Macaroni Salad

By Millie Peartree

Updated June 6, 2024

Macaroni Salad
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist; Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(1,683)
Comments
Read comments

Macaroni salad, a cookout favorite, doesn’t take much to be great — just the right amount of moisture and seasoning. This version draws its inspiration from the macaroni salad at the Kennedy Fried Chicken restaurants. For the perfect balance, use a more savory brand of mayonnaise here, since the recipe gets its sweetness from a bit of sugar and shredded carrots. Make sure the macaroni salad is cold when you serve it; it can be chilled for up to 3 days and then served straight from the refrigerator. The only time macaroni has to be served hot is when it’s covered in mounds of cheese, like this Southern Macaroni and Cheese.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings (3 quarts)

    For the Macaroni

    • Kosher salt
    • 1pound elbow noodles
    • 2celery ribs, finely diced
    • 1red bell pepper, finely diced
    • ½cup shredded carrots (from 1 medium carrot)
    • ½cup finely diced red onion

    For the Dressing

    • 1cup mayonnaise
    • ½cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
    • ¼cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
    • 1tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1tablespoon Dijon or yellow mustard
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
    • ½teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

374 calories; 22 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 286 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles until a little past al dente, then rinse under cold water and drain. Once the noodles are cool enough to handle with your hands, transfer them to a large bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Add the celery, bell pepper, carrots and onion to the cooled noodles; toss to combine.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Pour dressing over the pasta mixture and toss until everything is well coated. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,683 user ratings
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Comments

Kirsten

This is the perfect macaroni salad. I would only add: maybe more veggies? Don't be shy! Also I would add a recommendation from Cook's Country, just in terms of technique: cook the pasta to just shy of al dente. When you add the dressing, add, only 3/4 of the dressing. Refrigerate until cold. Add the rest of the dressing just before serving; the lukewarm pasta will have absorbed the first round, but the second round will coat the pasta and make it creamier on the table.

cook.bot

It made me smile just to read such a classic rendition of what was, for those of us over a certain age, the first pasta salad we ever encountered. As comforting a dish in summer as mac 'n cheese is in winter. Not given in recipe text (but included in photo), a shower of paprika is mandatory.

Bohemian Sarah

How did I manage to be the only one to insist on celery seed? The macaroni salad I remember from my Long Island childhood in the Kennedy Administration always had celery seed. Ditto the ones I later bought for years at Wawa's in Pennsylvania, before I fled to Europe to escape Trump and his slavering minions.

Kim D

After tasting the original recipe, I added a bit of sweet relish. Improved the flavor and made it taste a bit more nostalgic.

susan

Made this classic for an event. Used Hellman’s and if using Hellman’s again I’d leave out the sugar. (Just ordered Duke’s. I live in New England and haven’t found Duke’s in a store nearby.) Added red onion. Sprinkled top liberally with sweet paprika. Was going to add chopped cucumber but forgot. As an aside, I used up the last of a squeeze plastic jar/bottle of Hellman’s and I got so annoyed at how much was left in the container, despite my best efforts to coax it out, I took my husband’s Buck knife and sawed off the top of the mayo container to get at it. I swear there was at least another 1/4 cup of mayo in there. Annoyed I was, but needs must and I found a way to get it out though maybe not recommended if gashing your hand is a (legit) worry. No blood was spilled in my war against the squeeze container, though. I won this battle. Don’t think I’ll be replacing the squeeze bottle, either. Oh, and the macaroni salad is yummy!!

susan

Oh, and I subbed white wine vinegar for the AC vinegar. Glad I did.

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