Nothing says summertime eating like a serving of the best, classic, old-fashioned, creamy macaroni salad with eggs and crisp vegetables dressed in a simple and creamy but still light mayonnaise dressing for any picnic, potluck, or barbecue.
How to Make Macaroni Salad from Scratch
Sometimes you just don’t mess around with the classics. While some might look at this macaroni salad recipe and think it’s too simple (where’s the twist? what makes it special? shouldn’t it be harder than this?) that’s exactly why it’s a time-proven favorite.
While I’ve always been a fan of potato salad (my mom’s potato salad recipe is THE BEST!) it’s taken me years to come around to macaroni salad. The reason being is that every time I tried one, it was never a good one. They were either too dry, too plain, or too heavily loaded with a goopy, flavorless mayo dressing that coated the macaroni like oil on a dipstick and likely came from a pre-packaged box from the deli counter—yes! That stuff usually comes from a box!
There’s nothing worse than that acrid taste of fake mayo macaroni salad. You know. You’ve been there.
But, this old-fashioned macaroni salad from scratch is everything those others were not. First off, it’s homemade—toss the box! It’s simple but well-seasoned. It’s dressed just right with a tangy but light mayo dressing. And the pasta is neither clumpy nor starchy, but smooth and satisfying with every bite.
I really do love this salad but I’m going to defer to my husband on this one, who as a self-proclaimed macaroni salad connoisseur did attest, “Honey, this is still the best macaroni salad I’ve had. Ever.”
Macaroni Salad Ingredients
Like many of my favorite classics, I found the base of this recipe in a recipe collection of one of my grandmother’s. This recipe is list is short but fresh and full of flavor.
- Short macaroni of your choice. I use ditalini (these extra short tubes) but classic shells or elbow macaroni works great too.
- hard boiled eggs
- celery
- red bell pepper
- red onion
- mayonnaise
- sweet pickles plus their juice
- Dijon mustard
- sugar
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to Make the Best Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe
Cooking the macaroni correctly is essential to a good mac salad. Overcook it and you’ll end up with mushy bites that won’t stand up to the mixing with the vegetables. Cook the macaroni al denté as you would your favorite Italian pasta. Watching your cooking time and cooking to the package directions should ensure the perfect bite. And to be sure, taste test every minute or so when coming to the end of your cooking time.
After cooking, rinse the macaroni so it doesn’t stick. The macaroni salad trick I learned from my mom is to rinse the pasta after cooking and drain it really well so there’s no residual water lurking in the pasta nook and crannies. Rinsing the pasta under cold water stops the cooking time and removes some of the starches created from cooking. As the pasta cools, toss it a bit with your hands or a spoon so it stays loose and doesn’t clump together.
Pickles, eggs, celery and more! Grandma’s recipe had the same basics as this one, but I added more sweet pickles—because I could eat pickles on dirt if I had to—and hard boiled egg—because in my humble opinion, mayo based salads always taste better with a touch of a hard boiled egg.
How to Make this Macaroni Salad Dressing
Pickle juice is the secret! The dressing for this salad is a mayonnaise base that’s been thinned out with pickle juice reserved from the sweet pickles added to the salad. I always use sweet pickles, so if you use another style, taste test it to your liking. If you’re not a fan of pickles, you could substitute vinegar or lemon juice. Taste as you go to get the right balance. But for me, it’s sweet pickle juice all the way.
Refrigerate for the flavors to meld. This salad tastes best when it’s had some time in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld and the mayo sauce to permeate the noodles. Allow for at least an hour of chill time before serving, or make it the night before for the best, flavorful taste. And always remember to taste again before serving to decide if more salt and pepper seasoning needs to be added.
And really it’s as simple as that, and way better than mac salad served from a box.
Recipes to Serve with Classic Macaroni Salad
Think barbecues, picnics, and of course, fried chicken! Here are a few mains to serve along with this classic side.
- 30 Days of Easy Grilling Recipes to Make This Summer
- The Best Grilled Chicken
- Oven Roasted Chicken with Garlic Butter, Lemon and Rosemary
- The Secret to Grilled Barbecue Baby Back Spareribs
- The Best Garlic Burgers EVER
- The Best Juicy Pork Chops
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How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound ditalini pasta or other short pasta or shell
- 3 hard boiled eggs diced
- 2 celery ribs minced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and minced
- 1/4 red onion minced
- 1/4 cup sweet pickles chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley if desired.
Instructions
-
Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions, Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cooled. Shake the colander to toss the pasta, and drain for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.
-
Transfer the drained pasta to a large bowl. Add the eggs, celery, red bell pepper, red onion and sweet pickles. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, pickle juice, sugar, and Dijon mustard; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add to the macaroni and toss until evenly coated. Season with more salt and pepper to taste then refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to add a little color if desired.
