Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
Macaroni Salad is one of those dishes that just says summertime. Often paired with BBQ meats, hot dogs, and hamburgers, it’s the perfect creamy, refreshing side dish to please a crowd.
We love to serve this easy Macaroni Salad with Grilled Steak or Juicy Burgers and Grilled Corn on the Cob for the perfect summer menu.
![Macaroni Salad is perfect for a summer menu. Paired with BBQ meats, hot dogs, and hamburgers, it's the perfect creamy, refreshing side dish. Macaroni salad mixed with creamy dressing](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Macaroni-Salad-3-728x1092.jpg)
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Easy Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad is a staple American pasta salad made with tender pasta, hardboiled eggs, crunchy veggies, and a creamy dressing. You’ll find it served throughout the year to cool down hot proteins sizzling on the grill or to pair with a sandwich on a picnic. A perfect, minimal prep recipe for those hot summer months!
Ingredients for Macaroni Salad
- Elbow Macaroni – Elbow macaroni is the most classic choice for macaroni salad. While you can get away with swapping in rotini or penne, nothing compares to the creamy dressing getting stuck in tiny crooks of the macaroni!
- Red Bell Peppers – We like to use red bell peppers for their subtle sweetness. If you can’t get your hands on them, any other color will do.
- Red Onion – Red onion works best for its pop of color and strong flavor.
- Celery – Fresh celery adds just the right amount of crunch and texture.
- Hardboiled Eggs – You can snag premade hard-boiled eggs or whip up your own using my guide on perfect-boiled eggs.
Pro Tip: In this recipe, we prefer to use bell peppers, red onion, and celery as the veggies of choice, but feel free to swap those out for any other crunchy veggies you like best (carrots and peas are both great choices).
![Macaroni Salad is perfect for a summer menu. Paired with BBQ meats, hot dogs, and hamburgers, it's the perfect creamy, refreshing side dish. Ingredients for macaroni salad with elbow macaroni and vegetables](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Macaroni-Salad-728x485.jpg)
The Best Dressing for Macaroni Salad
- Mayonnaise – Creamy, full-fat mayo is your best bet. Alternatively, you can use half mayo and half greek yogurt if you like it a little on the tangier side.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Apple cider vinegar adds just the right amount of tang to cut through the fat of the mayo.
- Sweet Pickle Relish – Use the same sweet relish as you would for hot dogs in this recipe. You can also chop up dill pickles o
- Mustard – Regular yellow mustard or dijon mustard works best! You don’t need to run to the store to grab anything too fancy.
- Salt & Pepper – Finish the pasta salad with as much or as little salt and pepper as suits you!
- Fresh Herbs (Optional) – If you’d like, add in some minced fresh parsley, dill, or green onion for an extra pop of color and flavor.
Pro Tip: If you like a kick of spice, add some cayenne pepper to the dressing. If you like it extra salty, add in some diced ham cubes.
![Dressing ingredients for making pasta salads Ingredients for creamy dressing with mayo and relish](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Macaroni-Salad-2-728x485.jpg)
How to Make Macaroni Salad
- Prepare the Pasta – Cook elbow macaroni according to the package instructions. Drain it through a colander and rinse the pasta under cold water and set it aside.
- Make the Dressing – In a separate bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Toss the Salad – Place the macaroni, veggies, and eggs into a large bowl. Pour in the dressing, stir to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill the salad in the fridge for a couple of hours or serve immediately. Enjoy!
![Macaroni Salad is perfect for a summer menu. Paired with BBQ meats, hot dogs, and hamburgers, it's the perfect creamy, refreshing side dish. Step by step how to make macaroni pasta salad dressing and pasta salad](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Macaroni-Salad-7-728x546.jpg)
To Serve
- Picnics – Bring macaroni salad along on picnics to serve with any of our Best Sandwich Recipes like a classic BLT Sandwich.
- Backyard BBQs – Serve macaroni salad alongside BBQ favorites like Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Smoked Ribs, or Beef Kabobs.
- Potlucks – Macaroni salad is one of the best dishes to bring to a potluck – it’s so easy to batch cook for a large crowd.
