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This Classic Macaroni Salad is the creamy, crowd-pleasing side I bring to every summer cookout. Tender elbow macaroni, crisp celery, and a tangy-sweet mayo dressing come together in under 30 minutes, and it tastes even better made a day ahead.
More macaroni & pasta salads: Hawaiian Macaroni Salad | Tuna Macaroni Salad | Simple Pasta Salad
Before You Get Started
A few small things make the difference between a flat, gummy macaroni salad and a creamy, flavorful one. Here’s what matters most.
- Rinse the pasta under cold water until fully cooled. This stops the cooking and keeps the salad from turning gummy or watery once the dressing goes on.
- Season as you go and taste before chilling. Salt the pasta water, then adjust the salt at the end so the finished salad isn’t bland.
- Chill for at least an hour, then loosen with mayo before serving. The pasta drinks up the dressing as it sits, so a spoonful of mayo brings back that creamy texture.
recipe walk-through
How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Here’s how it comes together. It’s mostly hands-off once the pasta is cooked.
Step 1: Cook and cool the macaroni
Cook the elbow macaroni in salted boiling water until just tender, then drain and rinse under cold water until fully cooled.
If you like a little extra tang, splash the rinsed noodles with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar before mixing.
Step 2: Prep the mix-ins
While the pasta cools, chop the celery, onion, and hard-boiled eggs, and thaw the peas. Red onion adds the best color and bite, but any onion works.
Make it your own: Swap the peas for diced red bell pepper, stir in crisp cooked bacon, or cut the sweet relish back to 2 teaspoons if you prefer it less sweet.
Step 3: Combine and dress
Add the cooled macaroni to the bowl with the mix-ins, then stir in the mayonnaise and mustard until everything is evenly coated.
For a lighter, tangier salad, swap up to half the mayo for plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Step 4: Season and chill
Taste and add salt as needed, then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. A good chill lets the flavors blend and is the difference between a bland salad and a great one.
Before serving, give it a stir and add a spoonful of mayo if it looks dry.
- Find more crowd-pleasing pasta salads for every cookout and potluck in one collection: 17 Best Pasta Salads
What to Serve It With
Macaroni salad is happiest next to something off the grill. It’s my go-to side for a cookout plate, and it rounds out just about any summer main. A few favorites to serve it with:
- Grilled Hamburgers
- Grilled BBQ Chicken
- St. Louis Ribs
- Grilled Chicken Kabobs
- BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Cheeseburger Sliders
Storage Tips
How to Store Macaroni Salad
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Keep it chilled right up until serving, especially outdoors, since the mayo dressing shouldn’t sit at room temperature for long.
Add a little mayo before serving leftovers. The pasta absorbs the dressing as it sits, so a couple of tablespoons stirred in brings back the creamy texture.
Make it a day ahead for the best flavor. It actually tastes better after an overnight chill, which makes it a great one to prep before a party.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best mayonnaise to use?
A full-fat mayo like Hellmann’s (Best Foods) or Duke’s gives you the creamiest, most classic flavor. Light mayo works if you want to cut calories, though the salad will be a little thinner and tangier.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise?
Yes. Swap up to half of the mayo for plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for a lighter, tangier salad. Keep at least half mayo so it still tastes rich and classic.
How long can macaroni salad sit out?
Because it’s mayo-based, don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it’s above 90°F outside. At a picnic or cookout, set the bowl over ice to keep it cold and safe.
Can I make it less sweet?
Absolutely. Cut the sweet pickle relish back to 2 teaspoons, or use dill relish instead for a more savory, tangy salad.
More Potluck & Cookout Salads
Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni about ½ box
- 4 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 cup frozen peas cooked and cooled
- 4 hard-boiled eggs chopped
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and cool to at least room temperature.
- In a large bowl, combine the celery, onion, relish, eggs, and peas.
- Stir in the cooled macaroni.
- Add the mustard and mayonnaise and stir until evenly coated. Taste and add salt as desired.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- If it looks dry: Stir in a couple tablespoons of mayo before serving to bring back the creaminess.
- Make ahead: Flavor is best after an overnight chill, so it’s a great party prep-ahead.
- Less sweet: Reduce the relish to 2 teaspoons, or use dill relish for a savory version.
- Add-ins: Diced red bell pepper, crisp cooked bacon, or fresh dill are all great mix-ins.
- Lighter option: Swap up to half the mayo for plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Love all your recipes! They are down to earth and easy to put together.
The ingredients are worded in a confusing way and dont add up? The macaroni, uncooked, 2 cups, 1/2 box. A regular box of 16oz macaroni is a bit over 2 cups. Or am I misreading this?
Can i sub half of the mayo for Greek yougart or sourcream?
Yes you can. That’s what we do for the Hawaiian Mac Salad.
