Dill Pickle Pasta Salad will be an instant favorite! Tender spiral pasta, 2 cups of diced pickles, cheese, and onion covered in a ultra creamy homemade dill dressing with pickle juice.
DILL PICKLE PASTA SALAD RECIPE
I have no words for this dill pickle pasta salad. If you're not a fan of pickles then you may just want to look away. But if 2 cups of chopped pickles + pickle juice is your thing, then I know you will love this pasta salad recipe that is loaded with dill pickle flavor. You will also love this dill pickle chicken salad too. I serve it in croissants!
We love pasta salad around here. Like this ranch pasta salad and this easy Italian pasta salad. So hearty, filling, and they make a great meal on their own or serve as a side dish for a BBQ or summertime dinner.
HOW TO MAKE DILL PICKLE PASTA SALAD
Rotini Pasta - This is the best pasta for any pasta salad, but especially this one because the spiral curves of the pasta soak up all that pickle goodness.
Baby Dill Pickles - The baby dills are small so they're much easier to cut for this salad. Plus, I think the baby dill pickles are crunchier and taste better.
Mayonnaise - Please, please use REAL mayonnaise. Not miracle whip. Not the lite stuff. The real stuff because it tastes so much better. I am not a fan of mayonnaise to begin with, but you need it in pasta salads, and if I am going to eat it then it needs to be the real stuff.
Colby Jack Cheese - You really can use any cheese but I have found the Colby Jack to be the best. Make sure you dice the cheese really small. See my pictures below.
Dill Pickle Juice - No this is not an extra ingredient. Although I wonder if they sell bottles of straight up dill pickle juice? Anyways, you will just need to use some of the juice from the pickle jar for this recipe.
White Onion - Yes it's very specific and yes you will want to use the white onion. A yellow onion will be too strong (onion flavor wise) and the white will blend in with the dressing and pasta. With that said, I would not skip the onion. It adds such a needed flavor profile to this salad. Make sure you finely dice it so no one ends up with big chunks of onion in their pasta salad.
Sour Cream - I have used light sour cream with great results in this recipe. It adds a smoothness and creaminess to the salad.
MY TIPS FOR THIS PASTA SALAD RECIPE
- This salad can be served right away or refrigerated for 1-2 hours before serving if you prefer a cold pasta salad. I prefer it cold so I refrigerate it for a couple of hours. As with any pasta salad, the longer it sits in the fridge the dressing will thicken up. Which is why I prefer this salad only after a couple hours in the fridge, that way it is still creamy but also cold too.
- You can use any pasta but I highly recommend the rotini spiral pasta.
- Again, you can use any cheese you want but I've found that the mild and creamy flavor of the Colby-Jack is the best in this recipe.
- If you decide to experiment with using Greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream, just know that it will change the end result slightly (taste wise). I am sure it would work just fine if you decide you wanted to try.
- Fresh dill is best in this recipe but dried dill can be substituted. You can find fresh dill in the refrigerated area of the produce section. Make sure to wash it and chop it finely before adding it into the dressing.
TRY THESE OTHER DILL PICKLE RECIPES
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta
- ⅓ cup dill pickle juice from the pickle jar
- 2 cups chopped baby dill pickles
- 1 block (8 oz) Colby Jack cheese cubed small
- 1 small white onion finely chopped
Creamy Dill Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup dill pickle juice from the pickle jar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried dill)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Don't forget to add some salt to the boiling water before adding the pasta. I add about 1 teaspoon.
- When pasta is done cooking drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Move rinsed cooked pasta to a mixing bowl and pour ⅓ cup of pickle juice over it. Stir to combine. Let it sit while you prepare the rest.
- Chop the dill pickles and cheese into small cubes. Finely chop the white onion.
- Drain the pasta again that was sitting in the pickle juice. Add it back to the mixing bowl. Add in the pickles, cheese, and white onion. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and pour over the pasta salad. Stir everything together to combine well. Salad can be eaten right away but I prefer it cold, and if you do too, then cover it and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours.
- * I would recommend not making this too far ahead of time. For best results serve this salad within a few hours of making it. Either right away or after the refrigeration time. Leftovers do keep well in the fridge but the dressing thickens up and it's not as creamy as when you first make it.
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Notes
Nutrition
This is so good. Light and creamy. Good summer go to recipe.
They do sell dill pickle juice at Wal-Mart. It's on the top shelf of the pickle aisle right next to the pickle pops.
What?! How have I not known about this, haha 🙂 That would have come in handy when I was last pregnant. I would eat multiple jars of pickles a day and sometimes sip the liquid.... it's gross now that I say that out loud but it was so good at the time! 🙂
I did that when I was pregnant too! I'm so excited to try this recipe.
Pickles are the best 🙂 Enjoy!
