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This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad with Bacon combines tender pasta, crunchy dill pickles, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and a creamy dill pickle dressing. Tangy, savory, and packed with texture, it’s the kind of pasta salad that’s always one of the first dishes to disappear at cookouts, potlucks, and summer gatherings.
What Makes This Dill Pickle Salad Different
I’ve found that many dill pickle pasta salads lean so heavily into the pickles that everything else gets lost. This version balances tangy pickles, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and a creamy dressing so no single ingredient overpowers the other.
I also love the contrast of textures. Every bite has a little bit of everything. It’s one of those pasta salads that’s always one of the first dishes to disappear at cookouts, barbecues, and summer gatherings.
A few things that makes this recipe stand out:
- Plenty of pickle flavor. Dill pickles and pickle juice bring tangy flavor to every bite.
- Crispy bacon adds balance. The salty crunch pairs perfectly with the creamy dressing and pickles.
- Sharp cheddar makes a difference. It adds richness and holds its own against the bold pickle flavor.
- Perfect for making ahead. The flavors continue to develop as the salad chills.
- Great for pickle lovers. If you’re the person reaching for extra pickles on your sandwich, this pasta salad is for you.
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Rotini. My favorite pasta shape for this salad because the twists catch the creamy dressing and small bits of dill, pickle, and bacon. But any short pasta shape works well, including bowtie, shells, or cavatappi.
- Bacon. I love bacon and pickles together so naturally, I had to add chopped bacon to this dish. It adds a salty crunch to the salad. Use turkey bacon or you can also skip it if needed for dietary reasons.
- Mayonnaise. You can use any mayo of choice. You can also use plain Greek yogurt, but it won’t have the same “tang”.
- Sour Cream. You can use dairy free sound cream or low fat sour cream. This levels out the mayo and gives it a great taste.
- Pickles. Use a brand of dill pickles that you genuinely enjoy eating straight from the jar. One thing I’ve noticed is that the flavor of the pickles matters more in this recipe than the brand of mayo or cheese. You’ll also need some of the pickle juice, which adds flavor to the dressing and helps tie everything together.
- Seasoning. Dried dill, pepper, onion and garlic powder. This is to flavor the dressing.
- Dill. Fresh dill is a must! Since dill is one of the main flavors in this salad, I recommend using fresh rather than dried if possible.
- Cheddar Cheese. Sharp cheddar is my preferred choice because its flavor stands up well to the pickles and dressing. I always use thick-shredded cheddar because it distributes throughout the salad and ends up in every bite, but cubed cheddar works too if you prefer larger pieces.
How To Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Cook the Bacon: Start the bacon, cook however you prefer. I cook in the oven on 350º for about 20-25 minutes but pan fried is great too!
- Cook the pasta: Cook pasta according to package (al dente). Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: In a medium size bowl, mix together the mayo, sour cream, seasonings, pickle juice, and dill. Set aside.
- Assemble the salad: In a large serving bowl, add the pasta, cheese, bacon, and dressing (reserve 1/4 cup of dressing for serving) and toss together well. Serve and add extra dressing if needed or save for later if pasta salad soaks up all the dressing.
What To Serve With Dill Pickle Salad
This dill pickle pasta salad is one of my favorite side dishes for cookouts, backyard BBQs, and summer parties. The tangy pickles, creamy dressing, and crispy bacon pair especially well with grilled and smoky flavors, making it an easy addition to almost any menu.
I love serving it alongside Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders, BBQ Chicken Thighs, Hot Honey Chicken Tenders, or Bang Bang Chicken Skewers. The cool, creamy pasta salad balances spicy and smoky dishes particularly well.
It’s also delicious with burgers and sandwiches. Try it with my Pulled Chicken Burgers or Crispy Chicken Burgers for an easy summer meal.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This dill pickle pasta salad with bacon can be made ahead of time, which makes it perfect for cookouts and meal prep. I actually think the flavor gets better after a few hours in the fridge.
If you’re making it ahead, save some of the dressing to stir in just before serving. The pasta will absorb some of the dressing as it chills, and a little extra helps freshen it back up.
For meal prep, you can also store the dressing separately and toss everything together just before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More Pasta Salads and Summer Sides
I can’t wait for you to try this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad! If you do, please leave a comment with a star rating below.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Equipment
- frying pan for bacon
- Large pot to boil pasta
Ingredients
- .75 -1 pound rotini pasta, *about 4 cups
- 8 ounces bacon, *see notes
- ½ cup cheddar cheese , shredded or cubed
- 2 cups dill pickles, chopped, *about 7 whole pickles
Creamy Dill Pickle Dressing
- ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup pickle juice
- ⅓ cup sour cream , *see notes
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Start the bacon, cook however you prefer. I cook in the oven on 350º for about 20-25 minutes but pan fried is great too! In a large salad bowl add the cooled pasta, dill pickles, cheese, fresh dill, and dressing.
- Cook pasta according to package (al dente). While everything is cooking, shred your cheese, chop the dill and pickles. Set aside, and in a medium size bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream, seasonings, pickle juice, dill. Set aside.
- Chop the cooked bacon. Once the pasta is done, drain and rinse under ice cold water to get the heat out. In a large serving bowl, add pasta, cheese, bacon and dressing (reserve 1/4 cup of dressing for serving) and toss together well. Serve and add extra dressing if needed or save for later if pasta salad soaks up all the dressing, you may need to just add a little more sour cream mixed with a Tbsp or two of extra pickle juice to re hydrate the salad. Pasta brands will vary on absorption!!!
