This is The Best Macaroni Salad and is a classic recipe perfect for holidays, BBQs, and potlucks. AND...this recipe will not disappoint. Unless you love celery in your Macaroni Salad, that is. If that's the case, add some to the recipe.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Macaroni Salad may be one of the easiest recipes, but it's also one of the best. Everyone likes it, making a perfect dish for BBQs, Thanksgiving, Potlucks, or a side throughout the week.
Ingredients
Pasta: Elbow Macaroni is all you'll need for this recipe. Pretty simple.
Vegetables: For this Macaroni Salad, I used Red Bell Pepper, Shredded Carrots, Frozen Peas, and Red Onion. I know; I didn't use celery. That's because I'm not too fond of raw celery. But if that's your thing, pop some of it in there! After all, this is YOUR recipe now!
Relish: I just went with some regular store-bought sweet relish, and it works perfectly.
Cheese: Freshly shredded cheddar cheese is the way to go. I highly recommend shredding your own. It has a better flavor and texture, for sure.
Macaroni Salad Dressing: Grab some mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, Dijon mustard, Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder. This mixture is perfectly sweet and vinegary. YUM!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Begin by boiling the macaroni per the package instructions.
While the pasta is boiling, combine the diced bell pepper, onions, shredded carrots, and frozen peas in a large glass mixing bowl. Give the veggies a good stir to get them all mixed.
Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, combine all the other ingredients and whisk them together until thoroughly combined.
Once the pasta is done boiling, strain the noodles and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Step 3: As soon as the pasta has cooled, add them to the veggie mixture and gently stir to mix them with the vegetables.
Step 4: Lastly, pour the macaroni salad dressing over the noodles and veggies. Again, stir gently until the dressing combines with the other ingredients thoroughly.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the macaroni salad for at least an hour before serving. This will give the flavors time to meld and make the salad nice and cold.
Expert Tips
- Run your macaroni under cold water after boiling to stop the cooking process.
- Boil the pasta to just before al dente. This will keep the pasta firm. Don't worry. Even though you will run it under cold water, it will still cook more. But this will create an ideal texture.
- Chilling the Macaroni salad in the refrigerator for at least an hour is essential. This gives it time for all of the flavors to settle and meld. Plus, the colder the salad, the better.
Recipe FAQs
The main reason for adding vinegar of any kind to macaroni salad is for the flavor. Apple cider vinegar adds a nice tanginess and balance to the sweetness of the sauce, providing a more complex and pleasing flavor profile.
Macaroni salad sauce is a mayonnaise-based sauce that commonly combines ingredients such as sour cream, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, sweet relish, and assorted herbs and spices.
Yes, apple cider vinegar and white vinegar are typically interchangeable in most recipes, including salad dishes such as macaroni salad.
Yes, once the pasta has boiled just before the al dente, strain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
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📖 Recipe
Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Macaroni Noodles
- 1 Red Bell Pepper - diced
- 1 Red Onion - diced
- 1 Cup Shredded Carrots
- 1 Cup Frozen Peas - thawed
- 1 Cup Freshly Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Macaroni Salad Dressing
- 2 Cups Mayonnaise
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- ¼ Cup Sweet Relish
- 2 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- ¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Begin by boiling the macaroni per the package instructions.
- While the pasta is boiling, combine the diced bell pepper, red onions, shredded carrots, and frozen peas in a large glass mixing bowl. Stir to mix them together.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients and whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Strain the noodles and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- As soon as the pasta has cooled, add them to the veggie mixture and gently stir to mix.
- Pour the macaroni salad dressing over the noodles and veggies, stirring to be sure everything is evenly mixed.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- Run your macaroni under cold water after boiling to stop the cooking process.
- Boil the pasta to just before al dente. This will keep the pasta firm. Don't worry. Even though you're going to run it under cold water, it's still going to cook a little bit more. But this will create an ideal texture.
- Chilling the Macaroni salad in the refrigerator for at least an hour is essential. This gives it time for all of the flavors to settle and meld. Plus, the colder the salad, the better.
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