Make-Ahead
If you want to get ahead of prep, you can make the salad a couple of hours or up to a day ahead of time. keep it covered and stored in the refrigerator. The best part is that it will continue to develop its flavors as it marinates. Just make sure to give it a good stir before serving to redistribute the dressing.
![Macaroni Salad is perfect for a summer menu. Paired with BBQ meats, hot dogs, and hamburgers, it's the perfect creamy, refreshing side dish. Ingredients prepped ahead for salad with pasta, bell pepper, celery, egg and onion in a bowl](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Macaroni-Salad-8-728x1092.jpg)
Common Questions
Your macaroni salad is likely bland if you didn’t add enough salt to the mix or balance the flavors of the dressing correctly. If you find yourself with flavorless macaroni salad, add more of your favorite ingredients and seasonings and keep tweaking it until you’re happy.
The main way to fix over-salted pasta salad is to cut the sodium with a little vinegar. If that doesn’t work, add a bit more mustard or relish.
If your macaroni salad gets a little dry in storage, you can rehydrate it by adding a bit more dressing. This is a common issue, as pasta soaks up moisture when stored in the fridge.
Since pasta does not freeze well and turns mushy when thawed, it’s not a good idea to freeze macaroni salad.
![Macaroni Salad is perfect for a summer menu. Paired with BBQ meats, hot dogs, and hamburgers, it's the perfect creamy, refreshing side dish. Creamy macaroni salad recipe in bowl](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Macaroni-Salad-4-728x1092.jpg)
This is a crowd-pleasing Macaroni Salad and it’s so easy. I hope it becomes a new favorite for you. If you put something unique into your pasta salad recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
More Tasty Salad Recipes
- Chicken Cobb Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad Recipe (VIDEO)
- Egg Salad Recipe
- Chickpea Salad Recipe
- Caesar Salad Recipe
- Caprese Pasta Salad
Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
![Macaroni Salad Recipe in bowl](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Macaroni-Salad-SQ-150x150.jpg)
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 cup red bell peppers, diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, optional for garnish
Dressing Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp sweet relish
- 3 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
Instructions
- Cook the elbow macaroni according to the package instructions in salted water. Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water and set it aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients together and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Place the macaroni into a large bowl. Add the diced bell peppers, red onion, celery, and eggs.
- Pour in the dressing and stir to combine. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This was so good. My first successful homemade macaroni salad. So excited! Mine soaked up all the dressing so I added extra mayonnaise when I took it out of fridge. Perfect.
Sounds great! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Lisa.
I made this recipe yesterday. It was really good, not too much mayo as other recipes call for.
the only negative was for some reason it left an aftertaste for both me and my husband that we couldn’t identify.
That didn’t keep us from going back for more though.
Hi Janice, I’m glad you enjoyed it! The only thing I can think to consider is maybe if you used miracle whip or a mayo substitute or some kind of ‘healthy’ mayo that might taste different than normal mayo? I’ve definitely tried several varieties and still just love the classic mayonnaise.
I just made this macaroni salad and it is fantastic! I added sun dried tomatoes- Just yummy! Thank you
That’s a good addition to the recipe, we’re so glad that you liked it!
HI…I used celery, red onion and carrots, also added garlic powder, and a little milk to mayo dressing, make the pasta a little on the harder side as it sits in the frig it will absorb the juices and soften more…try to turn the salad in frig every couple of hours so the top absorbs flavors….
I like putting my eggs in with the pasta save time and dishes.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This is really close to a recipe I use. Sometimes I will add either small boiled shrimp or little chunks of ham.
Good to know that you use a similar recipe. Sounds like a great idea too!
We really didn’t care for it. I made it exactly as written. A little tart and felt like it was missing something. Maybe I expects it to be creamier and richer.
Hi Celine, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you change anything or make any substitutions in the dressing ingredients? Also make sure to have the right balance of dressing to the macaroni/salad so it stays creamy in consistency.
I think I know why yours was too tart. Because I just made the mistake of reading the yellow mustard as 3 TBS instead of 3 tps. It was really tart. Luckily I caught it before I added it to the salad and I could fix it by dumping 1/2 of it out and adding mayo to the 1/2 that was left. It’s ok but not as good as the first time when I made it correctly.