They also sell gallon jugs of Best Maid dill pickle juice on Amazon. Started buying them when I was having issues with a medication I was taking which made me crave pickles and pickle juice. It also helps with leg cramps, can use as a post-workout refresher, great in pickle juice martinis, even helps to prevent hangovers. A gallon of it can go quickly if you cook with it, too. (Hello cheeseburger soup!) With all that being said, I will try your pasta salad recipe!
Interesting! A gallon of pickle juice sounds amazing. Hope you like this salad.
Wow! All great resources! Thanks for sharing
Yummmm, this looks amazing! I think I'm going to make this for this weekend but use Spicy Kosher dills instead. Thanks for the idea!!
Spicy dill sounds delicious! Enjoy 🙂
Hello Family... I want to make this immediately!!! We are in a pandemic and to prevent going out would dill relish suffice? If not, I'm getting masked up, protected in gloves and off to Walmart!
So sorry, but I don't think the relish would work. You could always try it and see what you think but me personally, I would make the extra trip in a face mask 🙂 Let me know if you try the relish. It would be interesting to hear how it is.
I made this for a church supper. I diced Mt Olive Kosher Petite dill pickles and used 4 oz of Cabot Alpine Sharp Cheddar cheese and 4 oz of Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese. Ummmmm this was so good! The longer it sat the better it got! My husband said I need to make it about 4 days before I plan to serve it. Not a single pickle cube survived!
haha, I love it! I am so guilty of picking out the pickle cubes in this salad! So happy to hear this was a hit.
I hate to be a stickler but Best Foods and Hellman's are the same thing. I put this here so there's no confusion by someone looking for both of them in the same store.
Hellmann's and Best Foods - Wikipedia
"Hellmann's and Best Foods. Hellmann's and Best Foods are brand names that are used for the same line of mayonnaise and other food products. The Hellmann's brand is sold in the United Kingdom, the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, Latin America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Canada, and South Africa."
Yes, I know they're the same brand. I only wrote that in my blog post because I used to live on the East Coast and they sold Hellmann's and now that we moved to the west coast they sell Best Foods. So depending on where you live you may see one or the other 🙂
I loved this salad. We had it less than a week ago and I’m making it again today. And I didn’t mind it a bit the next day. It was a little drier, but the flavors blended nicely. So good!!
Yes, the salad does get a bit drier the day after but like you said, the flavor seems to be even better, so no one seems to mind! So happy to hear you loved this.
MY HUSBAND AND I LOVE THIS SALAD!! I just made it, we both ate a bowl, wow! Our kids and grandkids all love dill pickles. This will be a regular at all family affairs but... I'll have to double it for sure. My husband said we should add chicken and make it a meal...he never makes suggestions like that! THANK YOU for putting this recipe on Pinterest!
Aww you're so welcome! Thank you for visiting and leaving your comment. SO happy it's a hit!
I loved this so much! Definitely let it sit for a few hours as I thought it was not a strong pickle flavor served immediately. But if you prefer it mild than it would be perfect fresh. Next time I'll probably add even more pickles. 🙂
You're totally right. I should add that into the recipe because it does definitely get a stronger dill flavor as it sits. And I am so happy you loved this salad.
How many servings?
A lot! haha 🙂 It's so hard to say a serving amount because it makes a lot but it also depends on how much each person takes. Is it for a potluck? Dinner? I would safely say that this salads feeds 12-15 as a side dish.
Love it. Light with plenty of flavor
Yes, they do, in fact, sell bottled pickle juice. Most likely found in the liquor store section.
Yummy.... maybe! Might be to much, haha 🙂 But I love the idea of bottled juice.
I would love to add some sort of meat to this, but not sure which would be best?
Maybe some shredded chicken would be yummy
I was thinking hard boiled eggs
This sounds so good ...especially for dill pickle fanatics...I wonder if you could just use dill pickle relish...seems like it would supply the amount of juice needed and you get out of chopping them up...thanks for the great recipe
Can u use red onion
Yes you can if that's what you prefer
Yes! I add red onion most of the time. I like the little bit of color that it adds to the salad.
LOVE this recipe! It is a hit everywhere I take it and I have shared the recipe multiple times. I grate my cheese to save some chopping time. And if the dressing is too thick the next day, I've had luck with adding a bit of pickle juice to thin it down. But I usually just double the dressing and save some back specifically for thinning down leftovers.
Very good but I should add a bit of sugar, just a bit sour.
So we are not to add any of the pickle juice after we've strained from the juice? Could this be why some say the flavor is mild? I think I'll mix some of that juice in with the whole recipe.
Not sure what you mean but the recipe does call for pickle juice in the dressing. Of course, you can always add more to your liking.
This salad is awesome. I used light mayo and lite sour cream. I took it to a potluck and it was a hit. It will definitely be a go-to salad of mine.
Is the 2 cups pickles before you chop them because that would be an awful lot of pickles if it is 2 cups chopped. Just asking, I do love pickles.
It is actually 2 cups chopped pickles. Sounds like a lot but when you add it into a pound of pasta plus the other ingredients, it's not too much. Enjoy!
Love this recipe because it uses dill pickle instead of sweet. I also added chopped black olives. Yum!!!
My family loved the pasta salad. I followed the recipe exactly as written with the Colby Jack cheese. Definitely a keeper. Can't wait to have it again.
Yum, we love the colby jack cheese in this salad. So happy you love it. Thanks for commenting and visiting.
My family loves this dish.
Delicious! Does taste best when eaten early on! Very Creamy!!!!Next day it is still good, but the dressing gets “gummy”!
So I've made this a few times (delicious) but I'm going camping tomorrow immediately after I work all day so I wont have to to do it except for tonight or in the morning. I'm wanting to make it but not too soon. So i was wondering, can I cook the noodles tomorrow morning then leave them in a bag of pickle juice to keep them moist until I get out camping and then mix all the ingredients then? Or will it end up waaayy too pickley? I love the creamy sauce stage and I really dont want to miss out on that part lol
Great idea to take this camping! If I were doing that, I would just let the pasta soak in the pickle juice (like you mentioned) and then take the dressing and mix ins with you. Combine it all together when ready to serve it. I don't think the pasta would be too pickly.... but then again I love pickles 🙂 But I do think that would be the best way.
This is soooo good! my whole family loves it!
Yum! This sounds delicious. I've been trying to expand my pickle recipes and I haven't tried dill pickle pasta yet but I have all the ingredients so I'm starting this right now. Can't wait to try it, thanks for sharing!
This sounds so great! Can’t wait to try! Why do you rinse the pasta after you salted the water? That’s flavor!
I think the pasta still gets the flavor on it even with being rinsed. If you'd rather not rinse the pasta, that's fine, but you will have to refrigerate the pasta salad (cause the noodles will be warm from no rinsing), unless of course you want a warm pasta salad then you can serve right away. I hope you get the chance to try this recipe. Thanks for your comment.
Yummy! I will cut the pickles and cheese into larger bites next time. That is just my preference.
Awesome, This is going to be my new dish to take to gatherings,
Thank you for the recipe.
We absolutely love this salad. It is refreshing; just right for summer eating!
I made this for our Labor Day weekend annual family camping trip and everyone loved it! I used the Garofalo Organic Tri-Color Fusilli pasta because that is what I had on hand. It was delicious. Everyone had seconds and had requests for the recipe. I will definitely make this again.
Made this for Super Bowl, everyone loved It, including me! Delicious and so easy.
I love hearing this! Happy to hear it was a hit and thanks for letting me know.
Just the right amount of pickle and the dressing is wonderfully creamy. Definitely a keeper!
Have made it multiple times and passed on the recipe! Love it!
Thank you for sharing the recipe and I am so happy to hear you love this pasta salad. It's one of my favorites for sure!
Great
This is one of my new favorites for girl's weekend, BBQ, or just a Tuesday night at home! I feel strongly that Swiss cheese is the best for the pickles. I also prefer Claussen Kosher Dill Pickles.
Also, I prepare it ahead of time, preparing the dressing first and refrigerating. Then the pickles, onion and swiss separately. About an hour before serving, I remove pickle mixture & dressing from fridge. Then, I cook pasta, drain and let pasta soak in pickle juice. So unbelievably good! Garnish with fresh dill! YUM!
I LOVE this recipe! It was so creamy and tasty! I had a 12 ounce box of rotini in the pantry (instead of 16 ounces), but I left the other ingredient measurements alone and it was perfectly creamy leftover.
Absolutely my favorite thing in the world. I do not share the leftovers haha. I would eat this every day if I could. I follow the recipe as is, it's perfect. Thank you for this recipe!
P.s. for you ranch fanatics, my SIL added ranch powder to her variation and said it was even more delicious. I haven't tried it yet but I think I might 🙂
We make this several times a month. It's always a huge hit and people want the recipe. Even my somewhat picky kids love it!
Found this recipe over a year ago. My family loves it. My oldest daughter expects it every time they visit. The disappointment last time was precious. Was wondering about the chicken as a few have mentioned but also was thinking about chopped cucumber and diced peppers. Any thoughts on that
I think the cucumbers would be so yummy. Of course you could add chicken, but I think the chicken would take away from the fabulous dill pickle flavor. Just my thoughts 🙂
Made it last night to have for lunch at work the next couple days, as a pickle lover I was excited to try this recipe, but soon found out it was not for me. The cheese is an odd choice to me, in my opinion the cheese does to belong whatsoever. I also felt like it was missing some depth of flavor so I added garlic powder. Overall it wasn’t horrible, it is edible. However, that being said I will not be making it again.
So sorry it didn’t work for you! Thank you for your comment!