Full of simple and fresh ingredients, Aunt Bee’s Southern shrimp pasta salad has been a family favorite for decades! The flavorful combination of peas, lemon, dill, and a creamy mayo dressing makes this the perfect side dish for your next cookout, an easy option for a weeknight dinner, or a refreshing make-ahead lunch.
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If you love pasta salad recipes, be sure to try this classic pasta salad, this creamy Italian pasta salad, this Hawaiian pasta salad, a tuna pasta salad, and this Southern macaroni salad, too!
I’ve been making this for the past three summers!!! I absolutely love the combined flavors…. especially the shrimp!! Potato salad is great but this salad is fast and easy and it never gets old!!! Bravo!!!
– Julie
How to Make Shrimp Pasta Salad | 1-Minute Video
Aunt Bee’s Recipe is a Southern Classic
My mom’s godmother, Aunt Bee, was a fine Southern hostess in the best sense of the term! She served holiday meals, cocktails, and lunches to our friends and family for as long as I can remember, and her dishes were always delicious. Aunt Bee had a knack for preparing classic recipes in a way that feels special and decadent. She knew which ingredients would work best together, and she also knew some genius shortcuts to keep prep time in the kitchen minimal. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?
Up until she passed away at 103 years old last year, Aunt Bee shared treasures from her past (and present!) with me — including fond memories of my grandmother (her best friend), her family’s holiday traditions and keepsakes, and some of her most loved recipes. Don’t miss her 3-ingredient biscuits, sour cream muffins, crab bisque, or Swedish meatballs, either!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- Use small, cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp to eliminate prep work. I like the small (71-90 count per pound) size because they’re a bit larger and meatier than “salad shrimp,” but they’re still bite-size and don’t require chopping. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, drain them and pat them dry, then stir them directly into the salad. If you prefer to cook your own shrimp at home, see my notes at the bottom of the post for those instructions.
- Elbow macaroni is a classic addition to this pasta salad, but you can substitute with any similar small pasta shape, such as rotini, small shells, farfalle (bowties), or penne. Cook the pasta just until al dente, so that it’s not too mushy in the salad.
- Play around with the flavors in the dressing. For instance, add grated lemon zest for a stronger lemon taste. I love the combination of dill with seafood, but you can substitute with chopped fresh parsley, basil, thyme, or chives. Add a dash or two of Old Bay seasoning for a zesty touch, sprinkle with paprika for color, add a dash of garlic powder, or make it spicy with cayenne.
- Add extra ingredients. For instance, if you want a crab and shrimp pasta salad, substitute jumbo lump crab meat or even imitation crab for half of the shrimp called for in this recipe. For more veggies, try diced red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, or halved cherry tomatoes. Cubed cheese would also be great!
Directions
This pasta salad with shrimp is not fancy, but it disappears fast at picnics, at a potluck, or at your next family dinner. I especially love the variety of textures, from the creamy dressing to the crunchy vegetables and the tender pasta.
- Boil the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Liberally salt the pasta cooking water, since this is your chance to season the noodles. Rinse the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process. This also removes some of the starches from the noodles so that they don’t stick together in the salad.
- Combine cooked shrimp, cooked pasta, green onion, bell pepper, celery and peas in a large bowl.
- Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, fresh dill, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
If you’re serving the shrimp pasta salad as an entrée, it’s great alongside a crusty French baguette, a basket of blackberry muffins, or a skillet of cast iron cornbread. If you’d like to offer the salad as a side dish, it’s great paired with grilled chicken, crab cakes, and London Broil.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: For convenience, you can make this shrimp macaroni salad the night before you plan to enjoy it. I recommend chilling the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to give the flavors a chance to “come together,” but overnight is fine as well. You might need to add a little bit more mayonnaise to the salad the next day if you find that the pasta has absorbed too much of the dressing.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- I do not recommend freezing the pasta salad. The creamy dressing may “break” or separate when thawed, and the pasta and vegetables will be mushy.
