One of my favorite summer-time sides is a creamy Macaroni Salad, just slightly sweet and definitely tangy. For this recipe, I give you an oil-free mayo to make at home, and use in this easy dish!

If you’ve been a reader here for any length of time, you know that I don’t stray away from oils and fats. BUT, recently one of my good friends has had some gallbladder issues, and if you know anything about those, you know you have to lean in hard to a low-fat diet. So, because feeding people is one of my favorite things to do, and I want everyone to feel included, I set out to make this oil-free, vegan macaroni salad.

I have a homemade mayo recipe in my second cookbook, Vegan Yack Attack On the Go!, but it does have a bit of (yummy) olive oil in it. To riff off of that recipe, but not use straight-up oil, I decided to sub it with a lesser amount of cashews. Which even in the amount used would still make this mayo low-fat. Now, you will have some mayo left over from the recipe, but I feel like that’s easier to use than a partial packet of silken tofu. lol!

But, if you don’t care about this being oil-free, you’re more than welcome to just use store-bought vegan mayo to taste (you may not need as much). Either way, this pasta salad is going to be delicious! And feel free to customize fillings and such to what you have on hand. I’ll list some options in the substitutions below.

Substitutions & Tips:

• Silken tofu – since this is the base of the low-fat/oil-free mayo I wouldn’t suggest subbing it out unless you’re fine with using vegan mayo instead. Silken tofu is a great base for this sauce because it has a mild flavor and creamy texture (more so than refrigerated tofu).
• White vinegar – for tang and accuracy, this is what I use in homemade mayo. But, if you have a particularly acidic lemon, you can use lemon juice in place of it.
• Raw cashews – These help thicken the mayo just enough, and the fat that they have helps with consistency as well. BUT, it’s just a couple tablespoons, so again, this will be a much-lighter version than oil-based mayos. If you can’t eat nuts, try subbing with avocado or sunflower seeds.
• Dried pasta – I used standard macaroni elbows, but gluten-free pasta or other pasta shapes will work fine here. If you use gluten-free pasta, make sure to undercook it just a little so that it doesn’t fall apart when tossed together.
• Shredded cabbage – I didn’t have decent celery on hand, so I used shredded red cabbage and really liked it in this! It added a nice crunch, and after you let the salad sit for a day it takes on a very light pink hue.
• Red bell pepper – you can use diced roasted red peppers for a deeper sweetness, but I like the texture of the fresh pepper here. Make sure to use red, yellow, or orange peppers because green won’t be sweet enough for this application.
• Red onion – white or yellow onion will also work in a pinch.

Now, if you’re looking for some other summery cookout sides, I highly recommend the following!

• Sriracha Sesame Potato Salad
• Watermelon Blackberry Feta Salad
• Street Fair Corn – NYC Vegan Cookbook

I hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend and stayed safe. Have a great week, and I hope you make this macaroni salad all summer! (I know that I will)