The Best Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
A new favorite for my family, although dill-pickle-anything has always been a go-to-grab for any kid living in my house – including my pickle loving husband. This creamy dill pickle pasta salad makes a great lunch, perfect for potlucks, or a delicious side dish. Everyone will absolutely love this tasty pasta salad!
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If you love dill pickles, you will love this pasta salad.
The Best Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is the right amount of dill pickle flavor that keeps you wanting more. Perfect for family get togethers, potlucks, meal prep, or even makes a great side dish for any ordinary dinner.
It is so much better the next day so it makes the best best “leftovers”. It grabs onto that dill pickle flavor when it hangs out in your fridge overnight!
Why you’ll love The Best Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
So good – This salad is one of my favorites because it is creamy and dilly and just so, so good.
Simple – I love how easy it came together and doesn’t require a long list of ingredients to make it delicious.
Ingredients you have on hand – I generally always have nearly every ingredient on hand to make this pasta salad come together easily and quickly.
Great for potlucks – I love that I can whip this together pretty easily and have a side dish to bring to family cookouts and potlucks with friends!
Supplies needed to make The Best Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- A mixing bowl, like one of these
- Cutting board and knife for cubing your cheese
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- A whisk
Ingredients
Pasta – I keep many pasta shapes on hand so any pasta shape will do! I like rotini shaped pasta for this recipe because the spirals hold onto that dill pickle-y ranch sauce and tastes so good!
Cheddar cheese – Seriously, any flavor cheese will do! I like a sharp cheddar cheese because it isn’t a super soft cheese and holds up well in this pasta salad.
Pickle juice – This is the secret to getting some of the best dill pickle flavors in this pasta salad dish!
Mayo and Sour Cream – This is where the creaminess factor comes in! A mixture of sour cream and mayo offer the best consistency for a creamy dill pickle ranch flavor!
Seasonings – I don’t use a ranch packet in recipes often, but I really like the flavor of the restaurant style ranch seasoning packet. Pair that will onion and garlic powder, dried dill and fresh black pepper and it adds so much flavor to the salad!
The full recipe, along with the ingredients, can be found below.
How to make The Best Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
First, cook your pasta according to the instructions on the side of the box. Drain and rinse your pasta in cold water to stop the cooking process and cool your pasta down. You can add your cold, rinsed pasta to your large bowl.
Then, add pickle juice to the bowl of past and stir that around, allowing your cooled pasta to begin soaking up that yummy pickle juice.
Next, in a separate mixing bowl, mix together your mayo, sour cream, seasonings, ranch packet, and pickle juice well and allow to sit and marry together while you chop your pickles and cheddar cheese.
Finally, add your chopped pickles and cubed cheese, along with your dressing, to the bowl of pasta and mix well, folding the sauce in gently as you stir.
Additionally, this pasta does well when allowed to sit in your fridge for a few hours but is still so delicious to enjoy right away. Don’t forget to taste for any salt or additional pepper you may want to add.
Tips
- You can use any pickle brand. I particularly love Aldi’s refrigerated pickle, especially their Atomic pickles! But, any pickles will do!
- I love the combo of mayo and sour cream here! But, you could use low fat sour cream in place of the full fat sour cream if you’d prefer!
- This took on such a strong pickle flavor after sitting over night in our fridge but was so good when enjoyed right away, too.
FAQs
Recipe
The Best Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad
- 1 lb Box of Favorite Pasta cooked + rinsed in cold water
- 1 cup Favorite Pickles quartered
- 8 oz Cheddar Cheese cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ cup Pickle Juice Brine (for the pasta)
For The Dressing
- 1 cup Mayo
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ¼ cup Pickle Juice Brine (for the dressing)
- 1 packet Ranch Seasoning (we like the restaurant style ranch seasoning packet)
- 1 tsp Dried Dill
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the box. I cook mine a little al dente but you can cook yours to your liking! Then, rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking process and add your pasta to your mixing bowl. Add your ½ cup of pickle juice brine to your mixing bowl over your rinsed pasta and mix well. You want your pickle juice to get soaked into that pasta. Don't worry! It won't make it soggy!
- Meanwhile, while that soaks, cube your block of cheddar cheese and and quarter your favorite pickle slices. Set those to the side.
- Grab a separate mixing bowl and add in your mayo, sour cream, pickle juice brine, and all of dried ingredients and mix them well. This will yield a creamy, pickly dressing.
- Add all of the ingredients to your pasta – your dressing, cheese, and pickles, and incorporate all ingredients well.
- You can serve this salad immediately but it tastes so much better if it gets to hang out in your fridge for at least a few hours or over night!
More Recipes to Try
The Best Ever Dill Pickle Tuna Salad
Weeknight Simple Meatball Subs
Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink Dupe
If you try any of these recipes, I would love for you to come back and leave a comment!
