Best Macaroni Salad Recipe

A good macaroni salad is the side that disappears first at a cookout, and this classic macaroni salad earns that spot without turning to mush by the time you serve it. It’s the potluck dish I’d rather bring than a bag of chips, because a homemade bowl tastes of something.

The dressing here leans on dried dill, oregano, and a little sugar rather than a wall of mayo, so the pasta and vegetables still come through. You’ll want to chill it before serving, which is where most of the flavor settles in.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The dressing is seasoned with dried dill, oregano, and garlic powder, so it tastes like more than plain mayo on pasta.
• Diced red and green bell pepper, celery, and red onion keep every forkful crunchy against the soft macaroni.
• It’s a make-ahead side: it wants a rest in the fridge before serving, so you make it before the guests arrive, not during.
• The whole thing comes together in less than 30 minutes, and the only cooking is boiling the pasta.
• You can build it around what’s in the drawer, since the vegetables are diced small and swap easily.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll need all the ingredients in the photograph below.

• Elbow macaroni. The classic shape for a reason: the bends hold the dressing. Cook it to just tender, not soft, because it keeps softening as it sits in the dressing.
• Mayo. The base of the dressing. I make this with Greek yogurt in its place when I want it lighter and a little tangier, which works just as well.
• Shredded cheese. A quarter cup of cheese, stirred through the dressing so there’s a savory note in with the mayo. Use what you like grated small, so it spreads evenly.
• Dried dill and oregano. These two do the heavy lifting on flavor. Dried, not fresh, so they carry through the creamy dressing rather than getting lost.
• Bell peppers, red onion, celery, and green onions. Dice them small and even. This is a salad where the crunch is half the point, and big chunks throw off every bite.
• Fresh parsley. Stirred in or scattered over at the end for a fresh, green note against the creamy dressing.

How to Make Macaroni Salad

A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.

Cook the Pasta

Boil the elbow macaroni to just tender, following the package directions but pulling it a shade early. Drain it and let it cool. Dressing warm pasta thins the mayo and gives you a greasy bowl, so give it a few minutes off the heat first.

Make the Dressing

In a big bowl, stir together the mayo, shredded cheese, sugar, dried onion, dried dill, garlic powder, dried oregano, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it well so the seasonings are evenly distributed before any pasta goes in. Taste it here, because this is your one clean chance to adjust the salt and dill.

Assemble the Salad

Add the cooled pasta, the diced red and green bell pepper, red onion, celery, and the sliced green onions. Fold everything together until each piece of macaroni is coated and the vegetables are spread through, not clumped in one corner.

Chill and Serve

Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. The pasta drinks in the dressing as it sits, and a bowl straight from the counter tastes flatter than one that’s had its rest. Finish with fresh parsley.

Recipe Notes and Expert Tips

• Cook the pasta just short of done. It carries on softening in the dressing, so pasta that was perfect in the pot turns soft in the bowl an hour later.
• Reserve a splash of pasta water. If the salad tightens up in the fridge and the dressing looks thick, a spoonful of the reserved water loosens it without watering down the flavor.
• Salt at the dressing stage, not the end. Once the pasta and vegetables are folded in, salt sits on the surface and never gets through. Season the dressing first and taste it before it’s coated.
• Dice the vegetables to the same small size. Even dice means every forkful gets crunch, and it stops one big piece of raw onion dominating a bite.

Recipe Variations

• Greek yogurt instead of mayo. I’ve made it this way plenty of times when I want it lighter, and it holds up: you get a tangier dressing that clings a little less. Add it a spoon at a time until the pasta is coated.
• Crumbled feta in place of the shredded cheese gives you a tangier, saltier bowl. I haven’t tested feta in this exact salad, but it is a well-supported cheese swap in a cold pasta salad, and it doesn’t change the method or the timing.
• Swapping the parsley for chopped basil or chives at the end is untested here and changes only the finishing herb, not the salad, so use whichever one you have and like.

How to Store Leftovers

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within three to four days. The salad is best in the first day or two, since the pasta keeps absorbing dressing and softening the longer it sits. If it looks dry when you go back to it, stir through a spoonful of mayo or a little reserved pasta water to bring it back.

Because it’s a mayo-based salad, food safety matters when it’s out on a table. Don’t let it sit at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour if it’s above 90°F outside. For a picnic or a long cookout, set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice, or bring it out in batches and keep the rest in a cooler.

What to Serve With Macaroni Salad

This is a cookout and picnic side, so it belongs next to whatever’s coming off the grill or out of the oven. It pairs naturally with something crisp and green: I’d put out a bowl of this fresh Pizza Salad alongside it for a lighter, herby counterpoint to the creamy pasta.

If you’re building a spread of make-ahead salads, a layered 7 Layer Salad holds up on the same table and can be assembled the night before. For a bright, crunchy option that isn’t creamy, a sharp Celery Salad with apple and cider vinegar cuts nicely against the mayo.

FAQs

More Easy Salad Recipes for You to Try at Home

If this one goes down well, here are a few more cold salads worth making for the same kind of day:

• Caprese Pasta Salad. Another no-fuss cold pasta salad, this one with pesto, cherry tomatoes, and bocconcini for a fresher, tomato-forward bowl.
• Easy Creamy Grape Salad. A creamy, sweet side with grapes and walnuts for when you want something on the dessert end of the salad table.
• Healthy Fruit Salad. Light on the dressing on purpose, with strawberries, pineapple, and mango in a honey lime dressing, ready in about ten minutes.
• Green Goddess Salad. The finely chopped cabbage salad with a creamy blender dressing that keeps well and travels for lunch.