Nothing tastes better with a grilled hamburger or a barbecue chicken sandwich than a cool and creamy Southern Macaroni Salad! File this perfect side dish recipe away for your next cookout or potluck -- it always wins rave reviews!
Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
If there's one common theme to any Southern picnic, I can assure you that it's a creamy pasta salad. Specifically, a Macaroni Salad! No cookout would be complete without at least one of these classic side dishes.
A classic Macaroni Salad is the perfect make-ahead side dish to share with friends and family. It just gets better as it sits and the pasta, vegetables, and egg absorb that sweet, creamy and tangy dressing.
Ingredients
The salad ingredients are pretty simple, and can be modified to suit your preferences or whatever you've got sitting in the fridge.
- Macaroni
- Onion
- Celery
- Sweet bell pepper
- Hard boiled eggs
- Fresh parsley
How to Make Southern Macaroni Salad
I've perfected my macaroni salad recipe over the years, and I'm finally confident in the version that I'm sharing with you today. The dressing-to-pasta ratio is ideal. The sauce has a slightly sweet taste in the background (without being overpowering), and there's just a hint of yellow mustard in the mayonnaise-based dish. A garnish of fresh parsley is the final Southern touch that my mom and my grandmother would never omit!
- Boil the pasta; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- Chop the veggies while the pasta cooks.
- Whisk together the Macaroni Salad Dressing with mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard and garlic.
- Toss the cool pasta, veggies, eggs and parsley with the dressing. Cover and chill.
How to Make Macaroni Salad | 1-Minute Video
What to Serve with Southern Macaroni Salad
There are a number of easy main dish options that go well with macaroni salad. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Grilled hamburgers or hotdogs
- BBQ Chicken
- Pulled BBQ Chicken
- Pulled Pork
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Grilled Steak
- Grilled Salmon
- Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken
- Grilled Chicken
- Crispy Fried Chicken
- Fried Shrimp
Storage
Store leftover macaroni salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing macaroni salad, as the pasta and vegetables will get mushy when thawed and the creamy dressing with break.
Recipe Variations
- Use any short pasta, such as elbow macaroni, mini shells or rotini.
- Add cooked, diced chicken, ham or shrimp to the salad.
- If you like a sweet burst of flavor, try adding peas to your macaroni salad.
- Omit the hardboiled eggs if you don't care for them.
- Stir in diced dill pickles or sweet pickle relish.
- Add cheese, such as diced cheddar or mozzarella.
Tips for the Best Macaroni Salad Recipe
- Rinse the pasta under cold water to help it cool down, stop the cooking, remove starches, and prevent sticking.
- Give the salad plenty of time to chill in the refrigerator before serving. It's a great prep-ahead dish, because it just gets better as it sits for a few hours and the flavors come together.
- If your macaroni salad looks dry, it's probably because the pasta has absorbed a lot of the dressing. Just stir in a couple of extra dollops of mayonnaise right before serving, if necessary.
I hope that you enjoy this classic macaroni salad as much as my family does. It's the one cold pasta salad that all 4 of my boys give two thumbs up!
More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes to Try
- Classic Pasta Salad
- Aunt Bee's Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
- Avocado Shrimp Pasta Salad
- B.L.T. Pasta Salad
Classic Southern Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 6 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni pasta (about 1 ½ cups uncooked, or 3 cups cooked)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.While the pasta cooks, chop the onions, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and garlic until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine cool pasta, onion, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley. Toss with dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Rinse the pasta under cold water to help it cool down, stop the cooking, remove starches, and prevent sticking.
- Give the salad plenty of time to chill in the refrigerator before serving. It's a great prep-ahead dish, because it just gets better as it sits for a few hours and the flavors come together.
- If your macaroni salad looks dry, it's probably because the pasta has absorbed a lot of the dressing. Just stir in a couple of extra dollops of mayonnaise right before serving, if necessary.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Aren't cookouts the best?! It just screams summer, and you can't beat the food. This macaroni salad looks amazing, Blair! I love the flavors and pretty color. Definitely a summer staple in my book!
Blair
The best! Thanks, Gayle! It's totally a summer staple! 🙂
Roxanne
Where is the ingredients list? I got everything but that, instructions, etc., but no ingredients.
Blair
Hi, Roxanne! The ingredients weren't published right away (annoying glitch), but I fixed them almost immediately so they should be there now. Maybe refresh your browser if you still can't see them? Sorry about that hassle! 🙂
Vickie
This is hands down the absolute BEST macaroni salad I’ve ever tasted. I never need to try another recipe. My mom was from Kentucky, and this is what what I was raised on. Never could duplicate her recipe, but you have! Thank you!
Blair
That makes me so happy to hear, Vickie! Thank you!
Linda
Hello Vickie,
Your comment struck me because my mom was born and raised in Kentucky as well.
