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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Recipes You’ll Love
This dish is a family favorite! I make it all the time and the family just eats it all! Considering that I love pickles, this dish is just for me!
Delicious, used whar I had on hand so left out sour cream and puf in sliced blacj olives.
So glad you enjoyed it Wanda!
So happy to find pasta salad with regular ingredients that I had in hand! Only thing I did differently was use elbow macaroni rather than the shells. Only because that’s what I had. We loved this recipe! I know I will be making this time & time again!
I am so glad you like this recipe! There are a lot of other good ones here –> https://www.spendwithpennies.com/?s=pasta+salad
Thank you for this recipe. It has become a family favorite for Sunday dinner with the in-laws!
I am so glad your family loves this pasta salad!
On my, where was this when I was pregnant three years in a row? This is my last pregnancy, and this really hits the spot. It is so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing! ✍ Writing this down to save for more occasions. I’m actually going to take it to our dinner at church Sunday and see how they like it.♨ Have you by chance tried putting chopped chicken in this recipe? (If so how did it taste?)
I haven’t tried this with chicken before!
I made this recipe for a barbecue for 45 people. It was the first side to go and people were asking for more! In fact, the weeks later I am making it again for our family to enjoy. Outstanding!
I’m so glad everyone loved it!!
I made this salad for my sons bday party. With 20 guests, I doubled the recipe. I used dill and sweet pickles. This salad is delish! I made it the morning of, and it was in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Next time I will make it the night before to give it a more robust taste. Eating it the next morning for breakfast, I realized how much more flavorful it was today vs yesterday. This will definitely be put in the rotation for family get togethers. Thanks for posting this recipe, I found it on Pinterest.
So glad you loved it!
I made this for a family gathering and received many compliments !! Thank you !
That’s great! Thank you Marlene!
A M A Z I N G!
Loved it! Making it again now!!
Instead of small cubed cheddar I shredded it. I don’t like large chunks of cheese in pasta salad. Other than that I kept pretty true to the recipe and it was DELICIOUS! My girls loved it too!
Everyone, family and friends, loves this salad. Best if refrigerated few hours before serving. Sometimes I throw in some small cooked shrimp and sprinkle in some Old Bay seasoning.. yummy!
My daughter-in-law loves pickles, pickles, and more pickles…..can’t wait to make this for her. Thanks for the recipe!!
Made this twice now, my husband and I love it! I usually add a tad more cheese and sweet pickles to the mix. Yummy!!
I’ve made this recipe for multiple church functions. When I mention that I’m bringing my Dill Pickled Pasta Salad, the response is always a fist pump and an, “OH, Yeh!” Very good and tastes great the next 2-3 days after.my families favorite pasta salad.
I’m planning on featuring this post is a roundup for Fire-Free (make ahead) Camping Meals.
Thank you for sharing.
this is one of the most easiest and delicious pastas I have ever made.
I am so glad that you liked it Ellie!
This was delicious, I was wondering what the hold time on this was once it was made and refrigerated.
Thanks!
It should be good for 2 or 3 days, assuming it lasts that long :D
Luckily, I doubled this recipe for a picnic recently-EVERYBODY LOVED IT! I will be making this again, it’s my new, favorite, summer pasta salad. Yummalicious!
Made this recipe exactly as is and it was delicious! Even better the next day!
We agree, it’s a great recipe!! :) Enjoy!