The Only Classic, Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe You’ll Ever Need
From barbecues to potlucks, picnics to campouts, macaroni salad is one of the great summer side dishes. Creamy, carby, and cold (essential for mayo-based salads in the summer!), we always, always get excited when we see a big bowl of macaroni salad on the table. While plenty of delis make a decent version, our homemade macaroni salad recipe really is so much better than anything you could buy. Not only is it free of preservatives or stabilizers (of course), it’s also just way better in every way—taste, texture, freshness, you name it! You can cook the macaroni to a perfect al dente so that you know for sure your mac salad will be satisfying to eat instead of mushy. With a sweet, tangy, delicious macaroni salad dressing, our easy macaroni salad recipe will get you rave reviews all season long.
Macaroni Salad Ingredients
Everyone seems to make their macaroni salad in a slightly different way, but elbow macaroni is an obvious must, and it’s just not macaroni salad without mayonnaise. That mayo makes the macaroni salad dressing creamy, but some sort of sweet ingredient—sugar or honey, typically—makes the dressing a bit sweet, too. Some people add mustard as a contrast, but we’ve opted for an allium-based sharpness instead! Onion powder and scallions provide the much-needed lift that this mac salad needs. Carrots and celery for crunch, and you’re pretty much good to go! Sweet pickle relish is another “secret” macaroni salad ingredient for us—it adds so much flavor and all you have to do is open a jar. Here’s your macaroni salad shopping list:
Elbow macaroni
Mayonnaise
Sugar
Honey
Onion powder
Black pepper
Carrots
Sweet pickle relish
Celery
Scallions
How to Make Macaroni Salad From Scratch
Yes, we really do think ours is the very best macaroni salad recipe there is, but that doesn’t mean it’s hard to make! Classic, creamy macaroni salad is so, so easy to make. Some recipes like to get fancy with fresh herbs or vinaigrette dressings—and that’s fine. But as for us? If we’re eating mac salad, it’s got to be classic, all-American, super old-fashioned, mayo-dressed macaroni salad! Here’s how to make a truly classic macaroni salad:
Cook the macaroni and rinse it with cold water to cool it off.
Whip up the macaroni salad dressing! Just stir together the mayo, sugar, honey, onion powder, pepper, and salt.
Chop the vegetables! Shred the carrots, and chop the celery and scallions.
Toss everything together! Cover the macaroni salad and pop it in the fridge to chill.
How Long Does Macaroni Salad Last?
Mayo-based salads like macaroni salad and potato salad are notorious summertime trip points. They really, really need to stay cold! You should keep the macaroni salad in the fridge until you plan to serve it, and once it’s out on the table, follow the “two-hour rule”—if it sits at room temperature for more than two hours, it’s time to toss anything left in the bowl. And, according to the FDA, consider the temperature outside—the FDA says "If the air temperature is above 90°F,, the 'two-hour rule' becomes a one-hour rule.” As for making macaroni salad ahead of time, you do want to give yourself enough time to make the salad and let it chill for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. But beyond that, fresh is best! The prepared macaroni salad will keep for a few days in the fridge before serving, but we like to make it day-of so that everything tastes and looks bright and fresh.
More Summer Salad Recipes to Try
Tools You’ll Need:
Is This the Best Macaroni Salad Recipe Ever, or What?
We hope that it is! We certainly think so, or we wouldn’t be sharing it! But we’d love to know how it turned out for you—let us know when you served it, who you shared it with, and what you liked about! So, if you make it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
