Nutritarian Macaroni Salad

MAJOR UPDATE: June 30, 2026

Time to celebrate summer cookout season in the most delicious way possible: Macaroni Salad.  This classic BBQ side dish recipe gets a healthy (and dreamy) makeover!  We’re loading up on crunchy fresh veggies, upgrading to bean pasta and bringing it all together with a creamy, savory oil-free vegan mayo.  This version boasts higher fiber and protein while lowering calories and fat.  You know what that means?  More macaroni salad on your plate!  Because, if you’re anything like me, it’s all about the sides!

Consider yourself officially covered in the what-in-the-world-am-I-going-to-bring to the summer gathering department!  Macaroni salad is an absolute picnic, cookout and Fourth of July staple that few will refuse.  What your friends and family won’t realize is the nutrient-rich bounty packed in this salad…

So, whether you’re nutritarian or just looking for a truly healthy plant-based macaroni salad, I think you’re going to love this recipe.

Reasons to love this Macaroni Salad recipe:

• oil-free
• gluten-free
• low-sodium
• vegan
• fiber- and protein-rich
• make-ahead friendly
• meal prep friendly
• 207 calories, 5 grams fat, 12.2 grams protein per 1-cup serving
• 15% iron, 15% magnesium & 12% potassium for the day

High-Nutrient Macaroni Salad (the origin story)

My sister-in-law, Julie, is the reason this recipe exists.

I enjoyed her “mac salad” immensely before I went nutritarian.  It was hands-down the culinary highlight of our summer family gatherings!

When I went 100% on Dr. Fuhrman’s Aggressive Weight Loss Plan in 2016, I was determined to “nutrify” Julie’s recipe.  Because when you’re eating nutritarian, family gatherings can be (now, how can I put this diplomatically) challenging.

Since then I’ve created an entire nutritarian BBQ menu that’s part of my premium cookbook, Nutritarian Celebrations, but back when I was just starting out this Macaroni Salad recipe was my savior.  A high-nutrient side dish that I could bring to get-togethers and my conventional-eating family enjoyed too!

Starting with the most important part of an incredible macaroni salad, I made a delicious oil-free vegan mayo.  

Store-bought vegan mayonnaise just doesn’t cut it in the nutrients-to-calorie ratio, a core nutritarian principle.  Commercial vegan mayos average 80 to 90 calories per tablespoon and are made mostly of industrially-whipped oils with a pinch of stabilizers and gums–yum?

My No-Oil Mayo recipe comes in at only 23 calories per tablespoon and 1.3 grams of fat with fiber and protein to boot!  Made with tofu, cashews, apple cider vinegar, mustard and a few spices it’s infinitely cleaner, cheaper and more delicious.

To complete the mac salad makeover, I upgraded to bean macaroni noodles to add in more protein and even more fiber.

What ingredients do you need for this salad? 

1. bean macaroni pasta (or gluten-free variety of your choice)
2. No-Oil Mayo
3. red bell pepper
4. yellow bell pepper
5. carrots
6. celery
7. jalapeño (optional)

Bean Pasta Notes:

Bean Macaroni Pasta: I use Chickapea Brand Organic Pasta Elbows.  You’ll need one 8 ounce box for this recipe.  This brand uses only two ingredients: (1) organic yellow chickpea flour and (2) organic chickpea four.  The nutritional information included for this recipe uses this particular bean pasta. Bean pasta is a nutritional upgrade from traditional wheat based pasta because you get a lot more fiber and protein.  If you’re following the nutritarian lifestyle, bean pasta does not count toward your whole grains for the day. If the extra fiber and protein isn’t your jam feel free to use your favorite gluten-free macaroni/elbow noodles.

What does bean pasta taste like? 

It has an earthier, nutty flavor than wheat pasta with a dense chewy texture.  Bean pasta tends to break down faster when cooking so I always recommend cooking it al dente to maintain structural integrity.  Chickpea pasta has a milder flavor than bean pastas made with lentils, black beans or edamame.

