Dairy Free BLT Pasta Salad
This dairy free BLT pasta salad features elbow macaroni, fresh tomatoes, crispy lettuce and savory bacon tossed in a creamy, flavorful dressing. It’ll be the best summer side dish at your next barbecue or potluck.
Why I love this BLT pasta salad
Bacon, lettuce tomato sandwiches are such a classic American dish, but, if I have to be honest, I’m really not a fan. BLT-inspired recipes, on the other hand, are my jam. I love them. My friend makes an awesome BLT dip that I absolutely love, and I love a good BLT pasta salad.
My other favorite macaroni salad has a mayonnaise and pickle juice based dressing, but I wanted this one to have a lot of flavor because I find that BLT ingredients need a little extra help sometimes.
Unfortunately, so many of these recipes call for sour cream or cheese. Not so fun when you’re living dairy free. Luckily, there’s vegan sour cream. It’s such an easy swap, and I use it in so many things.
My favorite right now is Tofutti’s Better Than Sour Cream because I think it tastes the most similar to the real thing. I use it in my dairy free ranch dressing and the sauce for my favorite salmon recipe.
Get ready to fall in love with chilly weather and shorter days with fresh new recipes for autumn!
More dairy free pasta recipes: dairy free alfredo sauce / pasta carbonara / cheesy butternut squash pasta sauce / penne bolognese
Here’s what you’ll need to make BLT pasta salad
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How to make BLT pasta salad
Whisk together the mayonnaise, vegan sour cream, white wine vinegar, parsley, garlic and salt & pepper to make the dressing. Set this aside.
Chop up the bacon, chives, and slice the tomatoes into halves. Place all these ingredients into a bowl.
Stir in the dressing to combine.
Note: You will want to wait on adding the lettuce until ready to serve to prevent it from getting soggy.
FAQs and tips on how to make BLT pasta salad
How you cook bacon in the oven will depend on how thick your bacon is. You will have to cook it longer if it is thick cut if you want it to be crispy. It’s best to stay close by to make sure you don’t over cook it. Also, keep in mind the bacon will crisp up a bit still after you take it out of the oven.
No, you want to just drain the water. The pasta water will retain some of the starchiness of the pasta water which actually will helps the sauce absorb into the pasta.
Pasta salad is the best when served in the first 24 hours, but you also want to let the dressing absorb into the ingredients for the most flavor. In the recipe you will want to add the lettuce right before serving so it does not wilt.
More summer salad recipes:
- Strawberry poppyseed salad
- Tomato salad recipe
- Farro salad recipe
- Easy macaroni salad
- Spicy cucumber salad
- Mexican street corn salad
- Grilled peach salad
More dairy free pasta recipes:
Dairy Free BLT Pasta Salad
This dairy free BLT pasta salad features spiral macaroni, fresh tomatoes, crispy lettuce and savory bacon tossed in a creamy, flavorful dressing. It’ll be the best summer side dish at your next barbecue or potluck.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup vegan sour cream or unsweetened coconut yogurt
- 2 – 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 16-ounce package elbow macaroni
- 1 1/2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
- 1 2.5-ounce package crumbled bacon pieces
- 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
Instructions
- Prepare macaroni according to package directions for al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water. When cooked, drain and rinse with cold water until cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, adding the vinegar to taste. Add salad ingredients and stir to coat evenly. Serve immediately
- If you’re making this salad ahead of time, leave out the lettuce until just before serving. If salad seems dry when serving, add a tablespoon or two extra mayonnaise or vegan sour cream and stir to combine.
Notes
Add the lettuce before serving to keep it crispy!
- Category: Salads
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 198
- Sugar: 1.4 g
- Sodium: 227.4 mg
- Fat: 9.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.9 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 4.6 g
- Cholesterol: 5.8 mg
Keywords: dairy free, pasta, bacon, BLT, blt salad, pasta salad, blt pasta salad
Recipe adapted from She Wears Many Hats.
Published: August 16, 2017. Updated: June 26, 2023.
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