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This Vegan Macaroni Salad recipe is pretty classic, but the calories aren’t so classic! A typical macaroni salad that you’d find at a summer bbq has 1 cup of mayonnaise for 8 oz of pasta, which is like 1500 calories! I don’t want to discriminate against mayonnaise, but I’m just saying…that’s a lotta calories!
Not in this version though!
Ingredients to make macaroni salad
how to make vegan macaroni salad
It all starts with the dressin in a large bowl. Then you add the pasta and throw in some colorful crispy vegetables including carrots, celery, pickles and green onions. You can also add corn, peas and peppers if you’d like!
Once I mix it all together, the result is a colorful zingy salad that everyone will love!
Why I love this Vegan Macaroni Salad
- Great way to use up pickle juice (duh)
- It works with any leftover vegetables you have on hand.
- Packs well for lunchboxes
- Great for picnic, BBQs and all summer shindigs
- Stays good in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Feels light and fresh
- Less than 200 calories per serving!
My favorite occasion for this macaroni salad is for lunchboxes. Usually when I make it in the beginning of the week, I can throw it in my kids’ lunchboxes for 2-3 days. It tastes great cold, gives them carbs for energy and some healthy veggies loaded with vitamins while they’re at school.
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Vegan Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow pasta
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 2 carrots finely chopped
- 1 small red pepper finely chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
Dressing
- ⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add elbow macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the vegan mayonnaise, pickle juice, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
- Add drained macaroni to the dressing, along with celery, carrots, red pepper and peas. Toss well to combine. Serve immediately at room temperature or allow to cool in the fridge before serving.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Switch up the vegetables according to what you like. It works really well with corn, peas, bell peppers and pimento peppers.
- If you can’t find vegenaise, you can use any other mayonnaise or mayonnaise substitute, which can be found in the salad dressing isle at most grocery stores.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Perfect salad for BBQ and delicious too! I made it today and had all the ingredients on hand, didn’t even have to go to the store.
Thank you so much! That’s perfect!
It is a good.recipe. Better to parboil the carrots.By the way it is difficult to type in a comment because of pop ups that appear. Sorry to say I will not do any more comments
Thank you! I will take that feedback into consideration to make the experience more user friendly!
Yum, this looks so delicious and healthy!