Macaroni Salad Recipe is an incredibly bold and flavorful pasta side dish that can help to add a little life to your plate.
It's so easy you can make it the night before your Pot Luck or Family BBQ.
It can also help to add in a little color variety too with all of the green and orange in a creamy sauce base.
But you know you love a BBQ or Pot Luck where Mac Salad is served along with some other favorites like, Orange Fluff Salad, Classic Potato Salad, or even Baked Beans.
Deli Macaroni Salad is incredibly simple to make, and once you learn how to toss it all together you’re going to wonder why you didn’t find this recipe sooner.
With a super easy side dish like this, you can save yourself the trip to the deli counter at the grocery store and get more for your money too!
Warmer weather is coming up soon, we all know that means BBQs and outdoor cooking.
It also means that we are going to need to find colder dishes to serve on the hotter days when we can’t cook inside.
So this cold Deli Mac Salad really comes in handy!
Deli Mac Salad is a wonderful side dish that you’re going to love and you’ll love that it doesn’t take long to make too!
Serve it alongside your BBQ chicken legs and some potato wedges and you have yourself a party.
What’s In Deli Mac Salad?
- 8oz Elbow Pasta
- 3 ½ Cups Water or Chicken Broth
- Cup Mayonnaise ~ Don't skimp here, go for the good stuff!
- 1 Tbs Yellow Mustard ~ Try Dijon, or Spicy Brown. Yum!
- 1 Tbs Sugar
- 3 Tbs White Vinegar
- ½ Cup Chopped Celery ~ This is a must for the perfect texture Mac Salad
- ½ Cup Diced Green Bell Pepper ~ If you prefer a sweeter Bell Pepper go ahead and switch it up
- ¼ Cup Carrot ~ Try Matchstick Carrots, so quick and easy
- Salt and Pepper to taste
How to Make Deli Macaroni Salad
- Place 3 ½ cups water or chicken broth and pasta in Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker and set to Pressure Cook High for 5 minutes.
- Allow a 5 minute Natural Release.
- Rinse and drain the cooked pasta under cool water making sure to drain the pasta well.
- In a separate bowl combine the mayo, mustard, sugar, and vinegar and stir to combine.
- Place the pasta in a large bowl.
- Add diced Green Bell Pepper, Chopped Celery, and Carrot Slivers.
- Stir to combine.
- Add the mayo mixture to the pasta and stir to combine.
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Can I share some Add-ins?
There are always and I mean ALWAYS ways to dress up a recipe. So let me tell you a few of my FAVORITE Add-ins for Macaroni Salad.
- Cheese Cubes
- Ham
- Chicken - Leftover Rotisserie works perfectly for a light lunch
- Red Onions thinly diced
- Hard Boiled Eggs - 1-2 HBE in this recipe diced or even sliced on top would be ideal
- Pickle Relish - My Grandma always said Pickle Relish was her secret ingredient. Try it!
- Peas - Frozen is best. Rinsed and drained and throw them in!
- Pasta - Change up the pasta shape. It's fun!
Which Mayonnaise is best?
Depending on where you come from this can be a very large debate. The best choice is to choose the Mayo brand that you already know and like because them you’re more likely to enjoy this dish.
I enjoy Best Foods or Hellmann's
But choose a good brand! It really does make a difference in the long run which Mayonnaise you choose. This recipe is a neighborhood favorite because of quality ingredients.
Can you freeze Deli Mac Salad?
It is not recommended to freeze Macaroni Salad because the mayo will not do well.
As a result, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your tasty pasta side dish and it would no doubt be a waste of time, effort, and expectations.
Do you have to keep Deli Macaroni Salad in the Refrigerator?
Yes, due to the mayo in the recipe and a few other reasons, this pasta salad should be kept stored inside of an airtight container inside the fridge.
This keeps it at food safety standards and keeps it fresh and delicious.
Can I make Macaroni Salad on the Stove?
Yes, you can! Simply use the stovetop cooking instructions located on the back of your box of pasta.
