This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Macaroni Salad is a classic pasta salad with mayo, celery, pickle relish, onions, peas, hard boiled eggs, and just a hint of mustard. This Best Macaroni Salad recipe is the perfect side dish for summer and always a hit at parties, BBQs, and picnics.
Table of Contents
About This Recipe
I’ve learned over the years that sometimes you just don’t mess with a classic. And that’s what this recipe is – a simple, classic Macaroni Salad. It’s been in our family for 50 years and we haven’t changed a thing.
It’s super easy to make and so delicious with tender pasta, vegetables, eggs, and sweet pickles, tossed with a simple, creamy mayo-based macaroni salad dressing. It has the perfect amount of seasoning and just enough mayo to keep it moist without being overwhelming.
Pair this easy Macaroni Salad recipe alongside other picnic side dishes like Homemade Potato Salad, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Crab Salad and Tuna Pasta Salad.
Macaroni Salad Ingredients
- Elbow macaroni – We swear by Creamette brand. Make sure to grab the regular size and not the large elbows. Small shells or the tiny ditalini work too.
- Sweet pickle relish – make sure you get the sweet kind and not dill. Although dill pickles would be a fine addition, we prefer the little bit of sweetness.
- Celery – because you gotta have some crunch!
- Onion – just a little and diced really fine.
- Peas – Ok, this is where things get a little dicey. Not everyone likes peas, myself included, but they really pop (pun intended!) in this pasta salad.
- Mayonnaise – This mac salad is mayo-based, but it’s not so heavy with the stuff that it’s all you can taste. It’s what makes this salad so creamy and delicious.
- Mustard – for a little bit of tang. I use regular yellow mustard (it’s a classic) or dijon mustard.
- Hard boiled eggs – We always have hard boiled eggs in our fridge because my husband eats them almost every day. Make them yourself using that easy recipe or buy a package at the store.
How to Make the Best Macaroni Salad
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook the pasta, and cook it right. Boil macaroni in a large pot of salted water, following the directions on the package. Drain and rinse in a colander with cold water and cool to at least room temperature, or chill in the fridge. *Note: For cold pasta salads, you want to always rinse your pasta. Not only does this cool it off and stop the cooking process, it helps to rinse the extra starches and keeps the noodles from sticking together.
Toss the veggies and eggs. While the pasta is cooking toss together the chopped celery, diced onion, pickle relish, peas, and chopped hard boiled eggs in a large bowl. Once the macaroni is cool, stir that in too.
Add the dressing. Using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir in mayonnaise and mustard. The recipe calls for 1 cup of mayo, but you may need more or want to use less, depending on your personal preference. Season with salt to taste.
FAQs
Because of the mayonnaise in this recipe, it is best kept refrigerated. It can be left out for up to two hours in the shade before it would need to be discarded or refrigerated. If left out in the sun, it will spoil faster.
You do not have to add the peas to this salad. They add a nice texture, but you can customize with other vegetables, like bell peppers, tomatoes, or olives.
Yes, because as pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water. Some of that starch clings to the pasta, and makes it stick together after it’s been drained. Rinses the macaroni rinses away a lot of the excess starch so it won’t stick together. Cold water also helps to stop the cooking process so it won’t get mushy.
Serving Suggestions
This classic pasta salad is often served with grilled meats, fried chicken, or fish and is a backyard barbecue staple. These recipes would pair fabulously:
- Grilled Chicken Marinade (best for Grilled Chicken Thighs)
- Grilled Steak Marinade (Delicious on a New York Strip)
- Easy Baked Pork Chops
- Grilled Korean Short Ribs
- Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
- Baked Chicken Breasts
- Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Tri Tip
- Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders
- Fried Chicken Thighs
Variations
You can customize your salad any way you like. These are some of the more popular mix-ins and swaps.
- Bell pepper – Add some color and crunch with chopped red bell pepper or salty black olives.
- Onions – Depending on your preferences, you can use white onion, red onion, or even green onion. There are slight flavor differences but the goal is to add flavor and a slight bite.
- The dressing – This is a family recipe that we have not changed in 50 years. Until now when I added a small bit of mustard. You can omit the mustard if you prefer, or add more. For a lower-calorie dressing, swap half of the mayo for light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
- Seasonings – We just use salt and sometimes a little pepper, but you could add celery salt or garlic or onion powder.
- Pickle juice or vinegar – For a more tangy dressing, add a couple tablespoons of pickle juice or red wine vinegar.
- Proteins – You can make this pasta salad into a main dish by adding things like canned tuna, ham, chicken, or turkey. Try my tuna macaroni salad.
- Fresh herbs – While it’s not uncommon to include herbs in this kind of salad, a little fresh parsley, dill or chives would brighten things up.
Storage Instructions
How to Store Leftovers: Store salad in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days. If the salad seems dry, add a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise to moisten it before serving.
