Ranch Pasta Salad

4.49 from 107 votes

on Sep 13, 2022, Updated Jun 18, 2024

This Ranch Pasta Salad is an easy side dish for any occasion! Made with tri color rotini, red bell pepper, broccoli, cucumber, and a homemade creamy ranch pasta salad dressing.

ranch pasta salad in a wooden serving bowl

Why we love ranch pasta salad

flavorful: This ranch pasta salad recipe is creamy, crunchy, and so yummy.
easy to make: with just a handful of ingredients and a simple homemade ranch dressing, this easy pasta salad comes together in minutes
great for any occasion: the best side dish for holidays, cook outs, potlucks, birthday parties, and more.

We love ranch salad dressing (who doesn’t?!) in our family, so this ranch pasta salad recipe is one that we could eat again and again. This is great for parties or hot summer months. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

wooden spoon taking a scoop of pasta salad from the bowl

You can find the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of this post, but here’s what you will need to make this recipe.

Ingredients you need

tri color rotini pasta: or substitute another type of pasta
diced red bell pepper: or any color bell pepper
diced cucumber
fresh broccoli, cut into small florets
sour cream and mayo: to make the homemade ranch dressing
ranch dressing seasoning packet

ingredients needed to make ranch pasta salad

How to make ranch pasta salad

Step 1: Cook the tri color rotini pasta noodles to al dente. Add a few shakes of salt to the pasta water while it cooks.

Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, you can get started on chopping up the fresh vegetables. Dice up the bell pepper and cucumber, and cut the broccoli into very small florets.

Step 3: When the rotini is done cooking, drain it and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Let it drain while you work on the remaining pasta salad ingredients.

cooked tri color rotini in a wooden bowl

Step 4: In a small bowl, add the mayo, sour cream, and ranch seasoning until combined to make the creamy ranch dressing.

Step 5: Add the drained and cooled pasta to a large serving bowl. Add the cut up broccoli, bell pepper, and cucumber.

broccoli, bell pepper, and cucumber on top of the rotini

Step 6: Stir the ranch dressing into the pasta and veggies until well combined. Salt the pasta salad to taste if necessary.

Recipe Tips

Prep your veggies ahead of time: save time and cut up your veggies ahead of time and place them in individual ziploc bags in the refrigerator to make assembling this pasta salad a breeze.
Add the dressing 1-2 hours before serving: pasta salad dries out in the refrigerator, but tastes best when chilled. The best way to serve ranch pasta salad is after it has been in the refrigerator for no more than 1-2 hours.
Add more dressing to leftover pasta salad: pasta salad can dry out in the refrigerator. Try stirring in more ranch dressing when you serve this the next day.

Storing and Serving

Keeping at room temperature: pasta salad is best served chilled, and should sit out no longer than two hours at room temperature
How to store leftovers: ranch pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

This recipe is best served right away for the best creaminess. Like most pasta salad recipes, it will dry out some in the fridge.

The easy fix for this is simply stir in a little more ranch dressing if you plan to eat leftovers the next day! Just use some bottled ranch dressing if you find it needs a little extra dressing.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

This ranch pasta salad is so delicious and you will definitely be back for seconds!

4.49 from 107 votes