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This is the best classic Macaroni Salad! It is loaded with ham, cheese, and veggies in a creamy dressing. Perfect as a side dish, and for BBQs and potlucks.
The Best Macaroni Salad Ever
Typically, I’m not a fan of classic Macaroni Salad. However, my mom’s mac salad recipe is the exception. The ingredients are fresh and colorful and it tastes amazing! We would always have this at family picnics or trips to the lake. It is also a perfect side dish for Easter dinner or a BBQ on the 4th of July. In fact, this recipe appears at so many of our family functions, it definitely gets the stamp of family favorite!
How to Make Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad consists of three distinct parts: 1. The pasta 2. The dressing 3. The mix-ins.
First, the pasta: Authentic macaroni salad uses elbow macaroni (of course), but I have also swapped out the macaroni with small shell pasta, cavatappi, and ditalini with great success. Cook the pasta just to al dente, then stop the cooking by rinsing the pasta in cold water. Making macaroni salad is the ONLY time I will ever rinse pasta. Allow the pasta to drain while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Next, the dressing: For my macaroni salad dressing, I keep it pretty simple. I use a base of mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream then a few more small added ingredients for flavor including apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. That’s it! Mix it all together and fold it into the macaroni.
Finally, the fun part. The mix-ins! Our mom always does ham, cheese, peas, carrots, and green onion but the possibilities and mix-in combinations are endless. Other popular favorites include hard boiled egg, olives, peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pickles, and baby corn.
Tips for Making Macaroni Salad
I will often make this salad a day ahead and let it chill overnight. This gives the flavors a chance to blend.
When making ahead, store in Ziplock bags until ready to serve, this way you save on dishes too.
If it seems a little dry when ready to serve, just add a splash of milk before serving and stir for a few minutes.
Depending on your tastes, you can add in or substitute ingredients to the dressing as well. Dijon mustard can be used instead of yellow mustard. Garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, and other seasonings can add flavors to your taste.
Read Next: Best BBQ Side Dishes
Looking for More Great Pasta Salad Recipes?
If you want to check out more ideas for macaroni salad, check out our Hawaiian Mac Salad. This is an authentic macaroni salad recipe from when I lived in Hawaii and it is perfect for luaus! You can also try our Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad. You basically can’t go wrong with bacon.
- Light Greek Pasta Salad – a savory salad with greek dressing.
- Layered Pasta Salad – a colorful side dish with layers of ham, eggs, salami, veggies, and cheese.
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad – a traditional salad and turned into a hearty and delicious meal.
- Shrimp Pasta Salad – fresh shrimp and tender pasta in a vibrant lemon dill sauce.
Traditional Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or any other small pasta shape
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons mustard (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt or to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup ham cubed
- 1 cup cheddar cheese cubed
- 2/3 cup frozen peas thawed
- 2 carrots shredded
- 3 green onions sliced thin
Instructions
- Prepare macaroni to al dente according to package directions. After macaroni is cooked, drain well and cool to room temperature.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- In a large bowl, toss macaroni with ham, cheese, peas, carrots, and other mix-ins.
- Fold in mayonnaise mixture until pasta is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. If the salad seems a little dry after setting up overnight, add some milk a little a bit at a time until salad becomes nice and creamy again.
I make the basic salad (pasta, ham and sauce) the day before and chill it in one bowl (I love the bag idea). I prep the veggies and cheese and put them in sandwich bags to add a little while before serving. I think it gives it a ‘fresher’ flavour and the cheese doesn’t get soggy. It only takes a minute to mix them in. I put some whole cherry tomatoes on top for those who want them.
what does it mean by 11/2 mayo?
One and a half cups of mayo!
One and a half cups
I can’t figure out why so many people muck-up a perfectly delicious cold salad with mustard. I like mustard, but not in salads, since (IMO) it tends to overpower the flavor of all the added goodies, even if you use yellow mustard. I think it’s a southern & midwestern thing. It’s a lovely salad w/o the mustard.
My mid-western dad has always said: just enough mustard to make them wonder why it’s so delicious 🤤
I forgot to get a cube of cheese but I have a bag of shredded. Would that be okay as a substitute?
Yes, shredded should work just fine 🙂
I added sliced black olives.
Yum! I would add olives but my kids won’t eat them. I love them though!
Made this for a big family bbq. It was absolutely delicious. It’s simple to make and so yummy.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for letting us know it was a successful recipe for you. We love it too! 🙂
Do you use yellow or dojo mustard?
yellow. 🙂