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Dairy Free Ranch Pasta Salad

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By on Alisa's Recipes, Dairy-Free Recipes, Highlights of the Season, Pasta, Salad

As promised, I’ve got more for you than just chocolate. This week we’re celebrating seasonal indulgence with an easy recipe for creamy dairy free ranch pasta salad. It’s the perfect dish for showcasing fresh summer produce, and can be whipped up quickly for lunch or made ahead, chilled, and taken to potlucks and barbecues.

Creamy Dairy Free Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe (optionally vegan, soy-free & gluten-free)

What many people don’t realize is that several traditional recipes can be enjoyed dairy-free with just a simple ingredient swap. That store-bought ranch dressing may be loaded with milk, but at home, you can just use your favorite unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage. I usually use coconut milk beverage in recipe testing for two reasons: it’s a little richer than most other milk alternatives and it’s naturally free of top allergens, making my dish “friendly” for more viewers. That said, you can use your favorite unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage, whether it be coconut, cashew, almond or soy!

Silk Unsweetened Milk Beverages - use one to make our dairy free ranch pasta salad recipe!

I simply love how versatile this dairy free ranch pasta salad is. You can adjust the seasonings to suit your mood (increase the salt and pepper for more punch, squeeze in more lemon to brighten, add a little cayenne and paprika to spice things up) and the seasonal add-ins are endless. I used fresh cut corn, grape tomatoes and sliced olives, but you might like any of the following produce: sliced celery, grated carrot, blanched broccoli florets, chopped bell pepper (red, green, yellow or orange!), summer squash wedges (lightly steamed), peas, or green beans.

To make this dairy free ranch pasta salad a meal, add your favorite protein, whether it be chopped cooked chicken, bacon, chopped tempeh, or black beans.

Creamy Dairy Free Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe (optionally vegan, soy-free & gluten-free)This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions, text, recipe, photos, and awesome corn kernel cutting skills are all mine.

Special Diet Notes: Dairy Free Ranch Pasta Salad

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, optionally vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.

For gluten-free dairy free ranch pasta salad, I use non-GMO corn-based pasta (conchiliette shown here), which I find holds its shape much better than rice-based and quinoa varieties for pasta salad.

For egg-free, soy-free and/or vegan ranch pasta salad, mayo is your wild card. Regular and low fat mayonnaise are almost always dairy-free, but they do contain eggs. Fortunately, there are now several brands of vegan mayo to choose from, which work equally well in this dairy ranch pasta salad. Soy oil and / or soy protein may be found in regular or vegan mayo, so be sure to seek out a soy-free version, if needed.

5.0 from 4 reviews
Dairy-Free Ranch Pasta Salad
 
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Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb dry pasta (gluten-free, if needed)
  • 1 cup mayonnaise or vegan mayo
  • ¼ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage (I use Silk Unsweetened Original Coconut Milk Beverage)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 ears corn, cooked (see below)
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes or sliced red bell pepper
  • ⅔ cup sliced black olives
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta according to the packaged directions. Rinse with cold water once cooked.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, milk beverage, parsley, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and black pepper.
  3. Cut the kernals away from the corn and place in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked pasta, tomatoes, and olives. Pour on the dressing and gently stir to evenly coat.
  4. Taste test and add more salt, to taste, if desired.
  5. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Cooking Corn: You can cook the ears by steaming, grilling or boiling, but my favorite method is roasting. Leave the husks on the ears, but peel away the very outer, dry layers and cut off the excess silk. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Place the ears on a rack in the center of the oven, and cook for about 30 minutes. Let cool before removing from the husks.
Creamy Dairy Free Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe (optionally vegan, soy-free & gluten-free)

About Author

Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

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42 Comments

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  3. Jennifer D. on

    I made this recently, and the ranch dressing it makes is amazing! I used a rice vinegar in place of the lemon juice (citrus allergy) and it was perfect. Thanks so much for this recipe.

    Reply
  7. Emily on

    Thank you for sharing such a yummy recipe! My 2 year old is dairy free and we are huge fans of Silk products. And I am sure we will be huge fans of this salad too!

    Reply
    • Alisa Fleming on

      It stays soft and doesn’t fall apart. Unfortunately, due to the “anti-corn” movement, it’s sometimes hard to find (Trader Joe’s actually used to have their own branded version), but it is non-GMO and the best we’ve found. It must be rinsed after cooking though.

      Reply

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