I love miracle whip too, and I always use a dash of lime or lemon, in all my salads. Love watching your videos and love your recipes too.
Thank you, Linda! I’m so glad you are loving my recipes.
When I make my macaroni salad I add baby shrimp and top it with some shredded carrots every one likes it
That sounds great, Angie!
I am one of the weird ones that do not like mayo. I like Miracle Whip for the tang and I also prefer dill relish to sweet. I adore every one of your recipes, but would I ruin this one with my substitutions?
Hi Carol! One of my readers reported making theirs with Miracle Whip instead of Mayonnaise and it was still a hit! 🙂
I like to add diced SPAM to my salad to give it more flavor and extra hard boiled eggs….yum.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
What a great idea adding Spam.
Thanks for the idea. We LOVE Spam. Both of of us grew up with it.
Was absolutely amazing. Question tho how long will it keep in the fridge?
Hi Kim! This salad continues to develop its flavors as it marinates but we like to eat this within 2-3 days. It needs to be refrigerated.
Ok to omit the relish?? Pickle juice instead of vinegar?? Thanks!
Hi John, I have not tested that to advise. If you try it as an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
This is one of the best pasta salads I’ve made. I will make it again but I want to use rotini pasta. Should I still use 2 cups?
I’m so glad you loved it, Mary! I bet it could work with rotini! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe!
I also dice up some cucumber and add and it really sets it off
Sounds delicious!
Just made this! Had to double it for a large picnic tomorrow.
One concern: It’s bite-y, probably because of the apple cider vinegar. If it’s too bite-y tomorrow, what should I use to cut that down? Some more mayo?
Alyssa! I think that could work.
Hands down, the best macaroni salad I’ve ever made. I love the tang from 3 TBSP of apple cider vinegar!
So glad you enjoyed this salad, Kris! Thank you for the feedback.
Your recipes never disappoint me! Looking to try this one. Curious if the dressing is sweet? Just not a fan of sweet macaroni salad.
Thx Natasha! Appreciate your time and awesome recipes and videos!
Hi Kim, we believe we found the perfect balance with this salad! I hope you love it!
I’m wondering if salami would taste good with this recipe?
Hi Chris, I have not tried that yet to advise. If you do that as an experiment, please share with us how it turns out.
Great recipe This is the third time I have made it in 2 months. Everyone loves it. It’s a staple for the summer !!
So glad to hear that, Myles. Thank you for sharing.
Adding some baby cooked shrimp or just cooked shrimp to this salad is wonderful as well! Thank you for the recipe!
Yum! What a great idea. Glad you enjoyed this recipe, Michelle.
I made it and love it ….it was even better the next day. Even left out the egg because of food allergies. Still a great salad and will definitely make it again.
That’s wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it.
Omitted eggs and onions since we’re not a fan of either. SO GOOD. Best macaroni salad I’ve ever had. The zing from the vinegar keeps you going back for more. Thanks for such a stellar recipe!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Lena! Thank you for the review.
I made this salad today, added dill instead of pasley…. It is so delicous. My husband was non stop eating and he asked to make again… another cold salad add on our menu. Thank so much
Love it! Thank for sharing, I’m always happy to see happy results or great feedback.
I followed the recipe EXACTLY as written and it was a HUGE success! SO easy! SO tasty! A 10/10 and a definite make-again! THANK YOU!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Karen!
Yum! I had leftover Mac-and-cheese, so made this salad today. It was so delicious. Surprisingly my toddlers liked it too. Perfect meal on a hot summer day.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
This is a keeper, Natasha! My husband loves pasta salads of all types, but I’ve never found a macaroni salad that I liked, too. Well, we now have a winner for both of us! Thank you for the great recipes you share.
You’re very welcome! I hope you and your family will love all the recipes that you will try!
This is my family’s new favorite macaroni salad. I made a few modifications because we are not big fans of either yellow mustard or sweet relish. I used 2 Tbls of dijon mustard and 1 1/2 Tbls of dill relish + 1 Tbls sweet relish. Big YUM!! It does change the flavor from the usual, but it is really good. Give it a try. Thank you once again, Natasha
That’s wonderful. Thank you for the feedback, Andrea.
