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BEST EVER Macaroni Salad

May 18, 2017 by Emily Hill 33 Comments

Who knew classic macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This easy macaroni salad is the BEST EVER macaroni salad with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing.

Best Ever Macaroni Salad -- Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad is just that with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing with a surprise ingredient! | halfscratched.com

Post may include affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and purchase something, you won’t pay anything extra but it will help support this blog.

When I say this easy macaroni salad is the best ever macaroni salad, I’m not exaggerating. Of course, I guess that depends on your definition of “the best.”

For me, the definition of “the best macaroni salad” is when a classic macaroni salad recipe is easy, requires “normal” ingredients, comes together quickly. and is a total hit… especially with your dad.

And that’s saying a lot because my dad is kinda (super) picky.

Best Ever Macaroni Salad -- Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad is just that with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing with a surprise ingredient! | halfscratched.com

This creamy macaroni salad is all of the above. Although the recipe has 10 ingredients on the list, half of those ingredients are for the dressing.

Macaroni salad dressing ingredients so don’t count.

Best Ever Macaroni Salad -- Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad is just that with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing with a surprise ingredient! | halfscratched.com

You won’t find anything fancy in this creamy, easy macaroni salad although one of the dressing ingredients might surprise you. But then again, surprises often lead to super tasty dishes, which makes this the perfect dish for family picnics and backyard get-togethers.

Note: I like to use half Splenda in place of the sugar to cut down on calories while keeping all the taste in this classic macaroni salad. You could totally try using full Splenda; if you do, let me know how it goes!

Best Ever Macaroni Salad -- Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad is just that with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing with a surprise ingredient! | halfscratched.com

I made this classic macaroni salad for our Mother’s Day dinner at my mom’s and it was very well received (i.e., we all had seconds). I left my dad some leftovers and they were gone by the next day.

I consider that a winning recipe!

Best Ever Macaroni Salad -- Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad is just that with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing with a surprise ingredient! | halfscratched.com

I don’t know about you, but I find summer isn’t complete without macaroni salads, pasta salads, and potato salads. That’s in addition to grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken, ribs…

This shrimp pasta salad is a pretty dang good option for backyard barbecues, and creamy bacon broccoli salad is always a hit!

Best Ever Macaroni Salad -- Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad is just that with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing with a surprise ingredient! | halfscratched.com

Did I mention you also need corn on the cob, chips, watermelon, and all kinds of desserts including this cherry pie salad my family always inhales?

This is why I love summer so very, very much. It’s all about the food.

Best Ever Macaroni Salad -- Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad is just that with the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing with a surprise ingredient! | halfscratched.com

Best Ever Macaroni Salad

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Who knew macaroni salad could be incredibly easy AND incredibly delicious? This macaroni salad has the perfect blend of veggies and creamy dressing.

Ingredients

  • 1 (16-oz) box macaroni pasta
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and vinegar. Add pasta and toss to coat. Add onion, peppers, and celery and mix thoroughly. Dressing will look thin but will thicken as it refrigerates.
  3. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. (Refrigerating overnight is best!)

Notes

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 480mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 8g
© Emily Hill
Cuisine: American / Category: salads


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Filed Under: favorites, food & recipes, salads, side dishes Tagged With: macaroni, macaroni salad, pasta salad, picnic recipes, salad, salad recipes, summer recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tiffany

    June 13, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    How many does this recipe serve?

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      June 14, 2017 at 9:17 pm

      Great question! So sorry I forgot to include that in the recipe. It serves about 10 to 12. I made it for a get-together where we had about 6 adults and 2 kids and had leftovers. :)

      Reply
  2. Brian

    April 3, 2018 at 12:07 am

    I love the sound of this, so simple and so many great flavours.

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 3, 2018 at 12:42 am

      The flavor is unbeatable!

