Sweet and Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe (2024)

This delicious recipe for creamy Amish Macaroni Salad is a great side dish recipe for your spring picnics, summer BBQs, and all your potlucks! Sweet and tangy, with just the right amount of crunch, this Amish Macaroni Salad recipe will become your GO TO macaroni salad recipe!

Sweet and Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe (1)


Sweet and Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe (2)

My husband and I have completely different views on whether potato salad or macaroni salad make the best side salads for summer parties. I will almost always gravitate to potato salad first. I've got lots of potato salad recipes on this blog.

My husband, on the other hand, will always choose macaroni salad over potato salad when given a choice! This recipe for Amish Macaroni Salad is his very favorite. I've been able to perfect it over the years and this is the recipe I make whenever I serve macaroni salad. This recipe for Amish Macaroni Salad does make a lot. It's an easy macaroni salad for a crowd that will have everyone asking for the recioe.

This macaroni salad is all the things! It's enrobed in a sweet creamy dressing, yet it's still got a tang to it. It's got the perfect combination of crunch to soft ratio. It's the one pasta salad recipe I will pass up potato salad for. It's pretty much the perfect side dish for all your family gatherings and is one of my favorite recipes.


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What makes this recipe the best Amish Macaroni Salad?

This recipe for Amish Macaroni Salad might be a tad different from other macaroni salad recipes you've made. Sure, it has all the usual ingredients you'd find in regular macaroni salad: celery salt, vinegar, mustard, and mayonnaise.

However, this recipe is special because there is a secret ingredient in the sweet dressing. The brine liquid from Bread and Butter Pickle Chips is ued in the dressing. Pickle juice from sweet and tangy Bread and Butter pickles gives the dressing delicious flavor boost and helps to loosen up the dressing so it coats every single piece of elbow macaroni. Seriously, it's a game changer. You must give it a try.

Pickle juice is not a typical ingredient in macaroni salad, and I have no idea if traditional Amish use it, but I love adding it! It adds so much flavor and helps to loosen up the dressing quite well.

Amish Country Recipes

Here in Ohio, I live a stone's throw, so to speak, from Amish country. They are a simple people with lots of great recipes that have been passed down through the years.

I have many Amish Cookbooks I've picked up over the years. I am a huge fan of the "Amish way of Cooking." Simple, hearty, and delicious homemade fare. (If you like Amish recipes, you might also enjoy my recipe for Amish Ham Loaf.)

Salads are an important part of the Amish tradition. This macaroni salad recipe is my version of the many Amish recipes I've tried in those cookbooks.

Homemade Macaroni Salad vs. Store Bought Macaroni Salad

Yes, you can purchase premade Amish macaroni salad in your local deli. And I'm not saying it's bad, but this homemade macaroni salad is SO MUCH BETTER!

It's easy to make and it doesn't involve ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, citric acid, guar gum, ascorbic acid, artificial colors, or modified corn starch that you find in Walmart's amish macaroni salad. That's right, all those processed Amish macaroni salad products contain ingredients that Amish cooks wouldn't think of using in their recipes!

This recipe does involve a bit of planning if you are adding hard-boiled eggs. However, you can skip that step and make it without hard boiled eggs and it will still be delish! I've made it both with and without eggs and I like it both ways.

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Tips for making the best Macaroni Salad

  • Follow the directions on the box of elbow macaroni to cook the pasta to al dente. Make sure you season the water well with salt. It's the only time you will have a chance to get salt into the pasta itself!
  • Rinse the pasta well with cold water. This will not only cool the pasta off, but will also help keep the pasta from sticking together while you are whipping up the dressing.
  • Do give the macaroni salad time to chill (at least 2 to 3 hours).
  • Do stir the macaroni salad before serving to redistribute the dressing.
  • This is one of those recipes that actually tastes better the next day, so give it time to let the flavors meld.
  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can I use Miracle Whip in place of the Mayonnaise in this sweet macaroni salad?

I'm a huge real mayonnaise fan. I will almost alwasy choose real mayonnaise when a recipe calls for mayo. This macaroni salad is no exception.. With that said, for best results, I recommend real mayonnaise for this recipe. If you swap it for Miracle Whip, the taste and texture will be off.

Can I freeze macaroni salad?

It's not recommended to freeze any sort of creamy macaroni salad, such as this Amish macaroni salad.

Sweet and Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe (5)

Macaroni Salad, Amish Macaroni Salad

Salad

American

Yield: 20 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Sweet and Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe (6)

Amish Macaroni Salad

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 M

A warm weather staple, this delicious Amish Macaroni Salad recipe will become your go to recipe for macaroni salad! Sweet and tangy, with just the right amount of crunch. It makes a great side dish to just about anything and it makes a wonderful pot luck dish too!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, according to package directions
  • 2 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  • 2 TBSP granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup liquid brine from the jar of bread and butter style pickles
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. celery salt
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 TBSP yellow mustard
  • 1 cup chopped bread and butter pickles
  • 3 ribs of celery, thinly sliced (about a cup)
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 large raw carrot, peeled and grated
  • 2 - 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper (optional)

Instructions

  1. Once cooked according to package directions, drain elbow macaroni and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain.
  2. In large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, pickle brine, apple cider vinegar, celery salt, and yellow mustard until combined. Taste for salt and pepper, and season as desired. The dressing should be thin and pourable. You can adjust the thickness with a TBSP or so more of cider vinegar, if needed. it may seem like a lot of dressing, but the pasta does absorb some of it and you don't want dry macaroni salad. (At least I don't like dry macaroni salad!)
  3. Stir cooked macaroni, chopped pickles, celery, onion, carrot, hard boiled eggs, and red pepper (if using) into tangy dressing.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, to let flavors blend. Stir before serving.

