This New York deli style macaroni salad is creamy, tangy and made just like the classic macaroni salad served at neighborhood delis. It combines elbow macaroni, celery and red bell pepper with a creamy mayonnaise and sour cream dressing. No eggs, cheese, carrots or onions.
Serve it alongside sandwiches, burgers, grilled chicken or other summer favorites.
Why New York Deli Style Macaroni Salad?
Growing up on Long Island (or anywhere near NYC for that matter) you will find a deli about every 7 feet. They are on literally every corner. The best part is when you walk in and you see that enormous glass counter where all the freshly made delicious salads are just waiting for you.
There was no need to add preservatives to the salads because they were usually gone the same day, and I'm pretty sure that rings true today. They made what they made and when they ran out, they ran out.
Ingredients in Macaroni Salad:
- Macaroni: Traditional deli-style macaroni salad uses elbow macaroni
- Vegetables: finely diced celery and red bell pepper. That's it. No onion.
- Dressing: Mayonnaise, sour cream, whole milk, apple cider vinegar, sugar, yellow mustard, salt and pepper.
How to Make Deli Style Macaroni Salad
Cook the macaroni: Cook the elbow macaroni in heavily salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cooled.
Make the dressing: While the macaroni cooks, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, apple cider vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper.
Combine and chill: Toss the cooled macaroni, celery and red bell pepper with the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tip for Creamy Macaroni Salad: Cool the macaroni completely before adding the dressing. Rinse it thoroughly under cold water or use an ice bath, then drain well. Adding the dressing to cooled pasta helps keep the macaroni salad creamy instead of allowing the pasta to absorb too much of the dressing.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: This macaroni salad can be made 1–2 days ahead. Stir before serving and add a little mayonnaise or a splash of vinegar if needed to loosen the dressing.
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Macaroni salad does not freeze well because the creamy dressing can separate.
How Long Can Macaroni Salad Sit Out?
Macaroni salad should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If serving it outdoors at a picnic or cookout, keep it out of direct sunlight and place the serving bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice.
New York Deli Style Macaroni Salad
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
Creamy New York deli style macaroni salad made with elbow macaroni, celery and red bell pepper in a tangy mayonnaise and sour cream dressing. No eggs, cheese, carrots or onions.
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, cook the macaroni according to directions in heavily salted water.
- Meanwhile combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Drain the macaroni and rinse under cold water until the macaroni itself is cooled.
- Toss together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and paprika right before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Looking for more summer salad recipes?
- Healthy Broccoli Salad - you won't even know it's healthy!
- Classic Potato Salad - goes right alongside the macaroni salad
- Four Bean Summer Salad - all the protein you can ask for
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This is my stand by macaroni salad recipe for last few years. I do add a little green onion and very small diced Colby cheese to ours. My family has told me to stay with this recipe!
Relocated from Long Island to northern VA and I long for deli macaroni salad… gave this a try as I’ve tried other but they use condensed milk and thogh it comes out runny it’s to sweet I’m looking for the more vinegary Mac salad. I substitute red bell pepper for green and added fine de-seeded tomato as that’s what my old deli did. Tastes great however the dressing wasn’t runny. Having company the next day I panic and did another batch of the dressing and that worked! I don’t know why it did this as I ran cold water over pasta and even did an ice bath? All in all if you double the dressing part it is just like NY SALAD!
Made this recipe as it was very close to how my mother made hers. I did make a few changes.. no sour cream or mustard and sprinkled a few celery seeds to up the celery flavor. Delicious and will keep this as my go to recipe for Macaroni Salad. Thank you for posting this recipe, I couldn't figure out how to duplicate hers.
