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Stupid easy, stupid good classic macaroni salad – made with a creamy dreamy dressing and little pops of salty, briney green olive goodness. This is a summer cookout essential!
It’s not summer without a good macaroni salad recipe and we’ve got the one.
Your Summer Essential, Courtesy of My Mom
My mom makes the best macaroni salad recipe and I’m not just saying that because it’s the one I grew up with.
I’m saying it because:
- The dressing is easy, but flavorful.
- The mix-ins are simple but bold.
- Can be scaled up for a huge summer party or scaled down for a quick weeknight side dish.
We start with zippy, salty green olives as the big punch of flavor here. Olive haters, sorry, this one isn’t for you. Although, the cold macaroni and the creamy dressing do tone them down a bit so it’s still worth trying!
Picture it: Sunshine and birds chirping and kids screaming as they run around the backyard. You have a paper plate loaded with a smash burger (dripping in smash burger sauce, naturally), a slice of watermelon, and a pile of this old fashioned macaroni salad.
Summer can’t come soon enough!
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
Classic Macaroni Salad Ingredients:
Macaroni – You could really use any small shape of pasta, but it is called macaroni salad, so…that’s what we stick to. This is a great time to use our favorite protein pasta to add some oomph to your side dish.
Hard Boiled Eggs – Boil them yourself or buy the pre-boiled and peeled kind to keep this extra easy!
Onion – We mince this up really finely. I hate getting a giant chunk of onion.
Mayonnaise – You’ll want real mayo here, not Miracle Whip.
Mustard – Ballpark style yellow mustard is what we’re after.
Vinegar – We’ve always used white distilled vinegar here, but apple cider vinegar will also work.
Green Olives – They add the perfect salty, briny flavor to this salad. They’re a must!
Salt & Pepper
What Readers are Saying!
“Did make this for July 4th celebration. OMG-SOOOO good!!! So used to biting into pickles in regular mac salad, it was a real treat to be biting into mellow green olives instead. Was a hit with everybody-definitely a keeper!!” – Elizabeth
How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad:
Add the boiled macaroni to a mixing bowl and top it off with the sliced olives, chopped eggs, and minced onion.
Stir together the mayo, mustard, and vinegar to make the dressing.
Pour the dressing over the top and stir it all to coat. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Refrigerate for at least an hour or two to let everything meld together. Stir well, taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Helpful Tip!
The macaroni will soak up some of the dressing as it chills in the fridge. If the macaroni salad seems to dry, just stir in a spoonful of mayo after chilling. It’ll make it more creamy!
Serving Suggestions:
My mom has plenty of summer side dishes that she makes for cook outs, but this one is definitely a favorite of mine! It goes great with my turkey burgers, grilled teriyaki chicken, or some grilled chicken with white BBQ sauce.
Perfect with these air fryer brats too or this grilled halloumi burger!
Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni cooked and cooled
- 10 ounces sliced green olives drained
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 small sweet onion
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the cooked and drained macaroni in large bowl along with the green olives.
- Chop eggs into small pieces and mince the onion. Add to the macaroni.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Stir well and pour over the macaroni. Stir well to coat.
- Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Stir before serving. Add an extra spoonful of mayonnaise before serving if macaroni seems too dry.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in May 2016. It was updated with new photos and a video in June 2021.
Kris says
Karly – I had everything in my pantry and fridge to make this. ? We are soldiers and prison guards and we both work too much. We worked a double last night and I got up and saw this recipe in my email and mixed it up while waiting for our coffee to brew. We have never had a recipe that included green olives. I used to use frozen peas (like my mom) but every bag I pick up now recommends not consuming unless they are boiled again. Nobody wants that. Anyway your mom’s salad was a big hit here, two thumbs up and we are packing it for our lunches at work. This is my new go to. 🙂 My husband ate a big serving already with his toast and coffee. YUM!
Karly says
Hi Kris! So glad that it was a hit for you and the husband!
Holly says
Oh wow! Just stumbled upon this, and imagine my surprise that yes indeed, it’s pretty much how my mother, and her mother before her, made cold mac salad – except our family has always used black olives. Never actually had a recipe for it, just dumped in several large spoonfuls of mayo (have ALWAYS used Cains), a few squirts of mustard, splash of pickle juice, entire can of sliced black olives, a few sliced hard boiled eggs, and salt & pepper to taste. Neither my grandmother, or my mother, ever put onions in it, so neither did I. But I like sweet red onions, so I think I’ll add some in next time! LOL So, yup, I’d say this is a classic recipe! 😀
Kim says
I love tuna salad with green olives. I’ll have to try this with eggs instead. Thanks for the recipe.
Di says
I don’t like the crunch of raw onions. Could onion powder be used?
Thanks!
Karly says
Sure thing!
Brian Minor says
white vinegar or apple cider vinegar?
Karly says
I use white vinegar. 🙂
Elizabeth Kadavi says
Did make this for July 4th celebration.OMG-SOOOO good!!! So used to biting into pickles in regular mac salad,it was a real treat to be biting into mellow green olives instead.Was a hit with everybody-definately a keeper!!
Karly says
Glad it was a hit!
Elizabeth Kadavi says
Gonna make this for my Fourth Of July get together this Sunday-looks yummy!! But when you say 10 oz. of sliced green olives,does this mean a 10 oz bottle,or an actual 10 ounces of sliced green olives?
Karly says
I use a 10 oz jar, but you really can’t mess this up. Add more or less to your tastes. 🙂
Yvette says
This looks yummy! Can you use any type of mustard?
Karly says
Sure! I use regular yellow mustard, but any would be fine.
Sandra says
How about celery for a little crunch?
Karly says
Sure! You could add in just about anything you like here. 🙂
CJ says
What is the red pieces in the salad?
Linda H. says
Looks like the pimento from the olives…
Karly says
It’s the pimentos from the olives.
Jeanette says
Love this. I use pickle juice instead of vinegar.
Nancy says
When it says Mayonnaise” can we use Miracle Wip or does it have to be Mayo?
Karly says
Miracle Whip will work assuming you like the sweetness of it paired with olives. Personally, it doesn’t sound great to me, but to each their own. 🙂
Linda says
No olives
Munchkin Time says
Ooooo Yum! My husband loves macaroni salads and this one looks amazing, pinning it to my salad board! Thank you so much for sharing!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy!
Emily @ Layers of Happiness says
Love this!! Perfect for all our summer cookouts and parties… always a hit!
Karly says
Hope you give it a try!