This old-fashioned macaroni salad is a quick and easy recipe that can be made ahead of time. Who doesn't love a great side dish that allows you to focus on other tasks and enjoy more free time?
Table of Contents
- Highly recommend!
- 🗝️Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store macaroni salad
- Marye's tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 🤭 Original Hellmann's Macaroni Salad Recipe ...Sort Of
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftovers
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- ✍🏻 A note from Marye...
- Macaroni Salad
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Nothing fancy. This macaroni salad is the one you probably grew up on. It's creamy, tangy, and packed with flavor - no weird ingredients.
- Summer tradition. Serve it at all your summer picnics, potlucks, and BBQs. It’s a crowd-pleaser that can be made ahead of time and served chilled.
- Be a rebel. In this case you're going to want to skip what everyone else does and you want to slightly overcook the macaroni. Trust me on this.
This is the Hellmann's classic recipe that my mom made with a few of her own tweaks.
Shredded carrots, extra green olives, tiny bits of chopped red onion, bell peppers, and celery are all mixed with tender elbow macaroni and swathed in a creamy mayonnaise dressing - it's absolutely craveworthy!
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Pickle Relish: Add a few tablespoons of sweet pickle relish for extra tang.
- Cheese Lovers: Mix in shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese for a cheesy twist.
- Spicy Kick: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or diced jalapeños for a bit of heat.
- Herb Garden: Toss in fresh herbs like parsley, dill, or chives for added freshness.
- Pasta. Elbows, shells, or some other type of macaroni noodles. Ditalini macaroni is fantastic for this recipe.
- Mayo or. Hellmann's mayonnaise, or homemade is what I use. Some people use Miracle Whip, but I prefer Hellmann's.
- Carrots. Mom always grated the carrots on the small side of a box grater and that's the way I do it, too. I don't like big chunks of crunchy carrots in it but the grated carrots add sweetness.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar.
Whisk to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Put macaroni, celery, carrot, onion, peppers, and olives in a large bowl.
Pour mayonnaise mixture over and stir gently to combine. Chill.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
For an extra layer of flavor, add a splash of pickle juice to the dressing. It adds a delightful tang that will make your salad stand out!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- large
mixing bowl - small
mixing bowl - whisk
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- colander
- measuring cups and spoons
- pan for cooking macaroni
🥫 Leftover love: how to store macaroni salad
Refrigerate promptly. Since macaroni salad contains mayonnaise throw it away if it's been out for 2 hours or more or if it feels warm to the touch. It's better to "waste" a little food than get sick.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir in a little extra mayonnaise if the salad becomes too dry.
Marye's tip o' the day
Let the macaroni cool before adding the dressing and vegetables! If you add your vegetables to the hot pasta they'll lose their crispness.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Rinse the pasta with cold water after cooking to prevent it from sticking and to cool it down quickly.
- Dice the vegetables uniformly for a consistent texture and look.
- Don’t skip the chilling time; it’s crucial for the flavors to develop.
- Use salted water to cook the pasta- about 2 tablespoons salt to 1 gallon of water.
- Elbow macaroni is traditional but I do love a good shell macaroni salad! The ingredients get stuck in the shells...perfection.
- Slightly overcook your pasta. I know the directions say not to overcook it but trust me on this. I once asked Mom why her macaroni salad was better than mine and she said (and I quote) "You have to cook the snot out of it darlin'". So there's that.
- Drain the pasta but don't rinse it. Mix about ¼ cup of plain mayonnaise with the macaroni to coat it and keep it from sticking. You can also use olive oil for this but I don't recommend it.
- I recommend Hellmann's Mayonnaise. I just like it the best.
- Be sure to use regular mayo and not low-fat or fat-free.
- Always go by taste with the dressing. I use a lot more sugar than is called for in the recipe - I probably use ⅓ of a cup because we like things on the sweet side. Adjust to your own tastes.
- Full disclosure - Just to be honest - I double the salad olives because I love them.
- Let the flavors blend at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving. It's better the next day.
- You may need to add a little more dressing just before serving if the macaroni soaks up all of the moisture. Just be prepared to make more and stir it in.
- If the dressing seems too thick after it's mellowed in the fridge you can add a little cream or milk to balance it out.
