This is my mom’s macaroni salad recipe, the one she always made for every family gathering. After the first time she made it for one of our gatherings, it was highly requested by family and friends. Plus, learn how to keep it creamy instead of dry!

This was a staple recipe that my mom made for all of our family gatherings. To honor her, we’ve named in Sheila’s Macaroni Salad.

What You’ll Need for This Macaroni Salad Recipe

This is a super simple recipe, and highly customizable. Follow my base recipe and add whatever additional veggies you like!

Get the full recipe with measurements and instructions in the recipe card below. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Macaroni noodles
• Eggs, hard-boiled & chopped
• Celery
• Onion
• Mayonnaise
• Sugar
• White vinegar (or you could use apple cider vinegar as a substitute)
• Mustard ( regular mustard meaning not brown, Dijon, etc)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

The Secret to Keeping Your Macaroni Salad Creamy

If you’ve ever made macaroni salad, refrigerated it and then reopened to find that all of our sauce seemed to have evaporated, I feel ya! Been there, done that.

My mom taught me a trick though! As the macaroni salad chills, the pasta soaks up all the sauce. So, if you make the sauce and put 1/2 to 3/4 of it into the pasta mixture, and reserve the rest (refrigerated separately), you can add that remaining sauce just before serving.

If you reserve some of the sauce, then add just before serving, you still have part of the sauce melding those flavors into the macaroni, and have your reserve sauce to keep it creamy instead of more dry.

How to Make the Best Macaroni Salad

This is a super easy recipe that is always a hit with all of our friends and family. Perfect for family gatherings! Get the full recipe in the recipe card below. Here are the easy steps:

1. Cook macaroni per box instructions. Rinse the macaroni with cold water immediately after boiling and draining. That keeps the macaroni from getting sticky and sticking to each other. Let cool.

2. In a separate small bowl or large measuring cup, combine the mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.

3. Add macaroni, chopped eggs and chopped vegetables to a large bowl.

4. If you prefer a more creamy macaroni salad, only add about half of the mayo mixture/sauce to the macaroni salad at this time and stir to combine well. Then, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. When ready to serve, add the rest of the mayo/sauce mixture and stir to combine well. This is because the macaroni will soak up the sauce as it gets cold. If you reserve some of it and refrigerate the sauce separately, then add just before serving, you still have part of the sauce melding those flavors into the macaroni, and have your reserve sauce to keep it creamy instead of more dry.

6. If you don’t like an extra creamy macaroni salad and prefer it more dry, skip steps 4 and 5 and just add all the sauce with the rest of the ingredients, stir well and refrigerate until ready to serve. It’s best served nice and cold.
   

Notes About This Macaroni Salad Recipe

• This recipe feeds a crowd! If you don’t want to make so much, cut the recipe in half.
• Add in any other vegetables you like. You don’t need to change the other ingredient amounts to add in more chopped veggies.

Macaroni Salad

This is my mom's macaroni salad recipe, the one she always made for every family gathering. After the first time she made it for one of our gatherings, it was highly requested by family and friends. Plus, learn how to keep it creamy instead of dry!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill Time 2 hours hrs

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Ingredients

  

• 16 oz Macaroni
• 8-10 Eggs hard-boiled & chopped (If you like a lot of eggs, do 10)
• 1 cup chopped celery I like to finely dice mine
• 1 cup chopped onion I like to finely dice mine
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 6 teaspoons sugar
• 8 teaspoons white vinegar can use apple cider vinegar as a substitute
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Cook macaroni per box instructions. Rinse the macaroni with cold water immediately after boiling and draining. That keeps the macaroni from getting sticky and sticking to each other. Let cool.
• In a separate small bowl or large measuring cup, combine the mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Add macaroni, chopped eggs and chopped vegetables to a large bowl.
• If you prefer a more creamy macaroni salad, only add about half of the mayo mixture/sauce to the macaroni salad at this time and stir to combine well. Then, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, add the rest of the mayo/sauce mixture and stir to combine well. This is because the macaroni will soak up the sauce as it gets cold. If you reserve some of it and refrigerate the sauce separately, then add just before serving, you still have part of the sauce melding those flavors into the macaroni, and have your reserve sauce to keep it creamy instead of more dry.
• If you don’t like an extra creamy macaroni salad and prefer it more dry, skip steps 4 and 5 and just add all the sauce with the rest of the ingredients, stir well and refrigerate until ready to serve. It’s best served nice and cold.

Notes

• This recipe feeds a crowd! If you don’t want to make so much, cut the recipe in half.
• Add in any other vegetables you like. You don’t need to change the other ingredient amounts to add in more chopped veggies.

Keyword macaroni salad

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jessicalebrun

Hi, I’m Jessica! I am wife to Chris, and mom to Kaip, Alana and Koa. I am a website developer and blogger. In this space, I share about everything from parenting, making money from home, recipes, mom lifestyle, and things for kids! Learn more about me here.