Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is literally my favorite pasta salad ever! In this creamy pasta salad recipe, dill pickles play a starring role and add tons of flavor and crunch! This recipe is even better when it’s made ahead of time making it the perfect potluck dish!
I have a thing for dill pickles. I always have. My sister and I have exchanged pickle themed gifts for about 20 years now… I’ve received everything from pickle erasers and a case of pickle pops (like freezies.. but pickle juice) and given her everything from a yodeling pickle to pickle soap and jewellery. One thing we haven’t exchanged yet is a dill pickle recipe, so of course I have to dedicate this delicious pasta salad recipe to my sister Candace.
I like pasta salads, I make a ton of them. They’re easy to make and usually better if made ahead of time. They’re the hit of every potluck meal and perfect to pack the next day for lunch. As much as I like pasta salads, this Dill Pickle Pasta salad is honestly one of the best pasta salads I’ve ever had! Pickles (or even dill pickle relish) usually play a supporting role in recipes, especially pasta salad recipes and potato salads.
But not this time… nope, this time the prized dill pickle plays the starring role, front and center.
* cheer * yay * cheer *
There is pickle flavor infused throughout this recipe (in 3 different places) yet it’s just the right amount of pickley (if pickley is even a word!?). Yup, time to get pickled people (in the dill pickle sense of course).
When buying pickles for this recipe, I love baby dills if you can find them because I love the crunch they give and I love how they look in little rounds. I’m a bit freakish about my pickles so I actually pick up all of the pickle jars at the store and try to choose jar with the the smallest pickles. I look like a person trying to choose the perfect produce, only in the pickle aisle. If you only have bigger dill pickles (or homemade pickles), they’ll still be great in this recipe too, just chop them but not too small, you want them to keep that crunch.
If you have (or love) sweet pickles you can also throw a handful of those in here too. I mean, sweet and salty, crunch creamy… perfection right?!
Oh, and when you’re scooping out your pickle juice to add to the dressing in this recipe, try to grab all of those yummy little garlicky bits floating around and put them in the dressing too, they add extra flavor. And one last tip about the white onion… be sure to grab the onions with the white papery skin, the ones with the yellow skin are much stronger and will be a little bit overpowering in this dish.
This dill pickle pasta salad is pretty much guaranteed to be the hit of your next potluck and the best part is that it is awesome made the day before! If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers (which I doubt would happen) they’ll keep several days in the fridge and make the perfect lunch!
Items You’ll Need For This Recipe
* Dill Pickles * Shell Pasta * Cayenne Pepper *
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ½ pound medium shells about 3 cups
- ¾ cup sliced pickles
- ⅔ cup diced cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons minced white onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- ½ cup dill pickle juice
Dressing
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil pasta al dente according to package directions. Run under cold water to stop cooking.
- Toss cold pasta with about ½ cup of pickle juice and set aside for about 5 minutes. Drain & discard pickle juice.
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
- Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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I made this thinking it would be the side dish. Starting tasting it and it was all over. So, so good.
Thanks!
A friend makes this recipe every year and I can never get enough! First time making it myself though, and I am so surprised at how simple it is! I made it with gluten free noodles, and would definitely recommend cooking the noodles even more al dente than you would expect. They will soften a lot easier than regular noodles! But so delicious! SWP Employee
My six year old daughter wants to thank you for this recipe! I can’t count how many times we’ve made it. She’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I follow all the instruction but add extra dill because we like it extra dilly!
Oh my gosh, that is so sweet of her! You will have to tell her she is very welcome! We are glad she enjoyed the recipe :) I could definitely join her in eating this for every meal!
This is “GOOD”!!!! Period and no doubt you should make this one.
Love this recipe! I’m a big fan of Epicure and instead of fresh dill I often use lemon dilly dip mix. I also add a half teaspoon of sugar and a little lemon juice. I also add more dill pickle juice. We use GF pasta of all kinds and after cooking the pasta and draining it we mix the sauce in to the hot pasta and let it soak it until cool. Then we add the veggies and cheese after. I love to add banana peppers and cucumbers as well as what ever veggies are in my fridge . This is a very versatile recipe and it switches out with different flavors very easily. Thanks! Family favorite!
I don’t have pasta shells could I use another type of pasta?
Definitely Margot! You can use whatever short pasta you have on hand.
My family goes nuts over this! I do revise the recipe slightly by using more fresh dill, more cayenne and then adding in “Slap Ya Mama” cajun seasoning to give it a kick. Everyone MAKES me bring this dish to every party and get together.
Would it work well to make the night before? Or would it be soggy?
You can definitely make it the night ahead Dee! The pasta will soak up more of the dressing the longer it sits though, so you may want to add a bit more dressing to accommodate.
So, my mom sends a group text…SUPERBOWL PARTY STARTS AT 4! What is everyone bringing?!
Then she sends just ME a text: you have to bring that pickle pasta salad you brought last time!
I guess that means it’s pretty unforgettable!
Haha, we love hearing that Lisa! There are definitely some dishes we are known for too that we can’t show up without.
This has become one of my all time faborite and go to recipes!!! Unless you have the courage to try it (because it sounds crazy) you’ll never know how tasty it is! I’m always recommending it to friends and family!!!
My favorite pasta salad recipe! My friends all request I make this when we get together. They love it too!! It changed me from olives to dill pickle on my deviled eggs and egg salad. I use kosher dill. The juice is very important to the recipe. Thank you!!!
One question…what is the significance of the white onion?
The onion adds a bit of flavor.
My family is Keto, but I seen this and had to make it. We love it! I’ve taken it to cookouts and everyone else has enjoyed it also. Definitely a nice treat once in awhile. Thank you!
I absolutely LOVE dill pickles so I knew this would be a winner. I used a 1/2 cup red onion instead of white and half cup diced bell peppers just to add some different flavor for those who aren’t as obsessed with dill flavor as I am and it was gone in less than 30 minutes!!! Thank you so much for an amazing recipe.
Try this with Grillo’s Italian Dill Pickles. WOW!
Absolutely phenomenal! I leave out the diced onion and replace with some onion powder. Do not be afraid to double this! It goes quick at pot lucks!
My go to potluck dish! It’s a hit everywhere I go!!! Double the recipe everytime since it’s so good!
I make this for every single pot luck at work because it’s requested every time! Thank you for giving me such a good standing with this pasta salad!!!!!!
So happy to hear that Annie!
I am not one to leave comments on …well anything really, but this is amazing! It is my most frequently made Pinterest recipe.
I have made many times exactly as is written and it is wonderful! That being said I have tweaked mine just a touch to personal preference:
-First, make a double batch. Trust me on this, there still won’t be leftovers.
-I am not a big mayo fan so I swap the amounts of mayo and sour cream.
-Last slight change I make is I let my pasta soak in the pickle juice for around an hour. I really love getting that flavor infused in the noodles
Thank you so much for this recipe it is honestly the best!
Thanks for the tips Holly! So happy you love this recipe!
I found your website recently and made the Dill Pickle Pasta Salad. I love pickles and thought this looked so tasty. And it was!
Thank you for sharing this and the other recipes. Want to try some of the other dishes also.
So happy you loved it Bobbi! This one is definite favorite in our house too!