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    Home » Salads » Grandma's Macaroni Salad - Sweet & Creamy

    Grandma's Macaroni Salad - Sweet & Creamy

    Published: Sep 1, 2022 by Sula · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    Sometimes you need a sweet and delicious macaroni salad, and you need enough to feed a crowd. Whenever that occasion comes up, I have the recipe you need right here!

    The dressing is both sweet and tangy, the medley of veggies provide a variety of tastes and textures, and the elbow macaroni noodles give that classic smooth comfort food enjoyment in every bite.

    This is one of my favorite salads to bring to a potluck, because it is always met with rave reviews. It never fails!

    granma's seet creamy macaroni salad in a big serving bowl.

    Why I love this recipe

    This is honestly the most delicious macaroni salad I’ve ever had. I first made it about 15 years ago and made it many times to tweak it JUST SO. The many people who’ve enjoyed it at potlucks will agree that it's the best!

    In fact, I love it so much that I also scaled it for a smaller batch, so I can enjoy it even when I’m NOT feeding a crowd. There are recipe cards below for both the full- and half-sized recipe. (I even tried to scale it to ¼ once, but got complaints that there weren’t any leftovers LOL)

    One of the important things to remember is that this salad gets better with time. You must put it together and let the flavors blend for at LEAST 4-6 hours before serving. Overnight is even better.

    And it keeps for days! I had leftovers from my last batch and they were enjoyed for 4-5 days after our gathering. Every bite was just as delicious as the day the salad was made.

    Ingredients

    ingredients: mnoodles, carrots, onion, celery, green pepper, cucumber, tomato, eggs, mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper.

    How to make this sweet and creamy macaroni salad

    Cook the macaroni noodles, cool them off by immersing in ice water, and then let them drain well. In the meantime, prepare the eggs and veggies by chopping or grating as needed.

    The magic, of course, is in the salad dressing. The ingredients are simple, but they combine to make a sweet and tangy flavor. It’s going to seem like a lot of sugar, but the amount really works to balance the tang from the vinegar and mustard.

    whisking dressing together in a bowl.

    Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. To save on extra dishes, you can add this to the large bowl you'll be using to serve, if desired. Once the dressing is smooth, go ahead and add all the other ingredients, including the macaroni. Mix well to coat.

    More often than not, I mix my dressing in a small bowl and then pour it over the salad once all the ingredients are in the bowl. It works either way, as long as you can mix the macaroni salad well enough to distribute the dressing throughout the bowl.

    pouring dressing over the salad.

    Cover and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours or overnight before serving.

    Expert Tips for Success

    When I used to take this for a work potluck, I would chop and prepare everything the night before and mix the dressing in its own bowl. I would then combine everything in a big bowl in the morning to take to work.

    The dressing will have developed its flavor while overnight, but even so I would always ensure the salad had at least 4 hours to blend all flavors before serving. This comes in handy when you don’t have enough room in your fridge for a giant bowl of macaroni salad. LOL

    macaroni salad pin

    More Ideas to make for your next potluck

    • Caprese Pasta Salad
    • Broccoli and Kale Salad
    • Brussels Sprout Salad
    • Crockpot Baked Beans
    • Chocolate Caramel Bars
    • Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
    close up of sweet and creamy macaroni salad
    5 from 36 votes
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    Grandma’s Sweet & Creamy Macaroni Salad

    This delicious macaroni makes enough to feed a crowd. Perfect for your next potluck!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time0 mins
    Resting Time4 hrs
    Total Time4 hrs 10 mins
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 20
    Calories: 207kcal
    Author: Sula

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces elbow macaroni, dry 4 cups
    • ½ medium red onion chopped
    • 2 stalks celery chopped
    • ½ green bell pepper chopped
    • 2 medium carrots grated
    • 1 medium cucumber chopped (or 2 mini cukes)
    • 1 Roma tomato chopped
    • 4 eggs hard boiled

    For dressing:

    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • ¼ cup white vinegar
    • ⅔ cup white sugar
    • 2½ tablespoons yellow mustard prepared
    • 1½ teaspoons salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, immerse in ice water to cool quickly, then drain completely.
    • Add all dressing ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir to coat with the dressing. Refrigerate for at LEAST 4 hours before serving. (Overnight is better)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1125IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    close up of sweet and creamy macaroni salad
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin it!
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Half Batch Sweet & Creamy Macaroni Salad

    This scaled-down version of macaroni salad lets your family enjoy it anytime, not just at big parties!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time0 mins
    Resting Time4 hrs
    Total Time4 hrs 10 mins
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 207kcal
    Author: Sula

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces macaroni noodles 2 cups
    • ¼ red onion chopped
    • 1 stalk celery chopped
    • ¼ green pepper chopped
    • 1 carrot grated
    • 1 mini cucumber chopped
    • ½ Roma tomato chopped
    • 2 eggs hard-boiled

    For dressing

    • ½ cup mayonnaise
    • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
    • ⅓ cup white sugar
    • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, immerse in ice water to cool quickly, then drain completely.
    • Add all dressing ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir to coat with the dressing. Refrigerate for at LEAST 4 hours before serving. (Overnight is better)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1125IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

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    Filed Under: Salads, Side Dishes

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