Colorful Vegan Pasta Salad Recipe (20 Minutes Only)
The best vegan recipe for pasta salad with wholesome veggies is an easy and healthy side dish or light & tasty make-ahead meal prep for work or school.
Life-giving, God-made food on a plate!
Planning to enjoy a super quick and delicious plant-based pasta salad without meat or mayo?
This cold pasta salad packed with flavor will surely hit the spot.
It’s hearty, fresh, filling, totally customizable, ready in just 20 minutes, and so satisfying.
No matter the season it’s perfect as a main or side to brighten up your table for any family gatherings, potlucks, or picnics. Pair it with these golden potato latkes, crispy zucchini fritters, or this oil-free vegan ranch dressing and see how they instantly disappear. 🙂
Now, are you ready for a big bowl of this yummy veggie salad? Let’s make it right away!
Ingredients for a Vegan Pasta Salad
You definitely don’t need any meat or dairy to enjoy a delightful dish of pasta salad. All you need are a few simple, budget-friendly ingredients to prepare this vegan pasta salad recipe:
- Pasta of choice (rotini, farfalle, penne, macaroni, elbows, shells, or gluten-free pasta as needed)
- Avocados
- Cherry tomatoes
- Olives
- Green peas
- Corn
- Red Onion
- Capers
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Mustard
- Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
As always, you can find the full recipe with a list of ingredients with measurements in a printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Time needed: 20 minutes.
How to make a cold pasta salad recipe without mayo?
- Cook pasta and prepare vegetables
First, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta under cool running water. Don’t overcook the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, finely chop your veggies. After that, make the dressing.
- Assemble the salad
Next, in a big bowl (or the pot where the pasta was cooked) assemble pasta with chopped vegetables. Pour the dressing and gently toss everything to combine.
- Serve and enjoy
Serve your homemade pasta salad immediately, at room temperature, or chilled. For added flavor sprinkle with some red pepper flakes and black (Nigella) seeds before serving. Enjoy!
Absolutely! Featuring a wide variety of colorful veggies and refreshing homemade vinaigrette, this gorgeous vegetable pasta salad offers you huge nutritional benefits. It’s loaded with plant fiber, essential vitamins and minerals, and powerful antioxidants. A real treat for your body, indeed! This nutrient-rich salad will surely help you stay healthy and boost your immune system fast. In fact, it’s perfect for those days when you are hungry but still need your daily dose of greens.
You can keep this flavorful pasta salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. The taste is even better the day after when all the flavors are nicely blended together. It’s great for lunchboxes or weeknight dinners.
Is pasta salad good for weight loss?
If you’re looking to slim down this no-mayo vegan pasta salad is undoubtedly the best option for you. In fact, this good-for-you balanced meal will actually fill you up and help you maintain your weight-loss goals. Since this easy-to-make salad is full of fiber and healthy fats (thanks to avocados) it’ll keep you feeling full and satisfied longer after eating it. This fat-burning pasta & veggie mix proves that smart choices can be simple and wonderfully pleasing. Clean eating can be such a delight, don’t you think?
Why you’ll love this vegan pasta salad? It’s:
- Crowd-pleasing
- Kid-friendly
- Meatless
- Dairy-free
- Eggless
- Vibrant
- Full of freshness
- Affordable
- Loaded with veggies
- Weight-loss friendly
- Incredibly delicious
More Quick & Easy Side Dishes that go with any Meal
- High-Protein Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Crispy Oven-Roasted Broccoli
- Perfectly Seasoned Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Best Low-Calorie Zucchini Fritters
- Light & Bright Butter Lettuce Salad
20 Minute Vegan Pasta Salad Recipe (Quick & Easy Side Dish)
Equipment
- 1 Cooking pot
- 1 Knife
- 1 Wooden cutting board
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
- 14 oz (400 gr) pasta choose you favorite: rotini, farfalle, penne, macaroni, elbows, shells, or gluten-free pasta as needed
- 2 avocados
- 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup olives sliced
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 cup corn
- 1 red onion small, chopped
- 1 tbsp capers rinsed, drained, chopped
Pasta Salad Dressing
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta under cool running water. Don't overcook the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, finely chop your veggies. After that, make the dressing.
- Next, in a big bowl (or the pot where the pasta was cooked) assemble pasta with chopped vegetables. Pour the dressing and gently toss everything to combine.
- Serve your homemade pasta salad immediately, at room temperature, or chilled. For added flavor sprinkle with some red pepper flakes and black (Nigella) seeds before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cooking time for every pasta is different, so make sure you cook yours according to the package instructions. Do not overcook. Otherwise, your salad will be mushy and pasta will be without shape.
- This pasta salad is so versatile. You can use finely diced tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes, yellow onion or scallions instead of red onion, or substitute peas with cucumber or broccoli.
- If you don’t have capers you can add more black or green olives or finely chopped pickles.
- Add more seasonings if you desire.
- It’s best to chop all vegetables as finely as possible so you’ll get a little bit of everything when eating it.
Nutrition
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Did you try this quick and easy pasta salad vegan recipe? If you tried it, please rate it, leave a comment below, and share your photo on Instagram with the tag @go_eatgreen and hashtag it #go_eatgreen. I would love to see your pictures and your comments just make my day!
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Love, Marinela💚
This vegan pasta salad recipe is so amazing! It is the perfect pasta salad to bring to any gathering and I love that it is full of whole ingredients!
Oh, yes, it’s an ideal food to bring on any friends & family gatherings. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kayla. Thank you for commenting!
Fantastic article with some delicious looking recipes. Can’t wait to give some of these a go. Thankyou.
Thank you, Anthony, let me know if you give some of them a try!
Great side for pizza night! Would also be good for summertime potlucks!
Absolutely! Super easy meal prep for every social gathering. Thank you, Holly, for commenting!
can’t go wrong with a 20 min salad thats fibre rich!
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you, Nancy, for commenting!
This is such a great pasta salad recipe! Love the mustard/ lemon combination for the dressing
Thank you, Amanda, for such a lovely comment!
Love this pasta dish! So good!
Glad you love it, Andrea, thank you!
I love this easy vegan pasta salad recipe and how simple it is to make. I could eat it as a whole meal by itself!
Me too 🙂 I’m glad you love it, Anaiah, thank you for your lovely comment!
Super tasty! 💚
Thank you, Aneta!