Easy old fashioned style vegan macaroni salad with olives and vegan cheese. Just 30 minutes required for this delicious dairy-free macaroni salad.
This creamy vegan old fashioned style macaroni salad is the perfect side dish for all summer BBQ’s. My grandmother used to make this macaroni salad for every family gathering, and I’ve always wanted to veganize it. So here it is! A bite of this was very nostalgic for me… the taste is spot on.
Besides making it vegan, visually it looks a bit different, my Granny would use a bright yellow block of cheddar cheese. The yellow cheddar cheese served as an accent color to the green olives, which made the salad really pop. The Violife mature cheddar cheese provides a nice sharp flavor to the macaroni salad. I wish I knew the origin of where my Granny found this recipe, but I believe she used a Betty Crocker cook book (from the late 60’s-70’s) for all her staple family recipes.
Garnish with fresh parsley and pepper/salt to taste. If you give this classic recipe a try, please leave a comment and rating. Cheers!
Now for the recipe:
Vegan Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 1 cup celery (sliced thin)
- 1 cup red onion
- 1 cup manzanilla olives with pimentos
- 1 block vegan cheddar (I used Violife Mature Cheddar)
- 1/4 tbsp white wine vinegar (can sub with apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup vegan mayo (I used Hellmans vegan mayo)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard (for tang)
- 3 tbsp agave
- 1 tsp salt + pepper
- 4 tbsp fresh parsley (or 2-3 tsp dried parsley)
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to package instructions, drain, rinse with cold water, then set aside.
- Chop the parsley, celery, and red onion.
- Cube the cheese and thinly slice the olives.
- Toss the macaroni with all ingredients in a large serving bowl. Refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.
- Taste and adjust salt, pepper, mustard, and agave as needed.