Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad combines pickle juice in a creamy dressing with rotini pasta, shredded cheese, chopped pastrami, crunchy red onion, and chopped dill pickles for a flavor like no other. Make this for your next gathering!
Pasta Salad with Dill Pickles Recipe
I’m so glad you landed here for the easiest and tastiest dill pickle pasta salad recipe. This pasta salad is crunchy, creamy, and tangy all at once.
There are just a few main ingredients to combine in a big mixing bowl, and they get dressed with a creamy and flavorful dressing that includes pickle juice. The hardest part is waiting for this salad to chill in the fridge so the flavors can meld and heighten!
We love easy side dishes like this for a crowd or summer pot lucks. It reminds us of our simple BLT Pasta Salad, which is always a hit too!
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Ingredients
SALAD
- Rotini pasta: I think corkscrew pasta is best for most any creamy pasta salad because its spiral shape provides many nooks and crannies for the salad dressing to adhere. Small shells work well, too, since they hold a good amount of the dressing inside each one. To up the protein content in this salad, substitute high-protein chickpea pasta.
- Kosher dill pickles: If you’ve only got hamburger dill pickles on hand, feel free to substitute them for the kosher dill pickles. They might not be quite as crunchy in texture overall, but the salad will still be delicious. For a twist, add some diced sweet pickles too! When it comes to pickles, more is always better.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: We like sharp cheddar but use what you have on hand. You can also subsitute cubed cheddar in place of shredded, if preferred.
- Dill pickle juice: This is the vinegar brine right from the jar of pickles.
- Red onion: If the onion is strong in flavor, you can soak the slices in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain well. This will make them much more mild in flavor.
- Deli Pastrami: I love how this almost makes this salad a meal. You can substitute leftover chopped corned beef, shredded dried beef, or even chopped ham.
Dressing
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream: You may substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream if desired.
- Onion powder
- Dill pickle juice
- Dried dill weed
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
For exact ingredient quantities and complete printable instructions, see the recipe card.
Prepare the Rotini. Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions, just until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
Toss the cooled pasta with the pickle juice and set aside for 10 minutes. Marinating the cooked pasta in this for a few minutes really adds more dill pickle flavor to the whole salad. Drain this well.
Prepare the Salad Dressing. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, onion powder, and dried dill until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
Combine the Salad Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the reserved cooked pasta, chopped dill pickles, cheddar cheese, sliced red onion, and pastrami.
Dress the Salad. Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta salad ingredients. Toss everything together gently until everything is well coated.
Chill. Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 3-4 hours to allow the flavors to meld. Pasta salads are always best made a day in advance so the flavors can intensify as they meld together.
If the salad seems a bit dry at serving time, stir in a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to make it creamy again. You can also stir in a bit of dill pickle juice to help “refresh” the salad.
Type of Pasta for Pasta Salad
My favorite type of pasta for nearly any pasta salad recipe is rotini (aka fusilli pasta). Its corkscrew shape has lots of nooks and crannies that really hold the dressing, giving each bite more flavor.
How to Easily Chop Dill Pickles So They Are All The Same Size
On a cutting board, slice the dill pickles half lengthwise. Then slice each half lengthwise again. Cut across the four pickle strips into small chunks about 1/4-inch in size.
How to Store
This salad will hold up well in refrigeration for up to 4 days. For the best freshness, store in an air tight container or well wrapped with plastic wrap that is pressed right against the top of the salad to keep out air.
Make This Salad in Advance
Pasta salad gets better when it has time to rest and chill. The flavors can meld and intensify and the pasta aborbs more flavors. You can make this pasta salad 24-48 hours ahead.
More Delicious Side Dishes
Easy salad dishes over the warmer months are some of our favorite recipes. We love this Corn Salad made with shoe peg corn because it has all the summer favorites, including tomatoes and cucumbers. BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad is also similar to this.
Pasta salad with bacon also tops our recipe favorites. It combines crunchy bacon with all the BLT essentials in pasta salad form.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 ounces rotini pasta, almost 3 cups uncooked pasta
- 1/2 cup dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles
- 3/4 cup diced kosher dill pickles about 1/4-inch in size
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup red onion very thinly sliced
- 5 oz. deli pastrami or corned beef, chopped may substitute ham or even dried beef
Dressing
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed may substitute 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill, if preferred
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- kosher Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Rotini. Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions, just until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool; toss the cooled pasta with the pickle juice and set aside for 10 minutes; drain well.8 ounces rotini pasta, almost 3 cups uncooked pasta, 1/2 cup dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles
- Prepare the Salad Dressing. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, onion powder, dried dill, and sugar until smooth; season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, kosher Salt and black pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Combine the Salad Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the reserved cooked pasta, chopped dill pickles, cheddar cheese, sliced red onion, and pastrami.3/4 cup diced kosher dill pickles, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup red onion, 5 oz. deli pastrami or corned beef, chopped
- Dress the Salad. Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta salad ingredients; toss gently until everything is well coated.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 3-4 hours to allow the flavors to meld.