Why I love this homemade macaroni salad
This easy macaroni salad – complete with its secret ingredient – has been floating around my family for a while now. My mom originally got it from a lady she worked with, long before I was born.
Although I’m not really sure why, I hated it when I was growing up, but now it’s one of my favorite summer side dishes. Marc and I have even fought over who gets the leftovers.
The secret ingredient I mentioned is in the macaroni salad dressing, and it’s pickle juice – preferably dill. You add it when you add the mayonnaise, and it gives the salad a little flavor punch.
There’s also baby shrimp in this salad, but if you’re not a fan of shrimp, you could easily replace it with chicken, or whatever protein you prefer. I’ve had it with chicken at least a few times, and it’s still great, but I prefer shrimp the most.
More salad recipes to try: dairy free BLT pasta salad / Italian chopped salad with pasta / Mexican street corn salad / summer farro salad / sweet and spicy cucumber salad
Ingredient notes:
- Dill pickle juice – This secret ingredient adds so much flavor to the salad without overpowering it. You can adjust it to your taste—add more if you love pickles and want to amp it up, or stick to the suggested amount.
- Elbow macaroni – You don’t have to use elbow macaroni; you can substitute any type of pasta, though I’d definitely suggest sticking to something bite-sized, like small shells, pipette, radiatore, orecchiette, or rotelle.
- Canned shrimp – Using canned shrimp makes this super convenient, and they’re extra tiny, making them the perfect bite-size match for the elbow pasta.
- Mayonnaise – I like to use canola oil mayonnaise in this recipe to keep things little lighter, but you can use whichever type of mayo you like. To make this egg free, swap the mayo for a vegan version.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
To make this a little lighter, I always use canola oil mayonnaise*. It has way less calories than traditional mayonnaise, but it doesn’t have the added sugar of light mayo. You do not want to use Miracle Whip here. I mean, you can, but it just won’t taste right.
We love this macaroni salad recipe with everything in the summer. It would be the perfect side dish for your favorite burgers or even grilled meatloaf. You could even try pairing it with grilled pork ribs or beer brined chicken.
I find this pretty much impossible, but I’ve read that if you coat the macaroni with oil before adding your mayonnaise or dressing, it will help a bit. Normally, I add a bit more mayonnaise before serving to liven up the salad, and this always seems to work well.
This macaroni salad recipe doesn’t last long in our house, but I would recommend only storing this salad in the fridge for a maximum of 5 days.
You should definitely not freeze this recipe. Mayonnaise does not typically freeze well, and the texture of the salad will be unpleasant if you freeze it.
Homemade Macaroni Salad with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and cooled
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice, or more to taste
- 2 6- ounce can medium deveined shrimp, drained
- 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 green onion, green only, sliced
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ – 1 teaspoon black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni. Prepare the elbow macaroni according to package directions for al dente. When cooked, drain the pasta and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. If you need extra time before mixing the salad, stir in a drizzle of oil to prevent the macaroni from sticking. You could also stir in a bit of mayonnaise if you don't have oil on hand.
- Prepare the remaining ingredients. While the pasta is cooking, chop and grate your vegetables. Strain the shrimp. If you want to, you can even measure the mayonnaise and pickle juice, but I usually do this as I'm adding it to the salad.
- Mix your macaroni salad. In a large mixing bowl, mix your ingredients together. Adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper, to taste. Cover the macaroni salad and refrigerate it until you're ready to serve.If the salad seems dry when I'm ready to serve, I usually stir in a big spoonful of mayonnaise and an extra splash of pickle juice to bring it back to life. This is especially important if you're preparing the salad ahead of time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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