Notes
- Don’t skip the pickle juice: It adds tangy flavor throughout the dressing to give the salad its signature dill pickle taste.
- Use a pickle you love: Use a brand and variety of dill pickles you enjoy eating straight from the jar.
- Reserve extra dressing: You can also double the dressing if you like it really saucy, I do this when I am making the salad ahead of time or expecting leftovers, the noodles will soak it up.
- Make ahead: This salad can be made up to 1 day in advance and often tastes even better after the flavors have had time to meld together.
- Other swaps: You can make this recipe healthier by omitting the bacon and cheese or cutting the amount in half and sprinkling a little on top. This would cut 200 cal per serving. You can swap sour cream for plain Greek yogurt to add more protein to this dish. Or use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ran to the store to grab pickles after seeing this on Instagram. Made it for Memorial Day bbq today and everyone wanted the recipe it was a huge hit. Will be making all summer.
Awesome happy to hear that. Have a great long weekend.
Made this for our party tonight ! Can’t wait to add the dressing and serve it. I tried a taste and it was SO GOOD!
Yay! Really happy to hear that.
Made without bacon (vegetarian) it was still scrumptious. Thank you for the recipe.
So glad to hear! Thanks for letting me know.
I made this exactly as indicated and it was very dry after refrigeration. I noticed on TikTok you corrected the pasta to 2 cups instead of a 16 oz box. I would respectfully suggest that you note that on here as well. If left at 16 ox of pasts this seems pretty dry and the ratio of ingredients to pasta and sauce is off. Otherwise it’s a great recipe!
Hi Christy! It should be pretty close to about 16 oz, I did update the recipe card to “.75 – 1 pound” of pasta. And added some tips on if the pasta comes out bit dry. The pasta brands can vary greatly with absorption so I made sure to note that for others! You can easily rehydrate by whisking together another 1/4 cup of sour cream with 1-2 Tbsp of pickle juice if needed, I know it can dry out if not served asap. So sorry it gave you a bit of a hard time 🙂 Glad to her you still enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the feedback as well – always needed and appreciated.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! I added some shredded chicken and it makes a perfect yummy summer lunch! I made extra dressing since I know it can get absorbed easily. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
I’m so thrilled to hear this! I’ll have to try the chicken add in, sounds amazing. Happy eating!
I want to try this pasta salad, it looks delicious, but noticed that for the seasoning, it includes garlic powder, but it was not included in the ingredient list, nor an amount? Could you let me know if it is supposed to be included and how much?
Hi Lynn! yes, I am so sorry I missed that little detail. it’s 1 tsp added in with the other seasonings. I will update that now on the blog post. xoxox
This was really good! Doubled the sauce for 1 lb noodles. Used 2 cups thick shredded cheese, & used 2-3 tsp dry ranch reasoning in place of the garlic/onion/pepper. Tried it right away and I loved it. Not sure how it’ll hold up after refrigeration but it was saucy enough; I’m not too worried. Definitely try it out!!
Decidedly the best pasta salad at our neighborhood Memorial Day cook out. We didn’t make enough and were the talk of the pasta salads ! 100% recommended!
The pickle, bacon and cheddar cheese flavors in this are wonderful! I did use a full pound of medium sized shells for the pasta and doubled the mayo and sour cream (probably a little more than doubled, I just eyeballed it but kept the proportions even). I did not double the pickle juice as I think that makes the dressing too runny, just my personal opinion. I also added a teaspoon or two of Tones Dill Pickle seasoning (there are several others on the market now), dill pickle seems to be the saveur du jour, it’s everywhere. It intensifies the flavor of the dill pickle while keeping the dressing a little thicker. The dry ranch dressing seasoning mentioned in another review accomplishes the same thing, but with more of a ranch flavor. For those complaining about the pasta soaking up all the dressing and making the salad dry, there is a simple old school solution. Anytime you are going to be making pasta salad ahead of time, only add half the dressing and refrigerate the salad. 30 minutes before serving, add the other half of the dressing and toss. Great summer pasta salad, I plan to make it on a regular basis! Look forward to trying many of your other recipes!
I can’t wait to make this! How do you think it would be with Gouda instead of cheddar? (I happen to have Gouda in the fridge but no cheddar). Thanks!
Hi Megan! Excited for you to try as well! And YES gouda would be so GOODA! Enjoy my friend
This was SO GOOD beyond expectations. My new favorite recipe.
Love this. So good and great with shrimp added also!! Mmmmmmm!
So easy to make. We smoked the bacon and it brought so much flavor to the dish! My husband said, it was the best pasta salad we’ve ever made!
I am so happy to hear! Thanks so much for making it and for the great feedback. xoxo
This is one of the best pasta salads I have ever had. Hands down. I literally make it every weekend. I could easily say it has become one of my favorite foods. Sometimes I cut the pickle juice and pickle chunk portion in half and supplement with pickled jalapeños (and juice) and it is amazing. Adds a little kick. Thank you for this recipe. It has literally changed my life haha
oh yay! I am so happy to hear this, thanks for the great feedback.
How much dill do you use in the salad itself? I only see it in the dressing.
Thanks!
Great question! I just use about 1-2tablespoons of fresh dill in the salad or just as a garnish, depending on how much you like dill. Enjoy.
I made this for a family cookout. Everyone loved this pasta salad (4 people asked for the recipe). It is simple and wonderfully tasty!
I have made a few dill pickle pasta salads as my family loves them….but this one….is top notch. I take it to every family function and everyone seriously asks for the recipe. It’s simple, flavorful, and a favorite!