      Reply
  3. Veena Azmanov

    April 3, 2018 at 3:12 am

    Oh, this MACARONI SALAD looks incredible! This is the perfect lunch for me and my family. I like all the ingredients that come in this salad! I definitely want to try this! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 3, 2018 at 5:21 pm

      I hope you do try it. It’s one of my family’s favorite dishes!

      Reply
  4. Dannii

    April 3, 2018 at 3:16 am

    This would be the perfect side dish for a summer bbq party. I bet it wouldn’t last long with our friends.

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 3, 2018 at 5:21 pm

      It never does!

      Reply
  5. Sarah

    April 3, 2018 at 5:01 am

    This looks PERFECT!! BBQ season is just about to start…and I know what I’ll be bringing each and every time!! Everyone will love it, especially me!!!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 3, 2018 at 5:21 pm

      It really is a crowd pleaser!

      Reply
  6. Claudia

    April 3, 2018 at 5:13 am

    sounds like I know what our future picnic side dish will be ! This is perfect!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 3, 2018 at 5:20 pm

      I hope you make it and like it!

      Reply
  7. Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter

    April 3, 2018 at 5:29 am

    Such a great and delicious crowd pleaser! Will be a good one to add to the summer BBQ season too:)

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 3, 2018 at 5:20 pm

      For sure! It’s always a hit!

      Reply
  8. DisappointedDaisy

    May 27, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    This is soooo sweet my family and I can’t even eat it. It should really be called dessert macaroni salad…if anyone is even into that. I was sceptapacle about the sweet condensed milk but I gave it a try. Turns out it’s really not a smart idea.

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      May 29, 2018 at 2:19 pm

      So sorry you didn’t like it! It is definitely on the sweeter side, so if you prefer something more tart, for sure try a different recipe. My homestyle macaroni salad might be a good option: https://www.halfscratched.com/2014/07/homestyle-macaroni-salad/.

      Reply
    • Judy

      August 20, 2018 at 5:28 pm

      Leave out the sugar. You get a little of the bite from the vinegar and onions.

      Reply
      • Emily Hill

        August 20, 2018 at 7:56 pm

        I’ll definitely have to try that next time!

        Reply
  9. Wini

    October 1, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    I made this and now all my friends call asking me to make it , they say best salad they ever had

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      October 1, 2018 at 4:37 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad everyone liked it!

      Reply
  10. Beth McFarland

    December 27, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    I was looking for something a little different that the usual side dishes and ran across this recipe. This is, hands down, the BEST macaroni salad I have ever made. This will be for now and ever more my “go to”. Thank you for sharing it!

    Beth

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      December 27, 2018 at 12:16 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad you like it!

      Reply
  11. A Paldi

    June 24, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    Sorry but this recipe was off the charts way too sweet.
    I wanted to like it but it was not good. I didn’t even add all the sugar it called for.

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      June 25, 2019 at 8:48 am

      It is VERY sweet. I’ve scaled it back to about 1/4 cup sugar when I make it. I may adjust the recipe. Thanks for your feedback!

      Reply
  12. Susan Harris

    August 22, 2019 at 2:07 pm

    My family and I absolutely love this macaroni salad! It is sweet but that’s why it. Is so good. Everybody wants me to bring my special salad. Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      August 22, 2019 at 2:13 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad your family likes it!!

      Reply
  13. Juanita Allard

    January 21, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    I have used this recipie for years and it never disappoints. It is delicious! However I do use more vinegar in mine than this recipie calls for necause I like mine with a little more tang.

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      January 21, 2020 at 3:42 pm

      That’s a totally great tweak! My husband likes a bit more vinegar too. :)

      Reply
  14. Bennita Barnett

    May 21, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    I’ve made this several times and it is always a BIG hit. I sometimes add chopped tomatoes or bacon or substitute mini sweet peppers. I’m sure some small chopped broccoli would be good as well. This is very versatile and keeps fresh in the refrigerator for several days – if it lasts that long. I have passed this recipe on to my friends! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      May 21, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      Yay! I love the idea of adding bacon and mini sweet peppers!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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