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.
Maria Fairbank
I just made this for a July pulled pork dinner, I have been cooking for a long time 40 years have made many macaroni salads, this is by FAR the Best recipe, the dressing is so clean tasting, I love it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review, Maria! We are so happy you enjoyed the salad 🥰
paulette
I think some chopped cucumbers would add some awesome flavor, no pickles, and just a touch of shredded cheese! Gonna try it!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Enjoy, Paulette! 🥰
Angela
Is there anything you could sub for vinegar? I find that recipes that have vinegar in them are just not our family’s favorites. Or could I just leave it out?
Sam
Hi Angela! You shouldn’t be able to taste vinegar in the final product, that being said you could probably get away with leaving it out if you’d like. 🙂
Dessa
I’ve never been a big mac salad fan. I find often, its too runny/creamy and there never seems to be enough pasta/veggies to accommodate the dressing. I found this recipe because I needed a kid friendly side for grilling night. What a hit! This is the best mac salad I’ve ever had by far and the kids are asking for it again soon. I followed the recipe however added finely diced carrots to add to that amazing crunchy/creamy contrast. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Mel
Wow! Absolutely perfect macaroni salad. Thank you so very much for the recipe.
Stefania
Going to make this tonight I have guests over for bbq tomorrow – I hope this find you well , would it be fine to leave it in the fridge overnight . Thank you
Sam
Hi Stefania! It will be great in the refrigerator overnight. It allows all of the flavors to fully develop. 🙂
Penny S
I love this, and my family loves it too! We love that it isn’t real saucy like other mac salad. 😊 I did use chives rather than red onions because they grow in our garden and I didn’t have sweet pickles so I used two heaping tablespoons of Wickles relish, yum!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for giving our recipe a try, Penny 😊 Enjoy!
Liz
8 oz (1cup) hardly seems like enough pasta…..I added an extra cup to total 2 cups macaroni and there was still more than enough sauce to go around. Anyone else find this?
Sam
Hi Liz! 8 oz of macaroni is 2 cups, not 1, and the pasta absorbs the sauce as it sits. I hope that helps 🙂
Stephanie
It tastes great, but I doubled the amount of macaroni to make it 2 cups. I realize oz is weight but I don’t have a food scale and i find it a PITA anyway lol. But i did the conversion and it keeps saying 8 oz is equivalent to 1 US cup. If that’s wrong, then I’ve been making a lot of bad moves in past recipes lol. I love the flavour though. I just wish the dressing were thicker for a different texture. 🤔 Idk how you’d do that….
Thanks for the recipe 👌☺️
Sam
Hi Stephanie! It’s a little trickier than a simple 1oz equals “x” cups simply because the macaroni takes up more space than say sugar would. You could make it a little thicker by using less pickle juice or vinegar, but you’ll also be losing some flavor in the process.
Tom
Oz are a unit of weight, not the same as cups.
Danielle
I made this earlier in the day to have for dinner. The kids and husband conversated they wanted pizza for dinner as the day went on, but I reminded them I had another meal planned. All the UGHS and complaints I heard because of this…but let me tell you! Not one complaint once dinner was served. My family of 5 devoured this macaroni salad!!! We all had 2-3 servings each!
I added broccoli instead of eggs and used normal pickles and pickle juice instead of the sweet ones and it still tasted amazing. Will be saving this recipe!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Glad it was such a hit for your family, Danielle! And if the pizza craving ever strikes again, give our homemade pizza dough and pizza sauce a try 😉
Maggie Grisak
Wow, terrific and so great am making it exactly as posted again for this weekend to go with cod fish burgers… we need something to brighten up our lives after the last 4th. Thanks a million, you are an artiste !
Rondi
Uh, not good. I followed the recipe to the nth degree, taking into account all the rave reviews. I was very reluctant to add the red onion according to directions and I was right. Red onion is soooo strong. That is all I taste. Red onion and now I have indigestion. I will have to give batch to chickens.
Sam
Hi Rondi! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Next time I would just leave out the red onion. 🙂
Jenny Hoefman
I made it with sweet onion & was a hit at branding supper
Rondi
Update on my last comment. I ate it immediately after making rather than letting it age. My bad. After a couple hours it was very, very good, but a little on the sweet side. The oniony flavor I mentioned was because I did not let the flavors mix. Next time I will cut back on the sweet pickle a little.
Nicole
Soak the red onion in water for 10 minutes before adding to the salad- it takes away the sharp taste.
Christina
I work in the food industry and this salad is always the best.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We love hearing that, Christina! Thanks so much 🥰
Debbie
Thank you so much for the recipe. It has become a family favourite.
Love it!
Nancy
Followed the recipe exactly. Was perfect! Served it for Fourth of July and sent so much home with others that we have very little left! Great recipe, will definitely make it again!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Nancy! 🙂
Brigitte
Best macaroni salad ever! Right up there with what you get in Hawaii. Made this today for the fourth. I had to hold back from eating a bowl right away so I could let it sit for an hour. Thank you so much for this, now I get to sit back and watch my dish win “best of the barbecue” today, lol.
I subbed carrots for bell peppers and bought the wrong gherkins (derp) so I added some cucumber. It was delicious and I’m excited to try it again with the exact recipe!
Amanda Burney
Great Mac salad recipe. I added the dressing spoonful at time as to not overdress. It is sweeter than other recipes I have made. Some may find recipe too sweet but just adjust and add sweet juice and sugar to taste. Good recipe and easy. Putting it in the file!