This is the Macaroni Salad recipe I’ve made for years!! It’s perfectly creamy, even after chilling and has the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and crunchy. The dressing is super simple and this can be made with ingredients you likely have on hand.
It’s perfect to prepare ahead of time for BBQs, potlucks, or even for weeknight dinners.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Macaroni Salad
Why Make It: I like this recipe because the dressing is mixed right in the serving bowl, so I end up with one less dish to wash.
Flavor: Creamy, tangy-sweet dressing with relish and mustard for classic deli-style vibes.
Tools: Use a veggie chopper to speed up prep.
Serving Suggestions: A classic side dish that pairs perfectly with burgers, ribs, grilled chicken, pulled pork, and sandwiches.
Total Time: 1.5 hours (including 1 hour chill time) Serves: 6
Ingredient Notes
- Elbow Macaroni: Classic elbow macaroni holds the creamy dressing well, but any short pasta such as ditalini, small shells, or wagon wheels work nicely.
- Carrot: Shredded carrot adds color and a touch of sweetness. Pre-shredded bagged carrots are a great time-saving option.
- Red Bell Pepper: Adds crunch, color, and mild sweetness. Green or yellow bell peppers can be used as well.
- Red Onion: Red onion has a sharper bite, while green onion is milder. To mellow red onion’s flavor, soak the diced pieces in cold water for a few minutes.
- Dressing: Swap up to half of the mayonnaise for sour cream or Greek yogurt for a little extra tang or to lighten up the recipe a bit. Replace the homemade dressing with prepared coleslaw dressing.
- Optional Add-Ins: Pickles, olives, ham, sweet peas, cheddar cheese, or chopped hard-boiled eggs can all be added for extra flavor and texture. The salad works well with up to 2½ cups of total add-ins.
How To Make Macaroni Salad
- Cook the macaroni to al dente. Whisk the dressing together in a large bowl (as per recipe below).
- Add the cooled pasta and chopped vegetables to the dressing.
- Toss well, season to taste, and chill.
Macaroni Salad Secrets
- Cook Al Dente: Cook the pasta just until tender so it does not turn mushy after chilling. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it quickly. Drain it really well so extra water does not thin the dressing.
- Perfect Bites: Cut the vegetables small, about half of the size of the macaroni, to help it mix well and get a little crunch in every bite. Dice the vegetables about the same size for even bites.
- Only One Bowl: Mix the dressing in the salad bowl first to save dishes and coat everything evenly.
- Chill Time: Chill for at least 1 hour so the flavors blend. Stir and add a spoonful of mayonnaise if the pasta has absorbed too much dressing.
Make-Ahead and Chill Time Tips
This macaroni salad recipe is best when chilled for an hour or two before serving. This allows the flavors to blend, and the dressing thickens and soaks into the pasta. It can be made up to 24 hours before serving.
Chill, Store, Enjoy
Refrigerate: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This salad is best served cold, so keep it chilled until ready to serve.
Freeze: Do not freeze.
Tips: Stir before serving, since the dressing can settle or absorb into the pasta as it sits. For BBQs, picnics, and potlucks set the bowl over ice outdoors to keep it cool, and discard the salad if it has been sitting out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot weather.
More Creamy Potluck Salads
Did you enjoy this Macaroni Salad Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni approx. 2 cups dry, or any short pasta
Add-Ins (see notes)
- 1 cup diced celery
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup diced red onion or thinly sliced green onion
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard or Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the elbow macaroni in salted water according to the instructions on the package. Drain well and rinse it under cold water to stop cooking.
- To make the dressing, in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, relish, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Add the drained macaroni, celery, carrots, red pepper, and onion to the dressing. Toss well to coat. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Refrigerate the macaroni salad for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Elbows can be swapped for ditalini, small shells, or wagon wheels.
- Dice the add-ins about half the size of the macaroni.
- Rinse the pasta after draining to stop it from cooking.
- Mix the dressing directly in the salad bowl and then add the other ingredients, one less dish to wash.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Sadly, it does not freeze well.
Macaroni salad is best made beforehand, making it party-perfect. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I love to serve macaroni salad as a side for anything off the grill! u003ca href=u0022https://www.spendwithpennies.com/grilled-bbq-chicken/u0022 type=u0022postu0022 id=u0022152749u0022u003eGrilled BBQ chickenu003c/au003e, hot dogs, or u003ca href=u0022https://www.spendwithpennies.com/classic-hamburger-recipe/u0022 type=u0022postu0022 id=u0022152536u0022u003ehamburgersu003c/au003e are great options. It’s also a great dish to serve with u003ca href=u0022https://www.spendwithpennies.com/dr-pepper-pulled-pork-slow-cooker-recipe/u0022 type=u0022postu0022 id=u002271330u0022u003epulled porku003c/au003e.
I used champagne vinegar, small shell pasta, dried dill, peas and cheddar cubes. Left out the relish. I will be doubling this next time as it truly is fantastic!
Best salad ever. I omitted the relish in the dressing and added cubed ham and cheese. IT WAS AMAZING.
This turned out great! I substituted rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar and it turned out delicious. I also left out the relish. The flavor was similar to our favorite delis macaroni salad. Next time I might try adding a little whole milk to the mixture since I learned it will make it more creamy. Thanks for this recipe, it’s a keeper!
Another keeper! I didn’t have relish so I cut up a couple of sweet pickles really small. As many of your recipes are, this was customizable for Mr Picky. We will use this one often this summer! Thank you, Holly! 🥰
added chopped hard-boiled egg for protien .
This is my family’s favorite macaroni salad. Making it for Memorial Day cookout. Highly recommend.
Hi from Ottawa! You know what? I have been making this macaroni salad for a good 4 yrs and always forget to rate or review. I also love your potato salad. I will put a 5 star on that one also lol.
After having a big Easter dinner I’m making this tonight with store bought chicken wings, yes it’s easy to make them myself but just don’t feel like it, pooped from yesterday.
Thank you for all your delicious recipes.
Thank you for the kind words Danielle! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I always use your site for everything but tried the recipe today and didn’t like it at all. I’m not sure if it’s the vinegar or what. What a bummer
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe. Thank you for trying it.
Love your recipes and this one doesn’t disappoint. Thank-you!
This macaroni salad is the best I’ve had. Love it.
Not much prep work and the end result was is great.
Minium
Definately the best macaroni salad I have ever eaten.
I loved it–it’s a keeper! I tripled the recipe for a birthday party and everyone enjoyed it. Is your nutrition information based on a one-cup serving?
This salad was a tremendous hit at our annual camp and fish outing. I’m glad I made a double batch.
If I’m making 32 oz of dry macaroni noodles, do I quadruple all the dressing ingredients? Sounds like that would be a lot of ACV and sugar.
If quadrupling the macaroni noodles I would recommend quadrupling the sauce too so that there is enough to cover it all.
its very nice,and easy to make,thank you