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A serving bowl of gluten-free macaroni salad with creamy dressing

Gluten-Free Macaroni Salad

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life
Classic macaroni salad, but make it gluten-free! We use a few simple swaps + tricks to make this the BEST gluten-free macaroni salad around!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
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Servings: 8 cups 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. 
  • 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! 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 

Video

Course: Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: BBQ, gluten free pasta salad

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.