Macaroni salad is a party, potluck, or cookout staple. No get-together is complete without a giant chilled bowl, and today, I’ll show you how I make my favorite recipe and the perfectly creamy, slightly sweet dressing that goes along with it. ~Sam Merritt
What Ingredients are in Macaroni Salad?
Different macaroni salads contain different ingredients, but my staples include:
- Elbow macaroni (obviously 😉)
- Sweet pickles
- Red pepper
- Celery
- Red onion
- Hard boiled eggs or shredded or diced cheddar cheese
- A homemade mayo-based macaroni salad dressing
You can obviously add your favorite additional add-ins or make substitutions (I know some people prefer sliced green onions to red onion and some people like to add paprika to their dressing), but this if my favorite combination and I really recommend you try it out exactly this way at least once for yourself.
The dressing I just mentioned sets it apart from other potluck recipes you might have tried. It provides just the right amount of creaminess—the noodles are coated in just enough sauce and are neither dry nor drenched in the dressing. It’s also just slightly sweetened, thanks to the addition of some sweet pickle juice and a pinch of sugar.
How long can you keep Macaroni Salad?
Macaroni salad can be stored in an airtight refrigerator container for up to five days. It is an excellent salad for making in advance (I recommend chilling for at least an hour before serving) and serving at picnics and potlucks. However, try not to leave it out at room temperature (or worse, in the heat!) for very long as the salad dressing base will not keep well in the heat.
How Do You Make Homemade Macaroni Salad?
Prep Time: 15minutes minutes
Cook Time: 7minutes minutes
Chilling Time: 1hour hour
Total Time: 1hour hour 22minutes minutes
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 408kcal
Author: Sam Merritt
Ingredients
- ▢8 oz dry macaroni noodles (227g)
- ▢½ cup finely diced sweet gherkins usually 4-6 sweet gherkins for me (80g)
- ▢¾ cup finely diced red bell pepper about ½ pepper (100g)
- ▢⅓ cup thinly sliced celery about 1-2 stalks (55g)
- ▢⅓ cup finely diced red onion (45g)
- ▢2 large hard boiled eggs, finely diced
Macaroni Salad Dressing
- ▢¾ cup mayonnaise I use olive oil mayo (175g)
- ▢¼ cup sour cream (70g)
- ▢2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice
- ▢1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar*
- ▢1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ▢2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ▢¼ teaspoon salt
- ▢¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ▢⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ▢⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper , optional
Instructions
- Prepare macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water, then drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and gently stir so the noodles don't stick together as they sit.
- In a large bowl, combine macaroni noodles, sweet pickles, red pepper, celery, red onion, and eggs. Stir until well-combined. Set aside and prepare your dressing.
For the dressing
- To prepare your macaroni salad dressing, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, red wine vinegar, sweet pickle juice, sugar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until ingredients are well-combined.
- Pour dressing over your macaroni salad ingredients and toss until well-combined.
- For best flavor, cover bowl and allow macaroni salad to chill for at least one hour. Stir once more before serving and enjoy!
Notes
*If you don't have red wine vinegar on hand, white wine or apple cider vinegar would also work well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 463mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 884IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Thank You, Sam Merritt from Sugar Spun Run for the recipe.
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