This Amish macaroni salad is a summertime favorite made with tender elbow macaroni, hard-boiled eggs, crisp veggies, and a creamy cooked dressing that's perfectly sweet and tangy.
It's an old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch classic that shows up at church picnics and family cookouts, and always disappears fast. If you're looking for a tried-and-true PA Dutch macaroni salad that tastes like home, this is the one.
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Why This Old-Fashioned Cooked Dressing Makes All the Difference
If you've never had Amish macaroni salad with cooked dressing, you're in for a treat. This creamy, tangy dressing is what sets it apart from your average macaroni salad. It takes a few extra minutes, but it's easy to make and so worth it.
Start by making the cooked dressing so it has time to cool before you toss the salad together.
In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg until it's well beaten. Add the sugar, salt, cornstarch, and vinegar, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the water and cook over medium heat, whisking now and then, until it comes to a full rolling boil. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely.
Shortcut Tip: If you're in a hurry, set the saucepan into a bowl of ice water. Give it a stir now and then and it'll cool down in no time.
Once it's fully cooled, stir in the rest of the dressing ingredients. Now your homemade Amish-style macaroni salad dressing is ready to bring everything together.
How to Make Amish Macaroni Salad
Begin by cooking the dressing.
While that is cooling, bring 8 cups of water with 1 tsp. of salt to a rolling boil. Add the 2 cups of dry macaroni, stir, and cook it for about 10 minutes or according to al-dente package instructions.
Pour the cooked macaroni into a large strainer, rinse with cold water, and set aside to drain and cool.
Meanwhile, you can wash and chop the veggies and hard-boiled eggs.
Once the cooked dressing has chilled, add the remaining dressing ingredients. And now you are ready to assemble all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until combined, and chill for several hours before serving.
Make-Ahead Macaroni Salad
I recommend making this Amish macaroni salad at least a day before you are planning to serve it.
Having the dressing mixed with the pasta overnight allows the flavors to be incorporated into the macaroni, giving you a greater depth of flavor throughout the whole dish.
Anytime that I am serving guests, I try to work ahead on food prep as much as possible to avoid the stress of last-minute demands. So it's great to have dishes that can be prepared in advance without sacrificing flavor or texture.
This recipe for the best Amish macaroni salad is one of those dishes that tastes better when prepared in advance, so that's a win for me!
How Long Does Macaroni Salad Last?
Macaroni salad, if properly stored, will be good for up to a week.
As soon as you have assembled your macaroni salad, place it into an airtight bowl and refrigerate. And if kept refrigerated, it will last for a week.
When serving macaroni salad at a picnic or potluck, it is recommended to place it back into the refrigerator as quickly as possible.
Make sure that you don't leave it to sit out in the heat for longer than two hours because bacteria can begin to grow, making it unsafe to eat.
Amish Macaroni Salad vs. Regular
You may be wondering what the difference is between Amish macaroni salad and regular macaroni salad.
From what I've seen there's not a lot of difference between the two, although there are many different recipes for macaroni salad. And there are also a lot of different recipes for Amish macaroni salad. Everyone has their own little twist.
Some people like to use Miracle Whip while others use Mayo. (I think it's good with either one.) But a lot of the differences are very minor, creating only a slight difference in the taste.
The biggest difference that I've found between Amish macaroni salad vs. regular is the amount of sugar. Amish macaroni salad is typically sweeter. And this is no surprise since many Amish cooks tend to add a bit of sugar to almost everything.
However, if you don't want it as sweet, you can easily cut back on the amount of sugar.
Summer Side Dish for BBQ
One thing I love about summer is the cookouts and barbecues. Grilled or fire-roasted meat, with all the delicious summery side dishes, is so inviting and festive, especially when shared with family or friends over summer holidays and outings.
Give me a fat, juicy grilled hamburger with all the toppings, homemade baked beans, sweet and tangy Amish macaroni salad, or the best Amish potato salad, and a slice of chilled watermelon. And I'd say, "That was a delightfully wonderful summer meal!" It's some of my favorite food!
More Amish Side Dishes That Go Well With a Summer Barbecue
Pennsylvania Dutch macaroni salad is sure to be a hit at your next cookout or get-together. It's truly an old-fashioned classic macaroni salad!
If you try this Amish recipe for Macaroni Salad with cooked dressing, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Macaroni Salad with Cooked Dressing
Ingredients
Macaroni Salad Dressing:
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¾ - 1 c. sugar
- ¼ c. white vinegar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- ¾ c. water
- ½ c. Miracle Whip or Mayo
- 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ¼ - ½ tsp. celery seed
Macaroni Salad:
- 2 c. uncooked macaroni (boiled in 8 c. water with 1 tsp. salt)
- 3 stems celery, chopped
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, diced
- ¼ c. green onions (3 stems, chopped) or sweet onions, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. dill relish or chopped dill pickles
- 1 small shredded carrot (optional)
- ¼ c. sweet red pepper, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Dressing:
- Add the egg to a saucepan and whisk. Add sugar, vinegar, salt, and cornstarch, and whisk until smooth. Add the water and mix.1 egg, beaten, ¾ - 1 c. sugar, ¼ c. white vinegar, ¼ tsp. salt, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, ¾ c. water
- Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- Once the cooked mixture has chilled, add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.½ c. Miracle Whip or Mayo, 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard, ½ tsp. paprika, ¼ - ½ tsp. celery seed
Macaroni:
- Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni and cook for about 10 minutes, or according to package instructions.2 c. uncooked macaroni (boiled in 8 c. water with 1 tsp. salt)
- Pour the cooked macaroni into a large strainer and rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool and drain.
To Make the Macaroni Salad:
- Wash and chop the vegetables and hard-boiled eggs. Add them to a large bowl.3 stems celery, chopped, 3 hard-boiled eggs, diced, ¼ c. green onions (3 stems, chopped) or sweet onions, chopped, 2 Tbsp. dill relish or chopped dill pickles, 1 small shredded carrot (optional), ¼ c. sweet red pepper, chopped (optional)
- Add the cooled macaroni and pour the dressing over the top. Mix to combine.
- Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. I recommend chilling the macaroni salad overnight, as it gives more time for the flavors to incorporate.
- Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
Karen
I typically don’t care for sweet creamy dressings, but this was absolutely delicious!!! Easy to make. I will be using this recipe from now on.
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment. So glad you enjoyed it!
Anna
Yummy!
Marg
Beyond good. Can’t resist it.
Anna
Thanks for taking the time to leave a positive review! Glad you enjoy it!