This vegan Greek pasta salad is easy to make with simple, healthy ingredients like pasta, olives, cucumber, red onion, tomato, herbs and tofu feta.

Rotini pasta with cucumber, olives, tomato and tofu feta on a small white plate.

This bright and flavourful pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next Summer BBQ or potluck. It’s easy to make and comes together quickly once the tofu feta has marinated. Serve alongside veggie dogs and burgers, grilled corn on the cob and other Summer favourites!

For more easy pasta salad recipes, this Easy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe, Easy Vegan Cold Pesto Pasta Salad and Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad are all delicious. This Easy Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup for is really good for another Greek-inspired recipe that would also pair well with this salad.

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need for this tasty Greek pasta salad:

  • Pasta. You can use whatever kind of pasta your heart desires. I went with a wheat pasta but you could do brown rice, chickpea or quinoa pasta for a gluten-free option, or whole wheat pasta for a whole grain option. I went with rotini but bows, penne, fusilli or macaroni are all great too!
  • Olives. I’d recommend kalamata olives for this recipe. They have the best flavour for pasta salad!
  • Tomatoes. Grape or cherry tomatoes are the best for this salad. They’re both juicy, crisp and flavourful. I used grape tomatoes.
  • Cucumber. A classic pasta salad veggie!
  • Red onion. Red onion adds some bite to the recipe.
  • Herbs. For flavour, I used fresh parsley, dried basil and dried oregano.
  • Tofu feta. Tofu feta really takes this salad up a notch! For best results, use extra-firm tofu and press it before use. Once pressed and crumbled, you’ll need at least an hour of marinating time. I’d recommend making the tofu feta the day before.
  • Dressing. Instead of an oily pasta salad dressing, I added lemon, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and dried herbs. It’s a delicious and flavourful combo, no oil needed!
Chopped cucumber, red onion, olives, tomatoes, garlic and parsley in a glass mixing bowl.
Chopped cucumber, tomato, red onion, olives and parsley with herbs in a glass mixing bowl.
Mixed Greek pasta salad ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.
Rotini pasta, feta cheese and chopped vegetables in a glass mixing bowl.

Tips and Tricks

  • The recipe itself takes just 10 minutes to prepare, however, you need 20 minutes to press the tofu and about 1 hour to marinate it. Make the tofu the day before and the salad is quick and easy to make when you’re ready.
  • If you’re making this salad in advance, I’d recommend leaving the tomatoes off until just before serving so they don’t get soggy.
  • This salad is best made fresh but can be stored up to 2 days in the fridge. It does benefit from sitting for an hour or so before serving so the flavours can really mix together, so you can make it a little in advance if needed.
  • To make this recipe gluten-free, use brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, lentil pasta or chickpea pasta.
  • For pasta options, try this salad with bows, penne, macaroni, fusilli or rotini.
  • Try balsamic vinegar as an alternative to red wine vinegar.
  • For a creamy pasta salad, try this dressing made with soft tofu.
Pasta salad with olives, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and herbs in a glass mixing bowl.

More Summer Salad Recipes

These salads also call for tofu feta, so they’re a great way to use up any you have leftover:

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Oil-free and vegan Greek pasta salad on a small white plate with lemon and tomatoes.

Vegan Greek Pasta Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Vegan
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Description

This fresh and tangy, oil-free pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next BBQ or potluck. You’ll need extra time to make the tofu feta but the salad itself takes just as long as it takes to cook pasta.


Ingredients

For the Pasta Salad

  • 2 cups dry (170 g) rotini, fusilli, bows or penne pasta of choice
  • 1 cup diced cucumber (approx. 1 cucumber)
  • 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes 
  • 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup packed, very finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 cup tofu feta (or more if desired, see below)
  • 1/2 tsp each sea salt and pepper, or more to taste
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

For the Tofu Feta

  • 1 package extra-firm tofu, pressed then crumbled
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Ideally, make the vegan feta the night before making the salad. If not, you’ll need 20 minutes to press the tofu and at least 1 hour to marinate it. To make it, place a of block of extra-firm tofu on a dish towel and fold the towel over it. Place the wrapped tofu on a plate and place a heavy object on top of it. I use a few cookbooks. You can use a tofu press if you have one. Press for 20-30 minutes to remove excess water. Once pressed, crumble the tofu into feta cheese-sized chunks into a bowl or container and add the rest of the tofu feta ingredients. Mix well, cover and marinate for 1 hour up to overnight.
  2. When you’re ready to make the salad, cook pasta according to package instructions.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl
  4. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot. Add the pasta to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Add the tofu feta as well, if you haven’t already.
  5. Mix everything together, season with salt and pepper and serve right away. This can be made a few hours in advance and stored in the fridge. Leftovers may be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days.