Excellant , thank you. Truly enjoyed this receipe.
Thank you Lorrie, you are so welcome.
I did t have peas so I added red bell pepper and another tablespoon of onion. I also used sweet relish and Wickles relish.❤️❤️
Awesome feedback Teri! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Kristin: These 2 recipes are lovely, The Macaroni Salad with peas & The Baked Chicken are so yummy together. I love your recipes as they are so simple to make & are so tasty.
Love your comment carol! Thanks for stopping by.
Salad was great. I did add a bit of garlic powder the second time I made it along with some cooked crisp fried bacon for a bit of variety. Two kids loved it without bacon but my little bacon eater loved it better with the bacon (of course!). I also always added some black pepper but white pepper would work also.
But the recipe is great just the way it is. Love the proportion of ingredients. Some cooks add too much mayo or eggs or onions but this is perfect. Good job.
Thank you Patti! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by to share.
This is such an easy recipe. It reminds me of my Grandma May’s recipe, that I had lost. Love, love this recipe. I’ll be making it more often in the future. Very tasty! Thank you!
You are so welcome Judy! Thanks for stopping by.
Kristin – love the new picture!! So pretty! Love the hair too. 🙂
You are so sweet, thank you!
I followed the recipe and it was very bland and tasteless. Was very disappointed in it. I can say I’ll won’t be making it again.
‘Might want to stick to Rice Krispies and milk if you can’t use a bit of imagination – or call Grandma…
So good. Everyone should try it.
Thank you Rebecca!
I have made this recipe several times, my husband even loves it and he doesn’t normally like macaroni salad , our families all time favorite, I do splash a little apple cider vinegar over the noodles after I rinse them, just something I like to do!
We have had it with several different add-ins, anyway you make it it is delicious!
Love the feedback Christine! Thanks for stopping by.
My go to Macaroni salad recipe from now on! This was a big hit, very flavorful. Next time I will only use two tsp of sweet relish to cut down on the sweetness, just personal preference though. thanks for this tasty recipe….
You are so welcome Dorothy! Thanks for stopping by.
K.
What type of onion is used?
You can use any onion you like. I usually use a red onion.
Can I used dill relish instead of sweet?
Sure, if that’s your preference. It will add more sour flavor.
For frozen peas, you can also thaw them with running cold water in a colander, drain then add to the salad!
They give a sweet, crisp crunch to the salad! This is a great recipe!
Love the feedback Deb E. Thanks for stopping by.
This looks so good. Gonna make this weekend!!
Nice! Hi Linda, we would love to here your feedback on this recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
Kristin
This makes me hungry looking at it. I can’t wait to try it.
this is SO delicious, and it never disappoints at family functions. There are never any leftovers, no matter how much we make. The sweet pickle relish really sends it over the top, but we don’t use mustard in ours….not with the sweet pickle relish, but that’s just us.
That’s awesome Angelina! Thanks for the feedback.
Delicious! Perfect for summer picnics!
Nice! Thank you Diana.
Would the amount of mayo or mustard need to be changed if I were to add tomatoes, ham cubes and cheese cubes?
Yes, but you could play around and adjust that. If you’re adding more mustard, I would do so just a tiny bit at a time because it can get overpowering really quick.
Hi. You can change up the relish to sandwich spread instead, just a couple of teaspoons should do it. Also add some multi-colored vegetable peppers to your salad. Delicious. Give it a try.
Sorry it should have been multi-colored. Tablet keeps wanting to change words on me. Oh. For us that are allergic to pepper spices add Clubhouse Italian Seasoning with red lid only contains dehydrated vegetable peppers instead. Black lid contains pepper spices. Also for any recipe that asks for paprika, exchange for turmeric instead.
Delicious!! I wasn’t in the mood for a cold pasta salad, but don’t have a ton of fresh veggies or block cheese. I came across this recipe, and I had everything. Sweet relish was something w bought on accident, but it really stands out in this recipe. My new go to!!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Sara.
Mine turned out fabulous! I splashed the macaroni with a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar while it was in the strainer, it was yummy! Thanks for posting ?
You are so welcome Christine! Thanks for stopping by.
If I added too much relish how can I fix it??
Adding more mayo would probably help, and wouldn’t ruin the salad.
Kristen, I have to make this macaroni salad for approximately 100 people. How much of the ingredients should I use?
The recipe will feed 8-10 people, so you’ll have to multiple to get enough for 100.
Sounds yummy cant wait to try it out. Have been wanting this recipe for a long time! Thanks-pam
Excellent..just excellent. Not overpowering with the mayo. I added a pinch more salt. My family favorite..
Thank you Denise!
