4 Ingredient Simple and Creamy Macaroni Salad

Make this king of potlucks and picnics in minutes with only 4 ingredients! This simple macaroni salad is creamy, flavorful, and so, so easy.

This classic macaroni salad keeps things simple—just four ingredients, but full of creamy, classic flavor. With tender pasta, crisp green pepper, and a bit of red onion for bite, it’s the kind of side dish that disappears fast at any gathering.

Whether you’re headed to a backyard barbecue, a potluck, or a summer picnic, this simple recipe is always a hit. No fancy extras, just a cool, comforting favorite that goes with everything from burgers to fried chicken.

What’s in this easy macaroni salad recipe? 

This recipe uses simple ingredients you can find at the grocery store!

• Elbow Macaroni: This is the base of your recipe. You need 8 oz of dry elbow macaroni for this recipe. You can sub this with other types of pasta, including penne, cavatappi, or fusilli. 
• Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise is the key ingredient for the creaminess. You can sub this with light versions, Miracle Whip, or even greek yogurt or sour cream. 
• Red Onion: I love the little pops of color these give! I do recommend soaking them in cold water before putting them in the salad in order to soften the flavor. You can sub this with sweet onion, green onions, or really any other type of onion,. 
• Green Bell Pepper: Again, green peppers are here to add a pop of color. Feel free to sub this with any other type of sweet or bell pepper, including red peppers, orange peppers, or yellow peppers. 

Step 1 | Boil Noodles

Start by prepping the noodles according to the package directions. I like to start the noodles boiling, then move onto prepping the veggies while they boil.

When the noodles are done, you can drain them, then let them cool for a few minutes before mixing them into the salad. 

Step 2 | Prep Veggies

While the macaroni noodles are boiling, finely chop the green pepper and red onion. You want the pieces very small so that they’re not overpowering in the salad. 

When you’ve finished chopping the red onion, put it in a small bowl of cold water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. This makes the flavor more mild, again, so that it’s not overpowering.

Step 3 | Mix

When you’ve got the veggies chopped and the noodles prepped, put everything in a large bowl and give it a big stir until everything’s all mixed together. 

You can add some salt and pepper to this to fit your and your family’s taste. 

Step 4 | Chill and Enjoy!

Finally, cover and place your big bowl of macaroni salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill. When you’re ready to serve, you can garnish this with fresh cracked black pepper, chopped parsley, chopped green onion, or even a sprinkle of paprika!

Flavor Boosters

This is an extremely basic macaroni salad recipe. Feel free to add to the base with a few of these to level up the flavor!

• Salad Dressing: Feel free to add a few squeezes of your favorite salad dressing to this recipe. I love Italian dressing to make an Italian salad version.
• More Mix-Ins: The more the merrier! Add crunchy celery, cherry tomatoes, black olives, or hard-boiled eggs. Any type of pickles also taste great here: sweet pickles, spicy pickles, bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, or even sweet pickle relish! 
• Cheese: Cheese makes everything taste better! Chunks of cheddar cheese, fresh mozzarella, or a sprinkling of parmesan cheese are some of my favorites. 
• Sweeter Salad: Make your salad sweeter by adding a little sugar to the mayo. I like 2 tablespoons, but you can basically add this to taste.