More Potluck Recipe Ideas
- How to Make the BEST Potato Salad
- The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
- How To Make The Best Creamy Coleslaw
- Fresh and Easy Vietnamese Noodle Salad
- The Best BBQ Baked Beans
- 20 Potluck Side Dishes For The Classic Summer BBQ
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[email protected] says
You have expressed all of my mac salad woes. I want to give it another chance now!
heidi says
Do it Erin! You won’t regret it :)
andre' says
this recipe is just like mine. all the same elements ;) i kicked it up a notch though the last time when i added the spicier bread and butter pickles. i used famous dave’s hot and spicy bread and butter pickles and man oh man my husband melted! if you want to bump ’em up a bit it is a real good change if somebody is up for it!
Faith says
Thanks for the tip on the Dave’s pickles – I was pondering that substitution, and now I will go ahead with it! :D
Mary says
How far in advance can you make this? Is two days OK. Make on Friday, eat on Sunday?
Teresa says
I just made this! I added a can of sliced olives because I’m a olive lover and a half tsp granulated garlic. It is so good! I also doubled the boiled eggs because I love those too! Highly recommend this recipe!
Liz says
I like to add radishes also
Amina says
This looks so delicious! I’m going to make this. I live in Senegal and haven’t seen celery stalks here. I have all the other ingredients. I guess it should still be delicious without the celery! Let’s hope so
KARON R CARPENTER says
It you have access to large greens you maybe could use the large ribs that are usually discarded, just an idea, or maybe Swiss chard stalks, I don’t think the color matters as much as the crunch. good luck.
Caroline Hickey says
I’m so making it this weekend. Like FR (Fraggle Rock…), I have a weird love for mac salad and most taste wonderful to me because I also have a weird love for mayo. The sweet pickle juice and Dijon mustard have me intrigued. Wish me luck as you’ve upped my anxiety level with the Just Right cooking of the pasta.
heidi says
I have faith in you Caroline! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
Kathy says
I want to make this today, however your recipe does not say how many it will serve. Taking it to a potluck so im not worried about it. Was just curious. Thanks for all the great tips.
Beaunca Franklin says
Raving reviews from my church members, they Loved it
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
YAY!
Alex says
I’m with Caroline. Love mac salad (hell…ANYTHING pasta!) and mayo. Two of my favorite weaknesses.
Kelly Senyei @ Just a Taste says
Comfort food at its finest! And now I’m craving a big bowl of this macaroni salad!
Rachael's Foodie Life says
I always felt that those terrible store brought gluggy flavourless mayo pasta pits had ruined any chance of my ever liking pasta salad with mayo but alas you have convinced me to give it another go. Using the recipe of course! No store brought pasta salad here thanks
Mary Patrick says
looks yummy Heidi. What I want to know is how you get those ingredients so uniformed in size to look so pretty. Wow and u don’t get a big chunk of anything.
emile says
Soo yummy….
loved the way you added the pepper into it.
Maureen says
I tried this recipe last week. It was SO GOOD! Thank you for posting such a delicious pasta salad. This one is going in my recipe binder for sure! Love your blog!
Carrie Billups says
Yeah, I love ❤️ this recipe””!!!!
Kristina Snider says
Looking forward to trying this over the weekend! I love how you expressed the importance in preparing the macaroni “just right”. I too believe that’s a major key in perfect salad! And a big BOOOO to boxed salads!
Twila says
Loved the tips for cooking and rinsing the macaroni! Used dill pickles and cheese. Was very good. Thanks.
Diana Lis says
I had about a half pound of leftover rotini noodles from yesterday and the first thing that popped in my head was macaroni salad. I haven’t made any for quite a while but my husband bought some from the deli for himself. Ugh! Yuk! I can’t stand the sweet tangy flavor it had. I’m more of a mayo person. I wanted to make the salad with a lot of different veggies. I used thinly sliced celery, green onions because I didn’t have red, 4 chopped hard boiled eggs and grated dill pickles because I like them better than the sweet ones. I wanted something different so I grated an apple into it too! I had to squeeze the liquid out of it then used the juice from the pickles over the apple so it wouldn’t turn brown. I liked the idea of using some Dijon mustard with the mayo.
I mixes it all together and gave hubby a try and he lived it! Oops! I just realized I didn’t put in the red bell pepper! Before mincing them I thought I would roast them over the burner to blacken the skin. Then I put it in a paper bag for 20 minutes so the skin would peel off. Well, they’re still sitting in the paper bag!! Haha! I’m still going to use them somehow so I better get to chopping!
