Dill pickle pasta salad is a pickle lover's favorite dish! Cold pasta is mixed with crunchy dill pickles, sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, and a creamy fresh dill dressing with pickle juice. Make it for your next potluck, family gathering, or backyard barbecue!
"I never thought I'd say this, but I am obsessed with pickle pasta salad! This recipe is the bomb. I wasn't a pickle eater until I moved to the U.S. And now I find myself eating pickles in so many ways. Thanks for the great recipe!"
★★★★★-Juyali
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🔍 Quick Look: Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
👩🍳 Cook Time: 15 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 25 minutes
👥 Servings: 8
📊 Calories: 426 per serving
🥒 Main Ingredients: Rotini pasta, dill pickles, cheddar cheese, green onions, fresh dill, mayonnaise, and sour cream
❄️ Make Ahead Friendly: Yes - even better after chilling for at least 1 hour
⭐ Difficulty: Easy
A Note from my Kitchen
I am a HUGE pickle lover. If there's a jar of dill pickles in my refrigerator, I'm snacking on them all day. One afternoon, while scrolling on Pinterest, I came across a dill pickle pasta salad that immediately caught my attention. As someone who never passes up anything pickle flavored, I knew I had to try it.
The first version was good, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. So I headed back to the kitchen and started tweaking. I used extra dill, made sure to use flavorful dill pickles, and adjusted the dressing until every bite had that perfect tangy, salty pickle flavor without being overwhelming. The result is the recipe you're reading today, and I honestly can't stop making it.
It has become one of my favorite summer side dishes to go along with hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled chicken, and grilled ribs. If you're like me and believe pickles make almost everything better, I think you're going to love this one. Enjoy! ~Xoxo, Katie.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to make this tangy dill pickle pasta salad recipe.
- rotini pasta- You can substitute with any type of pasta shape such as shell pasta, corkscrew pasta, bowtie pasta, or macaroni pasta.
- dill pickles- Use your favorite dill pickles.
- sharp cheddar cheese- You can substitute with any type of cheddar cheese.
- green onion- The green onion adds color and flavor. You can substitute with red onion or white onion.
- fresh dill weed-You can substitute with dry dill weed.
- mayonnaise- I like real mayonnaise for this recipe and do not recommend Miracle Whip.
- sour cream- You can substitute with real Greek yogurt.
- pickle juice-Use the same pickle juice that your pickles came from.
- salt and black pepper- For a little extra punch of flavor you can substitute salt with celery salt or seasoned salt.
Steps to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Follow these easy steps to make dill pickle pasta salad.
- Cook pasta according to directions. Rinse pasta with cold water and strain. Mix in pickle juice and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, and fresh dill weed.
- Drain pickle juice from pasta and discard pickle juice. Add pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add creamy mayo dressing to the cold pasta. Add diced cheddar cheese, chopped dill pickles, and diced green onions.
- Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Salt and pepper to taste. You can serve immediately, but it is best to refrigerate an hour or more before serving.
Watch how to make
What type of pickles are best for pickle pasta salad?
I personally like the deli-style pickles you find in the refrigerator section such as "Claussen." However, any of your favorite dill pickle will do. Homemade dill pickles would also be tasty in this pasta salad. I personally do not recommend sweet pickles for this recipe.
How to store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How did your creamy pickle pasta salad turn out? Please leave me a comment below if you make this and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post a picture of your pasta salad on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Best Dill Pickle Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese diced into bite sized cubes
- ½ cup green onions chopped
- 2 cups dill pickles diced
- ½ cup pickle juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- ¼ cup pickle juice
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions. Rinse pasta with cold water and strain. Mix in pickle juice and set aside for 5 minutes.16 ounces rotini pasta, ½ cup pickle juice
- In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, and fresh dill weed.1 cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup pickle juice, 3 tablespoons fresh dill
- Drain pickle juice from pasta and discard pickle juice. Add pasta to a large bowl. Add mayonnaise dressing to pasta salad. Add cheddar cheese, pickles, and green onions.8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, 2 cups dill pickles, ½ cup green onions
- Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Salt and pepper to taste. You can serve immediately, but it is best to refrigerate an hour or more before serving.salt and pepper to taste
Video
Notes
- You can substitute with any of your favorite pasta shape such as shell pasta, corkscrew pasta, bow tie pasta, or macaroni pasta.
- You can substitute fresh dill with 1 ½ tablespoon dried dill.
Catalina says
I made this for a picnic and it was such a fun twist on classic pasta salad. The pickle flavor really stands out in the best way!
Carmen says
This pasta salad was a huge hit! The creamy dressing has just the right amount of pickle flavor, and the cheddar cheese and crunchy pickles make every bite delicious.
Janie says
I made this for a work party and everyone kept asking for the recipe. It's a little different from the typical pasta salad, hence why I chose to make it. The pickle juice in the dressing gives it so much flavor. It's creamy, crunchy, and even better after chilling in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Beth says
The tang of the dill pickle is so good in the creamy pasta salad. I live on dill pickles, so I love it!
Hayley Dhanecha says
This salad is so good! We made and enjoyed throughly over the weekend. Fresh and lighter salad perfect for summer months.
Jamie says
This pasta salad was perfect for our family picnic! My kids loved the crunchy texture of the dill pickles. It gave it lots of flavor too! Thank you!
Amy Liu Dong says
This looks good! You can tell with just looking at it that it is delicious and the freshness of the ingredients are superb!
Moop Brown says
Pickles are one of my favorite condiments and this recipe looks really tasty to me and perfect for summer get-togethers and cookouts.
veenaazmanov says
Never imagined a dish like this ever existed. Such a unique combination. Pasta is one of our family best Dinner option any day and this recipe is definitely on my listing.
Leslie says
Such a great, flavorful side dish recipe! I love the combination of pickles and pasta! So delicious!!
Colleen says
This pasta salad is delicious. We'll be having this on repeat all summer. Thanks for the recipe!
Juyali says
I never thought I'd say this, but I am obsessed with pickle pasta salad! This recipe is the bomb. I wasn't a pickle eater until I moved to the U.S. And now I find myself eating pickles in so many ways. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yu says
I love the tangy crunch of the dill pickles. They are so refreshing and delicious! This is my new favorite pasta recipe for this summer!
Amy Liu Dong says
This recipe of pasta is awesome, the flavors are fresh and in harmony with each other, it has a sharpness to it and it is so good!