Helpful Tips
- Rinse the pasta – Make sure to rinse the pasta after draining it. You want your macaroni to be al dente and not get mushy. Plus it helps keep your noodles from sticking together.
- Don’t like mayonnaise? Instead of mayo you could use sour cream or Greek yogurt. It definitely won’t have the same taste or texture but it’s close enough to still taste good.
More Picnic Friendly Sides
Best Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni ½ box
- 4 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 cup frozen peas cooked and cooled
- 4 hard cooked eggs chopped
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook macaroni following directions on the package. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water. Cool to at least room temperature, or in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine celery, onion, relish, eggs and peas.
- Stir in cooked macaroni.
- Stir in mustard and mayonnaise and blend thoroughly. Taste and add salt as desired.
- Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days. If salad seems dry, add a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise to moisten.
Very good recipe. Glad I chose this one. My families Mac salad has tuna and client didn’t want tuna. They loved it!! Keeper!
I tried this today. It tastes great!
I didn’t have peas so I added corn. And black beans. I used whole wheat shell pasta instead of macaroni. I had a little less pasta. I put in only about half a cup mayo and that was more than enough for the dish. Also our relish was *eww* and I threw it out. So I put a little bit of maple syrup in the dish for sweetener. It was all very good and now I want some more! I think I will add some dill, though. It needs a little bit of a bright flavor. Or chopped baby pickles would be great.
Hello! I am planning to make this tomorrow but I’m wondering if you measure out 2 cups uncooked noodles or 2 cups cooked noodles? And do you think I could use miracle whip and stead of mayonnaise? Thanks in advance for your answers!
It’s 2 cups uncooked…about 4 cups cooked. If you are a fan of Miracle Whip, sure, you could use it. It would definitely make the salad sweeter.
I made this for a family bbq, I ran out of macaroni noodles, so I used Cellentani noodles instead….awsome!
Hi there, Kristin. I am going to try your recipe for BEST EVER CLASSIC MACARONI SALAD this week for a BBQ I am having on Saturday. I look forward to tasting it.
Great salad, a keeper! I only had horseradish mustard, so I used 1/2 tsp of ground mustard and it worked wonderfully! This will be a staple for cookouts.
Added cheddar cheese and dill to this salad and it is amazing!!
This is a basic but great side dish tha t is easy to make. It is really good and complements summer meals as a good standby !
Excellent! Always a hit at potlucks and perfect for summertime. We love it!
Hi kristin. I made the macaroni salad without peas, (i didn’t have any) and its very tasty. My question is, does it call for real mayo, or miracle whip. I think it would be wonderful with real mayo. Thanks. Carol
We always use real mayo.
How long will this Macaroni salad last in refrigerator?
3-4 days, but you may need to freshen it up with some additional mayo.
SO good. The classic you remember. I added black pepper and omitted sweet relish, since that is a little closer to how we made it growing up–delicious!
I also recommend mixing the mayo & mustard together first, but you can skip that step if you don’t want the extra bowl. I also found that I wanted to add about another teaspoon of mustard for tang, but I bet if you included the relish you wouldn’t need it.
I don’t even like macaroni salad but I liked this recipe!
I so agree with you. I am not a fan of peas either but they are a must for Tuna Pasta Salad. I am going to make yours tonight. Can’t wait. Thanks!
Don’t cook the peas, they will pop in your mouth
Did you just thaw them out Then? What do you mean by pop in your mouth?
I think that only works if you’re using fresh shelled ones, but I’d love to know if you can just defrost frozen peas and get the same effect!
I used the steam bag peas and only cooked them half the time called for, and Immediately dumped and cooled them in a big strainer…. I did not rinse as I didn’t want to get them wet….. mine were perfectly sweet and “pop in your mouth” tender! This recipe was the best I’ve ever had! I even had “Gramma” ask who made it! Had to print this out for her too! I also added black pepper…… ? Enjoy !!!
I made this but added sour cream and scallions instead of onions. I also added some milk so it wouldn’t dry out. It was a big hit!
Yes with the sour cream you’d need to extra milk. With the mayo it won’t dry out but you can always add extra if you need it.
this was the best thing I’ve ever eaten!!!!! I’m usually not fan of macaroni salad but this was amazing!!! thank you so much!!!!
I know it’s still winter, but this weekend of 2/19/2017 was like SPRING! I’m not kidding. Almost 70 degrees and sunshine, not to mention a three-day weekend because of President’s Day. So, we cooked out on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day! I made one of my favorite burgers, Original Ranch Cheeseburgers, topped them with lettuce and tomato, and served this salad to go along with it. I love the simplicity of this salad. It truly is a classic. The only thing I added was freshly ground black pepper to taste. Perfection!
It’s definitely a true classic! How lucky you were to have such gorgeous weather – we’ve just been getting rain here in Southern California!!
No instructions for the mustard ?
Found this recipe on Pintrest. Really good pasta. I’m always looking for a good pasta salad to try and this is on my keeper list. Would not change anything. Thanks!