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.
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.
Why I love this BLT pasta salad
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.
More dairy free pasta recipes: dairy free alfredo sauce / pasta carbonara / cheesy butternut squash pasta sauce / penne bolognese
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.
So besides the mayonnaise and sour cream base, I added white wine vinegar, parsley, garlic and salt & pepper. It’s actually a really great dressing, all on it’s own. But, if you throw the bacon, fresh tomatoes and crispy lettuce in there, you have a killer salad. The extra carbs don’t hurt either.
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:
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Dairy Free BLT Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
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.
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.
Keywords: dairy free, pasta, bacon, BLT
Recipe adapted from She Wears Many Hats.
Last Updated on January 11, 2021 by Melissa Belanger
Hi, where do you buy vegan sour cream?
Thanks
Hi, there must be a typo in this recipe to have 3 tablespoons of vinegar. I use that and that vinegar flavor was so overwhelming, I had to throw the whole salad away!! Please correct the recipe if this is a typo.
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This wasn’t a typo. The dressing is supposed to be a tangy ranch-style dressing. I’m sorry you didn’t care for it.