Macaroni Salad
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This macaroni salad is a fresh spin on the old-school classic. A few simple upgrades to the creamy dressing dial up the flavor, while a generous mix of crisp veggies adds color and crunch. It’s bright, refreshing, and just the thing for warm-weather cookouts or picnics.
Macaroni salad is a must-have side dish at summer picnics, BBQs, and potlucks—right alongside coleslaw and a classic potato salad. This one has all the appeal of the old-school version, but with a few updates to make it even better: an extra-creamy dressing and plenty of crisp vegetables for freshness and crunch.
The secret to the perfect creamy texture is thinning the dressing with a bit of water so it coats the pasta without getting too clingy. Keep in mind that the dressing thickens and is absorbed by the noodles as the salad sits, so while you can prep all the components ahead, it’s best to toss everything together right before serving. This macaroni salad recipe pairs nicely with steakhouse burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, baby back ribs, grilled chicken or BBQ chicken.
“This is my go to macaroni salad…I make it with different veggies each time depending what I have and it’s always good.”
What You’ll Need To Make Macaroni Salad
- Pasta: Select elbow macaroni, cavatappi, cellantani, farfalle, or fusilli pasta. These are ideal for pasta salad because their ridges, twists, and curves hold onto the creamy dressing and other ingredients, ensuring every bite is flavorful. Their small, bite-sized pieces also make them easy to eat.
- Mayonnaise & Sour Cream: Form the base of the creamy dressing. Be sure to use a good-quality brand, such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Sugar: Balances out the tanginess with a touch of sweetness.
- Dijon mustard: Provides a subtle tang and depth of flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds acidity and brightness to the dressing.
- Onion powder: Lends a mild onion flavor without overwhelming the dish.
- Carrots, Celery, And Red Bell Peppers: These veggies add color, sweetness, and crunch.
- Scallions: Lend a mild onion flavor and slight crunch.
- Fresh basil: Adds fresh, herby flavor that brightens up the salad.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender according to package directions, about 1 minute past al dente. While it boils, prep the veggies. When it’s finished cooking, drain the pasta and let it cool to room temperature.
Pro tip: You can be generous with the salt. Salting the water seasons the pasta from within, which adds flavor to the salad.
Step 2: Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, mustard, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and onion powder until smooth. Whisking the dressing separately ensures it’s completely smooth and evenly seasoned before it coats the pasta and vegetables.
Step 3: Put it all together. Add the cooked pasta, carrots, celery, bell pepper, scallions, and basil to the dressing in the bowl.
Step 4: Mix and serve. Stir the components until evenly combined. Serve the macaroni salad immediately or let sit for up to an hour at room temperature. The dressing will thicken a bit as it sits.
Pro tip: If you’d like to get a head start, the dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead, and the pasta, veggies, and basil can all be prepped a day in advance. Just be sure to store each component separately.
More Salads You’ll Love
Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz macaroni, cavatappi, farfalle, or fusilli pasta
- 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1¼ teaspoons salt, plus more for cooking the pasta
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup finely diced or grated carrots, from 1 to 2 carrots
- ¾ cup finely diced celery, from 2 to 3 celery stalks
- 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, finely diced
- 6 scallions, light and dark green parts, finely sliced
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until tender (about 1 minute past al dente). Drain and let cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, mustard, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
- Add the cooked pasta, carrots, celery, bell pepper, scallions, and basil to the bowl and stir until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve the salad immediately or let it sit for up to an hour at room temperature before serving. (Keep in mind that the dressing will thicken and get absorbed by the noodles as the salad sits.)
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Great recipe! I only cooked the pasta to al dente, should have done the extra minute. Dressing is the best.
Thank you, it’s a perfect side ,quick and easy and most important: delicious!
A nostalgic recipe. Did you or anyone ever put pimentos in your macaroni salad? Do you think the addition would work with your recipe. I’d love to make it for our 4th of July cookout.
Thank you!
Kristen Berry
Hi Kristen, I haven’t put pimentos in this, but I think you could. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Jenn,
Thank you for the “Better Macaroni Salad” recipe. My husband, when I told him I was making macaroni salad, he said ” Oh, ok.” I ‘m sure he was thinking of macaroni with mayonaise and sweet pickle relish – he’s not a fan.
Vegetables are his thing. He loved the salad witht the carrots, pepper, and onion. And the dressing with the mustard – he was SOLD. He volunteered this salad for a potluck emergency radio event he is involved in.
THIS IS A COMPLIMENT TO YOU!!
I am putting this on as my premanent Potluck salad for the rest of the summer.
Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
Finally a macaroni salad with great flavor other than bland mayo & peppers. Thanks much!
This sounds delicious, but I love macaroni salad with chopped hard-boiled eggs would that work with this recipe and would I need to increase wet ingredients?
Hi Karen, Sure, that’ll work. I’d either increase the dressing by a bit or make a little less pasta. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
This is similar to a recipe from “The Store”, a posh caterer in the Hamptons. However, instead of salt added to the dressing, they add beef bullion which adds a deeper flavor to the dish.
Also, low-fat Greek plain yogurt is a good sub for sour cream. I make the substitution at 50/50 in every mayo-heavy dish, including tuna salad.
Hi Jenn, How about adding a can or two of tuna to make it an entree salad?
Thanks. Chuck Klemballa
Sure, Chuck, that would work!
Thank you, it’s a perfect side ,quick and easy and most important: delicious!
I think would work well!
Hi Jenn. I have a silly question. Is it 1 pound of cooked or dry pasta? I can never remember if the weight referenced in pasta recipes is pre or post cooked. I’m excited to make this today with seasoned chicken thighs in our air fryer.
dry (one box) 🙂
do you salt the cabbage first so the cabbage does not get soggy?
Hi Patrick, Are you referring to my coleslaw recipe? If so, I do not salt the cabbage (and it doesn’t get soggy).
When I make my macaroni salad, I marinate the pasta with an Italian vinaigrete the night before. Gives it zest!