Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe (2024)

In this post, we’ll show you how to make Amish Macaroni Salad. This classic style macaroni salad recipe is a vintage recipe that can be found at Walmart or select delis across the country. Perfect for parties, this side dish is fairly inexpensive to make and can serve a lot of people with each batch.

Boiled macaroni is enveloped with a sweet, zesty, and creamy dressing, boiled eggs, and a variety of finely diced vegetables. This macaroni salad is such a family-friendly dish that my kids and husband request time after time. If you’re looking for a potluck dish that will have your guests raving, this is the side to try out!

What is Amish Macaroni Salad?

Amish Macaroni Salad is different than most tangy macaroni salads in that it has an iconic sweet taste and contains vegetables like bell pepper, relish, celery, and even boiled eggs. If you are not a fan of sweet salads, this is not for you as it does have a sweet twist to it that pairs well with fried chicken, burgers, or pretty much anything grilled. This tastes almost like the pasta version of a sweeter potato salad.

Ingredients

Before starting this recipe, you’ll want to verify that you have the following ingredients:

• Pasta – For this recipe, I used elbow macaroni. However, some people prefer bowtie pasta which does give a little more appeal.
• Mayonnaise – Adds creaminess and moisture to this salad.
• Miracle Whip – You can use reduced-fat, or regular. This adds a sweet twang to this salad and is a must in my opinion.
• Sugar – Adds sweetness to the dressing portion of this salad and enhances the flavor.
• Eggs – This recipe features boiled eggs that are used for both garnish and flavorful texture.
• Onion – We used sweet Vidalia onion in this recipe because it has less of a bite, and is sweeter.
• Celery – Adds color, and texture to this salad.
• Bell pepper – You can use red or orange since they are sweeter than green. These add color and a classic flavor to this salad.
• Carrot – A little goes a long way to add crunch, flavor, and texture.
• Relish – You can use sweet or dill pickle relish to add some flair to this salad.
• Mustard – Classic yellow mustard adds a tasty flavor and helps this salad get its light yellow coloring.
• White vinegar – This helps to cut some of the sweetness and add a nice flavoring.
• Black Pepper & Salt – To enhance and balance the sweetness.
• Garlic powder – Adds a nice flavor to the salad.

Equipment and Supplies Needed

We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.

• 6 Quart stockpot – To boil the macaroni until al dente.
• Small stockpot – To boil the eggs.
• Strainer – To strain the excess water from the pasta.
• Cutting board & knife – To chop all the vegetables.
• Medium mixing bowl & whisk – To combine the dressing.
• Large bowl with cover or plastic wrap – To store/chill the pasta salad.

Directions

Prepare all the vegetables and boil the eggs (25 minutes). Once eggs are boiled, peel and chop 3 of them. Reserve the last one for garnish (optional).

Boil macaroni noodles until al dente. Once done, strain out hot water, and rinse pasta with cold water; strain.

Add the macaroni, chopped vegetables, chopped eggs, to the bowl and stir. In the medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, sugar, mustard, relish, spice, and vinegar. Whisk until combined–it will have a yellow coloring.

Add the creamy dressing to the bowl with the macaroni and vegetables. Combine with a spoon, cover the bowl, and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Recipe Tips

This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your Amish Macaroni Salad comes out perfectly.

Rinse the Pasta

Normally, you would never rinse pasta for a traditional pasta dish because it washes away a lot of the starch. However, for cold pasta and macaroni salads, you need to. This helps to accelerate the chilling process and will prevent changes in the dressing flavoring. Allowing this macaroni to chill in the refrigerator for minimally an hour (8 hours is best) you allow the flavors to meld. This always tastes better the next day!

Add-ins

If you do not like eggs, you can skip them in this salad. While they do make the flavor and texture better they are optional. You can also choose to add cubed cheddar cheese chunks to this salad which adds a nice salty balance of flavor. If you do not have relish, you can add in chopped dill or bread and butter pickles.

Sugar

While the sugar really makes this salad, you can omit it if you’re looking to consume less sugar. The Miracle Whip and sweet relish will help this salad maintain its sweetness.

Storage

If you want to store your Sweet Macaroni Salad, just follow these easy steps.

This macaroni salad recipe does not freeze well at all. However, it does last up to 5 days when stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator. I usually make it on the weekend and enjoy it all week as a side dish.

Recipe

Follow the recipe below to make Amish Macaroni Salad! This recipe makes 12 SERVINGS, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.

More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try

• Greek Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese
• Chicken Bowtie Pasta Salad
• Crab Pasta Salad
• Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad