Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad

Macaroni salads are such an iconic summer food… in fact, at just about every cookout this summer, you’ll probably see a bowl of some kind of pasta or macaroni salad.

Everyone loves them, and they’re the ultimate thing to BRING to a cookout, because you can make them up ahead of time.

That being said, some macaroni salads are… well… pretty boring!  A handful of vegetables, mushy/flavorless pasta, and some dressing that tastes like plain mayonnaise… sound familiar?

But not this one. This salad is loaded with flavor, and is anything but boring.

The pasta is perfectly cooked, and the dressing is cool and creamy, and bursting with all the classic flavors of deviled eggs.

Your potlucks and cookouts this summer deserve a big bowl of this macaroni salad!

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Hard boiled eggs – can’t have a deviled egg salad without hard boiled eggs!
• Mayonnaise – I do recommend making this with full-fat mayonnaise, as that’s how it was tested.
• Granulated sugar – this adds a subtle sweetness, but can be adjusted to your tastes.
• Apple cider vinegar – if you don’t have this kind of vinegar, you can substitute with white wine or even distilled white vinegar.
• Paprika – this adds a classic flavor and color of deviled eggs.
• Salt and pepper – these are added to taste, so use what you think is best.
• Pasta – elbow macaroni noodles are what’s typically used for macaroni salad.
• Celery – adds a delicate crunch.
• Green onions – adds a subtle onion flavor, freshness, and a little crunch.
• Red onion – make sure the onion is finely diced; big pieces of onion are not super pleasant to bite down on.

How to make deviled egg macaroni salad?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Separate yolks and egg whites. Chop the egg whites, and very finely mince the yolks. You can also use a food processor the pulverize the yolks.
2. Make dressing. No fancy tools are needed here, just a whisk or a fork.
3. Boil pasta. For this recipe, al dente is what you’re looking for. Drain and rinse.
4. Start to assemble. You’ll need a large mixing bowl for this.
5. Add dressing. Toss to combine.
6. Chill then serve. The salad tastes best once it’s had a couple of hours to get cold and for all the flavors to really come together.

Variations of this recipe

• Other pasta – while elbow macaroni pasta is the traditional pasta used, you can make this salad with just about any short-cut of pasta (such as farfalle, rotini, etc).
• Sour cream – feel free to add some sour cream to the dressing if you prefer the tang. I would do 1/2 cup mayonnaise, and 1/4 cup sour cream, but the proportions are up to you.
• Onion – instead of red onion, a white or yellow onion can be used.
• Sweet – everyone has their own preferences when it comes to the sweetness of a macaroni salad, so please feel free to increase or decrease the amount of sugar to your tastes.
• Spicy – for a little heat, try adding some diced fresh jalapeños, or some diced pickled/jarred jalapeños. You could also add a splash of the jalapeño juice to the dressing.
• Smoky – if you like a smoky flavor, try using smoked paprika instead of sweet/hungarian.
• Veggies/stir-ins – please feel free to play around with adding other veggies or even protein, such as crumbled bacon or diced ham.
• Doubled – if you require a larger amount, this recipe is easily doubled. Just make sure you double all ingredients.

Making macaroni salad ahead of time

Macaroni salad is an amazing potluck recipe because it’s actually supposed to be made ahead of time!

Once you mix it all together, it’s best to refrigerate it for at least 1-2 hours, but it can also be made the day before.

Before serving, just give it a stir to redistribute the dressing.

Storage

Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-5 days.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe.