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
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry macaroni noodles (227g)
- ½ cup finely diced sweet gherkins usually 4-6 sweet gherkins for me (80g)
- ¾ cup finely diced red bell pepper about ½ pepper (100g)
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced celery about 1-2 stalks (55g)
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion (45g)
- 2 large hard boiled eggs, finely diced
Macaroni Salad Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise I use olive oil mayo (175g)
- ¼ cup sour cream (70g)
- 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar*
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Pour dressing over your macaroni salad ingredients and toss until well-combined.
- For best flavor, cover bowl and allow macaroni salad to chill for at least one hour. Stir once more before serving and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Donna Bright
Very yummy. Normally I like to make a new recipe the way it is written the first time and make changes the second time. However I did make a couple changes out of necessity. My husband will not eat onions so I left them out and added a smidge of onion powder. I also used zucchini relish instead of pickle as that was all I had in the house. Regardless this salad was yummy. The addition of the pickles and pickle juice amped up the taste. Definitely to be made again. Thank you.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Donna! 🙂
Liza
I basically used the recipe for the dressing. Although instead of the sweet pickle juice, I used sweet relish and did not add the gherkins. I used the onions only for the veg, and added cheddar cheese and diced prosciutto. The dressing was delicious! My husband loved it! Definitely a keeper.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Liza! 🙂
Rick Martin
Second time making this. First time I thought it was fluke that it was so good. Second time just as the first, definitely a go to recipe. Thanks so much.
Sam
I’m thrilled to hear this, Rick, thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how you enjoyed, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Carla K
Awesome Macaroni Salad! One of the best recipes I have ever tried! So easy to make and adding the sour cream makes it even creamier without distracting from the amazing taste. My mouth is watering writing about this macaroni salad!! We have made it twice and my family devours it! Can’t wait to serve it to guests! You have got to try it!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear how much you and your family have enjoyed this recipe, Carla! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
crystal
super great! family loved. didn’t use some of the ingredients like the gherkins or red wine vinegar. also instead of dijon used regular mustard. thank you for sharing the recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Crystal! 🙂
Ette
Warning- only make macaroni salad if you are NOT on a special diet & if there is someone in the house to eat it with you. I’ve made the mistake of ‘prepping’ this while my husband is working and I’m home taking care of the little one, in hopes of a quick and easy lunch throughout the week. Not a wise choice! I end up ‘tasting’ half of it before it can even get put away. It’s one of those addictive foods- but I’m not sure why it’s so good and why I don’t feel full even after eating a lot of it! I don’t feel this way with regular macaroni and cheese or any other food for that matter. So now I enjoy this wonderful salad ONLY in the company of others. Great recipe! I use chopped bell peppers, diced sharp white cheddar and usually a little more plain mayo stirred in before serving.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you loved the salad, Ette! I am sure others will appreciate the warning too! 😉 I too have been guilty of eating it by myself too! lol. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Geneva1278
Hands down my favorite recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you now have a new favorite! Thanks for trying my recipe, Geneva! 🙂
Jen Watson
Best Macaroni Salad we ever made ! This is our go to now .
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Jen! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. 🙂
Bernadette Suomi
Very good. My family loved this. Since I didn’t have sweet pickles I used sweet pickle relish. It seemed to work out well.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Bernadette! 🙂
Duane
Very good summer salad we enjoyed it very much 👏😋 to make again THANK YOU 😊 SO MUCH and I just love your dessert as well I made a few and it was a success !!every time 👏
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Duane! 🙂
Ann Cowden
This was delicious!! I doubled the recipe for a picnic gathering. I made the salad the nigh before, and put half the dressing on the warm pasta; refrigerated overnight; topped with the remaining dressing the next day. Definitely will make again
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Ann! 🙂
Piper
Amazing recipe! I was doing it all wrong before but now I have this recipe to guide me. I added chopped carrots and substituted goat yogurt for the sour cream. Also used sweet pickle relish instead of the chopped gherkins. Less onion is good if you are bothered by heartburn.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Piper! 🙂
Carol Vilevac
Fabuloso!!! It’s a riff on my basic mac salad, but the dressing is oh so good. Tastes marvelous before I chilled it
Thanks for sharing.
Ps. I usually don’t like bell peppers in mac salad, but I put in 1/2 an orange one. I’m a convert.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Carol! 🙂
Jennifer
Im not a fan of macaroni salad. Made for the guys in the house because they love macaroni salad. After I made this recipe I test tasted it like I do everything and it was amazingly pretty good. Kept going back and eating more. Great job on the recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Jennifer! 🙂
Carole Bauder
I made this and tasted it before refrigerating for tomorrow’s get-together. My daughter says I put too many ingredients in my macaroni salad. I am anxious for her to try this. I made about 12 oz. of macaroni so I doubled the mixture of sour cream and vinegar, sugar and mustard, but I didn’t measure the exact amount of mayo, but it seems very creamy and I hope by tomorrow it does not soak up too much of the dressing. It is very good. Will definitely make again.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Carole, and I hope your daughter did, too!
LARK
I made this recipe as written but, without the hard-boiled eggs and substituted dill pickles for the sweet. It was absolutely delicious. Next time, I will be sure to add the hard-boiled eggs.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