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    Home » Salads

    Vegan Macaroni Salad

    Published: Jul 8, 2022 Updated: Jul 8, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Macaroni Salad

    The best vegan macaroni salad is veggie packed and flavorful with the most divine creamy dressing. Ideal for picnics, potlucks and barbecues.

    Vegan macaroni salad in a wooden salad bowl.

    A macaroni salad is the perfect dish to take along to a barbecue or a picnic! It’s really easy to make and perfect to prepare in advance so you can easily make it the night before. 

    And it’s totally delicious. You have crunchy veggies tossed with macaroni and then covered in the most divine dressing. It’s a treat.

    As a side salad it’s pretty much my favorite thing, well, this and some vegan potato salad.

    Vegan macaroni salad in a wooden salad bowl.

    How To Make Vegan Macaroni Salad

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    Preparation:

    • Soak your cashews: A delicious macaroni salad is all about that dressing! We used cashews in the sauce and we soaked them first. So before doing anything else, put your cashews into a bowl and pour over boiling hot water from the kettle, and then just leave them to soak for an hour. 
    • Cook your macaroni according to your package instructions. Drain and set aside. 
    • Chop up your veggies. We used red bell pepper, celery, green onions, sun dried tomatoes and fresh chopped basil. 

    Dressing:

    • Add the soaked cashews to your blender jug along with vegan mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, dijon mustard, dried dill, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt, black pepper and water.
    • Blend until smooth.
    Ingredients added to blender and blended.

    Assembly:

    • Add your macaroni to a salad bowl and top with the chopped veggies.
    Cooked macaroni added to mixing bowl, fresh chopped veggies on top.
    • Pour over the sauce. Toss it all together until well mixed. 
    • Then cover and place into the fridge for an hour to chill and for the flavors to blend beautifully so they really pop. And then you’re ready to serve. 
    Dressing poured over the veggies and macaroni and tossed.

    Serving Suggestions

    This vegan macaroni salad is perfect to serve alongside other delicious vegan food for a backyard cookout or bbq. Serve it with vegan steak or tofu steak, vegan sausages or vegan chicken, vegan burgers or black bean burgers, bbq jackfruit pulled pork, carrot dogs or vegan kebabs.

    It’s also great with other sides like vegan coleslaw, vegan baked beans, vegan potato salad and vegan couscous salad.

    Vegan macaroni salad in a wooden salad bowl with a salad spoon.

    Make Ahead and Storing

    Make ahead: It’s the perfect salad to make in advance! It keeps beautifully in the fridge so if you make it the night before a picnic or potluck or bbq, then it will just be all the more delicious the next day.

    Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge (covered) for up to 5 days. It is not freezer friendly. 

    Vegan macaroni salad on a white plate with a fork.

    More Delicious Vegan Salad Recipes

    1. Vegan Couscous Salad
    2. Vegan Quinoa Salad
    3. Vegan Kale Salad
    4. Vegan Sweet Potato Salad
    5. Vegan Caesar Salad
    6. Vegan Pasta Salad
    A forkful of vegan macaroni salad

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan macaroni salad in a wooden salad bowl.

    Vegan Macaroni Salad

    The best vegan macaroni salad is veggie packed and flavorful with the most divine creamy dressing. Ideal for picnics, potlucks and barbecues.
    4.98 from 36 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 400kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Salad:

    • 16 ounces Elbow Macaroni (450g) Dry Weight
    • 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper Chopped
    • 4 Stalks Celery Chopped
    • ½ cup Green Onions Chopped
    • ½ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes Chopped
    • ½ cup Fresh Basil Chopped

    For the Dressing:

    • ⅔ cup Raw Cashews (100g) Soaked for 1 hour in hot water
    • 1 cup Vegan Mayonnaise (240g)
    • 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
    • 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
    • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
    • 2 teaspoons Dried Dill
    • ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
    • 2 Tablespoons Water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    • The cashews need to be soaked for the dressing. So place them into a bowl and pour over hot water from the kettle and then let them sit for an hour and then drain them before use.
    • Cook the macaroni according to your package instructions. Drain and set aside.
    • Chop and prepare your veggies.

    Dressing:

    • Add the soaked cashews to the blender jug along with vegan mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, dijon mustard, dried dill, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt, black pepper and water.
    • Blend until smooth.

    Assembly:

    • Add the macaroni to a salad bowl. Top with the chopped veggies and then pour over the sauce. Toss it all together until well mixed.
    • Then cover the bowl and place it into the fridge for around an hour to chill and for the flavors to blend.

    Notes

    1. Green onions – are also called spring onions or salad onions or scallions.
    2. Prep time – is for hands on time and does not include the time spent soaking the cashews or the time for the macaroni salad to chill in the fridge.
    3. Make ahead: It’s the perfect salad to make in advance! It keeps beautifully in the fridge so if you make it the night before a picnic or potluck or bbq, then it will just be all the more delicious the next day.
    4. Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge (covered) for up to 5 days. It is not freezer friendly.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 575IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    6.5K shares

    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marie says

      January 30, 2021 at 11:25 pm

      The dressing is amazing !! One of the best I have tried so far, didn’t need to add anything else !5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 10:52 am

        Thanks Marie!

