Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
on Jun 22, 2017, Updated Sep 11, 2024
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Classic Macaroni Salad just like you’d get from your grocer’s deli – only better! Loaded with celery, carrots, peppers, and eggs, and topped with a creamy dressing.
If you love a super simple classic macaroni salad from the deli, you’re going to be amazed at how easy it is to make your own at home in just the time it takes for the macaroni to cook.
You can serve it alongside a Classic Burger, a Healthy Turkey Burger, some Grilled Chicken, or even a Pork Chop Sandwich. Add some fresh seasonal fruit and you have the perfect summer meal!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super easy to make – cook some pasta, chop some vegetables, and make a simple dressing.
- Perfect salad to take to any kind of party/picnic/cookout/potluck during the summer – it goes with everything!
- Budget friendly – add some extra macaroni to stretch it a little further if you need to.
Recipe Ingredients
- Macaroni pasta: You could also use another noodle of a similar size.
- Hard boiled eggs: Make these a day or two ahead of time so they are ready when you want to make the salad.
- Vegetables: Red bell pepper, carrots, celery, red onion are the basics in the classic version of this macaroni salad.
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Mustard: You can use either yellow mustard or Dijon mustard.
- White vinegar
- Sugar: This is optional but does contribute to the flavor of the salad.
- Salt and pepper
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad
- Step #1. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the macaroni according to the package instructions.
- Step #2. Drain the macaroni and rinse it in cold water.
- Step #3. Grate the carrots and chop up the other vegetables into small, even pieces.
- Step #4. Make the dressing in a small separate bowl by stirring together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar, and sugar.
- Step #5. Put the macaroni, vegetables, and dressing into large mixing bowl and stir together until everything is evenly coated.
- Step #6. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve right away.
Recipe FAQs
Only cook the pasta until it is al dente (the shortest cooking time recommended on the package). Over cooked pasta gets mushy and tends to break when stirred.
Yes. It’s a good idea to rinse cooked pasta in cold water when making pasta salad because it lowers the temperature and stops it from cooking. And, it takes off the starchy coating that causes cooked pasta to stick together.
The type of mustard you use will change the flavor. If you like mustard, use yellow mustard because its flavor is more pronounced. If you want the tang with a less distinct mustard flavor, use Dijon mustard.
Yes! You can substitute a non-dairy sour cream. While I haven’t tested it in this recipe, I have found that non-dairy sour cream is a very good substitute, especially the Forager brand. Be sure to check that the other ingredients you’re using are dairy-free.
Expert Tips
- Chop the veggies just about as small as you can if you are after a true “deli-style” macaroni salad.
- Sugar is not necessary for this recipe; however, I think it makes the flavor more classic.
- If you want to use Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise, keep in mind that it’s a lot sweeter than mayo, so you’ll probably want to omit the sugar if using it.
- To save yourself some time, you could buy hard boiled eggs and buy a bag of shredded carrots at the grocery store.
More Pasta Recipes to Consider
Pasta Dishes
Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
Pasta Dishes
Pumpkin Alfredo
Pasta Dishes
Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Baked Pasta
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups macaroni pasta, about 8 ounces
- 1 cup chopped boiled eggs, about 4 eggs
- ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- ½ cup finely grated carrot
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon or yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar, optional
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until it is cooked al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- While the pasta cooks, put the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar, and sugar in a separate small bowl and stir to combine.
- Grate the celery and cut the bell pepper, celery, and red onion into small pieces roughly the same size.
- Add the pasta to a medium mixing bowl. Add the eggs, bell pepper, carrot, celery, and red onion to the pasta. Add the mayonnaise mixture.
- Stir everything together until it is all well-coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.
Video
Notes
- To create the most classic macaroni salad, chop all the vegetables into small and even pieces.
- Sugar isn’t required so I recommend making it without the sugar the first time you make this salad, taste it and add a tablespoon if you feel the salad needs it.
- There’s some debate on how classic the addition of hard boiled eggs is. I’m on team “you have to add the eggs.” It totally changes the texture and flavor if you ask me (but you can omit the boiled eggs if you want).
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Is the 2 cups of pasta measured dry or cooked?
Dry
Macaroni salad is one of my favorite summer sides! This looks so good. We were team no eggs in my house growing up, but I’ve seen so many pasta salads that include them recently, I kind of want to try adding them!
Macaroni salad is one of my favorite summer sides! This looks so good. We were team no eggs in my house growing up, but I’ve seen so many pasta salads that include them recently, I kind of want to try adding them!
Isn’t this just the best? I love all the different variation of pasta salad but my favorites are the ones that have mayo and sour cream! Delicious!