Hi Vegetarian Carnivores! It’s so good to have you back on my blog! Today’s post will be the kick-off to my summer series, where I will be sharing the best plant based and plant focused recipes to prepare you for the heat, as well as all the delicious summer night potlucks that you will be attending. I am going to show you how to veganize a crowd favorite today: creamy macaroni salad.
Most commonly made with mayonnaise and boiled egg, a lot of plant based eaters struggle with recreating this delicious summer dish. Many people even find themselves without any options at potlucks because everything has dairy or mayo.
Our substitutions
But not to worry! I’ve totally got you with this macaroni salad, which people will not even guess is vegan if you don’t tell them. Let’s go over some of our delicious substitutions. We will be using vegan mayo, or veganaise to sub out for mayo, but I bet you already knew that. Our really surprising substitution is our egg substitute: tofu! And not just any kind of tofu- I am talking soft tofu, the kind that just barely holds its shape but can be smushed in your hand. This mirrors the texture of your hard boiled egg so well that once we dress up the salad with all the condiments, it is impossible to even make out the difference!
So let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb uncooked macaroni, cooked to package instructions
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, cut into small chunks
- handful of soft tofu, crushed/crumbled – this will be the hard boiled egg sub!
- 1/2 jalapeno, diced
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise, I love Best Foods and Follow your Heart(if you are reducing your soy consumption)
- 1/2 cup mustard (you can use regular mustard but I love truffle flavor!)
- 1/3 cup dill relish
- 1 tbsp dill relish juice
- Thyme, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the dressing ingredients together and mix with the macaroni! Garnish with thyme and some vegan cheddar shreds!
- Enjoy your seriously sexy plant based macaroni salad!
The results!
Isn’t this the most beautiful thing you have ever seen? It’s colorful, full of different textures and flavors. It is absolutely gorgeous and so simple to make, once you rally the ingredients! Vegan or not, I encourage all my readers to go ahead and give this beauty a try. You will not be disappointed!
See you soon!
Janani <3 <3
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m not vegan but I am lactose intolerant and I really like macaroni salad. My problem is that I still haven’t learned and eat what I want anyway and I always end up regretting it later! This looks like a great recipe to try and it I also looks like it won’t hurt my stomach!
I’m so glad you found it useful! It’s really nice to be able to still enjoy your favorites despite a food allergy!
Good Day, Janani.
Thanks for this super summer salad recipe.
I love to bring creative new salads to my summer parties. It’s always cool to bring new recipes, new flavors, and new ideas to a party. I do this often. I eat out a lot in the summer season, and many of our family friends do the same.
This makes for lots of potlucks and guess what, everybody competes to impress the host. I will surely be springing this on my major competitor soon.
Do you serve these year round or is this more of a summer treat for you?
Do you have similar recipe ideas for couscous?
Do you focus more on cold items in summer and do you have any hot menu ideas to share?
Paul
I’m glad you like the recipe Paul! I have a recipe for a killer vegan chili so I do make warm summer dishes as well… stay tuned for that article! I will be working on a refreshing couscous in the near future so I hope to see you back here soon!
Your review about vegan macaroni salad is educating because I just learnt new thing from your post on how to prepare it, the preparation is eye catching when looking at the picture on your post, I am also preparing my vegan macaroni salad and I will send you pictures. Thanks for sharing it is helpful, I love learning new thing.
Thanks so much for your support! I look forward to seeing your wonderful pictures!
Oooh my Creamy goodness! this reminds me of being a kid! My mom always made macaroni salad for holidays and I just loved it. Haven’t tried making one since being vegan though – This looks delicious! I have vegan family members and this will be perfect for summer get togethers!
Thanks for the inspiration!
It’s such a nostalgic dish right? I hope you and your friends like this dish as much as I do 🙂
This is a great and delicious as am viewing it,great job,as you have instructed in the preparation of it,I will strictly follow it,you are a good coach of such a delicious mean.Can I use bean to cook the ingredient instead of macaroni and still enjoy it?, this article is so wonderful to me, I learnt a new thing.
Thank you! I do enjoy coaching people 🙂 I’ve never cooked beans in place of macaroni! Give it a go and let me know what you think!