This macaroni salad is a creamy, tangy classic loaded with crisp veggies and tossed in a simple homemade dressing. It’s an easy make-ahead side dish that’s perfect for potlucks, barbecues, or anytime you need a quick and delicious crowd-pleaser.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Why Make It: The dressing mixes right in the serving bowl, so there’s one less dish to wash, and the flavors come together quickly.
- 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: This is best served alongside grilled BBQ chicken and a classic hamburger.
Ingredients for Macaroni Salad
- Pasta: I use elbow macaroni, but any short pasta will work. Try ditialini, small shells, or mini farfalle (bow ties).
- Vegetables: Celery, shredded carrot, and red bell pepper add the signature crunch, color, and a touch of sweetness. Keep the dice small and even for the best texture. Red onion adds a little bite, or swap it for green onions if you prefer a milder, fresher flavor.
- Dressing: Swap a little of the mayo for sour cream or Greek yogurt for extra tang, and adjust the vinegar, relish, or mustard to suit your taste.
Best Add-Ins and Variations
- Dressing: Replace the homemade dressing with prepared coleslaw dressing.
- Add-Ins: Add cheese, bacon bits, diced ham, hard-boiled eggs, or baby peas.
How to Make Macaroni Salad
- Cook the pasta. Drain well.
- Mix the dressing ingredients.
- Add the drained macaroni and the chopped vegetables to the dressing.
- Refrigerate (full recipe below).
How to Keep Macaroni Salad Creamy
- Cook pasta just until tender and rinse with cold water right away so it doesn’t get soft.
- Drain the pasta very well, since excess water can make the dressing slide off and leave the salad watery.
- If it looks a little dry after chilling, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons mayo (or a splash of vinegar) to refresh it.
- Prefer less sweetness? Use apple cider vinegar and cut sugar down a bit, then taste after chilling.
- Making it for a crowd? Double the recipe and mix in a very large bowl so the dressing coats evenly.
Storage and Leftovers
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not freeze. For outdoor gatherings, set the bowl over ice outdoors, and don’t leave it out too long in warm weather.
Potluck Perfect Sides
Did you enjoy this macaroni salad? 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 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.
We love to serve macaroni salad as a side for anything off the grill! u003ca href=u0022https://www.spendwithpennies.com/grilled-bbq-chicken/u0022u003eBbq chickenu003c/au003e, hot dogs, or u003ca href=u0022https://www.spendwithpennies.com/air-fryer-hamburgers/u0022u003ehamburgersu003c/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/u0022u003epulled porku003c/au003e
Really quick, easy and very tasty. I’ve made a lot macaroni salads over the last 45 years and this one, was one of the ones on the top of the list. 1 change, I did not add sugar to the dressing, perfection without the added sugar. Macaroni salads are so versatile, love this version.
Lots of great recipes Holly.
Delicious! I had to make double the recipe. My suggestion: If making the 16 oz of pasta, try using 1.5 the amount on the diced add-ins. you can always add more of any ingredient. As for the dressing, simply doubled the amounts – delicious.
I made this macaroni salad today to go with my leftover salmon patties. It is delicious and so easy to make. I will save your recipe for my permanent file. I will never buy grocery store macaroni salad again. I made a half recipe for myself. But, I know it will just get better as the ingrédients marinâte in the refrigerator. It would have taken me longer to drive to the store, find the ingrédients and pay for them than it took to actually make this. Anyway, it’s great that these are all basically pantry ingrédients. I would serve this for company if I was having a barbecue or even a baked ham. Thanks SO MUCH!!
The BEST macaroni salad EVER!!!! I cut the sugar in half and used extra creamy avocado mayonnaise!!! Made it for a party had to times it up by 4. HUGE HIT!!!! FIVE STARS❤❤❤
Love your recipes!! Can’t wait to try this one! If I want to double it – would you double all the ingredients & the double the dressing?
Thanks
Hi Cyndi, if you are doubling I would double all of the ingredients, including the dressing. The basic ratio for a macaroni salad is ½ lb elbow macaroni, about 2 cups of add-ins, and 1 cup of dressing so I would keep to this ratio. I can’t wait for you to try it!
My household isn’t keen on relish, would you just omit or is there a substitute you would suggest?
You can omit it and while it will slightly change the flavor, it will still be delicious!
I’m starving! Nice to see some “home made”recipes!
Not sauce/dressing from a jar! Love all these salad recipes
Excellent! This tastes very near to my mother’s but I never knew her recipe.
I can’t tell you the number of recipes I have found (and used repeatedly) from the Spend with Pennies webpage. They are always tasty, easy to follow, and use staple ingredients most people have in their kitchens every day. This macaroni salad recipe is no different. I followed the dressing part of the recipe as written. I love the flexibility of the add ins section. I used some leftover ham I pulled out of my freezer, frozen peas, celery, and shredded carrots. It honestly was one of the best pasta salads I have made in a long time. Keep the great recipes coming!
Agree!
I forgot to mention in my first review I highly recommend this recipe.
Thanks, Darlene! So happy you enjoyed this recipe.
I have to say this is the best tasting macaroni salad I’ve tasted. My husband is a very fussy eater and he absolutely loves it. I’ve made it several times now. And it’s also, a hit with my family and friends. I make it for ger togethers, etc. It has a perfect balance of all flavors.
Thanks for the recipe.
what is the quqntitiy of salad for the nutrition information?
A serving is approximately one cup. For accurate nutritional information we recommend using a nutrition app like MyFitnessPal and inputting the ingredients and brands that you used in the recipe.
This is one of the best pasta salads I have made. I will definitely be making it again. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
Came out great!
Delicious!!! A perfect balance of ingredients, as is.
I was craving some Mac salad and this recipe hit the spot!
Just made this for the 1st time. Delicious!! My new favourite recipe.
This was so good! I made it for a cookout we had and it was a big hit. I followed the recipe exactly as written, and it was perfect. At first it seems like there was way too much dressing but after sitting for a few hours in the fridge it was perfect. Thanks for sharing another great recipe. This is definitely a keeper!
Made this with Grilled burgers. Was a big hit. Already had all the ingredients in the fridge
This reminds me of the macaroni salad that my aunt use to bring to our family reunions. Although I reduced the sugar to 1 T and vinegar to 2 T, it was very delicious. I even caught my husband eating an additional spoonful of the bowl. Needless to same, it is a keeper
I love that, Marie! The perfect recipe to add to your recipe box.
Too much vinegar. I tried balancing it by adding more sugar but the pasta seemed to absorb the vinegar and it just did not work. I usually have no trouble with Spend With Pennies recipes but this one was disappointing.
I am sorry to hear that Jane! This recipe is usually a reader favorite. Be sure to combine the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl before tossing it with the pasta to ensure the vinegar melds with the dressing flavors instead of being directly absorbed into the noodles.
I used apple cider vinegar; white vinegar is too strong for my taste. Also, I mixed the dressing apart, added it to the pasta and then added the diced add-ins.
Excellent base recipe! Made this for Easter and it was a hit. I’ll cut back on the sugar next time, but otherwise CLASSIC and AMAZING taste! I’m happy I stumbled upon your recipe. Thank you!