        Reply
    2. Carla says

      November 10, 2020 at 12:03 pm

      I LOVE LOVE LOVE this salad recipe – made it a bunch of times and delicious every time. 5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 11, 2020 at 10:28 am

        So glad you like the recipe Carla!

        Reply
    3. Sue B. says

      August 11, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      Just made the macaroni salad for lunch today. It is delicious.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 12, 2020 at 9:18 am

        Awesome! Thanks Sue!

        Reply
    4. Jenn says

      June 23, 2020 at 1:20 am

      This is the best macaroni salad recipe I have ever tasted!!! It’s definitely a family favorite! I use gluten free pasta and alternate using sun-dried and fresh tomatoes both taste amazing. Thank you for sharing!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 23, 2020 at 11:25 am

        Fantastic! Thanks Jenn!

        Reply
        • Melissa says

          July 03, 2020 at 9:13 pm

          What do you recommend instead of white wine vinegar? I have red wine wine and rice vinegar….?

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            July 04, 2020 at 9:40 am

            I think either of those options would work!

    5. Alvizo says

      June 15, 2020 at 4:41 pm

      This sauce is so good I could’ve eaten it right out of the blender!! Mine dried out a little after a few hours, I’m just going to make extra sauce this time. But a wonderful recipe! It’s the best vegan macaroni salad sauce I’ve had yet, and I’ve tried a few.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 16, 2020 at 12:53 pm

        Awesome! Thank you!

        Reply
    6. Kirsten says

      June 14, 2020 at 11:39 pm

      DELICIOUS! I added edamame, black olives, and cucumber. I will make a tiny bit of extra sauce next time to account for the extra veggies. Served it to non-vegans and they are keeping the recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 15, 2020 at 12:41 pm

        Awesome, thanks Kirsten!

        Reply
    7. Tyler B says

      May 26, 2020 at 4:33 pm

      This dish has gotten so many compliments at potlucks and family gatherings! All of my non-vegan friends and family are in LOVE with this pasta salad! There were no leftovers!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 27, 2020 at 11:18 am

        Fantastic! So happy to hear that Tyler, thanks a million!

        Reply
    8. Joyce says

      May 26, 2020 at 12:12 pm

      I love the flavor of the macaroni salad. One question though – it seems to need a bit more of something to make it not as dry. Any suggestions?4 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 27, 2020 at 11:20 am

        Hi Joyce, I’m not sure why it was dry, as ours was not at all, but feel free to make extra sauce for a more saucy version.

        Reply
    9. Sean says

      May 24, 2020 at 12:30 pm

      This pasta salad is amazing! As a vegan for almost a year I am always looking for good recipes to share as I really love to cook. I’m also trying to show non vegans that vegan cooking is delicious and far from boring! Thank you Allison!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 25, 2020 at 9:15 am

        Thanks so much Sean!

        Reply
    10. Neil Morrison says

      April 24, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      Alison, honestly, ridiculous. Ridiculously delicious! The best macaroni salad I have ever had, at home or at a restaurant, vegan or non. Your blog is a gem.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 25, 2020 at 12:15 pm

        Thanks so much Neil! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Sandra G says

      January 11, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      I made it 4 days ago and I’m making it again. Delicious awesome5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 14, 2020 at 9:52 am

        Yay! Thanks Sandra! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Alicia Sprecher says

      November 04, 2019 at 11:36 pm

      I made this dish for a neighborhood Halloween party I hosted (all omnivores btw). They are still talking about it! I made it again today for my husband and daughter who want it for dinner every night. Thanks for sharing it. Definitely a keeper!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 05, 2019 at 7:46 am

        That’s wonderful! So happy to hear that! Thanks for the awesome review Alicia. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Judith McDermott says

      October 27, 2019 at 3:55 pm

      The best of the best!!! Just made this and it’s so delicious!! Thank you for such a great recipe!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 28, 2019 at 9:44 am

        Wonderful! Thanks so much Judith! 🙂

        Reply
    14. Judy Gulliver says

      August 06, 2019 at 9:42 pm

      I enjoy a good macaroni salad, and this has such wonderful flavors. Love it; will make it this fall for my Ladies’ Luncheon potluck. Thanks for all your good, well-thought-out recipes, Alison.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 08, 2019 at 9:06 am

        So happy to hear this Judy! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo

        Reply
    15. Anna says

      August 05, 2019 at 10:19 am

      I use gluten free macaroni and this is just as filling and tasty! Thank you for another useful, filling and delicious recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 06, 2019 at 12:27 pm

        Thanks Anna! 🙂

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    4.98 from 36 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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