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Macaroni salad served in a styled dish.

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Macaroni salad

Yield
4 servings

This is the creamy, tangy, crunchy scoop that sits next to the burgers. It also teaches the trick every cold salad needs: seasoning food that will be eaten cold, when salt and acid go quiet.

Ingredients
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Ingredients

Servings
Units
Batches and reset

4 servings · US measures · 1 batch

Batching

Boil one batch of macaroni in each 6-quart pot of water and mix it in a bowl of about 4 quarts; for a larger yield, cook a second batch. Boiling and chilling times and cues do not multiply with ingredient quantities.

Original recipe: 4 servings.

Extra salt, pickle brine and the paprika dusted on top are to taste and excluded from the base nutrition scenario. Fine salt is the selected salt. Nutrition is incomplete because the salt the macaroni absorbs from its cooking water and the pickle brine composition are not established.

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Before you start

  • Read through the recipe before heating the pot. Gather the pot and its lid, colander, large bowl, small bowl, whisk, covered container, knife, cutting board, wrap or lid and the measured ingredients.

Directions

1

Read and gather

For the whole recipe

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything, keeping the chopped parsley separate, and clear a spot in the refrigerator for the bowl. Everything is prepared and measured before the pot goes on the heat.

2

Whisk the dressing

For each batch of salad

Whisk about 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sour cream, 1 tbsp dill pickle brine, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp fine salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp sweet paprika in the small bowl until smooth. Spoon about a quarter of it into the small covered container and refrigerate it for later, before any of it touches the pasta. The dressing is smooth, with no streaks of mustard.

3

Bring the water to a boil and cook the macaroni

For each batch of salad

Bring 4 quarts water to a full rolling boil in the covered 6-quart pot over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tsp fine salt, then stir in about 8 oz elbow macaroni right away. Boil hard, uncovered, stirring now and then, until a piece bitten in half is tender with no firm white center, about 8 to 9 minutes.

4

Pour off the water, rinse and season the macaroni

For each batch of salad

Pour the macaroni into the colander to drain, then rinse it under cold running water, tossing, until it feels barely warm, not cold. Shake the colander hard and let it drain for a minute or two. Toss it with 2 tbsp cider vinegar in the large bowl. The macaroni is barely warm, well drained and coated with vinegar.

5

Add the vegetables and fold in the dressing

For each batch of salad

Add the celery, red onion, red bell pepper and dill pickles, scrape the dressing from the small bowl over the top, and fold, lifting from the bottom and turning over, until every piece is coated and the salad looks creamy and a little looser than you would serve it.

6

Cover and chill

For each batch of salad

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until a spoonful from the center feels cold on your lip, about 60 minutes. For a faster chill, spread the salad in a shallow container. You can make it up to a day ahead.

7

Stir, taste and adjust

For each batch of salad

Stir, then taste a forkful of pasta and vegetables. Aim for creamy and tangy, then gently sweet, with macaroni that tastes seasoned on its own. If it tastes flat, add fine salt to taste. If it tastes dull or heavy, stir in dill pickle brine to taste. If it looks tight or dry, stir in the reserved dressing a spoonful at a time until it is creamy again. The salad tastes creamy, tangy and seasoned.

8

Fold in the parsley and serve

For the whole recipe

Fold in 2 tbsp fresh parsley and dust the top with sweet paprika to taste. Divide among plates to make 4 servings, or set the bowl over ice if you serve it outdoors. Keep it at 40°F or below, and refrigerate leftovers within two hours of setting it out (one hour above 90°F). The salad is garnished and served cold.

About this recipe

Research preview: these details come from our sourced research and haven't been reviewed by our chef yet.

Why it works

Salted water seasons the pasta from the inside, and cooking it a little past al dente keeps it tender once chilled. Vinegar goes onto the barely warm pasta first so it soaks in, the creamy dressing comes after, and some dressing is held back because the pasta keeps drinking it as it chills.

Associated with

American

A cold elbow-macaroni salad dressed with mayonnaise, served like potato salad or coleslaw beside barbecue, fried chicken and picnic food; a US salad book printed a macaroni salad in 1916. Hawaii has a plate-lunch version with very soft macaroni, and the Philippines a sweet holiday version.

Taste

  • Sweet
  • Sour
  • Salty
  • Bitter
  • Savory
  • Heat

A mayonnaise and sour cream dressing sharpened with pickle brine, mustard and cider vinegar., A little sugar and paprika round it out. · soft, tender macaroni, creamy dressing, crunchy celery, onion, pepper and pickle · cold

Skill level

Easy

Simple steps; the cues are a tender bite with no white center and a final taste after chilling.

You'll practice: Salt the pasta water, Cook pasta a little past al dente for a cold salad, Season in layers: vinegar first, then dressing, Hold back some dressing, Taste cold food cold

Allergens

Contains: wheat, egg, milk.

Check the mayonnaise, pickles, pickle brine and vinegar labels; formulations vary.

Diets

Vegetarian: Depends on what you buy Pescatarian: Depends on what you buy Vegan: Doesn't fit as written Dairy: See the allergen lines Egg: See the allergen lines Gluten: See the allergen lines

Occasions

  • Fourth of July · cookout side

    Macaroni salad ranks among the most-searched Fourth of July side dishes; a cookout side next to the burgers.