- Always keep macaroni salad chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve and cover and put leftovers back in the refrigerator promptly.
- Old-fashioned macaroni salad is fantastic for potlucks and cookouts (everyone loves it!) but you MUST keep it cold. The easiest way is to fill a big bowl with ice and keep the bowl of macaroni salad in the bowl of ice.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Nope. The veggies will get slimy and the dressing will end up being a weird texture.
Be sure to let the macaroni cool completely before making your salad. That way it won't soak up so much dressing. It's also a good idea to keep some extra dressing on hand just in case.
It's got mayonnaise so you'll want to throw it away at the 2-hour mark if it hasn't been put away.
Yes, shells or other small pasta work best.
Yep! It tastes best if it is made the day before anyway. You can make it up to 24 hours ahead of time.
🤭 Original Hellmann's Macaroni Salad Recipe ...Sort Of
As far as I know, this is the classic macaroni salad recipe that Mom (no doubt) cut from the newspaper or a package of something or other. I'm guessing Hellmann's Mayonnaise.
She was not a creative cook so I imagine it is pretty much as written. I have considered updating it but I just can't bring myself to mess with it. It's perfect the way it is.
My mom told me that the secret was to overcook the macaroni. No al dente here, folks. Cook it until it is very tender but still holds its shape.
It will soak up the flavor from the creamy dressing that way. It is always better the second day so make it ahead of time if you can.
Sometimes, when I am feeling particularly rebellious, I will add some fresh parsley or tarragon.
Just sayin'.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftovers
This may sound a little crazy but I like to make lettuce wraps with the leftovers. Spoon a little macaroni salad in romaine lettuce leaves and wrap. It sounds weird but it's so good.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
Old-fashioned macaroni salad is a summer staple. How in the world would we have potlucks, church picnics, family reunions, and cookouts without a big Tupperware bowl of it on the table somewhere?
It's a family favorite.
There are a lot of ways to make this heirloom recipe but I find that the more simple it is the more I like it.
I think the flavor is a little rough at first but if you let it chill in the fridge a little and give it time to settle down I guarantee you'll like it a lot better.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound dried elbow macaroni, uncooked small elbows or shells
- 2 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise, or homemade
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mustard, plain yellow prepared
- 2 tablespoons sugar, more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste
- 2 cups celery, celery - thinly sliced
- 1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- ½ cup onion, peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup carrot, grated
- 1 cup salad olives with pimentos, drained
Instructions
Step one
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Pour in elbow macaroni and cook until very tender.
- Drain completely but don't rinse.
- Stir a little mayonnaise into the macaroni to keep it from sticking.
- Cool completely.
Step two
- Combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning and sweetness.
- Put the cooled macaroni, celery, carrot, onion, peppers, and olives in a large bowl.
- Pour mayonnaise mixture over and stir gently to combine.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight if time permits.
- Add a little more dressing if necessary before serving
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days - keep chilled if you are bringing it to a cookout or picnic.
Notes
- Slightly overcook your pasta. I know the directions say not to overcook it but trust me on this. I once asked Mom why her macaroni salad was better than mine and she said (and I quote) "You have to cook the snot out of it darlin'". So there's that.
- Drain the pasta but don't rinse it. Mix about ¼ cup of plain mayonnaise with the macaroni to coat it and keep it from sticking. You can also use olive oil for this but I don't recommend it.
- Let it cool before adding the dressing and vegetables! If you add your vegetables to the hot macaroni they'll lose their crispness.
- This is fantastic for potlucks and cookouts but you MUST keep it cold. The easiest way is to fill a big bowl with ice and keep the bowl of macaroni salad in the bowl of ice.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
I grew up on this dish for dinner. It's my absolute favorite hot weather recipe.
In the summer my mom just didn't cook a lot because of the heat and it was the main course.
If it was the weekend dad would grill but during the week? We were likely to eat a cold pasta salad. We were not big eaters.
Meals were often just what happened to be in the fridge and could consist of cantaloupe with ice cream, or sandwiches, or strawberry shortcake, or the best macaroni salad ever.
Seriously. Mom made the best.