If you use the stovetop method, omit the requested water and broth on the recipe card as it is meant for cooking pasta inside the instant pot and you will no longer need it.
When can I serve Mac Salad?
Deli Mac Salad goes great at any large family gathering, potluck, community gathering or even a BBQ.
This salad is especially popular during the summer months but it can be eaten and enjoyed any time of the year!
Serve Macaroni Salad with Hamburgers, Taco Salad, Grilled Tri Tip, BBQ Ribs, or even Honey Chicken
Is Macaroni Salad Recipe and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad the same?
No they are not the same thing. Deli Macaroni Salad has a much bolder flavor profile than Hawaiian macaroni salad which is much milder in comparison to help balance a Hawaiian lunch plate.
But check out our Hawaiian Mac Salad, it has been a FAVORITE Recipe and oh so good!
BBQ Side Dishes that are Neighborhood Favorites
- Grandma's Potato Salad ~ One reader commented he won 1st place with this Potato Salad Recipe
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad -
- Pistachio Fluff Salad
- Southwest Pasta Salad
- BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad
- Dorito Taco Salad
- Pepperoni Pasta Salad
- Pistachio Salad
Deli Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz Elbow Pasta
- 3 ½ cups Water or Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Yellow Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 3 tablespoon White Vinegar
- ½ cup Chopped Celery
- ½ cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
- ¼ cup Carrot Slivers
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Place 3 ½ cups water or chicken broth and pasta in Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker and set to Pressure Cook High for 5 minutes.
- Allow a 5 minute Natural Release
- Rinse and drain pasta under cool water making sure to drain pasta well
- In a separate bowl combine mayo, mustard, sugar, and vinegar and stir to combine.
- Place pasta in a large bowl
- Add diced Green Bell Pepper, Chopped Celery, and Carrot Slivers.
- Stir to combine
- Add Mayo mixture to pasta and stir to combine
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Keep covered in refrigerator until ready to serve
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
Lisa Furman
I've been making your salad for quite a while now. Love it! My favorite add in is cucumbers-Yum. I use also use broth to make rice. Pre-made broth started to get pricey so I've been using Better than Bouillon or cubes with water. Thank you for the recipe!
Devour Dinner
Hi Lisa! I love the crunch a cucumber gives. So happy you have enjoyed this recipe!
Brianna
This is a very good recipe. The ingredients are simple and the instructions very clear. It didn't have that "funny" aftertaste a lot of deli macaroni salads have. What a nostalgic flavor!
Devour Dinner
Hi Brianna! Thanks for the raving review. So glad you enjoyed this recipe and I agree, it's a delicious nostalgic flavor
Ellie
I cut the recipe in half and still used 5 minutes. Not a good idea. They were over cooked. Next time I'll try 3 minutes. The flavors rocked, just the texture was a little mushy. My bad.
Jean Spray
You said this could be doubled in a 6 qt IP.
Can it be cooked as shown in a 3 qt?
Devour Dinner
Hi Jean, you might need to cut the recipe in half for a 3qt. You don't want to fill past the fill line.
Danielle
Very easy to make. However as no one else in my house likes macaroni salad - next time will male a small a mount in the 3qt.
Alice Blair
Tiny shrimp are delicious in mac salad.
Jeanne
I don’t understand the advantage of using an instant pot for quick, easy dishes such as this. It could be done just as easily on a stovetop. I love my IP but only use it to cook things that otherwise would take much more time, like dried beans, chicken stock, frozen meat recipes, etc.
Devour Dinner
I understand Jeanne! I love to cook pasta in the Instant Pot because the noodle can be infused with flavor from the broth that I wouldn't normally get cooking on the stove. I also appreciate being able to "set it" and forget it. I'm able to clean up the kitchen, do a load of laundry or other tasks and not worry about what is cooking. Hope that helps!
Diane
Can it be doubled in a 6quart ip, and if so do you double the water, , would cooking time be the same? Thanks
Devour Dinner
Hi Diane, You can double this recipe, you would double all the ingredients including the water. The time would stay the same. Hope this helps!