Vegan Greek Pasta Salad
on Jul 15, 2019, Updated Mar 11, 2025
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This vegan Greek pasta salad is easy to make with simple ingredients like olives, cucumber, red onion and tomato with the option to serve with a tangy tofu feta.
About the Recipe
This zesty Greek pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next BBQ or get-together. It’s easy to make and comes together quickly once the tofu feta has marinated. Here’s what we love about it:
- Vegan and can be gluten-free.
- Tangy flavor.
- Made without mayo or oil.
- Salad takes 10 minutes to make (plus time to marinate tofu feta if making).
- Great for meal prep, BBQ’s, picnics, a packed lunch or a quick meal or side salad.
- Easy to customize with different add-ins and swaps.
For more easy pasta salad recipes, this Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad, Vegan Cold Pesto Pasta Salad and Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad are all delicious.
Ingredients
This is a oil-free pasta salad with just a handful of ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need and any possible substitutions and variations you can make.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
- Pasta. You can use any kind of short pasta shape like bows, penne, fusilli or macaroni or even orzo. For gluten-free, use brown rice, chickpea or quinoa pasta 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 but black olives also work.
- Tomatoes. Grape or cherry tomatoes are the best for this salad.
- Herbs: The recipes calls for fresh parsley but dried basil and oregano. If you prefer, swap the dried herbs for 2-3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil and oregano.
- Tofu Feta. If you’re making the tofu feta you’ll need extra-firm tofu, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, lemon and salt.
- Vinegar. Red wine vinegar is preferred but you can substitute white wine vinegar.
Additions
This salad is flexible and easy to customize. Here are some ideas for swaps and variations.
- Additional Vegetables: Add up to 1 diced bell pepper, 1-2 handfuls of baby spinach or finely chopped kale, sun dried tomatoes, chopped marinated artichoke hearts.
- Beans: Add up to a 19 oz can drained and rinsed chickpeas or white beans.
- Oil: This salad is oil-free but if you prefer the texture of an oil-based dressing, add up to 3 tbsp olive oil with the vinegar and lemon juice.
- Dijon Mustard: For another layer of flavour in the dressing, add up to 2 tsp Dijon mustard.
How to Make Vegan Greek Pasta Salad
After marinated the tofu feta when you’re ready to start making the salad, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop to cook the pasta al dente. Rinse the pasta in cold water once cooked.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing and vegetables.
Step 1 (Optional): Cube or crumble the tofu and add it to a bowl or container with all of the tofu feta ingredients. Marinade for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.
Step 2: Add the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, basil, oregano and parsley to a large mixing bowl or serving bowl and mix.
Step 3: Add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives and red onion and mix.
Step 4: Finally, add the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Small pasta shapes work best for this salad so you get some in every bite! Try macaroni, bows, rotini, penne, fusilli or orzo.
- Rinse the pasta under cold water to cool before adding it to the other ingredients in the bowl.
FAQs
Yes. Use any gluten-free pasta to make this a gluten-free pasta salad.
You can store Greek pasta salad in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
No, this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
No, not at all. You can skip the tofu feta or use a store-bought dairy-free feta or regular feta cheese.
More Recipes to Try!
Vegan Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad
- 2 cups dry short pasta, 170 g rotini, fusilli, bows, penne, macaroni, etc.
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
- 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
For the Tofu Feta
- 1/2 package extra-firm tofu, 1/2 approx. 350g package
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- To make the tofu feta, cube or crumble the tofu to resemble feta and add to a bowl or container. Add the tofu feta ingredients and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably a couple of hours.
- When you're ready to make the salad, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, strain and rinse until cold water to cool.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano to a large mixing bowl or serving bowl. Season with salt and black pepper and mix.
- Add the cucumber, tomato, red onion and olives and toss to combine.
- Add the cooked and cooled pasta. Mix everything together, season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve topped with tofu feta or your choice of feta or dairy-free feta cheese.
This was amazing and the tofu feta came out perfect! Such a great replacement over regular feta.
Heck yeah I made this and it was SO good! Did I have all the same veggies available? Nope. STILL GOOD! (No olives or red onion but added frozen corn and raw broccoli). Didn’t read it closely and used ALLLLLLL the Tofu Feta. Perfection. Huge hit with this family of four. My 9-year-old: “This has all the textures: soft, crunchy, chewy and crispy!” My 11-year-old: “It’s so flavorful, so herb-y!” I will definitely make this more often. Thank you, as always.
So glad it was enjoyed!
I made my feta and pasta salad separately last night to be eaten as a side at dinner tonight. I was just wondering if, when I add the marinated feta to the pasta salad do I include all of the remaining juices or marinade or should I drain the Vera before adding ?
I don’t add the remaining juices to the salad but you can drizzle over a little if you like. I’d recommend just scooping out some feta and sprinkling your desired amount over the salad when ready to serve.
Loved this recipe! I will omit the parsley next time, I didn’t realize until after I added it that I don’t like it much. 🙁
My own fault.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kelly! You can totally leave the parsley out next time – no big deal!
So Delicious!! And oil free?!
This will be a summer staple. Thank you Deryn.
I hope you enjoy it!