This is the BEST pasta/pea salad I have ever made. It is not overpowering with pickle or mustard . We added more black pepper but that is just us. I also used Hellman”s avocado oil mayo. I panicked when I wasn’t finding the recipe again, but I’d shared it and got it again. Making it now. Thank You !!
You’re so welcome Liz! thank you so much for stopping by!
This is absolutely outstanding – just the way my mother in law used to make it (except for the peas). The family loved this and asked for it again. Thanks for a recipe that’s a keeper!
Hi Carol, so happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
Can I add a tablespoon of Vinegar to this?
Sure you can add vinegar.
This was easy to make and tasted great. I normally don’t like most pasta salads. The amounts of each ingredient I used were not exactly what was listed. I was making a larger batch and used more red onion, celery, and peas than would have been proportional. I also added a fair amount of black pepper and a bit more of salt. It was great the next day after a longer refrigeration to bring out all the flavors. I also used Hellman’s Avocado oil mayo.
Great ideas Elizabeth! sounds tasty!
How do you combine the eggs in with it just smoosh them and mix into the mixture or what? Or is it just what you put ontop?
I chop them and just gently mix them in. The few slices on top are more for looks.
Can I use canned peas?
Yes, the flavor is a little different and you’ll want to make sure to drain them really well first.
Do you have to cook your peas. Can I just get a frozen bag and let them thaw out that way there’d be more crunchy not so ot softer?
Have you tried it that way without cooking? Thx
I usually just thaw them in hot water then rinse them. They don’t have to be “cooked” persay.
Hi do you thaw the frozen peas before putting them into the salad mixture? Wont the peas be to hard if put in frozen?
Yes they are thawed.
What is prepared mustard? Isn’t there a mustard for macaroni salad in particular
Prepared mustard is the kind you find in the condiment aisle and put on hot dogs and such. The word “prepared” differentiates it from the ground spice.
Can I use can English peas
Sure!
Made this salad and it was killer! I was out of eggs so I eliminated them and they weren’t missed at all. I’ll definitely make this one again!
Thanks Genette! and thanks for stopping by.
In your description #3 you have 1 cup mustard instead of mayo, just fyi.
Oh goodness, that wouldn’t be good! Thank you for catching that!
Would it be ok to mix a can of drained tuna in it?
Definitely! I think it would be delicious!
What kind of mayonnaise do you guys use? I honestly don’t like “kraft real mayo”
I usually buy what’s on sale, honestly. But I tend to lean towards Best Foods myself.
Hellman’s is the best. I’ve been using it for over 50 years!
This recipe is excellent!! The crunch from the frozen
Peas just made this so yummy
Can I put cheese on top of the macaroni and bake it for few minutes??
No, I wouldn’t try that.
Hi, this sounds delicious and I want to make it for my daughter’s birthday party on Sunday. What type I mustard do you use? Yellow, brown or a grey poupon type?
Just regular yellow mustard – enjoy!
I definitely have to try this recipe.
This is kind of embarrassing but I’ve never made macaroni salad before, I personally am not a fan of red onions, do you think it’s okay to substitute it with shallots?
You could definitely replace the onions with shallots, or another type of onion. You could even leave them out altogether if you prefer.
I made this last night. I let it get nice and cold overnight and today while I was working. I came home and had some. It is absolutely amazing. I got a bowl of it. Filled me up like a meal. So delicious! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Thank you for the great feedback Caren!
Absolutely the Best Macaroni Salad recipe I have ever used! Thank you so much for sharing! I will keep this one and share with my family!
Thank you Clarice! Glad that you loved it.
I made this “in a pinch” when I did not have quite enough potato salad and coleslaw for my hubby and his poker pals. They loved it! In fact, the macaroni salad was all gone, while the others went virtually untouched. And they ALL said they loved the peas in it–they really made it special. This will be my go-to macaroni salad from now on! Perfection!
Thank you Margaret! So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
My family loved the Macaroni salad! Can’t wait to try lots of your recipes! They all sound so good! I will be using this site a lot more! Thank you!
So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
Thank you for stopping by!
Pretty close to the way I make my macaroni salad. The difference is, I like peas, but not in my macaroni salad. I only use green onion in mine and mostly the green part and some of the white part, chopped very fine, very little mustard. I use about half a dozen eggs in mine, sweet pickle relish, salt and pepper and mayonnaise. Sometimes I like tuna fish in my macaroni salad too.
I’m not a fan of peas either, but I will eat them only in this recipe!
And “Real Mayo,would be Hellmanns Or Nothing At All In My Opinion!!”
Grew up with this type of salad. Mom added a can of tuna fish…OMG, so good. Never had it with eggs, gonna try that (noodles boiling and eggs are peeled)
forget the peas, add some pimentos or sweet red pepper and a few chopped olives, and use celery heart…add juice of 1 lime, delete salt…. salt mac water instead
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!