    Fixed: July 4 (US federal holiday)

    Next: July 4, 2027 (announced)

  • Lenten abstinence days (Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent) · fits the abstinence rule

    No meat is listed; eggs and dairy are permitted.

    Abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday (Easter minus 46 days), Good Friday (Easter minus 2 days) and every Friday of Lent.

    Next: February 10, 2027 (expected)

    Next: February 12, 2027 (expected)

    Next: February 19, 2027 (expected)

    Next: February 26, 2027 (expected)

    Next: March 5, 2027 (expected)

    Next: March 12, 2027 (expected)

    Next: March 19, 2027 (expected)

    Next: March 26, 2027 (expected)

Course: side-dish · Technique: boil, chill · Time: 1-to-2-hours, make-ahead

Serving and keeping

Best served: Cold, after chilling about an hour and a final taste From a bowl, set over ice if served outdoors

Make ahead: Keep back about a quarter of the dressing to loosen the salad before serving.

Storage: Keep it at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, and refrigerate within 2 hours of setting it out (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C).

Leftovers: The pasta keeps absorbing dressing; loosen leftovers with a little reserved dressing.

Food safety

  • Use commercial mayonnaise, which is made with pasteurized eggs; homemade mayonnaise uses uncooked egg.
  • Chill the salad promptly; a shallow container cools it faster.
  • Keep the salad at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, set the bowl over ice outdoors, and refrigerate it within 2 hours of setting it out (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C).

We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients. Check the mayonnaise, macaroni, pickle and mustard labels.

Nutrition notes

Most of the fat comes from the mayonnaise.

The pickles, pickle brine and salt carry much of the sodium; taste before adding more salt.

The enriched macaroni, parsley and red bell pepper add folate, vitamin K and vitamin C.

We don't show nutrition claims (like “good source of”) until our legal review is done.

Swap notes

  • mayonnaise · vegan

    Works with changes

    Use: vegan mayonnaise (made without egg), same amount

    What changes: Replace the sour cream with more vegan mayonnaise.; Check the macaroni label for egg white, and use beet sugar or a certified vegan cane sugar.; Slightly thinner; taste for salt.

    Not a swap: Plain yogurt for all of the mayonnaise, which turns chalky and weeps water by the next day.

  • mayonnaise · hindu.lacto_vegetarian

    Works with changes

    Use: vegan mayonnaise (made without egg), same amount

    What changes: For households that avoid onion and garlic, leave out the onion and use garlic-free pickles and mustard.

    Not a swap: Kosher-dill pickles and their brine, which are made with generous garlic.

  • mayonnaise · orthodox.fast_strict

    Works with changes

    Use: vegan mayonnaise (made without egg), on oil-permitted days only

    What changes: Replace the sour cream with more vegan mayonnaise.; Slightly thinner, with less tang; add a squeeze of lemon.

    Not a swap: Regular mayonnaise, which is made with egg.

  • mayonnaise · lighter dressing

    Works with changes

    Use: up to half the mayonnaise replaced with plain whole-milk Greek yogurt or more sour cream

    What changes: Tangier and less rich; use a little less pickle brine and taste after chilling.

    Not a swap: Plain yogurt for all of the mayonnaise, which turns chalky and weeps water by the next day.

  • elbow macaroni · other pasta shapes

    Works with changes

    Use: small shells, ditalini, cavatappi or rotini

    What changes: Cook each to the same bite cue; bigger shapes such as cavatappi need a spoonful more dressing.

    Not a swap: Spaghetti or other long pasta, which clumps and will not scoop.

  • elbow macaroni · passover.ashkenazi

    Not recommended

    Not a swap: Wheat pasta is chametz and is the body of the dish; no Passover pasta swap was sourced.

  • red onion · buddhist.five_pungent

    Works with changes

    What changes: Leave the onion out; add a little more celery or herbs for crunch.; Use garlic-free pickles and mustard.

    Not a swap: Sliced scallions, which are also an onion-family plant.

  • celery

    Works with changes

    Use: seeded, diced cucumber, folded in just before serving

    What changes: Celery is rich in mannitol; cucumber gives a low-FODMAP crunch.; A low-FODMAP version also needs a pasta labeled low-FODMAP, no onion, and cider vinegar in place of the pickle brine.

    Not a swap: Chopped fresh tomatoes, which leak juice and thin the dressing.

  • cider vinegar · no cider vinegar

    Works with changes

    Use: white wine vinegar, distilled white vinegar (a little less) or fresh lemon juice

    What changes: Distilled vinegar is sharper; lemon reads brighter.

    Not a swap: Balsamic vinegar, which turns the salad brown and sweet.

These notes don't change the amounts, allergens or nutrition shown for this recipe.

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Recipe url
https://isthebestrecipe.com/salads/macaroni-salad
Name
Macaroni salad
Servings
4
Recipe yield
4 servings
Recipe ingredient
about 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sour cream, 1 tbsp dill pickle brine from the pickle jar, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp fine salt for the dressing, 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground, 1/4 tsp sweet paprika, 1 1/2 tsp fine salt for the pasta water, about 8 oz elbow macaroni about 2 cups, 2 tbsp cider vinegar, 2 stalks celery cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 1/3 cup red onion finely chopped (about half a small onion), 1/2 whole medium red bell pepper cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 1/3 cup dill pickles finely chopped (about 2 small), 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
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Macaroni salad