This is a classic, tasty, and oh-so easy macaroni salad recipe! Made with classic ingredient staples including celery, red pepper, and onion and dressed up in a simple creamy mayo-based dressing, this is guaranteed to be a hit at every cookout and potluck this year!
Be sure to check out the easy video that shows step-by-step how to make this recipe!
We have had a non-stop week of rain here.
Zach’s first two softball games of the season have been rained out and I’m beginning to forget what the sun looks like (I’m only slightly dramatic I promise 😉). I am completely over it. I’m ready for summertime sunshine and cookout weather, and with Memorial Day weekend just around the corner I’m taking the opportunity to prepare and share my all-time favorite macaroni salad recipe, even if it is grey and gloomy outside.
I’ve shared a few of my summertime salads, including my favorite broccoli salad and ramen noodle salad, but this one may just be my favorite.
Macaroni salad is a party/potluck/cookout staple, no get-together is complete without a giant chilled bowl, and today I’ll show you how I make my favorite recipe and the perfectly creamy, slightly sweet dressing that goes along with it.
What Ingredients are in Macaroni Salad?
Different macaroni salads contain different ingredients, but my staples include:
- Elbow macaroni (obviously 😉)
- Sweet pickles
- Red pepper
- Celery
- Red onion
- Hard boiled eggs or shredded or diced cheddar cheese
- A homemade mayo-based macaroni salad dressing
You can obviously add your favorite additional add-ins or make substitutions (I know some people prefer sliced green onions to red onion and some people like to add paprika to their dressing), but this if my favorite combination and I really recommend you try it out exactly this way at least once for yourself.
The dressing I just mentioned is what really sets it apart from other potluck recipes you might have tried. It provides just the right amount of creaminess — the noodles are coated in just enough sauce and are neither dry nor are they drenched in the dressing. It’s also just slightly sweetened thanks to the addition of some sweet pickle juice and a pinch of sugar.
How long can you keep Macaroni Salad?
Macaroni salad will keep for up to five days when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. This is a great salad for making in advance (I actually recommend chilling for at least an hour before serving) and serving at picnics and potlucks, but try not to leave it out at room temperature (or worse, in the heat!) for very long as the salad dressing base will not keep well in the heat.
This macaroni salad recipe is a favorite to serve alongside my favorite BBQ pulled chicken and a plate full of deviled eggs (you’re already going to be boiling eggs anyway, might as well make enough for deviled eggs while you’re at it!).
When I shared my deviled egg recipe, so many of you shared your favorite methods for cleanly peeling fresh eggs, and I appreciated those tips so much and have tried many of them. I’d love to keep the conversation going here if you would share your favorite egg-peeling methods in the comments!
How Do You Make Homemade Macaroni Salad?
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Macaroni Salad
How to make the BEST Macaroni Salad! This recipe can easily be doubled to serve a crowd.
Ingredients
- 8 oz macaroni noodles (227g)
- 1/2 cup finely diced sweet gherkins usually 4-6 sweet gherkins for me (80g)
- 3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper about 1/2 pepper (100g)
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced celery about 1-2 stalks (55g)
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion (45g)
- 2 large hard boiled eggs, finely diced
Macaroni Salad Dressing
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise I use olive oil mayo (175g)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (70g)
- 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar*
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
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Prepare macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water, then drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and gently stir so the noodles don't stick together as they sit.
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In a large bowl, combine macaroni noodles, sweet pickles, red pepper, celery, red onion, and eggs. Stir until well-combined. Set aside and prepare your dressing.
For the dressing
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To prepare your macaroni salad dressing, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, red wine vinegar, sweet pickle juice, sugar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until ingredients are well-combined.
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Pour dressing over your macaroni salad ingredients and toss until well-combined.
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For best flavor, cover bowl and allow macaroni salad to chill for at least one hour. Stir once more before serving and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*If you don't have red wine vinegar on hand, white wine or apple cider vinegar would also work well.
