This macaroni salad is creamy, tangy, veggie packed and loaded with flavor. It’s perfect for picnics and barbecues and it’s always a crowd pleaser!
If you want to be very popular at the next potluck or picnic then take along a bowl of this macaroni salad.
It’s packed with crunchy veggies and the dressing is so good you’ll probably make a plan to start using it on loads of other things as soon as you taste it.
And this is also a perfect salad to make in advance. It gets even better after some time chilling in the fridge so if you need to make it the night before that works perfectly.
It makes a perfect side dish and if you love pasta salads as much as we do then try our Greek pasta salad too.
How To Make Macaroni Salad
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- It’s wonderfully easy to make this macaroni salad.
- To start with you need some cooked macaroni, so cook up some elbow macaroni according to package instructions and then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
- While your macaroni is cooking, chop up your veggies. We have a delicious crunchy mix of red bell pepper, celery, spring onions (also called green onions, salad onions or scallions), red onion, sundried tomatoes and cilantro in this salad.
- Mix up your dressing. Add mayonnaise, greek yogurt (or sub sour cream), white wine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to a measuring jug and whisk to combine.
- Now add your macaroni to a salad bowl and add in the chopped veggies and toss together.
- Pour over the dressing and toss it all together.
Chill in the Fridge
Now cover your salad bowl and place into the fridge and leave to chill for at least one hour. This will blend the flavors beautifully!
Make Ahead
This salad is perfect to make ahead as you can leave it chilling in the fridge longer than an hour and it will only become more delicious. So it’s perfect to make it the night before.
Make It Vegan
If you want this to be vegan you can substitute a dairy-free plain yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt and be sure to use a vegan mayonnaise. Hellman’s have a vegan mayonnaise or you can use Just Mayo which is also vegan.
How Long Does Macaroni Salad Keep?
You can store macaroni salad in the fridge for 5 days and it will stay fresh and delicious.
Of course this assumes that it has been in the fridge the entire time. If you have leftovers after a picnic and it’s been sitting out for a couple of hours, then it’s best to discard leftovers just in case.
It is not freezer friendly.
More Salads and Sides
Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 18 ounces Elbow Macaroni 500g/One Full Pack Uncooked
- 2 Red Bell Pepper Chopped
- 4 Stalks Celery Large Stalks, Chopped
- ½ cup Spring Onions Chopped*
- ½ cup Red Onion 1 Small, Chopped
- ½ cup Sundried Tomatoes Chopped
- ½ cup Cilantro Chopped
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
- 2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsp Dried Dill
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
For Serving:
- Cilantro Chopped
- Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and rinse it in cold water.
- While the macaroni is cooking, chop up your veggies.
- Mix up your dressing by adding all the dressing ingredients to a measuring jug and then whisking to combine.
- Add the cooked macaroni to a salad bowl. Top with the chopped veggies and toss to combine.
- Pour over the dressing and mix in. Cover the bowl and place into the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend.
- Serve topped with a garnish of chopped cilantro and freshly ground black pepper.
Video
Notes
- Spring onions may also be called green onions, salad onions or scallions.
- This macaroni salad will keep in the fridge (covered) for 5 days. It is not freezer friendly.
- Make it Vegan: You can make it vegan by using a vegan mayonnaise (like Just Mayo) and using a dairy-free plain yogurt instead of the Greek yogurt.
- Make Ahead: This salad is perfect to make-ahead as it keeps very well in the fridge and the flavors are even better the next day. So if you need to make it the night before, this recipe works great for that.
So tangy and flavorful! We had this at a barbecue last night and it was a serious crowd pleaser! Thanks for the recipe.
Yay! It’s definitely always a crowd pleaser. Thanks for the awesome review. xo