More Ingredient Notes:

No-Oil Mayo: This is a recipe I created specifically for this macaroni salad.  It features silken tofu, cashews, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, white miso paste, onion powder, garlic powder and celery seed.  My version is vegan, low-calorie and low-fat and made with simple ingredients. The nutritional information included for this recipe reflects the use of my mayo recipe.  I recommend making it a day in advance of when you’re going to assemble this macaroni salad recipe.  You can always use the mayo of your choice but you’ll want to add mustard, vinegar and spices to taste.

Fresh Veggies (peppers, carrots, celery): These fresh veggies provide great texture and crunch to the macaroni salad.  They are full of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) and provide lots of fiber.  Feel free to chop these up a day or two before you’re preparing the salad, I like to store them in glass Mason jars in the refrigerator (usually as part of my weekly in-fridge salad bar).

Red Onion: If you find red onion to be overwhelming in flavor you may want to reduce it down to 1/4 cup.

Jalapeño (optional): I recommend using 2 to 3 Tablespoons minced jalapeño with seeds removed.  The spice level is mild at 2 tablespoons and just beginning to get to medium at 3.  You can always add more to taste or skip this entirely.  If extra sodium isn’t an issue feel free to substitute with minced pickled jalapeño.

How to Make Nutritarian Macaroni Salad: 

First, I like to make the No-Oil Mayo the day before I assemble the salad.  Letting the mayo “rest” for a day in the fridge helps for the flavors to meld and the consistency to thicken.

It’s a “like” to do but not a “must” do.  You’re more than able to make the mayo the same day as the salad.

When you’re ready to assemble the salad, start by cooking your pasta according to the instructions on your 8 ounce pasta box.  Cooking times vary by brand.  You want to cook your pasta to al dente, especially if you’re using the recommended bean pasta.

While the pasta is cooking you can chop the fresh veggies or you can prep the veggies one or two days before assembling the recipe, your choice.

Once the pasta is at al dente doneness drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Allow the noodles to drain well and cool for at least 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl add the cooled noodles and the mayo.  Mix gently to combine (especially when working with bean pasta as it breaks apart easier than wheat).

After the mayo is fully incorporated, add all of the chopped veggies.  Mix together gently until fully mixed and the veggies are evenly distributed.

Cover with a bowl cover or plate and allow the macaroni salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Make-Ahead & Meal Prep Tips:

The easier a recipe is to make, the more components I can get done ahead of time and the longer it stores in the fridge only increases its value in my eyes.

That’s why this recipe is such a gem: you can spread the workload out over a few days and it has great shelf life in the fridge!

You can chop all your veggies up to two nights before you assemble this salad.  And I like to make the salad the night before I’m serving it so all the flavors can meld together.

As long as you make sure to cook your pasta al dente, the leftovers will last for up to 7 days in the fridge and still taste amazing and the pasta will hold its shape.

Storage Recommendations:

Keeps up to 7 days in the refrigerator in a glass food storage container with a Snaplock lid or in a glass Mason jar.

• Remember to condense down your storage container as you eat through the batch.
• After day 5, store towards the back of your fridge shelf where you get the most direct airflow.

Freezing is not recommended. 

What is the taste and texture like?

The taste is savory and fresh with a flavorful, creamy umami dressing.

Satisfying textural contrast of crunchy veggies and chewy macaroni noodles.

Serving recommendations:

You can top the Macaroni Salad with chopped fresh herbs (I like parsley or chives).

For extra crunch and healthy plant protein you can use Crunchy Sunflower Seeds from this recipe as a topping too.

How much Macaroni Salad can you have on the nutritarian plan?  

If you’re following the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan: I recommend only enjoying this with bean pasta and having a 1-cup serving.

Does the bean pasta count towards your whole grains daily allotment?  This is a point of nuance in the nutritarian community.  Dr. Fuhrman consistently says that beans are his preferred carbohydrate source compared to potatoes, rice or wheat.  But that doesn’t quite mean that you can eat as much bean pasta as you want because it is a processed, calorie-dense food.

