rotini, shells, elbows, cavatappi, or gluten-free pasta. Basically, any small-shaped pasta.
- Dressing awaps: Use Greek yogurt or vegan yogurt to replace mayo or sour cream, but you’ll need to season more.
- Extra protein add-ins: Add diced ham, white beans, or chickpeas.
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 369IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me on Instagram!Mention @CookingForMySoul or tag #cookingformysoul. Or leave me comment below!
Leave a Reply