Everyone needs this Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad recipe on hand to make for barbecues and potlucks. This is a great, classic macaroni salad recipe. It’s the best!
Watch the video showing you how to make this recipe, then scroll to the bottom of this post to print out the complete recipe and make it at home.
Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
For as long as I can remember, my mother has been making a similar version of this simple, classic macaroni salad recipe. It has always been my favorite. I don’t want anything fancy in my macaroni salad, so the simplest version works best for me.
You must begin with the small noodles with the hole in the middle (otherwise known as ditalini). I suppose you could use small elbows too, but I personally love the little guys.
I toss my macaroni salad with a mixture of mayo, mustard and onion powder. I mix in a small amount of chopped celery and green onions. Chopped hard-boiled eggs are folded in at the end.
I could seriously eat loads and loads of this stuff. Since that’s not such a good thing, I like to make this salad when we have company coming over. It needs to be devoured so I’m not tempted by a large bowl of leftovers!
What makes this the best macaroni salad?
Have you ever tried the macaroni salads that they sell in the deli section at your grocery store? They’re over-slathered with a thick mayonnaise dressing, and the flavor is just not there. It tastes like it is mass-produced because it is! Yuck.
Making this Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad at home is infinitely better. You can control the amount of dressing you add to the salad. It’s totally your preference whether you like it heavily dressed or not. And it turns out 100% more delicious than store-bought macaroni salad.
And just for the record, Mom never would add celery and green onion to her macaroni salad. She doesn’t care for anything crunchy. But I chop them up quite small… they just add a little something extra to the recipe. This salad is always a big hit- gobbled up quickly and hardly ever any leftovers (yahoo!)
What can you serve with macaroni salad?
My Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad is perfect to serve at a party or barbecue. It makes an excellent side to to burgers and hot dogs, as well as grilled chicken and steak. Add some sliced watermelon and corn on the cob, and you have a super easy complete meal!
How long can you keep macaroni salad in the fridge?
Macaroni salad will be fine when kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Then it’s probably time to throw it out. Be careful when serving at room temperature. It’ll be fine at room temperature for a couple of hours unless it is in a very hot environment. Be sure to toss your macaroni cheese if it’s been left out at a party for more than 2 hours. It likely won’t be safe to keep for leftovers.
Here are a few more salad recipes that would be great for a party or barbecue:
- Fresh Corn, Zucchini and Tomato Salad
- Pizza Pasta Salad
- Tomato- Quinoa Salad
- Triple Berry Salad with Sugared Almonds
- Waldorf Salad
- All American Potato Salad
Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 2 cups macaroni (I use ditalini)
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 4 whole green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
- 1½ tablespoons mustard
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 4 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and set aside to drain well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, celery, green onion, mustard, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Place the drained, cooled pasta in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir into the pasta until well combined. Gently stir in the chopped egg. Sprinkle with paprika, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least a couple of hours before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Pretty tasty ! Needed less onion powder !
Yummy! I use 1 cup mayo & half cup Miracle Whip (husband’s favorite), diced sweet pickle & a splash of the pickle juice. 3 cups uncooked macaroni.
Hey Lori, do you put the yolks from the hard boiled eggs in or just the whites?
I do both!
I love this recipe! In fact I make it so much I don’t need the recipe. I add a LG sweet onion instead of green onion and add dill relish 👌
This is my favorite macaroni salad ever. Just the right balance of flavors. I’s my go to. Today I added grilled chicken and Swiss cheese for a different meal. Thanks for sharing.
I substituted the green onion for Gherkin’s (finely diced) for my girlfriend’s preference.. I love your recipes.
I was just wondering what brand of mayonnaise that you use? They all have a different taste. Thanks
I use Best Foods/Hellmans.
My family loved this recipe. It was my first time making it. So easy. Will make it again.
We make this same recipe but add mrs dash and celery salt
Thank you very, very much for making a macaroni salad WITHOUT bell peppers. Seems like every recipe uses bell peppers. They are dominant in flavor and I don’t like them in recipes. I want to taste the other ingredients, NOT BELL PEPPERS. Again, thank you for making a great salad without bell peppers.
We all loved this salad but I was uncertain about the amount of macaroni. Do you start with 2 cups dry macaroni & then cook it?
yes, 2 cups dry… then cook.
So simple but seriously good! I thought the Tbsp of onion powder might be a mistake but it’s not and the flavor is perfect. Everyone asked for the recipe.
This is the best macaroni salad ever!
My sister made this for our family b.b.q.s love it.
How many boxes of old fashion Mac like you show. For 50 people.