I tried this today and it is killer! I substituted cucumbers vs. peas and added parsley and some Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning! It was a major hit in my house! Definitely a go-to for barbecues!
– Kelsey
More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try
Ham Pasta Salad
50 minutes mins
Easy Pasta Salad with Mayo, Lemon and Basil
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Chicken Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Pepperoni
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Aunt Bee’s Shrimp Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. small (71-90 count per pound) shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni pasta
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups diced celery (about 4 stalks)
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced dill
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta with the shrimp, green onion, bell pepper, celery, and peas.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, dill, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and gently toss until completely coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Pasta: Elbow macaroni is classic, but rotini, small shells, farfalle, or penne all work. Choose a shape with ridges or curves so the dressing clings.
- Shrimp: Pre-cooked frozen shrimp is the easiest option. Thaw overnight in the fridge, drain, and pat dry before adding. For raw shrimp, see the “How to Cook Shrimp” section in the post.
- Make Ahead: This salad is even better after a few hours in the fridge. Prepare it up to overnight in advance.
- Dry salad? Pasta absorbs the dressing as it sits. Stir in an extra spoonful of mayo before serving to loosen it back up.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Do not freeze, as the dressing may separate and the pasta will turn mushy.
- Dressing variations: Add lemon zest for a stronger citrus note, swap fresh dill for parsley, basil, or chives, or stir in a dash of Old Bay for a zesty kick.
Nutrition
How to Cook Shrimp for Pasta Salad
As I mentioned above, I like to buy a bag of small, pre-cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp in the frozen seafood section at the grocery store. Then I just need to thaw them, pat them dry, and add them directly to the salad — no cooking necessary!
If you’re starting with raw shrimp, you will need to cook them before stirring them into the pasta salad. To do so, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the liquid boils, turn off the heat. Add the shrimp to the hot water and allow the shrimp to poach, uncovered, for a couple of minutes (stirring occasionally) just until they turn pink.
While the shrimp cooks, prepare an ice bath by combining cold water and a lot of ice in a large bowl. When the shrimp is just pink and opaque, transfer the shrimp to the ice bath to immediately chill and stop the cooking process. Allow the shrimp to sit in the ice bath for 10 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and peel. Pat dry again, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
This recipe was originally published in June, 2015. It was updated in July, 2024.
I made this salad today. It was so simple and it’s absolutely delicious! I used half the dill and I used white fiber small shells as the pasta choice. This will go into my family favorites recipe file. Can’t wait to try more of Aunt Bee’s recipes. Thanks so much for sharing.
I forgot to give this five stars. It’s so yummy!
Thanks, Jill! I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
I make this all the time just add Old Bay Seasoning and it is perfect. Trader Joe’s has started selling a nice bag of North Atlantic 11 oz. cooked shrimp (small) but have good flavor. Many times those tiny shrimp have no flavor at all. I use one bag with this recipe and it works out great.
Great tips, Lisa! Thank you! 🙂
Amazing flavors & taste! I added some fresh bacon bits to the recipe. Not one bit of leftovers
Thanks, Megan! So glad that it was a hit!
Made this earlier today, refrigerated for flavors to marry, and it was delicious. Will definitely be making again!! Thanks for the reciipe!
Wonderful! Thanks for your note, Annette! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Made this today, left out the peas, added cucumber and a bit of old bay seasoning. Delish.
Thanks, Jill!
This was excellent!! Huge hit at Christmas dinner today. I prepared yesterday, made the dressing w an extra 3tbsps mayo, extra 1tbsp vinegar and 1tbsp lemon to account for the macaroni absorbing some and it needed nothing added today. Everybody went back for 3rds of this stuff!! Shrimp was still nice and fresh, peas still had a little snap. Will definitely be a party staple from now on, thank you for the great recipe!!
Yay! Thanks, Sam. I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed it!
Awesome recipe
Thank you, Pam!
