The BEST Macaroni Salad Recipe Ever (With Video)

A crowd-pleasing salad filled with a variety of chopped vegetables, and has an amazing sweet & tangy flavor! It’s the perfect salad for parties, family picnics, and summer cookouts.

Check out some of my other delicious salad recipes, World’s Best Southern Potato Salad, THE BEST Tuna Macaroni Salad, and World’s Best Seafood Pasta Salad

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Ok, so… I have to give my aunt Lorretta a huuuuge shoutout because she’s partly responsible for the creation of what is the best macaroni salad EVER.

She has a knack for knowing just the right amount of seasonings and condiments to use to produce the perfect dish. And so I called her over to assist me in creating this recipe because I had never made it before.

Macaroni salad isn’t popular in the black community

There is a misnomer frequently used in the black community. I say this because if you ask the average African American to make macaroni salad, they’ll probably put Tuna in it! LMBO!

When I asked my Retta to come over and help me create this, the first thing she asked was, “Ok, what kind of Tuna do you use”? I responded, “Tuna, what do we need Tuna for”? She looked at me like I was crazy. LMBBO!

That’s because, in the black community, we rarely make “Macaroni” salad. We make what is called “Tuna Macaroni salad” and so that’s what most of us think of when we hear someone say Macaroni salad.

I think we’ve been making it with Tuna for so long that most of us only think of macaroni salad with tuna in it. But no, there’s a difference between macaroni salad and tuna macaroni salad. Lol!

And because of this, I am guilty of assuming that tuna macaroni salad is what they’re referring to when they mention or bring up “macaroni salad”. Lol!

I remember one of my subscribers asking me to do a video on how to make macaroni salad. I told her I had already done two videos on how to make, and she said, “Two videos on how to make TUNA macaroni salad, not macaroni salad.”

When she said that, I knew she wasn’t a sistah because, as I said earlier, most black folks mistakenly refer to tuna macaroni salad as macaroni salad, and it’s not the same. Lol!

Kim’s poppy store

Okay, STORY TIME! I remember this Chinese Deli store back in the 90s that was around the corner from my aunt’s old house in Philly. Aunt Janet, remember the one I said always brought the banging Italian Seafood Salad to every family cookout?

I modified and shared her Creamy Spaghetti Seafood Salad Recipe with yall a few months back. Anyway, this store right around the corner from where she lived was called Kim’s! They sold the best macaroni salad I’ve ever had.

It tastes great with fried fish. They served the macaroni salad in a little container as a side dish on fish platters. Anyway, everybody loved Kim’s Macaroni salad, so that’s the taste Lorretta and I were going for when creating this recipe…

We tried our best to emulate it and get ours to taste as close as possible to theirs, and we did just that—I may be a bit biased, but I think mine tastes a little better—I lie to you, not!

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Cookware and utensils you’ll need

We’re going to be using quite a few cooking utensils to prepare this delicious macaroni salad. Below are all the equipment, if you will, that you’ll need. Having all or most of these cooking utensils will make preparing this salad a easy process. So I hope you have as many as possible on hand. 

• Potato peeler: A potato peeler is used to peel the carrots.
• Cheese Grater: This makes it easy to shred the fresh carrots.
• Large Pot: This is needed to boil the macaroni in.
• Large Mixing Bowl: This is needed to make the salad in.
• Knife: Have a knife on hand to chop up the vegetables into small pieces.
• Spatula: You need a spatula to stir the noodles and fold in the ingredients.
• Big Spoon: You need a big spoon to serve the salad once it’s done.
• Measuring Cups: These are very useful for measuring the mayo.
• Measuring Spoons: These are useful for measuring the seasonings and add-ins.

Recipe Ingredients

• Macaroni Pasta: This is the main ingredient.
• Carrots: I peel carrots with a potato peeler and shred a very small amount, about 1 tablespoon worth, with a grater. However, you might be able to find some pre-shredded carrots at your local grocery store.
• Red onions: I like to use red onions because of their neutral, mild flavor, which won’t be too strong for the salad, and because of the color. I use them in almost all my salads for the same reason.
• Red Peppers: I love using red peppers for their color, too, because they make the salad so pretty!!! Yeah, you can call me superficial, but I like my food to taste good and look good, too!!
• Celery: You just can’t NOT add celery to macaroni salad. It’s an absolute MUST!! This is the one vegetable I probably use the most for my salad recipes. The same goes for onions—you just have to have them!

Ingredients for the salad dressing

• Mayo: Mayonnaise is the main ingredient and base for the salad dressing. Make sure you use a good brand of mayo like Dukes or Hellmann’s because, again, it’s the base and, therefore, what you would taste the most.
• Vinegar: Vinegar is one of the most important ingredients because of the tanginess it gives the dressing. It took me a few days to figure out that this is what KIM’s put in their mac salad to give it that special tangy flavor.
• Sweet relish: Sweet relish adds a pickle flavor to the dressing while also adding a mild sweetness. The sweet relish is just as important as the vinegar. Both of these condiments are what make the salad what it is.
• Mustard: The mustard adds tartness to the salad, which balances what is a pretty sweet salad. It also adds a little color, changing the dressing from white to beige.
• Sugar: I don’t use much, but it’s needed because the sweet relish alone doesn’t give the salad the level of sweetness it needs, so make sure you have some white sugar on hand.
• Salt: Salt is used to taste and enhance the flavor. Salt is very important because it makes every flavor in the salad more potent. OI wouldn’t replace this with seasoning salt or any complete seasoning.
• Garlic powder: The garlic powder adds a little depth of flavor, but I only use a little because too much of its pungent flavor can completely ruin the salad. All you need is a little bit of this.
• Black pepper: Black Pepper just makes everything taste better and is an essential ingredient in salads. I dont think there’s a salad I DON’T put a little pepper in.