Vegan mayo is completely different. Eggs are humane (so is raw cane sugar)
This was a great recipe I made for camping. and it was delish. Just no red peppers. They totally overwhelm the dish. A little onion powder instead and double the celery - thanks! (its ON Long Island, ladies. 😀 )
Loved this recipe. Made the mayonnaise from scratch using sherry vinegar for the acid. Like others added chopped red onion. After boiling the macaroni I rinsed it well and then tossed it with a tsp of olive oil. I set the cooked macaroni and finished dressing in the fridge until dinner time. Just before dinner I tossed the pasta with the dressing. Sprinkled dry parsley on top like the delis of old. Next day, thanks to the oil tossing, the salad was still (somewhat anyway) creamy.
I will always make my Macaroni Salad this way.
So delicious! Absolutely the recipe i have been searching for. My local Italian market makes a pasta salad very similar and I have been trying to duplicate it. This is delicious! I added a few table spoons of fine diced sweet onion.
I made this macaroni salad this week. It was missing something. I needed to add 1/8 cup vinegar and a little sugar to the macaroni after letting the original recipe sit for a day. After adding the mixture, it tasted just like deli salad.
Too many comments about NY distinction. I am from lower Manhattan and have lived NJ for 33 years. Wherever you come from wherever you go you'll always be a New Yorker!
Ohio girl here. I love macaroni salad but hate the aftertaste. I made this for dinner. It's so good! No aftertaste! Thank you!
(I did add a little black pepper and finely diced onion.)
Thank you Jessica! That's always been my biggest complaint too, especially supermarket salads. They always have that funny aftertaste.
Hello all!
I am a North Carolina transplant from Brooklyn NY... been here 37 years now. As far as I am concerned.. New Yorkers are New Yorkers whether reared on Long Island or another borough. In any event... this is a salad I have always loved and am anxious to try it. Years ago I saw a recipe on the Internet that stated in order to make the macaroni salad "deli style" one was to boil equal parts of white vinegar and sugar , let it cool down and soak the cooked pasta overnight , drain the next day . Has anyone ever come across this recipe or heard of this method? In no way am I deterred from making your recipe above .. I just thought I would throw this comment out there. All of NY folks... have a great weekend and keep safe.
Hi Debi, your Macaroni salad is a big hit at my house. Made it a few times already, it goes virtually overnight. BTW, I used the "1X" amount scale. How many pounds do you think that comes to. And If I'm going to a cookout with 25 people should I change the scale?
Thanks
yes... a LOT! LOL
Thanks, but the family is really asking how many "ONE POUND CONTAINERS" on your 1X scale, will be available to hand out to them. How many pounds of finished mac salad does your finished recipe yield if you know it?
Thanks and sorry for the confusion.
Aaron
Followup... Actually I just made the 2X version and it yielded 12 lb, total.
it makes SO much - a great recipe!
Awesome. Reminds me of home. 🙂 thanks!
Delicious!
To make this humane...
INGREDIENTS
1 lb Elbow Macaroni
2 Stalks Organic Celery, diced fine
1 Organic Red Pepper, diced fine
1 1/2 Cups VEGAN Mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Organic VEGAN Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Organic APPLE JUICE[dilutes the acidic taste of the vinegar]/PLANT BEVERAGE (oat/hemp/soy/etc.) or WATER
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar or LEMON JUICE (if you don't like vinegar)
1 tsp Yellow Mustard
2 tsp Sugar or vegan sweetener (some sugars, are not vegan)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
You are inhumane.
Good recipe.. but
LI is technically not part of NYC.
I'm from Brooklyn.
And, where is Brooklyn (and Queens, for that matter? On what island? You don't fall off the end of the earth at the Nassau line.
Brooklyn and Queens are part of Long Island. You're from a NYC borough that is in long island. . .
Lol, only long islanders say two boroughs of NYC are part of Long Island. Yes, same landmass, no not all Long Island. LI starts with Nassau County. Even the parkways and expressways distinguish - “New York” and “Eastern LI”. 🙂 NICE Recipe!
Look at the map, Brooklyn is ON Long Island, I know because I’m from Brooklyn too.
If you look at very old addresses in Brooklyn some say ‘Brooklyn Long Island’.
There are five boroughs that make up NYC Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx
and Staten Island. Just google it.