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This dill pickle pasta salad will become an instant potluck side dish favorite! You only need 4 simple ingredients including tender spiral pasta, cheddar cheese, dill pickles, and red onion. Make a quick ranch dressing with pickle juice for the most delicious cookout recipe.
Dill pickles are the perfect addition to your BBQ side dish because they’re crunchy, flavorful, go well with ranch dressing. Combine that with sharp cheddar and red onion and you have the perfect pasta salad recipe.
We make pasta salads on repeat all summer long. Whether it’s BLT pasta salad, Mexican street corn pasta salad, or roasted vegetable pasta salad.
And this dill pickle pasta salad is up there with the all time favorites. Simple ingredients make it easy to whip up. But it isn’t lacking in flavor! Use the pickle juice to thin out the ranch dressing for double dill pickle flavor.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple recipes to make this dill pickle pasta salad recipe. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements.
Pasta Salad
- 1 lb short cut pasta: I used fuzilli corti bucati, but any type of fusilli, rotini, bowtie, or gemelli pasta work here.
- Mini dill pickles: I love the mini dill pickles cut into small rounds. They’re the perfect bite! You can also use regular dill pickles cut into quarters.
- White cheddar cheese: the creamy sharp flavor and texture are a must!
- Red onion: I love red onion in my pasta salads and green salads!
- Fresh dill: for topping!
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
- Greek yogurt: I like the added protein and neutral taste of plain yogurt, but you could also use mayo.
- Sour cream: a tangy addition to the yogurt to balance the flavors.
- Pickle juice: for extra pickle flavor and to thin out the dressing.
- Fresh dill and chives: for the best ranch flavor.
- Seasoning: garlic powder and salt.
How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Here are the easy steps, with photos, to make pasta salad with dill pickles. Skip to the recipe card for full instructions.
- Make dressing: add the dill pickle ranch dressing ingredients to a medium bowl.
- Mix: stir to combine and set aside.
- Make the pasta salad: cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Add it to a bowl with dill pickles, cheddar cheese, and red onion.
- Toss to combine: Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat. Garnish with more dill and serve. You can serve it at room temperature or chill it for up to 1 hour for cold pasta salad.
Make ahead tip! If you make this more than 1 hour in advance and/or plan to take it somewhere, leave the dressing and mix up to 1 hour before serving.
Pasta Salad Tips
- Scoop out the little garlicy bits from the pickle juice to add it to the dressing for the best flavor.
- You can use dried dill and dried chives in a pinch, but fresh is best!
- Serve it at room temperature or chill it for up to 1 hour.
- This will last for up to a day or so, but after that the pasta starts to absorb a good amount of the dressing. You may want to make a little more and toss it again before serving leftovers!
How to Store
Store leftover dill pickle pasta salad in the fridge for up to 5 days. After a day or so it will start to absorb a lot of the dressing.
You can make another half batch of dressing, or if you know you’ll have leftovers, save some of the pasta cooking water and mix it with a little of the dressing before tossing and store it for topping leftovers.
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Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 1 lb short cut pasta such as rotini fusilli, or bowtie I used chickpea gemelli
- 2 cups mini dill pickles sliced into rounds
- 1 1/2 cups 6-8 ounces cubed white cheddar cheese
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- Fresh dill to taste
Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup pickle juice plus more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped dill
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta.
- Mix the dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add more pickle juice a Tablespoon at a time to thin it if needed.
- Add the cooked pasta, pickles, cheddar cheese, and red onion to a serving bowl. I like to reserve some of each to garnish at the end. Drizzle 3/4 of the dressing on top and toss to coat. Before serving, garnish with any remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, top with fresh dill and fresh cracked black pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
