Everything you love about classic deli-style macaroni salad, but make it gluten-free! This gluten-free macaroni salad is the easy side dish you’ll want to bring to every cookout this summer!
Classic Macaroni Salad, But Make It Gluten-Free!
A classic macaroni salad recipe is a staple at a summer BBQ, potluck, or picnic, but the classic isn’t gluten-free. With a few simple swaps + technique tricks, this is the gluten-free macaroni salad of your summer dreams!
Happy cooking! xo, Emily
Gather Your Ingredients
Ready to mix up some nostalgia? Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
How To Make Gluten-Free Macaroni Salad, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Mix Up The Dressing. In a small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, mustard, vinegar, pickle juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Cook & Cool Pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a teaspoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, cooking 1 minute longer than al dente. (Gluten-free pasta can get a bit hard when chilled if it’s cooked al dente, so you’ll want to just slightly over-cook it.) Drain pasta in a colander, rinse briefly with cold water, and add the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat. Let the pasta cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before making your salad.
- Combine Salad. When the cooked pasta is completely cool, add bell pepper, celery, red onion, chopped pickles, and boiled eggs. Add the dressing to the salad and stir to coat until the mix-ins are evenly distributed and the noodles are evenly coated in dressing. (At this point, it may look like too much dressing, but it’ll keep soaking in. Trust!)
- Garnish, Serve & Store. If possible, chill for 30-60 minutes before serving to let the flavors develop. When you’re ready to serve, give the salad one more stir, then garnish with paprika. Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge 3-5 days. Keep in mind that the dressing will continue to soak into the noodles as time goes on. If your leftovers are looking a bit dry, add a tiny bit of water (1 teaspoon up to 1 Tablespoon), and give it a stir to rehydrate.
This is a great recipe for serving with all your summer barbecue favorites—ribs, grilled chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq beef sandwiches, and more!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Macaroni Salad
WHAT’S THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE MACARONI FOR GLUTEN-FREE MACARONI SALAD? Everyone will have their favorites, but I highly recommend a rice and corn macaroni pasta, like Rummo or Barilla. I find that 100% brown rice pasta (like Jovial) can look a bit beige in this salad, which doesn’t look as appetizing, and more fiber-packed pastas, like Banza or lentil pasta can get crumbly or gritty.
FOOD STORAGE TIPS. Just like potato salad, creamy coleslaw, and other salads with a mayonnaise dressing, this gluten-free macaroni salad should not be out at room temperature longer than 2 hours (or 1.5 hours if it’s hot outside!). When possible, keep the salad refrigerated to extend its shelf life.
HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST? Gluten-free macaroni salad stays fresh 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep in mind that the more time it spends at room temperature, the faster it will go bad.
Swaps & Extras To Try
- Cheese Cubes. One popular mix-in to try is some small cheddar cheese cubes. I find sharp cheddar has better flavor than mild or medium cheddar for this. Some folks even like using a smoked cheddar for extra flavor!
- Colorful Peppers. Add color by using a mix of bell peppers rather than just red. A mix of green and red, or green, orange, and red looks nice!
- Grilled Corn. Some summer sweet corn can be fun here!
- Swap Your Pickles! I’m usually dill pickles girl for macaroni salad, but if you like bread and butter pickles or sweet pickles, feel free to use those instead.
- Try Punchier Mustard. If you like stronger flavor, swap Dijon mustard in for the yellow mustard. You’ll notice the difference!
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Gluten-Free Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
For Macaroni Salad Dressing:
- 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons pickle juice (I prefer dill)*
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
For The Macaroni Salad
- 8 ounces gluten-free macaroni pasta DRY*
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 boiled eggs, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced pickles (I prefer dill)*
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika for garnish
Notes
- Gluten-Free Pasta. Make sure to use gluten-free pasta here! I like using a brown rice and corn pasta here. For the photos and video, I used Rummo brand gluten-free elbows, but have also had good results with Barilla brand. I don’t personally like all brown rice pasta, bean pasta, or lentil pasta for this recipe.Â
- Pickles. Everyone’s got a preference for dill or sweet pickles here. I like dill pickles, but if your family prefers sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles, feel free to use those here instead!Â
- LET THE PASTA COOL! One of the most important steps of this recipe is making sure the pasta cools COMPLETELY before you add the dressing. Otherwise, the pasta will absorb more of the dressing.Â
- A Tip For Leftovers. If you’re making this in advance or you have leftovers and the pasta has absorbed more of the dressing than you’d like, you can simply stir in a splash (a Tablespoon or less!) of water and give it a stir. It should rehydrate beautifully.Â
Video
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/gluten-free-macaroni-salad/