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Common questions about macaroni

• What brand of macaroni do you use? A good name brand like Barilla, Mueller’s, and Ronzoni, to De Cecco and San Giorgio are good options. I’m not big on brands of pasta. As long as it’s a good brand, I’m good.
• Should you boil macaroni with oil? It’s not needed! Some believe the oil keeps the macaroni from sticking, but even if it does, it’ll easily separate when you stir in all the ingredients and dressing.
• Why add salt to pasta water? Adding salt just adds flavor to the macaroni and releases some of the starch. Seasoning the pasta is important because it adds to the overall deliciousness of the dish.
• What does it mean to “cook until al dente”? When you see recipes online instructing you to “cook pasta until al dente, it means to “cook until tender but firm”. This means to not overcook the pasta to where it’s completely done.
• Should you rinse the macaroni with cool water once it’s done? YES! Rinse it to cool it down and stop the cooking process, as it continues cooking when hot. So remove it from the pot of hot water immediately, strain it, and then rinse with cool water.

How to make macaroni salad

1. Preheat the water: Add cool water to a large-sized pot and add in the salt. Once the water comes to a boil, add in the macaroni and boil until Al Dente. Then, drain the hot water immediately, rinse, and set aside until it chills.
2. Create the dressing: To create the dressing, add all the condiments and seasonings to a large mixing bowl and stir well.
   
   

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3. Prepare the vegetables: Chop the vegetables, then add them to the dressings. Chop them into small pieces. You dont want big pieces of vegetables in the salad because you want them to spread all throughout the salad and biting into big chunks of vegetables ain’t the bizzness! Lol!
   
   

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4. Combine and garnish: Add the macaroni to the dressing and stir well, then garnish by sprinkling some parsley flakes over the macaroni salad for color so the salad isn’t bland-looking and unappetizing.
   
   

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5. Chill: Cover the salad with plastic wrap, then sit it in the refrigerator to chill.

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The BEST Macaroni Salad Recipe Ever Video

Tips for best results:

• Make the salad ahead of time: If you’re preparing the salad for a cookout, for example, on a Saturday afternoon, make this salad Friday night and store it in the refrigerator. It will make a world of difference to make this salad ahead of time because the ingredients will marry and come together, enhancing the flavor.
• Add the salt last: If you’re skeptical about the amount of salt used or are salt-sensitive or have high blood pressure, salt to taste. Add a small amount once the salad is done and give it a taste test. Then proceed to add more until the salad is to your liking.

What to Serve with Macaroni Salad:

Below are a few things I enjoy having macaroni salad with and that it taste well with. A few of these dishes are foods commonly served with macaroni salad so give them a shot. Since macaroni salad is a popular summer cookout salad, I figure I’d list a few things we like to bring to the family cookout that taste good with macaroni salad.

• Baked BBQ Chicken Recipe
• The Best Homemade Turkey Burgers 
• Simple Juicy Oven Roasted Whole Chicken
• Grandmas Sunday Dinner Meatloaf

Storage

• How do you store macaroni salad? Place the salad in a dish or Tupperware bowl, tightly seal it with a lid or plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator. 
• Can you freeze macaroni salad? Im not particularly fond of freezing it but I guess it won’t hurt. I recommend you not freeze it for more than a week if you decide to.

Macaroni Salad FAQ’s

• Do you have to use macaroni? Not necessarily! It is called “macaroni” salad for a reason! If you like the dressing and would like to use these ingredients with another type of pasta, go for it!!!
• How long does macaroni salad last? Definitely by three days… after three days, salads rarely taste the same or as good. They aren’t meant to last long, especially ones made with mayo. And it’s so good I don’t think it will. Lol!
• How to double or triple this recipe? If you want to double the recipe, all you’ll do is double the amount of each ingredient. You probably wont need to double the amount of water to boil the macaroni but an additional quart of water will work just fine.

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I want you all to give this recipe a shot. It might end up being everyone’s favorite macaroni salad recipe. My friends tried it, and after two spoonfuls, they were grunting and shaking their heads.

That means they were experiencing a full-blown foodgasm. LMBBO!! The recipe is below and available to print, so check it out and let me know what ya think. Please like, comment, share, and subscribe for more recipes.

For everything Philly Jay Cooking, updates, info… follow me on social media. Here are the platforms I’m on; to follow me, click these links: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Enjoy, later!
PBJ~

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The BEST Macaroni Salad Recipe Ever (With Video)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 7 reviews

• Author: PhillyboyJay
• Prep Time: 20 Mins
• Cook Time: 20 Mins
• Total Time: 40 Mins
• Yield: 8
• Category: Salad
• Method: American
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Creamy, homemade, deli-style macaroni salad recipe. Perfect for picnics, social gatherings, and summer cookouts.

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Ingredients

• 8 oz Elbow Macaroni
• 2 Qts Water + 1 Tsp Salt
• 2 Tbs Red Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs Red Bell Peppers, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs Celery, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs Carrots, finely shredded
• 2–1/2 Cups Hellman’s Mayo
• 1/4 Cup Sweet Relish
• 2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tsp Mustard
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
• Parsley Flakes (For decoration purposes)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with cool water, add in the salt, and place over high heat.
2. After 10 minutes, or once the water comes to a boil, add in the pasta, then stir well.
3. Boil the pasta for 10 minutes, then strain the water immediately.
4. Peel and shred a carrot, then chop the onion, pepper, and celery into very small pieces.
5. Get a large mixing bowl, add in the mayo, relish, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and seasonings, and whisk well.
6. Then add in the chopped vegetables and stir well.
7. Add in the macaroni, fold well, then garnish with parsley flakes.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 8