World's Best Macaroni Salad - A Perfectly Creamy and Delicious Classic Recipe
This Classic Macaroni Salad is simple and easy with a creamy dressing, my essential tip to ensure it never gets dry, plus the 4 keys to ensuring it is flavourful and never bland. Sure to be your new fav homemade recipe!
Servings: 8 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 8 oz uncooked macaroni noodles
- Salt see notes
- 1 to 1½ cups mayonnaise divided use - see notes
- ¼ cup grated onion
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar see notes on substitutions
- ½ cup celery finely chopped
- ½ cup carrot peeled and grated
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 3 litres/quarts water plus 2 tbsp kosher salt and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes or according to package directions. Strain into a colander and run cold water overtop until cool. Let drain a few minutes to get rid of any water.
- Stir together 1 cup of the mayonnaise, grated onion and vinegar to make the dressing.
- Add fully-drained macaroni to a large bowl. Pour dressing over macaroni. Add carrot and celery; stir to fully combine. Taste and add more salt if needed. Sprinkle black pepper on top.
- Serve immediately or chill for up to 3 days. If making it ahead, add more mayo just before serving, ¼ cup at a time, to return the macaroni salad to the perfect creaminess.
Video
Notes
1. The salt in the water should be treated as an actual ingredient in this recipe. Making sure the water is salty enough ensures a tasty macaroni salad.
2. The range for mayonnaise is because the macaroni continues to absorb moisture as it sits. For a perfectly-dressed, moist macaroni salad, 1 cup is perfect if serving right away. More needs to be added if you're making it ahead, even by an hour.
3. You may substitute white wine vinegar, white vinegar, lemon juice, or even sweet pickle juice, but reduce the amount to 2 tablespoons and add the 3rd tablespoon to taste. Rice vinegar has lower acidity so it'll be more acidic if you substitute the same amount (but maybe you like it more tangy! Add more as desired). I don't recommend apple cider vinegar, which has a distinct strong flavour.
Macaroni salad can be made then covered and chilled in the fridge for 3 days before serving. Don't leave it unrefrigerated for more than 4 hours for food safety.
Nutrition
Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1412IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg