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This easy Macaroni Salad is the perfect side dish served alongside your favorite summer foods! A classic crowd-pleaser made with hardboiled eggs, celery seed, and a creamy dressing.
Pasta salad is a perfect side dish to bring to a potluck, cookout or BBQ party. A few of our other summertime favorites are Cucumber Salad, Italian Pasta Salad, and Zucchini Salad.
Easy Macaroni Salad
Who doesn’t love a creamy macaroni salad? This potluck staple couldn’t be easier to make and is always a hit. It has a few secret ingredients that make it the BEST Macaroni Salad.
This is a great side dish to bring to a party or to make for a family dinner because it is easy to whip up. The cook time and prep time is short and it can be made in advance because it tastes best after chilling in the fridge.
What Ingredients are in Macaroni Salad?
There are a few main ingredients in a classic macaroni salad with egg:
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream (Yes, Mayo and Sour Cream! Perfect balance of taste and creaminess)
- Chopped Yellow onion
- Fresh parsley
- Dijon mustard
- Rice vinegar (It’s a little bit sweet – perfect for this salad!)
- Celery seed (Adds so much flavor!)
- Hardboiled eggs
- Bell pepper (For some crunch and color!)
How to Make Macaroni Salad
- Cook elbow macaroni. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water until cool.
- Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, onions, parsley, mustard, rice vinegar, celery seed, salt, and pepper (IMAGE 1). Stir until combined, then add cold macaroni and stir to coat. (IMAGE 2)
- Add eggs and chopped bell pepper. (IMAGE 3 and 4) Fold in until combined.
- Cover bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Tips for Making Macaroni Salad
- Instead of dijon mustard, you can also use yellow mustard.
- I like to add a chopped bell pepper for some color and crunch to the salad.
- If you love celery in your salad, you could add a celery stalk to the salad. Finely mince it and add it with the pasta.
- Instead of yellow onions, you can also use 3-4 green onions. Green onions have a lighter flavor.
- Sprinkle with some paprika if you like
- Instead of rice vinegar, you could also use the same amount of pickle juice. Depending on the pickle juice you might have to add less salt.
My favorite Add-ins
- Cubed cheddar cheese or any other mild cheese
- Halved pitted olives
- Garlic Powder
- Finely Sliced Pickles
- Canned tuna
Tools and Ingredients used to make this Recipe
Celery Seed: SO MUCH FLAVOR!
Rice Vinegar: We always have a bottle at home – great for salads and Asian cuisine! Less harsh than other vinegar.
Mayonnaise: I prefer this Mayonnaise for salads!
Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 hardboiled eggs, chopped
- 1-2 bell peppers, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water until cool.
- In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, onions, parsley, mustard, rice vinegar, celery seed, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined, then add cold macaroni and stir to coat.
- Add eggs and chopped bell pepper. Fold in until combined.
- Cover bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