Eating for one you sometimes don’t want to cook complete meals. This was easy to make loved the crunch great for 1 person. Thanks Ms. Natasha
I’m so glad to hear this was perfect for you, Patty!
Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe – How much is 1 serving in grams or ounces as I live alone and make 1/2 the recipe also and am not sure how much I am eating.
I weigh my servings. Thank you
Hi Doreen, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Way too much vinegar for my taste. I would start with 1 tbs. To start and add more as needed.
Sounds so much like my mother’s macaroni salad. Making it tonight! Thanks.
Sounds like a great plan, Sharon! Please update us on how it goes.
Personally, I think hard boiled eggs are an excellent addition. And when I can get to the store I’m getting everything and making this. It looks FAB!!!!
Sounds great too and yes, an egg is always a good addition to a salad. I hope you love it!
I though this recipe was fantastic! There are a million variations of macaroni salad but I really enjoyed this one. It was bright, fresh and I loved the added crunch from the bell pepper. This just might be my new go to recipe for neighborhood cookout’s. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed this salad, Melody! Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
I love your videos. You make cooking fun. This is almost like mine except I add cucumbers and tomatoes. I will be giving yours a try this weekend. Thanks for all your recipes. I always look to your site first when trying something new. You are great.
Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Connie. We appreciate it a lot!
I use small shell macaroni, vadalia onion, small cubed ham, and cheese in mine with Miracle Whip instead of Mayonnaise! Also put some pickle juice, and vinegar , and milk in sauce for it!! Everyone loves my salad!!
Sounds delicious, Connie!
I can’t stand Miracle Whip! The rest of the recipe looks great. Hellmann’s (or Best Foods) or Dukes would be my choice. Why would you add a new recipe when Natasha was giving us her recipe. You gave a whole new recipe.
I know it’s a shock, but some of us prefer Miracle Whip to Mayo. In reading all of the comments, it appears that many people changed the recipe a bit. It seems to be very adaptable.
When Natasha states mayonnaise, dont sweat it.
Its simply either or….
If you dont like one use the other. Simple.
Follow Natashas recipe then do your own thing when making it.
People are so confusing with
their changes..
Add Crushed Pinapple and grated carrot, or peas cold tinned, My wife makes this regularly in summer a family favorite. Love your recipies; Colin Jull NZ.
That sounds delicious! Thank you, Colin. So glad you enjoy this recipe.
medeocer at best, i find that peas work much better, and the eggs are not a good mix. should be a little cold but not like ice cream.
Hi Kristiyan, these ingredients are pretty classic for a macaroni salad but there is definitely room to experiment and change up the ingredients. It’s what we love about this recipe – it’s very versatile.
I can’t stand sweet pickles, so could you use dill relish and regular white, or even white wine vinegar instead of apple cider? I would think so, right? I hope so!
Hi Cindy, that should still work. I think there’s room to experiment with this one and make it your own.
I love mac salad, I am not a fan of eggs in these types of salads I use olives instead of eggs it’s a bit more colorful and it amps up the flavor.
I hope you try this one soon, Doug!
Good recipe, very similar to mine. Except, I add diced tomatoes and sliced green olives. I omit the pickle relish. I did make it like this and it was good, everyone liked it.
That sounds so good! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I hope you give our recipe a try soon!
Thank you for this recipe. It sounds good. I plan to make it this weekend and take it to a pot-luck. I thought I would add some cooked in the microwave frozen corn to it. What do you think?
You’re very welcome! I think that would be fine.
I add in frozen peas in addition to the above ingredients. Adds nice bright color
Sounds great!
Similar to my mom’s recipe. She’d add diced carrot and two cans of small shrimp
Nice to know that, Liz! I’m sure your mom is a great cook too.
I will be making this for all the summer cookouts this year! Love this recipe.
Sounds great! Thank you for the review, Dana. So glad you enjoy this recipe.
I like to add diced tomatoes and cucumbers in my pasta salad
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing.
Love macaroni salad! It’s a summer staple, and this recipe is such a classic! Simple, but familiar and oh so good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
You can also add a can of tuna fish (drained) and mix in with Your macaroni salad which is really tasty also ! Cover and refrigerate over nite for a great tasting salad …Floe
Rence
Hi Florence, thank you for sharing that suggestion with us.