Linda says
Try using celery salt….it will give you the flavor but not the crunch.
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Connie says
Just made this salad. LOVE it!
I added shredded carrots,peppers, red onion sweet pickles and some grated onion to punch up the flavor. I think next time I will not use the Dijon mustard. I didn’t like the taste of it here. Gave my sister some…she’s hooked. I can do no wrong! Lol
Thanks for sharing.
Eva says
This is about identical to my own. Especially the sweet pickle. Love it! I too always add egg. I have been making this recipe over 25 years. My family loves it.
E
Nicole says
Can I switch out the red onion for green scallions?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Definitely!
Mirinda Hughes says
Can I use sweet relish juice instead of sweet pickle juice in your macaroni salad recipe?
Heidi says
Sure, you could try that, but the dressing won’t be as tangy.
Deb says
I made your macaroni salad tonight for tomorrow. I cook at the Cattlemens Cafe Sale barn in Herington KS. I loved it. I’m sure the folks will love it too.
Deb says
I made it tonight fir the folks at the Sale Barn in Herington KS. I loved it!
Lily K Weschke says
is the pickle juice used in the recipe from the sweet pickle jar or normal dill pickle jar juice?
heidi says
Hi Lily, I take it from the same jar of pickles I use for the recipe, so in this case, it’s the sweet pickle juice. Enjoy!!!
Cayla says
I made this yesterday it was so good I added pasta salad seasoning and mozzarella cheese and chicken!! Soo freaking good!!
Tracy says
You just up’d my Macaroni Salad Game! Ypur recipe was soooo good! First, rinsing that hot macaroni with cold water was a total game changer! Mine always looked like it had specks of mayo on it and it had to be that starch residue. Then, pickle juice?! I added kosher dill pickles and juice. Outstanding! Lastly, I’ve almost always “overdressed” both my macaroni and potato salads. Mixing the mayo and wet ingredients separately let me control it spoonful by spoonful. That method had never dawned on me before now. Duh! Plus, I panicked because I didn’t have a full cup of mayo so I had to add sour cream to bring me up to a full cup. It was absolutely perfect! Thank you so much! What a Keeper!!
Elizabeth says
Macaroni salad is my favorite! I have never put any bit of sugar in my macaroni salad though. Not sure why you would need any. I don’t use bell peppers but do use sliced black olives and a bit of the juice from the olives. As well as using chopped hard boiled eggs in the salad I top it with some sliced eggs and a sprinkle of paprika! In fact, I am going to gather my ingredients snd make some right now!
Denise says
What brand mayo should I use? I’m definitely not a mayo connoisseur . Lol
Heidi says
I use Heinz Real Mayonnaise, it’s super creamy and the perfect tang IMO.
Heather Johnson says
I made this(eating it for lunch right now) probably my favorite recipe so far, I added a little more dijon mustard, some garlic powder and it could’ve used more pickles and onions for my taste, but all in all a great mac salad!!!!
Gabrielle Falk says
Looks delicious. My husband is such a fuss pot when it comes to food. He was the eldest of 8, and vegetables etc. just got boiled (& boiled). I am going to make this salad for me, and if I hide the red pepper (maybe) he might try. When I make my salad dressing (has capers in it) I also tip some of the caper juice into the dressing. I have been looking for AGES for an American recipe for pot. salad (recipe from The American Woman’s Cookbook, circa 1955? ish) with olive oil, vinegar (white or malt?), grated onion, parsley, mustard (Dijon?), salt and pepper. The cookbook is long gone. Can anyone help me with this recipe for pot. salad dressing. Thanks, Gabrielle, from Sydney, Australia
Shawna says
How many servings and at what size is this for please? I want to make this but will be making it for 350 @ 3oz servings!! Please email me if you get my email address otherwise I will keep checking back here! Thank you, sounds yummy
Don says
I really liked your recipe for macaroni salad and would like to receive more in the future.
THANKS
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
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Leslie says
What brand of mayo do you suggest? I’m going to make this for a school luncheon and I don’t normally use mayo for anything so I don’t know what brand or type would be best.
Lori says
Hellmans
Glenda says
How many servings is this recipe for?
Kookin Kan says
I made this Mac salad for Memorial Day, along with the burgers. First, I’ve always made my husbands grandmas Mac salad , for the last 30 years. I decided to give this one a try and am so glad I did. I used kosher pickles along with the sweet pickles. Other wise made exactly as written. Delicious. And let me tell you the hamburgers on French bread is a game CHANGER. I don’t think I’ll ever buy hamburger buns again. Perfection. Thank you for the great recipes .