Notes

I like macaroni salad to have plenty of dressing. so this recipe provides enough for it to be absorbed into the pasta and still be a loose salad. Feel free to adjust the amounts of mayo, pickle juice, and vinegar to your liking. Pickle juice is not a typical ingredient in macaroni salad, and I have no idea if traditional Amish use it, but I love adding it! It adds so much flavor and helps to loosen up the dressing quite well.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

321.42

Fat (grams)

26.79 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

6.13 g

Carbs (grams)

15.60 g

Fiber (grams)

1.08 g

Net carbs

14.52 g

Sugar (grams)

4.31 g

Protein (grams)

4.49 g

Sodium (milligrams)

410.13 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

49.20 mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate.

https://www.reneeskitchenadventures.com/2019/09/amish-macaroni-salad.html

Copyright © 2019 Renee's Kitchen Adventures

More Macaroni Salads to love!

  • Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad
  • Easy Broccoli Pasta Salad
  • Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

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Sweet and Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Amish and original macaroni salad? ›

Amish macaroni salad includes many of the same ingredients as its regular counterparts, including mayo and mustard. However, the secret to Amish macaroni salad is a specific dressing that gives the dish a tangier flavor. Some recipes also call for pickle relish to offer extra tanginess and paprika for a smoky flare.

What is the difference between Hawaiian mac salad and regular mac salad? ›

Unlike its Anglo counterpart, Hawaiian mac salad tends to shun vinegar and mustard; it eschews sugar and MSG (which some vintage recipes include), favoring Best Foods (also known as Hellmann's) mayonnaise instead.

How do you fix too much sugar in macaroni salad? ›

Add acid: Squeeze some lemon juice or add a splash of vinegar to the salad. The acid will help balance the sweetness. Add salt: If your macaroni salad is too sweet, it may also be too bland. Adding a pinch of salt can help bring out the flavors.

What brand is Amish macaroni salad? ›

A regional favorite, Reser's Amish Style Macaroni Salad highlights classic flavors of the Northeast with supple elbow macaroni, hard-cooked egg, and crunchy pieces of carrot in a sweet and creamy dressing.

Why do Hawaiians eat so much macaroni salad? ›

It's said that Hawaiian macaroni salad made its way onto the plate lunch once Europeans introduced dry elbow macaroni and mayonnaise to the islands. Locals quickly adopted these ingredients because mac salad was affordable, not perishable (unlike a potato salad), and easy to make at home.

How much sugar is in Amish macaroni salad? ›

Amish macaroni salad, amish contains 330 calories per 140 g serving. This serving contains 19 g of fat, 5 g of protein and 34 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 17 g sugar and 1 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate.

Do you rinse macaroni for salad? ›

When you're making cold pasta salads, it's helpful to rinse your cooked pasta because it's going to lower the temperature of the pasta, which is ideal given that it's going to be served chilled — often alongside other cool and/or raw ingredients.

Why is it called Russian salad? ›

Russian salad was originally called Oliver salad based on the Moscow-based Belgian chef who invented it. During the 20th century, the dish spread throughout Europe and adopted the name Russian salad.

What kind of salad does Kim Kardashian eat? ›

If you haven't heard of Health Nut, you probably known them more famously as the “Kardashian salads” that they are always eating/shaking around on their show (in case you aren't a fan of the show, the Kardashians' go-to order is the Chinese chicken salad and the mango iced greentini).

How are macaroni salad and gasoline the same? ›

What do macaroni salad and gasoline have in common? They are made of exactly the same stuff -- specifically, the same atoms, just rearranged. So, while we put the former in our mouths and the latter in our cars, they are really just variations on the same atomic theme.

Why add vinegar to macaroni salad? ›

The acid in the vinegar and the residual heat from the cooking pasta make the noodles more absorbent so they'll really soak up the flavor from your dressing, whether you use a mayonnaise-based one or a vinaigrette. Plus, the vinegar adds a nice tang that balances out the richness of said dressing.

Why is my macaroni salad bland? ›

Not seasoning the pasta enough.

→ Follow this tip: To make sure your pasta salad is well-seasoned and flavorful, it's best to start seasoning early. The best time to do this is right out of the gate when you're cooking the pasta. Use extra-salted water and the pasta will be well-seasoned by the time it's cooked.

What if I put too much vinegar in my macaroni salad? ›

You can add apple cider vinegar to pasta salad by making a vinaigrette but don't use too much vinegar as it gives the pasta salad an unpleasant metallic aftertaste. To prevent that from happening, stick to a 2:1 ratio of oil to vinegar.

What is the difference between German and Amish potato salad? ›

It's worth remembering that Amish potato salad does share many similarities with other styles. Southern-style potato salad usually includes the sweet pickle mentioned above but less sugar and no vinegar. German potato salad also uses vinegar but in a sauce as an alternative to the mayo-slash-mustard base.

What was the original salad? ›

The ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were known to consume mixed greens with a combination of salt, oil and vinegar. These early salads were often made with ingredients like lettuce, celery, radishes, and onions, which were considered beneficial for digestion and overall health.

Who made the first macaroni salad? ›

Origins. Whilst there is no clear origin for the salad, there are various theories that claim different origins for the salad. Some historians and chefs such as Claudia Roden trace back the origin of pasta salad to Italian Jews in the Roman Empire, who reused cold pasta as Jewish Law prohibited cooking on sabbath.

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