An Easy Vegan Pasta Salad for Summer

Not necessarily just for summer – see the substitutions below – but great for picnics, barbeques, and any outdoor meals, this vegan pasta salad is quick, easy, and tastes great too. It’s been carefully tested to make a veggie pasta salad that doesn’t rely on any cheese or meat replacements for it to be spectacular. Just a really good dressing, lots of texture variation, and some helpful tips.

Short pasta is combined here with big white beans, crunchy vegetables like cucumber, salty olives, jarred artichokes, and sweet tomatoes for a well-balanced salad that you can really look forward to. Some very thinly sliced onion adds a little oomph in every bite.

The vinaigrette is a riff on zesty Italian, with dried herbs, olive oil, vinegar, a little garlic, and some maple syrup to balance it out. It’s so good. It will seem like a lot, but keep in mind that this is a pasta salad, not a green salad, and the pasta will soak up some of the dressing.

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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

If you’re not picky, then make the salad as written. It’s been developed with a real balance of textures and flavours in mind. If you don’t like some of the ingredients, though, don’t worry! The best substitutions are outlined below. These are my notes from recipe testing, and you can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Pasta: choose a short pasta with texture, so that the vinaigrette has something to stick to. Pictured is emmer fusilli, my preferred shape for pasta salad. Use a good gluten-free pasta if needed. I recommend chickpea pasta, which doesn’t break apart as easily as some gluten-free alternatives.
• Beans: big white beans add a nice creamy texture to the salad as well as some extra protein and fibre. Any beans you like, or chickpeas, are great.
• Cucumber: use a whole English cucumber for this recipe. If it’s very seedy you can halve lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with a spoon before dicing. Outside of cucumber season try grated carrot, kohlrabi, or even beetroot. Other summer vegetables like peppers can be used in place of cucumber.
• Tomatoes: if you can’t get cherry tomatoes, use a paste or roma-type that has less liquid and seeds, and cut it into small pieces. The tomatoes add a little sweetness to the salad. Out of season, try jarred roasted red pepper.
• Olives: use whichever variety you prefer. If you know someone you’re serving this to doesn’t like olives, keep them whole rather than slicing so that they can easily be removed. Cutting them into small pieces makes for a stronger olive flavour throughout the salad.
• Artichokes: canned or jarred artichoke hearts add a nice texture and creaminess. Use the type that are jarred in oil, not brine, for this recipe. Omit if you don’t like artichokes. You can use the oil from the jar for the vinaigrette.
• Onion: red onion is fairly strong, and it’s sliced, not chopped, so it’s noticeable. If you’d like a milder flavour you have several options. Try very finely chopping it instead, so that the pieces are smaller and less noticeable when eating the salad. A milder alternative, like a salad onion or shallot, can replace red onion. Try pickled onion if raw is too strong for you.
• Garlic: finely grated or minced garlic is added to the vinaigrette (that’s the zesty bit) and it makes a huge difference. If you don’t like raw garlic, or want to store the salad for more than a couple of days, leave it out.
• Vinegar: use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. Plain white vinegar is too strong and balsamic overwhelms the salad. If you prefer less acidity, replace the vinegar with lemon juice.
• Maple syrup: you can use your preferred liquid sweetener to replace maple syrup.
• Parsley: basil is the best substitute for parsley in this recipe. If you can’t get either, it’s best to leave the fresh herbs out of the salad.
• Herbs: use dried oregano, a pizza blend, or herbes de Provence, depending on preference and what you have on hand.

How to Make Vegetable Pasta Salad

This is ready in the time it takes pasta to cook, as long as you can multitask a bit. Prep the vegetables while the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, and once they’re ready, make the vinaigrette, drain the pasta, and mix the salad. Finished.

Step 1: start the water for the pasta. While that’s going, make the vinaigrette. Add all of the ingredients to a jar or bowl and mix until fully combined. I don’t have a garlic press and use a fine grater for my garlic instead, but it’s the same result. You can mince the garlic by hand.

Step 2: once the pasta has cooked, drain it and set aside to cool for a few minutes. I always transfer it into the mixing bowl so that it cools a little faster. This gives you a little extra time to get the salad elements prepared. There’s no need to rinse the pasta and it’s best if it’s still a little warm when added to the salad.

Related: Vegan Pasta Bake

Step 3: add the prepared vegetables and herbs to the bowl with the pasta and pour the vinaigrette over top. Adding the vinaigrette while the pasta is still warm allows it to absorb some of the dressing.

Step 4: toss very well and serve immediately or refrigerate for later. If serving to guests, transfer the mixed salad into a different bowl or a serving dish beforehand.

Expert Tips for the Best Pasta Salad

• Use a textured pasta: go for something like fusilli, something that has some folds or ridges to hold the vinaigrette and provide some nooks and crannies for the onion, garlic, and herbs to incorporate in to.
• Overcook the pasta: a minute or two longer than it says on the package is just right. Al dente pasta is too dense and hard once chilled and has an unpleasant bite.
• Mix while the pasta is still warm: the vinaigrette will soak into the pasta slightly and make the whole salad much more flavourful.
• Don’t reduce the dressing: it might seem like a lot, but some will be absorbed by the pasta, and you really do need it for a good vegan pasta salad. Reducing the amount of vinaigrette will make for a dry, bland salad.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

Each of these recipes are vegan as written, or need easy subs (choosing vegan mayonnaise, for example) to make them fully plant-based.

• Avocado Pasta Salad
• Easy Summer Pasta
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad