Cole Slaw Pasta Salad

Cole Slaw Pasta Salad combines 2 delicious side dishes in one! Pasta, cole slaw mix, red onion, and sliced cucumber in a creamy sweet and tangy dressing. Perfect for barbecues and summer parties!

Originally published July 15, 2019. Updated April 2, 2025.

Is everyone already planning their first summer BBQ menu? Once the time changed and Texas warmed up, I immediately starting daydreaming about summer and all the delicious foods that come with it.

This Cole Slaw Pasta Salad is perfect for all you summer BBQs, pool parties, or family dinners. It combines classic cole slaw with pasta salad – two of the best summer side dishes!

It has the standard sweet and tangy cole slaw dressing, pasta, cole slaw mix, red onion, and cucumbers. So many different textures and flavors and they all combine to create the perfect pasta salad.

Ingredients

• Small pasta – I used ditalini but you can use any small pasta shape such as elbow macaroni, small shells, etc.
• Coleslaw mix – I like to use the coleslaw mix that comes with red and green cabbage and shredded carrots. It makes the pasta salad really colorful and vibrant.
• Red onion – red onion isn’t as sharp as white or yellow onion so it’s perfect for eating raw in a pasta salad.
• English cucumber – English cucumbers are the ones wrapped in plastic in the grocery store. They don’t need to be peeled but you can peel if you prefer. If you use regular cucumbers, you do need to remove the peel.
• Mayonnaise – this is the base for the creamy dressing.
• Granulated sugar – just a tiny bit to give the dressing that classic sweet coleslaw taste.
• Apple cider vinegar – this adds the best tang to the dressing.
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Cook pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• Make dressing. Whisk together mayonnaise, granulated sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined. 
• Combine. Add cooked pasta, coleslaw mix, diced red onion, and sliced cucumber. Toss to coat everything with the dressing. 
• Chill. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving. 

How Long Is It Good For?

This coleslaw pasta salad is fine to eat for up to 3 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The dressing is mayo-based so you definitely don’t want to let it sit at room temperature for too long.

It will become more liquid-y and the veggies will lose some of their crunch the longer it sits so I think it is tastiest within the first few days.

Can You Make Cole Slaw Pasta Salad Ahead of Time?

Cole Slaw Pasta Salad needs to be made at least an hour ahead of time so it has time to chill. You can make it up to 6 hours earlier without it changing the texture of the veggies.

I don’t recommend preparing it the day before if you want crunchy veggies. 

Can You Freeze It?

I don’t recommend you try freezing this pasta salad. Everything will change it’s texture once frozen and defrosted.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Italian Pasta Salad
• Broccoli Grape Pasta Salad
• Caesar Pasta Salad
• Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad
• Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad

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