I think her secret was making macaroni salad with green olives! Lots and lots (and lots) of olives - plus the way she made the creamy pasta salad dressing with mayo.
If you were still hungry afterward? Ah... the sound of my mom's voice echoes through the decades...Grab a carrot.
The answer to world hunger as far as my mom was concerned was raw carrots. Snack food? Carrots. Craving something? Grab a carrot.
And you know what my kids hear when they are wanting a snack? Yep... Grab a carrot.
Anyway, to me macaroni salad was summertime. I was a bit of a picky eater but I could put this stuff away. My kids can, too.
First published August 1, 2010. Last updated June 24, 2024 for editorial improvements.
Classic Summer Salad!
Macaroni Salad
Don't lose this recipe! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board.
Tracy Arrington says
Amazing traditional macaroni (not pasta) salad. I've made this time and again, thank you so much for the recipe. It's now a go-to.
Norma says
This is the best macaroni salad recipe I have found. I use Trader Joe’s garlic stuffed green olive…..
KC says
Thank You for sharing this. What great memories. I have made this before. Was on a pasta box years ago. My Mom always made this salad for the family picnic. She added small precooked shrimp to it. She would put the frozen shrimp into boiling water to which she added old bay seasoning. It was just to refresh them. Then drained and chilled them making sure to Pat them dry, and added them just before serving. She always had extra dressing on hand for that point. Again, Thank You So Much.
Debbie says
I just made this and followed it (almost) to the letter. I added a little more carrots is all… it still has to chill, but I am so pleased with the results thus far! Will try to add tuna next time I make it..
Christina says
This is essentially the same as what Mueller’s put on their box, and my Mother-in-law turned into a family favorite decades ago, but she always added 2 cans of tuna to a double batch. When she died, I got the recipe, and, despite being a very good home cook, this was the only recipe I was always asked to make, and I always added 3 cans of tuna. I did note that while the more official recipe specifies CIDER vinegar, some of the earlier verbiage does not specify cider vinegar. It is an essential flavor element to the recipe. Making the mayo based dressing on it’s own, before adding the ingredients to the pasta is CRUCIAL to making this recipe work (My sister-in-law.made it once, and added the ingredients to the pasta without mixing it all together first, and it was disgusting) I use a mix of green, red, orange and yellow bell peppers to add color and varying flavors to the salad. While I tend to make the elbow noodles (or whatever pasta I use) a little more softer than al dente, go with what you like. Do NOT make this pasta salad at the last minute. It needs to rest for a minimum of a couple of hours to blend the flavors. I have always made it a day ahead of time. I also ALWAYS make a double batch, because I, and my family enjoy it so much.
Christin says
S on the Mueller’s box 50+ years ago, minus the olives. The crucial element is getting the cider vinegar amount just right - too much, it’s sour, too little? Lacking in flavor. When my Mother-in-Law died, I took over the recipe because the family loved it so much. Others in the family have mad it, but they neglect to put the dressing ingredients together FIRST. If you don’t do so, it just tastes like a masts mess of mayo! Done right, it is absolutely delicious. Worth every minute of prep, instead of buying nasty store bought macaroni salad. I have made it for pot-lucks - YES ALWAYS ADDING CANNED TUNA - 3 cans for each recipe - and I make a triple recipe, and it is ALWAYS GONE at the end of the party!!!!
Kathy Reed says
The absolute best! I diced some sharp cheddar and added it. Everyone loved it. Don't change a thing.
SHEILA SCHIEBER says
I haven't made this yet, but I didn't know anywhere else to comment that your "print icon" doesn't work!!!!
Marye says
It worked for me and a couple of testers. Sometimes there's a problem with your firewall or your browser.
Dave says
Haven't made it yet, but sounds about right. My mom passed and we lost a bunch of recipes, thanks for giving me one back. Mac salads are an open book, anything can go in there, I add hard boiled eggs,like mom. But I like your style, too many chefs on these sites, taking Betty crocker recipes from the 70's reinventing basic food. Nice to see a true old recipe.
Cameron Sprow says
Its GOT to be al dente or I cannot eat it. If there is one thing I hate, it's mushy macaroni!