Debra Williams says
This reminds me of the days I worked in food service in catering, I love making macaroni salad for hundreds. I would also add cheese, ham, olives.it was so good.
Sam says
Yum! I’m not much for olives but my husband would LOVE that addition! Thanks for commenting, Debra!
Grace C Trester says
I love macaroni salad and will definitely try your recipe for it. You write in a cheerful manner and will be looking for more from you Thanks
Sam says
Thank you so much for the kind comment, Grace! 🙂
Jeanne Mitchell says
That dressing was perfection……loved this recipe!
Sam says
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Jeanne!
Shelby says
I made this yesterday as a practice run before making it for a party this weekend and it was so good I almost ate the whole bowl myself. Will double the recipe for the weekend, thank you for a great recipe Sam!
Kim says
Oh my goodness…that recipe is amazing…IF. there is enough left…we will be having it fathers day cookout..yummy
Sam says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it so much, Kim! 🙂
Connie says
Hi, Sam! The recipe looks great, and I can’t wait to try it. I’m just wondering why you recommend eggs or cheese. My husband loves both!
Thank you!
Sam says
Hi Connie! I personally prefer the eggs, but I’ve made it with both eggs and cheese and they’re both delicious! In my family we just typically make macaroni salad with eggs and not as often with cheese, so I went with that as the default 🙂
Lynn says
Would it make much of a difference if I use dill pickles instead of sweet?
Sam says
The taste would be different but I don’t think it would be bad, I think that would be fine 🙂
Judith says
This looks so good..I was looking for a really good macaroni salad recipe and I’m so glad I lucked up on this one thank you
Sam says
I hope you love it, Judith! 🙂
Kris says
This has to be the best macaroni salad I have ever made and I have made some that were not so good. My husband liked it so much that he says that he now has a midnight snack now. This is a keeper and will be making again. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe. Yum!
Sam says
I am thrilled to hear this, Kris!!! Thank you so much for commenting!! 🙂
Pat Dierking says
I’ve been looking for a macaroni salad that tasted like my Mom’s. This recipe looked the most like hers…….your recipe was nothing like hers. I actually liked YOUR recipe MORE! Thank you, this will be the macaroni salad I will use from now on😊
Sam says
Woohoo! This is one of the best compliments I think I could’ve gotten on this recipe, thanks so much Pat!! 😀
Michelle says
I am planning on trying your recipe today. Thanks for the detailed directions and amazing pics. Just curious about the type of cheese you might recommend…a sharp cheddar or provolone in small chunks? I would love your input.
Sam says
I personally would use (and have used) a sharp cheddar cut into small chunks. I hope you love it, Michelle!! 🙂
Lesley says
Excited to try your recipe this weekend for my sons bday party!
Do you think bacon bits would go well in it?
Sam says
I think bacon bits would be a great addition!
Lin says
WoW! This was amazing. It was so good and so simple to make. I actually followed the directions (which I usually don’t do). Only thing I changed was I used bread & butter pickles because the gherkins I bought tasted yucky and not sweet at all…not like I remembered them. It came out great but I felt the need to add black olives because I add them to everything and I think I could go either way with adding or not adding. The recipe sounds like it needs more things in it but is doesn’t. It is a perfect blend of ingredients and dressing. Thank you so much. (I already ate too much of it, it was THAT good, you know “I’ll just have a little more…a little more…holy cow I ate half…”…lol
Sam says
Thank you Lin! I am so glad you enjoyed it! I know how it goes when you want “just a little more”. 😂😂😂
denise says
I thought this was an excellent macaroni salad. I did use bread and butter pickles, as I didn’t have the other, and it still turned out great.
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for commenting, Denise! 🙂
Nadine says
Soooooo good! I made this tonight and loved it. I’m wondering if it would be as good with light mayonnaise or light sour cream. Seems high in fat and I have enough of that (hehe). I sprinkled a little curry powder and paprika on it too.
Sam says
I have made it with olive oil mayo and it was every bit as good. It will turn out, it’s just a matter of personal taste in this case. ☺️
Nadine says
Thank you