If you’re a dill pickle lover, this recipe is about to become your new favorite side dish. Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is creamy, tangy, and packed with that bold pickle flavor that is rather addicting.

This pasta salad has everything you want in a potluck recipe: it’s easy, it’s make-ahead friendly, it travels well, and it tastes even better after it chills. The secret to really getting that dill pickle flavor into every bite? Soaking the cooked pasta in pickle juice before mixing everything together! It’s such a simple trick, but it makes a big difference.

With crunchy sliced pickles, cheddar cheese, fresh dill, and a creamy dressing that has just the right amount of zip, this is the kind of side dish that steals attention from the main course. For an extra pickle-focused meal, start with our totally delicious dill pickle dip appetizer and serve grilled salmon with dill pickle butter for your main dish!

Why We Love This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

There is big dill pickle flavor in every bite.
Creamy + tangy dressing (mayo + sour cream combo = perfect).
The pasta gets extra flavor from a pickle juice soak.
Great for BBQs, picnics, potlucks, and meal prep.
This is an easy to make ahead salad, and it’s even better after chilling.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Salad

Shell pasta – the perfect shape for holding onto creamy dressing.
Dill pickle juice – used to soak the pasta so the flavor goes all the way through.
Sliced dill pickles – the star ingredient (use your favorite brand).
Cheddar cheese – adds richness and that classic “pickle + cheddar” combo.
White onion – just enough bite and crunch.
Fresh dill – bright, herby, and makes it taste extra fresh.

Dressing

Mayonnaise – creamy base for a classic pasta salad texture.
Sour cream – adds tang and keeps the dressing from tasting too heavy.
Dill pickle juice – brings that signature pickle punch.
Salt + pepper – simple seasoning to balance everything out.
Cayenne pepper – a tiny kick that wakes up the flavors (not overly spicy).

How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
Soak the pasta in ½ cup pickle juice for 5 minutes, then drain (this adds flavor without making it soggy).
Make the dressing by stirring together mayo, sour cream, pickle juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Mix it all together: pasta, pickles, cheddar, onion, and fresh dill. Toss until coated.
Chill for at least 1 hour before serving so the flavors can blend.

Recipe Tips and Helpful Notes:

Want more crunch? Add a little extra onion or chopped pickles.
Prefer a stronger pickle flavor? Add an extra tablespoon or two of pickle juice to taste.
Don’t skip the chill time. This salad gets better as it rests!
The dressing thickens as it chills, so don’t worry if it looks slightly runny at first. If it thickens too much after chilling, stir in a spoonful of mayo or sour cream or a splash of pickle juice to loosen it back up.
Store Dill Pickle Pasta Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Easy Variations

Want to switch things up? Try one of these:

Add chopped cooked bacon for a dill pickle bacon ranch pasta salad vibe.
Swap cheddar for pepper jack for a little extra kick. Alternately, cubes of Swiss cheese, Havarti or Gruyere would be a good substitution for the cheddar.
Add chopped celery for extra crunch.
Use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
Stir in shredded chicken to turn it into a meal-style pasta salad.
Make it extra “pickle-y” with more pickles + more dill.
Use sweet pickles and sweet pickle juice in place of dill! Leave the fresh dill out of the recipe.

spoon in bowl of dill pickle pasta salad

What to Serve With Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

This is a perfect side dish for burgers or sliders. Grilled chicken or pulled pork sandwiches would also pair nicely with dill pickle pasta salad. Anything on the grill (hot dogs, ribs, etc.) would be great to serve with this salad too. You might also consider making our dill pickle potato salad!

Fun Facts About Pickles:

Drinking pickle juice is supposed to help with muscle cramps, improve digestion, and even soothe a sore throat. Some athletes even drink it after workouts to replenish electrolytes.
Dill, a small town in Kansas, is often referred to as the “Pickle Capital of the World.”
McDonald’s serves over 1 billion pickles every year on its burgers.
While cucumbers are the most common vegetable used for pickles, nearly any fruit or vegetable can be pickled. Popular alternatives include pickled peppers, pickled onions, pickled beets, pickled green beans, and even pickled fruits like mangoes and peaches.
The “pickle jar challenge” and “pickleback” cocktails (whiskey followed by pickle juice) have both gained popularity in recent years.
November 14th is National Pickle Appreciation Day!