• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • More Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Easy Dinner Recipes
    • Appetizers/Snacks
    • Side Dishes
    • Best Dessert Recipes
    • Cookies
    • All Recipes
    • Categories
  • Travel
  • Shop

Easy Recipes for Family Time - Seeded At The Table logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Cookies
  • Easy Dinner Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • Travel
  • Shop
  • Contact
×

Home » Holidays » 4th of July » Favorite Classic Macaroni Salad

June 14, 2019 Updated: July 8, 2020

Favorite Classic Macaroni Salad

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Pin
Share
Post
337Shares
Jump to Recipe

Everyone has a favorite classic macaroni salad recipe and this one is ours!  This best old-fashioned macaroni salad includes cheese cubes, dices of boiled eggs and crisp veggies with a creamy dressing that encompasses our favorite summertime flavors.

Click here to SAVE this Macaroni Salad recipe!

A wooden spoonful full of classic macaroni salad.

It's summertime and we are loving the weather here in Mississippi!  Usually we're feeling pretty heated in an oven by now, but for some reason God is favoring us with some wonderful days of mild temps and low humidity.  It's so great!!

With sunny skies and cool breezes, we itch for a barbecue get together or potluck.  No outdoor summer barbecue is complete without a classic macaroni salad!

A bowl of classic macaroni salad.

What ingredients are in classic macaroni salad?

For this favorite classic macaroni salad, you will need the following ingredients:

  • dry elbow macaroni
  • mayonnaise
  • sour cream
  • Dijon mustard
  • apple cider vinegar
  • celery salt
  • flat-leaf parsley
  • hard boiled eggs
  • celery stalks
  • red onion
  • red bell pepper
  • Monterey jack cheese
  • dill pickles

This is my favorite macaroni salad because it has all of my favorite fixins.  My macaroni salad has to include diced up boiled eggs.  I feel the same about my potato salad!  We also include diced celery for a refreshing crisp bite and red onion to pep it up.

Bowl of ingredients for classic macaroni salad.

I like tomatoes, but I don't like them in my macaroni salad so you won't find that here.  Instead, I use diced red peppers to add that pop of red.  This also lends to an additional crunch that balances out the chewy pasta and cheese.  (Yes, I include cubes of cheese, too!)

The surprising ingredient here is... wait for it -- PICKLES!  Y'all, don't make this without the pickles.  The pickles add that delicate sweet yet sour, juicy and crunchy effect while giving a salt and garlic flavor without being overpowering.  I tried this without the pickles one time, and it just was not the same.

How to make classic macaroni salad.

Once you have the veggies diced and the eggs hard-boiled (check my easy tutorial here) everything else comes together in just three easy steps:

  1. Cook and rinse the pasta.
  2. Whisk the dressing ingredients into a large bowl.
  3. Mix in the cooled pasta and rest of the ingredients.

You'll want to chill the bowl of macaroni salad for at least 2 hours before serving it.  It is definitely best served cold!  For ultimate flavor, I recommend making this macaroni salad at least a day before you plan to serve it.  It will last a week in the fridge.

A spoonful of classic macaroni salad.

How long can macaroni salad keep in the refrigerator?

If you end up with leftovers of this macaroni salad (which you might, because it makes a bunch) you can feast on it through the rest of the week.  We kept it up until 1 week, but no longer.  I actually like it even better the day after it's made.

Because the dressing is made with mayonnaise and sour cream, do not store macaroni salad at room temperature.  It's best cold, anyway.

Person holding bowl of macaroni salad.

What to serve with classic macaroni salad.

This macaroni salad is great with any potluck meal or barbecue dish.  Try the following recipes to eat with your macaroni salad:

Peanut Butter and Bacon Burger
Grilled Pork Chops
Chicago-style Hot Dog
Grilled Turkey Burger

I hope you love this macaroni salad as much as we do!

Recipe Card

A wooden spoonful full of classic macaroni salad.
Print Recipe
4.50 from 8 votes

Favorite Classic Macaroni Salad

Everyone has a favorite classic macaroni salad recipe and this one is ours!  This best old-fashioned macaroni salad includes cheese cubes, dices of boiled eggs and crisp veggies with a creamy dressing that encompasses our favorite summertime flavors.
Prep Time25 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Chill Time2 hours hrs
Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Classic Macaroni Salad, Favorite Macaroni Salad, Old-Fashioned Macaroni Salad
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 195kcal
Author: Nikki Gladd

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon celery salt
  • handful flat-leaf parsley washed, dried and chopped
  • 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • ½ red onion peeled and diced
  • ½ red bell pepper diced
  • 4 oz. block monterey jack cheese, cut in small cubes
  • 3 dill pickle spears, finely diced
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.
  • Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon, vinegar, celery salt and parsley. Stir in the macaroni, eggs, celery, onion, bell pepper, cheese, and pickles. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

For ultimate flavor, I recommend making this recipe at least 1 day before serving it.

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Take a pic and tag @seededtable or #SeededAtTheTable to be featured!

Pin this image to your favorite recipe board.

Collage of macaroni salad.

Pin
Share
Post
337Shares
« Saturday Seeds: Last Day of School Water Fight, VBS, Piano Lessons and more!
Strawberry Marshmallow Angel Cake »
Seed at the table family photo

About Seeded At The Table

Thanks for visiting! We’re the Gladd family! We love donuts, Disney, LEGO and Jesus. Not in that order, of course. 🙂 Ben shares DIY wood-working projects and Nikki shares delicious recipes. You’ll also find a sprinkling of travel adventures and other family fun ideas!

Learn more about me →

Reader Interactions

4.50 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search for Recipes

© 2025 · Seeded at the Table · Home · About · Contact · Privacy Policy

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.