Christina says
Excellent recipe, and worth taking the time to make it yourself - because deli macaroni salad sucks. Couple of notes: If you don’t care about vegan/vegetarian, try adding a couple of cans of tuna fish. For outdoor gatherings, try putting only half of it out at a time, to keep it fresh and cool. I put it in a plastic bowl (no glass outside), and place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice. This is not only for food safety, but it tastes much better when it is properly chilled. The other half in the fridge will stay fresh longer if it is not used, but has been kept chilled. If you need the other half, add it to the chilled bowl.
Nina M says
This is my second time using this recipe for a pot-luck bbq, as the first time was a smashing success and I was so very glad for leftovers the next day! I love that your website has the portion multiplier for the ingredient quantities. If only every other website did that, my life would be so much easier!
Anyway, I picked this recipe out of many that I looked at on the internet, as it seemed the most like one I had made as a young teenager at a friend's sleepover. I distinctly recalled that old recipe included "White wine Worcester sauce" which now is identified as marinade for chicken and not on my local grocers' shelves but only online. I substituted the regular Worcestershire sauce (measured to taste) and eliminated the pimento stuffed green olives. I also added a heavy couple of shakes of dried mustard powder (in addition to the yellow mustard) and also another couple of heavy shakes of my own dried crushed parsley that I had set up from last year's garden...I could have used fresh, but I didn't want that texture to go to mush.
After measuring everything out the first time, my husband (home chef) tasted the dish and recommended another healthy splash of apple cider vinegar, which I did. Oh my! It turned out perfect! It did need stirring before and during food service and I also kept it in a covered pyrex container over ice, as it was a blaring hot day. I was mother hen over that dish, throwing it back in my cooler as soon as everyone got a portion because there was no way I was going to let that spoil and not be able to eat the leftovers. Day two was even better, since I'm always last minute throwing stuff together and it only originally sat for about an hour or so before our bbq party. Well, I'm still last minute making it again today for the second time, and this time I was more heavy handed in my "measure" so we could have extra sauce to absorb.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It's av keeper!! If I could have figured out how to attach a photo, I would have included that here...💌
Marye says
I am glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know... You can always add a photo to the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RestlessChipotle/
Keely says
My moms was very similar to this. She used the juice that came in the olives instead of straight vinegar.
Marye says
That is brilliant! I'm going to try it next time! Thanks!
Tracy Arrington says
OMG, are you kidding me right now? Made this as written, (halved the recipe) super delicious. It's now my go-to mac salad recipe. Been eating on it for 3 days and am not tired of it yet. Bravo and thanks for sharing.
Carlee says
Mmmmm! There is something about a classic like this that really makes you want more! This looks delicious!
Marye Audet says
Thanks! Yep - I grew up on it so it's big comfort food for me!
Lucie Bougie says
Oh my, this macaroni salade is excellent it makes a change to mine, thanks! ??????
Marye Audet says
🙂 Thanks!
aimee @shugarysweets says
I'm a sucker for any kind of macaroni salad!!! This looks fabulous 🙂
Marye Audet says
Me too, Aimee! I can eat way too much of this stuff!
Kathleen says
Reading that made my stomach growl. 🙂 My mom used to add small cubes of cheese and hard boiled egg.
Kathy W. says
I made this as a side for dinner tonight. I only had green bell peppers, and I skipped the olives and used a fresh-picked tomato instead.
I had to guess on the mustard -- I wasn't sure if you meant dry or prepared...so given the era it was from, I used prepared yellow.
I liked it. One kid who prefers spicy brown mustard suggested that would be better. Another person who isn't a fan of celery commented that maybe less celery.
Dh who is allergic to wheat didn't eat it at all. (I made him other things...)
We must not eat as much as your crew because we have plenty left over.
I tell ya, you'd go nuts around here feeding people. LOL
Fran says
I had this as a 13 year old ...My sister use to make it thanks for the sweet memories...and the recipe 2.....
maryeaudet says
I grew up on it, Fran. Isn't it funny how foods do that to us?
Kathy W. says
I know you said you have never messed with it...but if a random person were to detest olives but like tomatoes, do you think tomatoes could be substituted for olives?
maryeaudet says
Sure Kathy... Chop small - I think it would be amazing.