Lemon Pasta Salad
Updated May 27, 2026
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This lemon pasta salad recipe is bright and flavorful. A delicious homemade lemon dressing, fresh dill and in-season vegetables make this summer pasta salad irresistibly delicious! The perfect BBQ side dish!
We make pasta salad all the time in the summer (like this Italian pasta salad, BLT pasta salad and caprese pasta salad). I wanted a bright and lemony version so I created this lemon pasta salad recipe which has quickly become one of our favorites.
It is the perfect fresh and flavorful summer side dish. Made with your favorite pasta, fresh vegetables, parmesan cheese and dill, which are tossed in a bright homemade lemon dressing for an irresistibly delicious summer pasta salad recipe that everyone loves. Serve it alongside your favorite BBQ dishes (like BBQ chicken, homemade burgers, chicken kebabs, etc.) for a healthy and delicious side dish to feed a crowd. Or, eat it by itself for a veggie-packed main dish.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Pasta Salad
- Easy make-ahead side dish for hosting
- Bright, fresh, unique lemon flavor from the homemade dressing
- Perfect for BBQs & potlucks
- Loaded with fresh summer vegetables
- Easy to customize
- Great for feeding a crowd
I made recipe last weekend for a birthday party. It turned out great, everyone loved it. And it is very easy to make. Thank you Laura!
– Glenn
Lemon Pasta Salad: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Penne pasta. any shape of pasta can be used in this recipe. Our favorites include (but are not limited to): fusilli, farfalle (bowties), gemelli, and rotelle (wheels). Or, make my lemon orzo salad!
- Vegetables. this summer pasta salad recipe calls for cucumbers, baby tomatoes and bell peppers. Feel free to use your favorite veggies. Some suggestions include: blanched broccoli, zucchini, peas, corn, avocado, shredded carrots, heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, etc.
- Olive oil. avocado oil is a good substitute for olive oil.
- Red onion. any onion variety works well. Aside from red, yellow and white are good choices.
- Fresh dill. freeze-dried dill can be used in place of fresh, but I suggest fresh if you can.
- Mustard. we use Dijon, any variety works well.
- Parmesan cheese. feta cheese, goat cheese and fresh mozzarella all taste great in this summer pastas salad.
- Lemon juice. fresh or bottled both work great.
- Honey. maple syrup or granulated sugar are good substitutes for honey.
How to Make Lemon Pasta Salad
This summer pasta salad is very easy to make. Especially if you cook the pasta in advance so it has plenty of time to cool. The most time-consuming piece of this recipe is chopping all the veggies – which can also be done in advance.
Cook the Pasta
Since the pasta needs to cool before assembling this lemon pasta salad, cook it according to package instructions in salted water. Once cooked, drain the pasta but do not rinse. Stir it occasionally in the colander to help it cool.
Make the Lemon Pasta Salad Dressing
While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing by whisking together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a glass jar and shake it to combine.. Set it aside.
Assemble
In a large bowl combine pasta, veggies, onion and half of the dressing, parmesan cheese and fresh dill and stir to combine. Save the rest of the dressing.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
When ready to serve, toss with remaining dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
How to Make Ahead
Make the pasta salad, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving. Reserve some of the dressing in a glass jar with a lid and store it in the refrigerator, to toss with the pasta salad right before serving to freshen it up after chilling.
What to Serve with Lemon Pasta Salad
Garnish the summer pasta salad with fresh dill and extra parmesan cheese and serve chilled with your favorite main dish. Here are some suggestions:
- Serve it alongside you favorite grilled entrees like BBQ chicken, chicken satay skewers, marinaded flank steak, hamburgers (with homemade burger buns), and lemon chicken kebabs.
- We like to enjoy pasta salad alongside BBQ chicken sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, chicken salad, etc.
- Or serve it with your favorite BBQ sides like cucumber salad, 3 bean salad, and broccoli salad.
Store
Store leftover lemon pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I don’ recommend freezing this recipe.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
You will love all of these!
- This pasta salad with homemade dressing is a total classic!
- We love this BLT pasta salad!
- Caprese pasta salad is a total summer crowd pleaser.
