Home > Salads > Macaroni Coleslaw Salad Macaroni Coleslaw Salad May 22, 2024 | 37 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Macaroni Coleslaw Salad is what you get when two of the best summer side-dishes (coleslaw and macaroni salad) collide into one super tasty salad! Macaroni Coleslaw Salad If you see me at a BBQ, you can guarantee my plate is piled high with as many different salad options as possible (yes in Utah even this Raspberry Jello Dessert is considered a salad). I’m a sucker for a good summer salad. Two of my all-time favorite salads are coleslaw and macaroni salad. That’s how this macaroni coleslaw salad was born—I wanted the best of both worlds. And it’s truly as good as it sounds! At every BBQ, potluck, or event I’ve brought it to, it’s been a huge hit. Not only is it popular in person, but it’s also gone viral on social media over the years and remains a reader favorite. This salad is loaded with chopped cabbage, macaroni, veggies, and a quick homemade coleslaw dressing. It’s tangy, sweet, and crunchy. QUICK TIP This salad is especially tasty on the side of a BBQ Chicken Sandwich or Sloppy Joes! Macaroni Coleslaw Salad Ingredients Macaroni. Use elbow macaroni or any short pasta to thoroughly trap in the delicious dressing. Coleslaw mix. Nothing fancy here! A store-bought coleslaw mix works great! Find it in the produce section near lettuce and prepared salad packets. Celery. This is a classic macaroni salad addition and adds a nice crunch. Cucumber. I love English or Salad cucumbers for this salad. Regular cucumbers are less flavorful and get watery quickly. Red onion. If raw red onion is too strong for you, soak the diced onions in ice-cold salted water for 10 minutes, then drain. Keep in mind, the onion flavor will get stronger the longer the salad sits in the fridge. Green bell pepper. This is another ingredient that adds a nice crunch and savoriness to the salad. Dressing Ingredients Mayo. This is perhaps the most important ingredient in this recipe–it makes a huge impact on the flavor. I love Hellman’s/Best Foods® full-fat best. It’s creamy and isn’t too sweet. Sugar. Most macaroni salads are sweet, including this one. Sugar balances the vinegar’s tang and the veggies. If you prefer less sweetness, add sugar slowly and to taste. Apple cider vinegar. The vinegar gives this salad some nice tang and balances the sweetness from the mayo and sugar. Seasonings. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder add big flavor. If the salad tastes flat, it might just need a pinch of salt! Fresh lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice balances flavors and adds tang. If you love it, use more. It’s much better than bottled! QUICK TIP For quick prep, use fresh refrigerated coleslaw dressing (Marie’s® is great). Find it in the produce section, not with the shelf-stable dressings. Macaroni Salad With Coleslaw Dressing Tips Salt the pasta water well, as cold pasta can have a more muted flavor. Use 1 teaspoon of salt for every 4 cups of water. The dressing may be a bit lumpy at first — don’t worry about it; the lumps work themselves out as the dressing gets tossed with the salad. Chill for 30 minutes. While it’s fine to serve this salad right after you make it, it does taste better cold and after ingredients have had a chance to meld a bit with the dressing. Add veggies just before serving to keep them crunchy and fresh. This prevents them from getting soggy while stored. Pasta absorbs liquids and can get dry. Add most of the dressing when mixing, then gradually add more as needed. If serving at a potluck, stir every 30 minutes and add dressing if it looks dry. Switch Things Up Protein: Add grilled chicken or crumbled bacon for a heartier salad like this BLT Pasta Salad. Add some cheese: Mix in cubed cheddar or crumbled feta cheese for even more flavor. Fruity twist: Throw in some diced apples, raisins, or dried cranberries for a sweet touch. Creamy avocado: Dice and gently fold in ripe avocado just before serving. Add in nuts: Toss in toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, or chopped walnuts for extra crunch. STORAGE Macaroni Coleslaw Salad Storage Assemble this salad right before eating. Chill for 30 minutes before serving, but don’t store it for days. The pasta absorbs the dressing and gets bloated, and the veggies become soft and watery. If making in advance, store the salad and dressing separately. Combine them just before eating. Only dress the amount you plan to eat. More Summer Favorites: Grilled Chicken Marinade reader favorite recipe! Creamy Pesto Orzo made in one pot; 30 minutes or less! Grilled Flank Steak with an easy herb sauce Zucchini Pasta Sauce over spaghetti Taco Pasta Salad with taco-seasoned ground beef FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Macaroni Coleslaw Salad 5 from 12 votes - Review this recipe Macaroni Coleslaw Salad is what you get when two of the best summer side-dishes (coleslaw and macaroni salad) collide into one insanely tasty potluck salad! