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
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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
THE best Macaroni Salad I’ve ever made.
I saw your # of serving and nutritional information; my question is are the nutritional information per serving or per batch?
The nutritional information is per serving.
this recipe is SO GOOD. I almost ate the whole bowl just standing at the counter. definitely making this again
Absolutely delicious. East to make and all the ingredients were on hand.
really good salad! we loved all the flavors. thank you!
Excellent!! Followed your directions exactly. You mentioned pickle juice could be substituted for vinegar, and I took that suggestion. I’m a big fan of your pickle pasta salad and now I have another pasta salad to choose from. Highly recommend both!! Great site – I visit often.
Thank you so much for the kind words Karen, I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes!
I followed this recipe for the July Cooking Challenge. I used rotini pasta and added peas. It was creamy and delicious! Perfect dish for a hot summer day! :)
Very good basic recipe. I had fresh tarragon and parsley in my garden so I left out the pickle relish and added the herbs for a more savory version. Such a versatile recipe you could change it up to suit your menu.
I made this Creamy Macaroni Salad for the first time tonight, as a side to hot Italian sausage on a bun. I have made other pasta salads before, but never have I made a basic Macaroni Salad. This was simple, easy to follow, I had all the ingredients, and it was a huge success! The flavours in the dressing were complimentary to each other, the additions to the macaroni (I used matchstick carrots, diced cucumber and green pepper, and red onion) added a nice crunch and overall, it was a success. This is on the menu rotation now! Thanks, Holly!
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Lori!
What is SWEET PICKLE RELISH please?
Is is bought if made?
Fantastic recipes every week! Thank you.
You can find sweet pickle relish at almost any US/Canadian grocery story near the ketchup. It will be labelled “sweet relish”, you can also get it online here or see what the packages look like.
The best recipe! So quick and easy. I didn’t add the sweet relish , I added some four cheese and followed the rest of the recipe! Even better the next day!
Made this today. Way too hot to cook. Loved your dressing recipe. Forgot to put in sugar, but didn’t need it.
Will be making this on the regular
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Bo!
sooo good! Thank you. I have made this a few times…and simple to make…bonus points!
This is the ONLY mac salad I make! Have tried many recipes but this is by
far THE BEST! Have been asked for the many times! THANK YOU!
I like to have your easy recipes.
macaroni salad is so quick and easy. I love it. thank you for this recipe.
Unable to find “Sweet pickle relish” in Australia, is there another substitute or is it called something else here.
You can omit it and while it will slightly change the flavor, it will still be delicious Karen!
My lady was from Aussie land, and we went three times for a month each in the 90’s. I am sure that I saw Sweet Gherkins on the grocery shelf, along with all the other pickles. All you have to do is dice them. Remember my mom with a knife in one hand and the pickle in the other, a bowl in her lap, making cross cuts and then slicing.
Great and fast recipe.
I did cut the sugar in half since I don’t like my salads to be to sweet. this was perfect.
I will keep this recipe to make again.
Thank you
made this for my son and grandkids. they all liked it, but said that it was way too sweet. I had to agree with them.
I will make this again but with just atouch of sugar. I didn’t add the sweet relish, I ‘m the only one that likes it.
I made 6 lbs of this as written for a party of 30 people and it was gone in 2 hours. Gone! So simple, classic and delicious! Thank you for sharing.