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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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Can you use bread and butter pickle juice for the dressing? I only have that.
Christina, I have not tried it with bread and butter pickle juice. It may be a little extra sweet. But other readers have used bread and butter pickle juice with success. Let me know how it turns out.
I followed this recipe, precisely as written. Unfortunately, it was way too soupy.
I didn’t even add all the sauce. In fact, there is at least a third or cup or more left over. The pasta salad is still soupy. I reviewed the recipe over and over making sure I didn’t add too much of something, but I did not. I’m going to put it in a colander to drain it.
It is a bit soupy when first made. The sauce thickens and soaks into the pasta as it sits.
You are correct – this is literally the best pasta salad recipe ever.
My husband asked if I could add ham, so I added 2/3 cup diced ham (to equal the cheddar cheese). It didn’t really change the flavor, but it made him feel like it was a meal in itself. :)
I eat pickles consistently so I was really looking forward to this recipe.
Personally I felt the sliced pickles were a bit too much & took away from the dish, instead of enhancing it. Picking the pickles off, it’s pretty good just like that. I also added garlic to the dressing & it came out so good!
Oh no, I am sorry to hear this recipe didn’t quite hit the spot for you! It’s a family favorite in my house. To blend the pickles into each bite more I often will dice them up as well!
She is right. Excellent! My picky husband loved it! I will make it again!
I love, love, love this salad!
Best dill pickle salad. Creamy, flavourful and fresh all in one delicious bite!! Love, love, love, this recipe.
So AMAZING!!!
First time I made this I liked the flavor but found it a little lacking texturally, and just felt like it was missing something to make it more substantial. I decided to add a can of chickpeas the second time and it was perfect – better texture and more fulfilling. I’ve now made it more times than I can count, always with the chickpeas. Absolutely love it.
The dill pickle pasta salad is out of this world delicious!!! So easy to make, convenient that it can be made in advance. Never any leftover when I make this for my family or for bridal and/or baby showers!!
I’ve made this twice since discovering this recipe recently because it’s become my favorite! Wow, so incredibly delicious. I love pickles but honestly, I was skeptical. Boy was I wrong. Yes, the pickle flavor is there of course, but in such a perfectly balanced way. Definitely not overpowering at all. I let someone taste this who actually prefers to go pickleless, and even he commented that it was good. I think the cayenne in the dressing helps with this. Unless you just absolutely despise pickles—no judgement—then this is sure to please. Outstanding!
I’ve made this 3 times now. We love this pickle pasta ! I’m glad you clarified the amount of pasta measurement. I always make the whole pound of pasta.
this pickle pasta salad is delicious! brought it to a family Barbecue in September 2024 and it was a huge hit.. every person that had it , loved it .. a family member asked me for the recipe. As I speak ,I’m making up another batch ,but cut the recipe in half for less ppl.
I was searching for a pasta salad recipe that called for dill and came upon this one. Oh, my goodness, my family loved this! This is a must try. Delicious!
This salad is a fabulous blend of flavors. The only downside is the salt.
it’s scary how good this salad is! It’s a new favorite!
just came across your page. my goodness I wish it were daylight so I could go to store then experiment all day !
cant wait to try some !!!!
Love all your recipes. Send directions
Best everrrrrr! By far a favorite of all pasta salads
This has become a family favourite!! Every time I bring it somewhere people ask for the recipe. Excellent!!