You get a total of 28 grams of nuts/seeds daily.  Each 1-cup serving of this salad has 8.8 grams of cashews per serving so you’ll still have plenty allotment remaining for the day.

If you’ve reached your ideal BMI (under 23):  Enjoy up to 2 cups.

4.43 from 7 votes

Print

Nutritarian Macaroni Salad

Featuring a delicious oil-free vegan mayo, this high-nutrient macaroni salad is protein and fiber-loaded with raw veggies and bean pasta.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Dr. Fuhrman, low sodium, nutritarian, oil free, potluck, vegan, WFPB, whole food plant based

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Resting Time 30 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 7 cups

Calories 206.8 kcal

Author Kristen Hong

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups cooked garbanzo bean pasta, al dente doneness cooked amount in 8 ounce box
• 1 1/2 cups No-Oil Mayo ~314 grams
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (~3/4ths large pepper) ~77 grams
• 1/2 cup diced carrot (~1 large carrot) ~75 grams
• 1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper (~3/4ths large pepper) ~77 grams
• 1/2 cup diced celery (~2 stalks) ~63 grams
• 1/2 cup diced red onion (~1/2 small onion) ~70 grams
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. jalapeño, fine diced & seeds removed (optional, ~20-30 grams)

Instructions

1. Prepare the No-Oil Mayo. I like to make it the day before assembling the salad because it helps the flavors meld and the consistency to thicken.

2. When you're ready to assemble the salad, cook your pasta according to the instructions on your 8 ounce pasta box. Cooking times vary by brand. You want to cook your pasta to al dente doneness, especially if you're using the recommended bean pasta.

3. While the pasta is cooking you can chop the fresh veggies or you can prep the veggies one or two days before assembling the recipe, your choice.

4. Once the pasta is at al dente doneness drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Allow the noodles to drain well and cool for at least 5 minutes.

5. In a large mixing bowl add the cooled noodles and the mayo.  Mix gently to combine (especially when working with bean pasta as it breaks apart easier than wheat).

6. After the mayo is fully incorporated, add all of the chopped veggies.  Mix together gently until fully mixed and the veggies are evenly distributed.

7. Cover with a bowl cover or plate and allow the macaroni salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Yield: 7 cups

Servings: seven 1-cup portions

Storage: Keeps up to 7 days in the refrigerator in a glass food storage container with a Snaplock lid or in a glass Mason jar. 

Top tips for maximum shelf life:

• Remember to condense down your storage container as you eat through the batch.  
• After day 5, store the salad towards the back of your fridge shelf where you get the most direct airflow.  

Freezing is not recommended. 

Substitutions: The nutritional information provided is calculated with this No-Oil Mayo and these Chickapea Brand Organic Pasta Elbows. If you use a store-bought mayo be sure to the seasonings I recommend in the recipe post.  

What does bean pasta taste like? 

It has an earthier, nutty flavor than wheat pasta with a dense chewy texture.  Bean pasta tends to break down faster when cooking so I always recommend cooking it al dente to maintain structural integrity.  Chickpea pasta has a milder flavor than bean pastas made with lentils, black beans or edamame.

Red Onion: If you find red onion to be overwhelming in flavor you may want to reduce it down to 1/4 cup.

Jalapeño (optional): I recommend using 2 to 3 Tablespoons minced jalapeño with seeds removed.  The spice level is mild at 2 tablespoons and just beginning to get to medium at 3.  You can always add more to taste or skip this entirely.  If extra sodium isn't an issue feel free to substitute with minced pickled jalapeño.

Nutrition Facts

Nutritarian Macaroni Salad

Serving Size

 

1 cup

Amount per Serving

Calories

206.8

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

5

g

8

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.8

g

5

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.99

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1.78

g

Sodium

 

170.7

mg

7

%

Potassium

 

559.5

mg

16

%

Carbohydrates

 

28.9

g

10

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

4.7

g

5

%

Protein

 

12.2

g

24

%

Vitamin A

 

113.41

IU

2

%

Vitamin C

 

37.76

mg

46

%

Calcium

 

41.79

mg

4

%

Iron

 

2.71

mg

15

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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