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Home / Recipes / Side Dishes / Easy Macaroni Salad

Easy Macaroni Salad

45 mins
| Leave a Comment |
5 from 2 votes
Jump to Recipe 07/04/20 | Updated: 07/04/20 | by Nora
Macaroni Salad Image Pin

This easy Macaroni salad is a classic summer side dish you can make ahead the night before! Made with a creamy, tangy dressing and plenty of ways to customize the salad to make it your own.

overhead view on bowl with macaroni salad

I may not usually be the biggest fan of mayo-based salads… But sometimes you cannot mess with the classics! This macaroni salad tastes like all of my childhood memories about picnics, potlucks and summer barbecues. Nothing beats that!

This classic macaroni salad

  • comes together in a snap!
  • is made with a creamy, tangy dressing that takes minutes to prepare
  • can be customized with hardboiled eggs, chopped chicken, cooked shrimp, canned tuna… to your heart’s desire!
  • is a great dish to make the night before, so you don’t need to stress around in the kitchen while your summer party is in full swing

Ingredients in macaroni salad

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for classic macaroni salad with text labels
What you need to make macaroni salad: Cooked & cooled macaroni, celery, carrot, red pepper, red onion, mayo, mustard, sour cream, pickles, pepper, salt, sugar and garlic powder.

Ingredient notes

  • Macaroni: Any short, small, tubular pasta can be used – elbow macaroni, Ziti, Ditalini, spirals, small shells. They all work! Just technically not macaroni salad anymore 😉
  • Mayo: If you really despise mayo, feel free to use Greek yogurt instead. The taste will be different, but still good.
  • Vegetables: Feel free to swap out any vegetables you don’t like. Great alternatives are peas, corn, green onion, other color peppers…
  • Pickles: If you don’t like pickles, feel free to leave them out. You’ll need to add white vinegar to the dressing instead of pickle juice, otherwise you won’t get the tangy flavors.

How to make macaroni salad

collage of steps to make macaroni salad
Steps to make macaroni salad: Combine the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add all salad ingredients, then toss well. Chill until ready to serve!
overhead view on bowl with macaroni salad on placemat

Recipe tips

  • Adjust the amount of mayo to get the creaminess of your salad just right!
  • If you make the salad ahead of time and refrigerate it for a few hours, chances are the macaroni soaked up some of the dressing. It helps to add more mayo and pickle juice to make it creamy again.
  • Make sure you don’t overcook the macaroni, or the salad comes out soggy. I also always drain the macaroni immediately into a colander when they’re just done and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Make ahead instructions

You can make the salad up to a day ahead. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for up to a day. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes, then adjust mayo and pickle juice to taste before serving.

spoon with macaroni salad on top

More easy summer salads

  • Creamy Dill Potato Salad
  • Mexican Macaroni Salad
  • Creamy No Mayo Coleslaw
  • BLT Pasta Salad

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Printable Recipe Card
overhead view on bowl with macaroni salad
Pin Recipe

Easy Macaroni Salad

This easy Macaroni salad is a classic summer side dish you can make ahead the night before! Made with a creamy, tangy dressing and plenty of ways to customize the salad to make it your own.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 2 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 15 mins
Cook 10 mins
Cooling 20 mins
Total 45 mins
Difficulty Easy
Servings 8 servings
Nutrition 236 kcal

Ingredients
 

Dressing:

  • ⅔ cup mayonnaise
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • 3-4 tablespoons pickle juice
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt & pepper to taste

Salad:

  • ½ pound elbow macaroni cooked, drained and rinsed under cold water to cool
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • ⅓ cup diced red onion
  • 2 ribs celery diced
  • 1 medium carrot peeled and coarsely grated
  • ⅓ cup diced sweet pickles

Instructions
 

  • Mix dressing ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.
    combining dressing for pasta salad
  • Add all salad ingredients to dressing and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste.
    tossing macaroni salad
  • Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight. You may need to add extra dressing to the salad if you let it sit in the fridge for more than a couple of hours.
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Notes

  • Feel free to add diced hardboiled eggs, cheese, bacon, shrimp, chicken, canned tuna…. To the salad to turn it into a meal.
  • Switch out any veggies you don’t like. Peas, other color peppers, diced green beans or corn are great alternatives.
  • If you want to skip the mayo, feel free to use Greek yogurt instead. The taste will be different (but still good!). You will need to add more mustard and seasoning to balance out the flavors.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 331mgPotassium: 175mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1893IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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