Ranch Pasta Salad
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Published Jun 23, 2021, Updated Sep 20, 2022
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This ranch pasta salad is the perfect side dish! Cooked pasta is tossed with veggies and coated in a creamy homemade ranch dressing with fresh herbs.
If you grew up on ranch dressing like I did, I know you’re going to love this pasta salad recipe! It’s creamy and delicious, but surprisingly vegetarian (easily made vegan) and gluten-free!
Whether you want a simple light lunch or are looking for the perfect summer pasta salad recipe to bring to a potluck, this recipe is sure to be a hit.
It’s so Easy to Whip Up!
This ranch pasta salad is really easy to make (even with the homemade ranch dressing)!
You just have to boil the pasta, chop the veggies, whisk the dressing and then combine everything! I like to mix it up a few hours in advance so the flavors can meld together and the salad has time to chill in the fridge.
Here’s What You Need
- pasta – I recommend using a gluten-free pasta, but any type of pasta works. I used Banza rotini.
- cucumber – finely chopped for a refreshing pop of flavor. I love using mini cucumbers or english cucumbers because they have less seeds.
- broccoli – I love the texture, color and flavor that fresh broccoli adds! Feel free to use pre-chopped broccoli for a shortcut.
- red bell pepper – a slightly sweet addition to the salad. It adds a great crunch too!
- sweet vidalia onion – you can also use a white onion if you can’t find a vidalia onion!
- homemade ranch dressing – a creamy combination of Greek yogurt, mayo, fresh dill, fresh chives, white vinegar, garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper and sea salt.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
If you’re intimidated by making homemade ranch, don’t be! All you have to do is whisk all of the ingredients together. The hardest part is mincing the dill and chives… which is pretty simple! After mixing your dressing, store it in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to marinade as you prep the rest of the salad.
tip! Make this dressing vegan by using vegan sour cream or vegan yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt and vegan mayo in place of the regular mayo! Or you can make my vegan ranch dressing instead!
Can I Use Store-Bought Ranch?
While I do think homemade dressing is so much better than store-bought dressing (and super simple to make!), you can absolutely use store-bought ranch. Here are the brands I recommend:
- Tessemae’s Organic Creamy Ranch
- Primal Kitchen’s Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing with Avocado Oil
- Sir Kensington’s Classic Ranch
All of these options are dairy-free and made with great ingredients!
What to Serve with Ranch Pasta Salad
Like I mentioned earlier, this would be the perfect side for a backyard BBQ or potluck. Here’s what I would serve it with:
- Black Bean Burgers – seriously, the best veggie burgers!
- Grilled Sweet Potatoes – an upgraded take on potato wedges!
- Fruit Salad with Mint – I love having fruit at backyard BBQs.
- Chocolate Covered Banana Pops – these pops are the perfect sweet treat to round out the meal.
How Long Will Ranch Pasta Salad Last?
I recommend storing any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last 3-5 days!
More Pasta Salads to Try
- Healthy Pasta Salad
- Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad
- Pesto Spaghetti Squash Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Poppy Seed Chicken Pasta Salad
- Tuna, Broccoli and Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
Popular Side Salads
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Easy Quinoa Salad
- Classic Broccoli Salad
- Sweet Kale Salad
- Roasted Tomato Salad
- Massaged Kale Salad
Be sure to check out all of the pasta salad recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!
Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces gluten-free pasta, (I used Banza Rotini)
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup bite-size broccoli florets
- ½ small red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup diced sweet vidalia onion
Creamy Ranch Dressing
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup mayonnaise, (I used avocado oil mayo)
- ¼ cup minced fresh dill
- ¼ cup minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.
- Make dressing: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Toss: In a large bowl, combine the pasta, cucumber, broccoli, bell pepper, and onion.
- Add dressing: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and gently toss to combine. Taste for salt and pepper, adding more if needed. Serve right away or refrigerate in a container with a lid for 1-2 hours or until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Vegan version: Use vegan sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt and vegan mayo instead of regular mayo. Or make my vegan ranch dressing.
- Non gluten-free option: Use regular pasta. Just be sure to only use 8 oz of dry pasta as most regular pasta comes in a 16 oz box.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is absolutely amazing! The dressing itself i made another batcg for dipping veggies as well because it is so amazingly good!
Ahh! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Trisha. Dipping veggies in the dressing is a great idea! Thank you for coming back to your review + star rating, I so appreciate you being here!
How long would this dressing keep (stored in airtight container) in the fridge? Thank you!
Hi Kirby – It should last about 5-7 days in an airtight container. Enjoy!