We like to say we’ve got the best Macaroni Salad in town! It’s lighter on the mayo so that you can taste everything else that goes into this classic American staple that graces the table of every potluck, barbecue, cookout, and pool party all year long. We’ve got creamy, we’ve got the crunch, and we’ve even got the soft chew of cheese and the little pops of peas. One might say this salad not only comes to the party, it’s part of the party. Or, you know, it’s just a really good macaroni salad.
We’ve got an equally good Tuna Mac Salad for those who roll even bolder, and for those who appreciate our lighter-on-the-mayo approach, you may really dig our version of Potato Salad too.
Why Our Recipe
- Light on the mayo so you can actually taste the other ingredients, including the dressing that’ll leave you wanting to lick the plate clean.
Ingredient Notes
- Elbow Macaroni: Any short pasta like fusilli, penne, or bowtie works well. For a gluten-free version, opt for gluten-free pasta.
- Cheddar Cheese: You can use diced mozzarella for a milder taste and fresh mozzarella for a softer bite.
- Red Onion: To tone down the bite of fresh red onion, soak chopped onions in water for about 10 minutes before adding. Green onions or shallots are also good milder alternatives.
- Celery and Bell Pepper: Serve as the crunch. Celery is super mild and blends in, and red bell pepper is preferred for the sweet bite, but you could use any color of bell pepper.
- Frozen Peas: The most controversial ingredient in our mac salad. You can skip them if you must.
- Mayonnaise: Use plain Greek yogurt for a lighter option.
- Cider Vinegar: You need the acidity to balance the flavors. White wine vinegar or red wine vinegar could also be used.
- Fresh Dill: While fresh is strongly recommended, you could also use 1 tablespoon dried.
- Sweet Pickle Relish: We like the sweet, but you could also use dill pickle relish as well.
- Dijon Mustard: We like the strong bold flavors of the dijon, but you could also use yellow mustard in the same amount.
Chef’s Secret
The key to making sure your macaroni salad isn’t mushy is to only cook your pasta until it is just barely al dente and then immediately rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process. Al dente means the pasta should be tender but still firm when you bite it. Since the pasta will absorb some of the dressing, it’ll continue to get softer. Cooking just to al dente will avoid that additional softening that goes from soft to mush so quickly.
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you make this dish the night before, it does absorb a significant amount of the dressing. Some people double the dressing ingredients when making ahead. The other option is to mix the pasta with all the veggies in a bowl, and keep the dressing separate until ready to serve.
Food Safety
Macaroni salad can sit out for up to 2 hours at room temperature before it should be discarded.
If you serve yours at an outdoor function, make sure to keep it chilled before serving and opt to put it in a shady spot once you’re ready to dig in. This dish can goes bad in the sun much more quickly than 2 hours.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. While you can just put some plastic wrap over the bowl, it does keep better if it’s stored in a separate sealed container.
Freezing is not recommended as it turns to mush upon thawing.
More of our delicious pasta salads…
Italian Couscous Salad
1 hr 30 mins
BLT Pasta Salad
32 mins
Tuna Pasta Salad
1 hr 27 mins
Cilantro Ranch Pasta Salad
32 mins
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Just love this recipe. I made it today, so so good…
Love this salad and it is always a big hit. Occasionally I add a large can of tuna fish flaked in it and have received so many compliments. I am always asked to make this for family get togethers.
We served this with grilled lemon pepper chicken thigh/legs on Memorial Day. Made a great meal and we will be using this recipe again. Thank you for sharing it.
I love this recipe, and it is so pretty…like rubies and emeralds all through it. Made it for a picnic tomorrow, but of course I tasted it. and, it will be even better tomorrow as the flavors meld…thank you, Rachel, for this lovely recipe
I made this today with the exact ingredients except peas. Did not want to go to store just for them. It made no difference though. It is absolutely the best macaroni salad I have ever tasted and I have tasted a lot. Thank you Rachael for yet another winning recipe. . You are the best.
It was delicious
My husband LOVES LOVES LOVES macaroni salad. I made this but cut all ingredients in 1/2 as there’s only the two of us. Hubby ate two helpings at dinner and two more while watching a movie. He said it’s the best I’ve ever made. Easy to make and I had all the ingredients on hand.
Does it have a sweet taste to it?
definitely, so you could cut the sugar out. It’s really good though anyway.
Mine did not… just balanced the vinegar – sweet and tart!
Slightly sweet, but the vinegar balances it all out making it just the right combination.
I just add a teaspoon of sugar. Enough to cut the taste of the mustard and vinegar
No, it cuts the vinegar bite.
I was skeptical at first because some of the ingredients in it. But I made it and Absolutely loved it. My mother-in-law asks me every weekend when I’m going to make it again. Has the perfect crunch, and the flavors blend well and when they say it’s the best macaroni salad I have to agree!!
Super easy and so good – I used reg canned peas bc it was all I had and left out the peppers bc I didn’t have any. You can use whatever you have and it’s still good!
I’m very picky when it comes to my macaroni salad, but I have to say this came out to be a really really good recipe. I did use a yellow bell pepper instead of a red because that’s what I had on hand, I also used dry dill instead of fresh because I didn’t have any fresh and I added a little more cider vinegar because I like mine a little more tart, but even with all the changes it came out to be so good not too creamy cuz I don’t really like mayonnaise but everything else was dead on. This recipe is a keeper.