A classic macaroni salad that even grandma would be proud to call her own. Simple ingredients with a splash of vegan creativity, this creamy, tangy, and oh so delicious Vegan Classic Macaroni Salad will quickly become your family’s go-to picnic favorite. A fabulous Whole Food Plant Based recipe, no oil, no refined sugar, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi! Robin here.
Picnic salads are kind of a big deal in our family. If you are a regular reader of our blog, then you already know about my Grandma Ethel and her famous potato salad. Macaroni salads were also up there too. While my grandmother’s picnic food assignment was always her legendary potato salad, mine was always macaroni salad. Monkey LOVES macaroni salad, but she hated eggs, so she would always beg me to leave out the hard-boiled eggs from the macaroni salad. So, I started to get a little adventurous (hah – not really, but for me it was way back in the day), I started adding sliced Spanish pimento olives to the macaroni salad for some extra salty tang, hoping no one would notice the lack of hard-boiled eggs.
Monkey and her Macaroni Salad
Our family typically had a large picnic either on Memorial Day or on the 4thof July. I would make a massive bowl of macaroni salad the day before. I had to make a humungous bowl because Monkey would devour the macaroni salad before anyone else got to it. LOL Girl was a twig and light as a feather, just like her dad, but she could pack away the macaroni salad like a linebacker. I only made it for picnics so I guess she thought her opportunities to eat it were limited, so she would scarf it down.
Gluten Free Pasta
If you are a gluten free family like we are then you know the pitfalls of some gluten free pasta brands. They tend to firm up once refrigerated, then it feels like you are eating uncooked pasta. We use Tinkyada pasta and it never seems to do that, which is AWESOME! However, for this recipe, the macaroni does tend to soak up the vegan mayonnaise. I would suggest adding the vegan mayonnaise right before serving or if the macaroni salad gets a little dry, simply add a drop or two of apple cider vinegar and a splash of unsweetened plain plant milk to moisten it up and you should be good to go.
Spanish Pimento Olives
I love Spanish Pimento Olives in this macaroni salad. It gives the salad this extra boost of flavor and festive fun. You can totally leave them out, but if you love olives like we do, add those puppies in there and you will be delighted with how they take your mouth to flavor town; just ask Monkey!
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Ameera here!
Ohhhh my goodness, I LOVE macaroni salad! I can eat bowls upon bowls of it. It has got to be up there near the top of my most favoritest foods ever! I also love the Spanish pimento olives that Mom sticks in there, soooo tasty!
Mom used to make macaroni salad by the truck loads whenever we had a picnic party when I was growing up. I would devour a boatload of it before anyone else even got near the bowl. I would always tell Mom not to send the macaroni salad leftovers home with everyone because I wanted it. LOL
This macaroni salad is about as close as you can get to a classic macaroni salad and still be Whole Food Plant Based compliant. We hope you give it a try!
Products Used:
- High Speed Blender or food processor to make the Vegan Cashew Mayonnaise
- Box grater to grate the carrot
Vegan Classic Macaroni Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 Servings 1x
- Category: Sides
Description
A classic macaroni salad that even grandma would be proud to call her own. Simple ingredients with a splash of vegan creativity, this creamy, tangy, and oh so delicious Vegan Classic Macaroni Salad will quickly become your family’s go-to picnic favorite. A fabulous Whole Food Plant Based recipe, no oil, no refined sugar, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe of Cashew Vegan Mayonnaise
- 3 ½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni *
- 1 red bell pepper, small dice (divided)
- 1 orange bell pepper, small dice (divided)
- 2 celery ribs, small dice
- 1 carrot, grated (reserve a tiny bit to sprinkle on top for garnish)
- 1 small red onion, fine dice (divided)
- 4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar *
- 2/3 cup Spanish pimento olives, sliced *
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Instructions
- Make the Cashew Vegan Mayonnaise, place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the macaroni salad.
- Cook the elbow macaroni until al dente, then run under cold water to cool. Drain thoroughly, then place in a large bowl.
- Add half of the diced red bell pepper and half of the diced orange bell pepper to the macaroni bowl. Note: The other diced bell peppers will be added to the top as garnish.
- Add the 2/3 cup finely diced red onion, the diced celery, grated carrot, and sliced Spanish olives to the bowl. Gently toss the salad.
- Gently fold in the Cashew Vegan Mayonnaise, then add the apple cider vinegar and gently mix in.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and gently mix.
- Taste for flavor, add more seasoning, if desired.
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining diced red and orange bell pepper, some finely diced red onion, and a few sliced Spanish pimento olives.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Vegan Cashew Mayonnaise: The mayonnaise can be added right into the salad after making it. However, you may wish to dress the salad right before serving as the macaroni tends to soak up the mayonnaise leaving it a little dry. If you do need to moisten the salad, you can add a drop or two of apple cider vinegar and a little splash of plant milk.
*Spanish Pimento Olives: The olives are optional, but add great flavor to the salad. We purchased a 5 ¾ oz. jar (we did not use the whole jar). The 2/3rd cup measurement is before slicing the olives. We also sliced a few extra olives to add on the top for garnish. Read the label to ensure that the brand is Whole Food Plant Based compliant.
*Apple Cider Vinegar: If you like some extra tang to the salad, increase the apple cider vinegar a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired flavor.
*Elbow Macaroni: We used Tinkyada Pasta Joy Gluten Free Brown Rice elbow macaroni.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: 8 to 10 (picnic size)
*Storage: Refrigerate, use within 5 days
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
This post contains affiliate links, and I may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here
What can you replace the olives with? I don’t like olives.
Hi there Tina 🙂
The olives add a tangy briny addition, but you can totally leave the olives out of this salad. It will taste perfectly fine without them.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe and for suggesting that gluten free pasta. I found the brand you recommended and it is really good. I made this pasta salad and all my family loved it. Will add to our regular meals.
Hi there Raquel 🙂
Yaaayy!!! We are so excited that you and your family loved this pasta salad, and glad to hear that the gluten free pasta worked well for you too! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