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Macaroni Coleslaw Salad 5 from 12 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Macaroni Coleslaw Salad is what you get when two of the best summer side-dishes (coleslaw and macaroni salad) collide into one insanely tasty potluck salad! Course Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian Cuisine American, Vegetarian Keyword macaroni coleslaw salad Prep Time 30 minutes minutes Total Time 30 minutes minutes Servings 14 -16 side salad servings Chelsea Lords Calories 326kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $8.65 IngredientsSalad▢ 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni▢ 2 English cucumbers, cut in half moons (2 cups)▢ 1 green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)▢ 2 regular celery ribs, finely diced (3/4 cup)▢ 1/2 large red onion, finely diced (1 cup)▢ 1 package (14-16 oz) coleslaw mix (Note 1)Dressing▢ 1-1/2 cups mayo▢ 1/4 cup each: white sugar & apple cider vinegar (Note 2)▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice▢ Salt & pepper (1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper)US - Metric USMetric InstructionsMACARONI: Measure 2 cups dry macaroni. Boil 8 cups water, add 2 tsp salt and macaroni. Boil according to package directions for al dente. Drain and rinse under cool water for 30 seconds. Shake off excess water and let cool completely.DRESSING: In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.VEGGIE PREP: Remove an inch from each end of the cucumbers, then slice into half moons. Finely dice the green pepper, celery, and red onion.ASSEMBLY: Once cooled, add macaroni to a large bowl. Toss with coleslaw mix, cucumbers, green pepper, celery, and red onion.ENJOY: If serving the same day, pour dressing over the salad and toss until well coated. Cover and chill for 30-60 minutes before serving. Toss again and adjust seasonings if needed. Once dressed it's best enjoyed same day. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Coleslaw Mix: Use a store-bought coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) from the produce section. Note 2: Sugar: If you’re concerned about sweetness, start with less sugar and gradually add more to taste. Note 3: Storage: This salad doesn't keep well once dressed. The pasta absorbs the dressing and becomes bloated, making the salad watery. If preparing in advance, store salad and dressing separately, combining just before eating. Only dress meal-sized portions. Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
You have the yummiest dishes! Love this new Macaroni Coleslaw Salad recipe you just shared. Perfect for those hot summer days! Reply
What a great idea and combination! I always use red and yellow peppers instead of green. I can’t wait to try. Thanks! I have saved many of your recipes! Reply
You state best if served same day, how long is the salad good for? I am planning to take for lunch for 4 days, would it be good that long? Thanks!!!! Reply
Macaroni is my son’s favorite food. I often make mac and cheese for him at home. Yours looks nice, try it soon. Thank you, Chelsea. Reply
This is delicious! Since there’s just two of us I cut the recipe in half and only dressed half of what I made, saving the rest to dress and eat in a few days. The only change I made was to seed the cucumber and cut it into smaller pieces. I had stopped making pasta salad because of medical issues that require a very low sodium diet, and this recipe allows us to enjoy pasta salad again! Thank you so much! This is definitely a keeper! Reply
I’m so thrilled to hear this was a hit and you were able to enjoy a pasta salad again — yay! 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment and review Ellen 🙂 Reply
Awesome recipe, i didnt remeber to separate dressing fir another day, however, i took left over for lunch, hopefully i get to enjoy the rest, thank you! Reply
This is delicious i made it today!! You mention its not the healthiest but i think it sort of is…lots of good veggies in there…i also use organic sugar and 1/2 mayo and 1/2 plain greek yogurt…thanks for a great recipe ? Reply
I added some chickpeas and made this a complete meal. Perfect for the hot days we’ve been having in south Florida. I don’t even like regular coleslaw but this salad is addictive!! I went for a second bowl. Reply
I made this salad for our 4th of July picnic this year and it was excellent! Everyone loved it! Will be making it often! Thank You! Reply
Awesome salad! 👍 My mom saw this recipe then shared it with me. I followed your recipe to the letter and she loved it. I only omitted celery, as I’m not a big fan, and doubled the green bell pepper. Recipe is super easy to follow… it works from the first time. I encourage everyone who loves pasta and coleslaw to try it. Reply
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I have made it several times for small get togethers, but this past weekend I made a double batch and EVERYONE loved it! It’s light, crunchy, colorful and super flavorful! I switched out the green peppers and did the red, yellow, orange combo to add to the colorfulness. 🙂 Definitely keeping this one! Thanks so much! Reply
This was fantastic, made for church. potluck made double batch came home with 2 bites left. I love the dressing, may be my new favorite Reply
