Our Favorite Macaroni Salad
This macaroni salad is not just our favorite, it’s also the most requested by family and friends! There is never an event where I NOT have this macaroni salad. It’s a staple at every BBQ, every potluck, every summer picnic, or a day at the park. But it’s not just us, my readers have fallen in love with this recipe as well. It brings me nothing but joy to read wonderful comments here and on social media of people who try this macaroni salad and love it year after year!
Featured Comment
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Best macaroni salad ever…. when potlucks I always get asked to bring this macaroni salad….. I also add extra ingredients to the dressing..not change them just increase amounts…. ~Judy”
How To Make This Macaroni Salad
This is a really easy recipe that you can make in 30 minutes. All you have to do is cook the pasta, prep the veggies white it’s cooking, make the dressing, cool, and mix.
- First: set pasta to cook according to the box instructions and remember to salt the water.
- While pasta is cooking: whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing together and dice the vegetables and herbs.
- Cool: When pasta is ready, drain it and let it cool so it’s not scalding hot.
- Mix: combine pasta with vegetables and herbs in a large mixing bowl and then, pour in the dressing. Give it a good mix to make sure that all the ingredients are evenly coated with dressing.
- Refrigerate: Cool mixed salad in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.
Variations and Additions To Try
Ingredients in macaroni salad could truly be endless. I’ve seen some recipe that have everything but the kitchen sink in it, or maybe I just didn’t notice the kitchen sink. In my family, we like to keep it pretty simple to let pasta shine and get some help from fresh, crunchy vegetables and smooth, creamy dressing.
- Pasta – Choose a smaller pasta like elbow macaroni or ditalini. (I don’t recommend orichette in a macaroni salad because they tend to stick together and don’t mix evenly with the dressing.)
- Vegetables – let’s start with the classics, throw in some red onion, bell pepper, and celery. All three will give the salad a pleasant crunch and a burst of sweetness. If you want more, try adding diced broccoli, peas, or cucumbers.
- Herbs – I like to add some fresh parsley and fresh dill weed as well. You can omit either if that’s the preference but I recommend you try it. You can try adding some basil as well. (If you love herbs, make sure to try my green goddess macaroni salad.)
- Cheese – you can always add some diced cheese like cheddar, or mozzarella. Slice and dice the cheese off the block and make sure the block is cold. Cold cheese is easier to slice.
- Pickles – While I personally feel that pickles overpower the macaroni salad and the dressing flavor, some people do like to add pickles. It comes down to a personal preference whether you want to add sweet pickles or not. If you do, add 1/2 cup of finely diced sweet pickles. (You can also try adding kosher pickles instead of sweet.)
Make Ahead and Storing Recommendation
- Pasta salad and macaroni salads are wonderful recipes to make ahead. I actually prefer to make macaroni salad the night before because all the ingredients have a chance to mix and mingle and marinate with each other. Pasta soaks up all those tasty flavors and tastes so much better a few hours after you make it.
- Just make sure to keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to serve it. You don’t want to leave a creamy salad out at room temperature for a long time.
- You will also want to either make extra dressing or set some aside to mix in before serving.
- Storing: Store all the leftovers in the refrigerator too. When properly stored in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator, macaroni salad should last 3 to 4 days.
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Macaroni Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb uncooked macaroni pasta
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 3 short celery ribs
- 1/4 cup diced green onion
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp minced fresh dill weed
Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt more or less to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to box instructions.
- Drain cooked pasta and let it cook until no longer scalding hot.
- Dice all vegetables and herbs while pasta is cooking and whisk all ingredients for the dressing in a separate bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta vegetables, and herbs and mix.
- Pour dressing into the bowl with the pasta and mix everything together until dressing is evenly incorporated throughout.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the salad into a food storage container with a lid. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
- Storing: Store all the leftovers in the refrigerator. When properly stored in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator, macaroni salad should last 3 to 4 days.
- Making Ahead: You can prepare the whole salad a day ahead of time and store it in a refrigerator, in an air-tight food storage container.
- Can I Add Pickles? While I personally feel that pickles overpower the macaroni salad and the dressing flavor, some people do like to add pickles. It comes down to a personal preference whether you want to add sweet pickles or not. If you do, add 1/2 cup of finely diced sweet pickles.
Nutrition
More Sides For BBQs To Try
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This is the best macaroni salad! My kids request it for all special occasions and there is never any left!
That makes me so happy to hear! IThank you for sharing, and I hope it continues to be a special part of your celebrations!😊
Best macaroni salad ever…. when potlucks I always get asked to bring this macaroni salad….. I also add extra ingredients to the dressing..not change them just increase amounts….
I’m so happy to hear that this macaroni salad is such a hit at potlucks! 😊 Thank you for sharing your experience and for making the recipe your own—love hearing about your success with it! 🥳🍴
What extra ingredients and amounts do you add?
A wonderful classic macaroni salad. Simple and delicious! I’ve made this many times and have put it in our meal rotations. Thank you for keeping it simple and delicious 🙂
You are so welcome! I am so glad you liked it!
Wonderful recipe, simple straight forward and delicious.
Glad you liked the recipe!
Love the veggies in this, in fact I double. I also then do 1.5x the dressing amount. So good!
Excellent macaroni salad! Reminds me of my mother’s macaroni salad.
I am so glad you like the recipe, Cynthia!
This is absolutely the best tasting macaroni salad I have ever had. My husband never would touch macaroni salad he loved this one told me to never change it.
I’m thrilled to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the macaroni salad so much! It’s wonderful to know that even a macaroni salad skeptic has been won over by this recipe. Thank you for sharing and I hope it continues to be a favorite in your household.
I have always HATED macaroni salad because I had only ever had store-bought. I decided to search for a recipe that might appeal to me and this did. You made me a macaroni-salad-lover a convert. Truly, I was floored by how much I love this recipe. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that this recipe changed your mind about macaroni salad! It’s wonderful to know that it turned you into a macaroni salad lover. Thank you for giving it a try and for your kind words.
This macaroni salad is the best I’ve ever made! I also add a few chopped boiled eggs! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that you loved the macaroni salad! Adding chopped boiled eggs sounds like a delicious twist. Thank you for sharing your feedback and for trying the recipe.
This macaroni salad is the I’ve ever made! I also add a few chopped boiled eggs! Thanks for the recipe!