The Dill Pickle Pasta Salad I Cannot Stop Making

Okay, confession time. I did not think a pasta salad could become the thing people text me about, and yet here we are. I brought this dill pickle pasta salad to a backyard hang a couple of summers ago almost as a joke, because I am the person who drinks pickle juice straight from the jar, and now I am not allowed to show up to a cookout without it. My kids inhale it. My pickle-skeptic husband went back for thirds and pretended he did not.

If you love that tangy, salty, cold-from-the-fridge crunch, this one is going to feel like it was made for you. It comes together fast, it gets better as it sits, and it is the rare side dish that actually holds its own next to the burgers. Let me show you how I make it.

Heads up, a few of the links below are affiliate links, which just means if you grab something I get a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Only stuff I actually use made the cut.

Why you will love this one

It is the perfect potluck side, the kind that travels well and somehow tastes even better an hour later. It is no-cook except for boiling the pasta, so you are not standing over a hot stove in July. It is creamy and tangy at the same time, which is the whole magic. And it is endlessly forgiving, so if you like it more pickle-forward or more mellow, you just adjust and nobody will know but you.

The real secret is letting the cooked pasta soak in a little pickle juice before anything else touches it. That is the step most recipes skip, and it is exactly why theirs tastes flat and yours will not.

Ingredients

Here is everything you need. I keep a big jar of kosher dill pickles on hand basically year round, so this is a pantry-and-fridge situation for me. If your serving bowl situation is sad, I love a big serving bowl with a lid for exactly this kind of make-ahead dish.

How to make dill pickle pasta salad

The whole thing is genuinely four moves: boil, soak, whisk, toss. I have written it all out in the recipe card below so you can print it or save it, but the short version is cook your pasta a touch past al dente so it stays tender when cold, rinse it under cool water, and let it drink up that pickle juice while you stir together the creamy dressing.

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

A creamy, tangy, crowd-pleasing dill pickle pasta salad that gets better as it chills. The perfect make-ahead side for any summer cookout.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound rotini or shell pasta
• 1 1/2 cups chopped dill pickles
• 1/2 cup dill pickle juice divided
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried
• 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta just past al dente so it stays tender when cold, then drain and rinse under cool water until cooled.
2. Place the cooled pasta in a large bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of the pickle juice. Let it sit and soak while you make the dressing.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, remaining 1/4 cup pickle juice, fresh dill, garlic powder, onion powder, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Add the chopped pickles, red onion, and cheddar if using to the pasta. Pour the dressing over and toss until everything is coated.
5. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, ideally 4. Stir before serving and loosen with a splash more pickle juice if needed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Notes

Best after at least 4 hours in the fridge. If it looks tight after chilling, loosen with a splash more pickle juice and a spoonful of mayo before serving. Stir in chopped celery right before serving if you want extra crunch.

Tips, variations, and make-ahead

Make it ahead. This is a same-day-or-next-day dream. I actually think it is best after about four hours in the fridge, so it is the dish I prep first and forget about while I deal with everything else.

Use fresh dill if you can. A handful of chopped fresh dill takes it from good to oh-what-is-in-this. Dried works in a pinch, just use about half as much.

Play with the add-ins. Shredded cheddar makes it heartier, a little crumbled bacon makes it a meal, and a diced hard-boiled egg leans it toward an old-school deli vibe. Want crunch? Stir in chopped celery right before serving.

Keep it from drying out. Pasta is thirsty, so it will soak up dressing as it chills. If it looks tight when you pull it out, loosen it with a splash more pickle juice and a spoonful of mayo and give it a good stir.

Storage. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, though at my house it has never once survived that long.

Quick recipe details

Prep time is about 15 minutes, cook time is around 10 minutes for the pasta, plus at least an hour to chill so the flavors come together. It makes roughly 8 servings as a side. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Full measurements and steps are in the card above.

The takeaway

This is the side dish I now get specifically requested to bring, which still makes me laugh because it started as a dare to myself. It is salty, creamy, cold, and a little addictive, basically summer in a bowl. If you make it, come back and tell me whether you went full pickle or played it cool. Drop it in the comments, my jar always has room for more juice.

So glad you are here.

xo, Pam