Heidi says
So glad you had such success! Thanks for sharing with us, and glad your husband was okay with the change too. :)
Courtney McGrale says
This was a PERFECT recipe! You hit all of the flavors straight on the tastebud! This will be my go-to, as so many other of your recipes are.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Thanks Courtney!
Cheryl D. says
I love to use dill pickles and their juice in my mac salad. My mother always cut up a tomato or two as well as American cheese slices cut up. The cheese is optional for me but I could eat this 3 meals a day…..oh yea, I have!
Eleanor Bailey says
Can you use the cubed sweet pickle relish and the juice, verses chopping sweet pickles?
Cheryl D. says
I love to use dill pickles and their juice in my mac salad. My mother always cut up a tomato or two as well as American cheese slices cut up. The cheese is optional for me but I could eat this 3 meals a day…..oh yea, I have!
Julie says
Hi! I would love to know how many this serves as I want to make for large crowd. I’ve seen the question asked above but am missing the response. Would so appreciate this info. Many thanks!!!!
Vicki Lauretta says
This was very close to the recipe that grandma used to make. I tweaked it a little and used a quarter cup apple cider vinegar, the two celery ribs and green onions. I salted and peppered to taste and used two teaspoons sugar. At first it tasted a little vinegary and I didn’t want to add more sugar, so I upped the mayo a little by eyeball and its perfect. I know it said to wait at least an hour before eating….but well lol. It tastes good warm too.
Crystal says
Best mac salad recipe I’ve ever found. I substitute the peppers for olives…YUM.
The pic used in artcile doesnt look like theres much dressing, but trust me its perfect!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Yummy! I will have to try Olives. Thanks Crystal!
Heidi says
I’m an olive fiend too Crystal, that’s a great ingredient idea. Thanks for sharing.
Wolfy says
Macaroni salad, oh how I love thee. Growing up Italian, we always ditched the egg and added tuna instead, such a game changer, this recipe is great, i just drop egg add tuna, give it a try! Mangia!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
I will have to give that a try! Thanks for the tip!
Heidi says
Love that idea of adding the egg Wolfy, thanks for the tip!
Kathy says
Why drop the egg to add the tuna? I usually use both if making a meal ie lunch, and generally add carrots.
Steph Roberts says
So yummy! My new favorite Macaroni Salad!
Heidi says
I’m so glad you loved it Steph! And glad you’ve dubbed it a fave :)
Chris says
This macaroni salad recipe sounds delicious but please tell me how many servings it makes!!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
This would serve 8-10 depending on how generous your eaters are :)
Ruth says
This recipe was delicious, I added four eggs, a little extra onion, paprika, garlic powder, fire famous Dave pickle juice, as well as regular dill pickles, and fresh parsley as suggested and it really brought the flavors together. I didn’t have bell peppers but I think it didn’t make a difference because the flavors were spot on.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Thanks for the feedback Ruth!
Courtney McGrale says
I love this recipe! It’s creamy and has a bit of crunch. Perfect.
Sophie Anderson says
Looks really yellow but is the best salad ever.
Renee says
Can I use miracle whip instead of mayonnaise?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Yes, you could! I prefer mayonnaise for flavor and texture
Patti says
Yummy!! I love a good macaroni salad. This is calling my name!
Joyce says
I love all of your recipes I tried the macaroni salad , I had to leave out the onion, My oldest son doesn’t like onions, but the salad was great.
Anthony Snyder says
I’m been so frustrated with the overly-wet/souply mac salad from the store deli and made yours yesterday. The taste of this was amazing! I followed the instructions (adding one additional egg) and the flavor was incredible. My wife thought it was a little on the “dry” side so she put in an extra cup of Hellmann’s diluted with some milk. I think we found the consistency we can both agree on! Overall, very pleased with this!
Heidi says
I’m glad you and your wife were able to make it work for you.
Andrea Proctor says
My family has been making a similar salad for over 50 years. Our differences: soaking the onion in vinegar for 10-15 minutes to take away the onion’s bitterness. Drain the vinegar off, the vinegar soaked up by the onion is just enough vinegar for added tanginess.
We use jarred diced pimentos instead of fresh bell peppers and add chopped olives. Also add some hot sauce to the mayo dressing-(I’ve used Tabasco or Sriracha).
Heidi says
Great idea to soak the onions first Andrea. I like the heat but for those who don’t, it’s a great idea.
Lillian says
I don’t leave reviews but, this recipe is fantastic!
I’ve been looking for a creamy macaroni salad for years. I finally found it! My family absolutely loves this salad. I usually make it the day before so all the flavors can marry. I use sweet relish but, I save my dill pickle juice & use that as well. It comes out just the way we like it!
Thanks for sharing!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Thank you so much!!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Thank you so much!