This recipe is very similar to my mom's recipe. And I make mine like my mom. She was an amazing cook. The main difference is we always added lots of hard boiled eggs. I can't tolerate the texture of the egg whites so I only use the yolks but I do like a strong eggy flavor in my macaroni salad. We also added a descent amount of sweet pickle chunky relish. One ingredient that was a must in macaroni salad rather than regular onion was green onions, never regular onion. Mam always topped her macaroni salad with fresh chopped parsley and paprika.
I don't make macaroni salad very often but I enjoy it year round not just in the summer.
Have a blessed day my friend. If your mother is still with you tell her hello from another daughter of a fine Kentucky lady!
Bill Claussen
Okay!!! Where is the list of ingredients with their amounts??? Am I overlooking something here or do I have to watch the video to get the amounts??? Thank you so much!!! Love your site!!!
Bill Claussen
Okay!!! After posting my former comment the ingredients came up!!! Thanks!!!
Blair
Awesome! Thanks, Bill!
Cynthia Winfrey
I make my version of this from spring to fall using different pasta shapes and with various meats from tunafish to shrimp but i use only fine chopped celery and red onion sauteed to soften before adding to the rest of ingredients sometimes adding dry ranch dressing mix to the mayo.
Blair
Your versions sound great, Cynthia! 🙂
arkgranny
Where is the actual recipe? I see instructions to put it together but no list of ingredients and the amount.
Bill Claussen
Refresh your page and it will jump out at you!!! I don't know why it just does!!! Lol
Blair
Hi! The ingredients have been added to the recipe, so try refreshing your page and they should appear. 🙂
Tami
I'm sorry but I didn't care for this. The garlic just ringed it for me and my family, and we are Italian, put extra garlic on everything, but it just didn't work in this salad. All your recipes I've made have always been on point, I'm sure it's just a personal preference.
Tami
Ruined, not ringed
Blair
Hi, Tami! That's okay! Thanks for the feedback! Other readers who don't care much for garlic in their pasta salad might choose to omit it in the future. 🙂
Kelli
I would never use garlic either. I'm very southern and have never heard of garlic in macaroni salad
Ada
Hi making your salad for about 25 guest. Can't figure how to adjust amount of pasts and ingredient. HELP.. THANK YOU FOT IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.
Blair
Hi, Ada! I think it's safe to assume about 1/2-cup to 1-cup of pasta salad per person. This recipe yields about 8 cups total, so one recipe should serve at least 8 (or more) people. I would suggest multiplying all of the ingredients by 3 and that should be more than enough for your group (assuming it's a side dish and not the main entree). So for instance, you would use 18 ounces of uncooked pasta, 3 cups of mayonnaise, 6 T vinegar, 6 T sugar, etc. Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
Angie
I have a question. I’m thinking of making this for church on Sunday. It says slice the eggs and then have them added with everything else to stir in. Wouldn’t it be better to dice or cut them up? Why sliceC
Blair
Hi, Angie! You can totally just dice the eggs if you prefer! I said "slice" because I use one of those hardboiled egg slicers because it's quick. 🙂 They break up in the salad, so any way that you cut them will be fine!
Sherry Bratcher
Your recipe is exactly the way my mom made it since I can remember excellent but my mom did add relish
Blair
Wonderful! I'm so glad that it's just as you remember it, Sherry! Relish sounds like a great addition, too! Thanks so much. 🙂
Judy
Hi Blair,
I enjoy your blog very much & look forward to it every Sunday.
You know what would be fabulous? If you could do a TV show every week Instead of this blog! I'm sure everyone would tune in!
If Rachel Ray could do it, so can you! Plus, it would be better, because with your adorable family Involved, we can relate on the same level. It's so refreshing to see your activities every week & how you fit & schedule everything in. This is what family is all about. Your the perfect mother & wife that we admire and with your your guidence we can be too!
Blair
You are so kind, Judy! 🙂 I love the idea of a show, but I haven't been offered one yet. Do you know a producer?! Hah! 🙂
Alex Czimback
This is the BEST macaroni salad I have ever made, I found the recipe 6 weeks ago and now by popular demand I make it every week . I did add larger amounts of the vegetables, and 2 xtra tablespoons of vinegar. Also I went with 1/2 mayonnaise and 1/2
Sour cream. Thank you
Blair
Wonderful! I'm so happy to hear that you love it, Alex. Thank you!
Jane
WOW! This is the best mayonnaise pasta salad I have ever eaten. Perfect proportions! Garlic and the mustard just made it. I can’t believe I made this. Thank you! Thank you! Your recipes don’t let me down. Gonna try those green beans next. Yum!
Blair
Wonderful! Thank you, Jane! I'm so glad that you like it as much as I do. 🙂
anne short
You have got to be kidding. No one could stop at a one cup serving. This is so good the next time I make it I'm doubling the recipe. And I live alone. lol
Blair
Hah! Thank you, Anne! I'm planning on making it this evening -- definitely a favorite around here, too! 🙂