Awesome! Made it with small shell pasta. followed recipe exact! It is a keeper…love the dill!!! I used the one pound bag of small shrimp (some call them ‘day’ shrimp).. if I did it again, I’d cut the salt back by 1/2 and then see…I am a bit sodium sensitive and shrimp has a good amount of natural sodium. A big thank you!!
Great! Thank you, Maria!
Awesome! Made it with small shell pasta. followed recipe exact! It is a keeper…love the dill!!! I used the one pound bag of small shrimp (some call them ‘bay’ shrimp).. if I did it again, I’d cut the salt back by 1/2 and then see…I am a bit sodium sensitive and shrimp has a good amount of natural sodium. A big thank you!!
Could you sub steamed asparagus (chopped into 1″ lengths) for the peas?
Sure! Let me know if you give it a try!
My son made it tonight. We found your recipe online so we didn’t have dill as it was to late for a shopping trip. Oh my goodness it was so yummy. Thank you
Thank you, Victoria! I’m glad that it worked well — even without the dill. 🙂
Very tasty and good mix, my only change was the shrimp, I used medium size and pasta shells. My next go at it will be with Lobster and Crab meat.
Thank you very much.
Thanks, Manuel!
I made this tonight and my DH and I thought it was so tasty. I saved the recipe for future dinners. A light and flavorful dinner
Thank you, Linda!
Ideas for what to serve with this salad please
Hi Paulette!
We love to pair this salad with fish or grilled meat. Some of our favorite pairings include grilled steak tips, crab cakes, and grilled scallops. We provide even more options in the blog post above!
I wrote at Christmas, that being the first time we tried this and we loved it. Made it again today for 4th of July and man oh man!! This is seriously delicious. Still added double sugar, vinegar and lemon for some extra flavor and used small shells this time and it was just so good. I’m stuffed and still digging into leftovers. This is such a fresh and yummy pasta salad!!!
Thank you so much, Sam! It’s one of our favorites all year long.
This is fire! I made it as written and I love the freshness the combo of lemon ,vinegar and dill. I never saw that before. This salad is bursting with shrimp and tons of flavor. Amazing!!
Thank you so much, Nancy!
Fabulous recipe! I added the lemon zest and the extra lemon flavor brought the whole dish to a higher level. The tip about using cooked shrimp is a game changer! Thanks so much for sharing – it was a big hit with my dinner guests.
We’re so glad it was a hit, Donna!
a great and nicely flavored salad. Everybody raved about it and I thought it was the best tasting shrimp salad I ever made. It is a keeper
We’re so happy to hear this, Chris!
GREAT RECIPE, I DO IT DIFFERENT, I COOK ONION, RED PEPPER, GARLIC, CELERY AND SHRIMP AND SERVE IT HOT WITH GARLIC BREAD
Sounds delicious, Melinda! We’ll have to try it out your way.
Hello! This sounds delicious. But what do you think of using greek yogurt instead of mayo? How do you think that would impact the other ingredients? I prefer the flavor of yogurt to mayo:) Thanks so much!
Hi, Leslie! I would try swapping part of the mayo for yogurt, but not all of it. The mayo is a bit saltier and just has a very different flavor from the yogurt. It might be a little bit thicker, too — so you might need to add some extra liquid to thin the dressing a little bit. I’d just taste and season as you go. Let me know if you give it a shot!
This is as close to the recipe I made years ago – and couldn’t find it. I always used the small shells in mine and used the shrimp you recommended, but also added crab and the small scallops in mine. Other than using lime juice instead of lemon, which is a personal choice, it was a smashing hit!
I’m so happy to hear that it was a hit, Liz. Thank you for letting me know!
Was a big hit at my Senior club potluck. Now my sister wants me to bring for Easter lunch. This salad is a keeper!!
That makes me really happy to hear, Gen. Thank you for letting me know!
If you cook raw shrimp save the shrimp water to cook your pasta in. Adds more flavor to the dish.
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Leia.