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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This is a very tasty, refreshing Macaroni Salad recipe-thanks! I love mixing mayo and sour cream in Cole Slaw and Potato Salads, so this was a welcomed addition to the recipe box.
Jen, I so enjoy your recipes. I hope you remain available through this site as I check it daily.
Christine
I’ve made this salad and have absolutely loved it. I have been requested to make a tuna pasta salad for an upcoming brunch. Do you think this pasta salad would be good if I added chopped tuna? Or is there a better protein to mix in with this salad?
Hi Julie, I do think it would work – shrimp would be good too.
This recipe is perfection! I added a bit more salt at the end due to personal preference and it was a perfect addition to a low country boil!
I made this salad for the first time, and it was delicious. I will make it again for sure, but definitely a day in advance. I put it together right before serving and it was ok/good. But the next and even the day after that it was delicious. Once the flavors had a chance to meld it really was perfect!
I love this macaroni salad and I have made it quite a few times- I was wondering if anyone ever tried it with gluten-free pasta?
My family absolutely loves this pasta salad; we use fusilli. My husband recently turned 50 and I made this along with your barbecue pork ribs in the oven. My one question is how much is considered a serving in the nutrition information. I’m assuming 1/2 cup, but wasn’t sure.
Hi Jennifer, I’d guesstimate it would be closer to 3/4 cup. So glad this is a hit with your family!
I am so glad I found this recipe! I have fond memories of a particular flavor of macaroni salad from my childhood. This one really hit the mark, and was a great add to our recent cookout dinner. Love the creaminess, the crunch, the whole shebang. Great job once again, Jen!
I love this recipe so much. My children, who told me they hated Mac salad all their lives totally devoured it. I put in a little sugar, a little more Dijon, and added some chopped up pickle. A big hit!
I love this recipe. It it just the right amount of crunch(veggies), and creaminess with just a hint of both sweet and tang! I followed the recipe to a T and added just a teaspoon of celery seed (I love celery seed). I love your site and everything I have made so far has been out of this world! For those that have not tried the chicken marsala, you need to! It won’t disappoint.
Again – thank you Jenn – this Mac salad was a huge hit! I did make one adjustment of using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I will make this again & bring it to my work potluck!
I love macaroni salad and have never found the perfect recipe until this weekend when I tried your recipe. It’s the ultimate in perfection. Thank you again for making me such a happy cook.