- For a mediterranean twist, make this greek pasta salad.
- Lemon pasta salad might be my favorite!
- You’ll never opt for store-bought again once you make this best macaroni salad.
Lemon Pasta Salad Recipe FAQs
These are my top choices: penne, fusilli, farfalle (bowties), gemelli, and rotelle (wheels). Or, you can use orzo and make this lemon orzo salad.
Absolutely! Grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, chickpeas or white beans are all delicious high-protein additions!
Fresh summer vegetables are delicious in this recipe. Some great options include cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, red onion, asparagus and broccoli.
You can make this salad the night before. Cover it and store in the refrigerator overnight. Save some dressing to use to toss into the salad right before serving.
Put it in a large bowl and stir it every couple minutes. Do NOT rinse with cold water.
No. Un-rinsed pasta absorbs dressing much better.
Pasta absorbs dressing as it chills. To keep pasta salad fresh and flavorful, reserve a small amount of dressing to stir in right before serving.
It lasts for up to 5 days when store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Absolutely, use fresh or bottled for equally delicious results.
Yes, just use your favorite gluten-free pasta, so easy!
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Lemon Summer Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta (dry) (16 oz, 4 cups)
- 1 cucumber peeled and diced
- 1 pint baby tomatoes halved
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- ½ cup red onion diced
- fresh dill chopped
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Lemon Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 6 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook The Pasta
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Drain and do not rinse. Let the pasta cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.
Make the Dressing (While Pasta is Cooking)
- Add dressing ingredients to a small bowl.
- Whisk to combine.
- Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a glass jar and shake it to combine.
- Set aside.
Assemble, Chill & Serve
- In a large bowl combine pasta, vegetables, onion and half of the dressing, parmesan cheese and fresh dill and stir to combine. Save the rest of the dressing.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to serve, toss with remaining dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish with fresh dill.
Notes
- Penne pasta. any shape of pasta can be used in this recipe. Our favorites include (but are not limited to): fusilli, farfalle (bowties), gemelli, and rotelle (wheels).
- Vegetables. this summer pasta salad recipe calls for cucumbers, baby tomatoes and bell peppers. Feel free to use your favorite veggies. Some suggestions include: blanched broccoli, zucchini, peas, corn, avocado, shredded carrots, heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, etc.
- Olive oil. avocado oil is a good substitute for olive oil.
- Red onion. any onion variety works well. Aside from red, yellow and white are good choices.
- Fresh dill. freeze-dried dill can be used in place of fresh, but I suggest fresh if you can.
- Mustard. we use Dijon, any variety works well.
- Parmesan cheese. feta cheese, goat cheese and fresh mozzarella all taste great in this summer pastas salad.
- Lemon juice. fresh or bottled both work great.
- Honey. maple syrup or granulated sugar are good substitutes for honey.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My daughter Cora and I made this for my 75th birthday dinner with the family. We had to stop tasting it—it was so good. I knew it would be because I’ve made your recipes before! Yummy!
I’m so so happy you both got to make it together and enjoyed it! I hope you had a very, very happy birthday, Nancy!
What could you use in place of dill? I don’t like dill.
You can use basil or parsley!
I made recipe last weekend for a birthday party. I turned out great, everyone loved it. And it is very easy to make. Thank you Laura!
Have you ever added protein to this dish?
Yes! Grilled chicken is delicious – I like to serve it with these Chicken Kebabs or you can try Greek Chicken!
It days to chill for at least 1 2 hours. Siri that be 12 or 1-2 hours? Thank you!
At least 2 hours! I will fix that thank you!
I made this dish and the dressing was delicious but I didn’t add enough. I want to make it again for a brunch and want to make it the day before – is that ok? Should I wait to dress the day of the event? Or partially dress night before. Should I put feta cheese in day of event so it doesn’t get mushy ?
I save some dressing to toss it with right before serving. The cheese should not get mushy overnight but you can add it whenever you’d like!
So yummy,
Made this tonight for a special lunch tomorrow. Smells amazing and summery (if that’s a word 😉 thanks for the great recipe!
Loved your Summer Pasta Salad and Blueberry Zucchini Bread!
Thank you so much!
Thank you Hannah!