Easy Curried Vegan Macaroni Salad

5 from 1 vote

Curried vegan macaroni salad is a family tradition with all the diced veggies you’d expect and curry powder to pep up the creamy dressing.

Prep Time25

Cook Time5

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 316kcal

Add the cashews to a small bowl and cover them with about 2 cups of boiling water. Set them aside for 15 minutes to soak.
In a large pot, add the water for cooking the macaroni plus ½ a teaspoon of salt. Once it reaches a boil, add the macaroni and cook it until it is tender but is still firm and chewy. Consult the package directions times.
When the macaroni is done, immediately drain and rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process and rinse away the starch.
To make the dressing, drain and rinse the cashews and add them to a blender. Add the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, curry powder, ground pepper, paprika, and ¼ a cup of water.
Blend the dressing until it is smooth. Add more water (I used a total of ¾ of a cup) and blend until the salad dressing is thin enough to run off a spoon when you test it. Taste, adjust the ingredients if necessary, and add salt if desired.
In a large salad bowl, combine the macaroni and dressing. Mix in the red onion, celery, red bell pepper, and pickles.
Garnish the salad with a dash of paprika if desired.

If the macaroni starts to absorb the dressing, mix in a tablespoon of lemon juice to help separate it.
Place leftover salad in a container with a lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freshen it up, add lemon juice and/or vinegar.
The best substitutes for cashews are soaked, blanched almonds or ground sunflower seeds. If using sunflower seeds, you'll need to add more lemon juice and vinegar. Taste to test it. Silken tofu is another option. In this case, you will only need a little water, if any.