Sweet Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad

If I’m invited to a cookout, a BBQ, or a potluck, odds are that I am bringing the macaroni salad because my macaroni salad is hands-down the best you’ve ever tasted.

Why This Macaroni Salad Is So Good

• Having lived in Amish country in PA for over 20 years, I’ve tasted and made my share of macaroni salads so I know what’s good. I’ve perfected this recipe over the years to get it just right with the perfect combination of sweet and tangy.
• Everyone who tries this recipe loves it.
• It’s creamy, sweet, and tangy from Miracle Whip dressing and extra crunchy from the vegetables. One bite and you’ll be hooked!

Ingredients

• Cooked Elbow Macaroni
• Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Red, Yellow, and Green Bell Peppers
• Miracle Whip Salad Dressing – this is the most important ingredient in the macaroni salad dressing and I do not recommend using any other type of salad dressing base or regular mayonnaise
• Sugar – I have cut back on the sugar over the years because the Miracle Whip is sweet enough
• White Vinegar
• Yellow Mustard
• Ground Black Pepper

Let’s Make Sweet Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad

1. Cook the macaroni according to the box directions.
2. Rinse the cooked noodles under cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
3. Place the noodles into a large bowl, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for 1-2 hours.
4. Chop the bell peppers, and hard-boiled eggs and set them aside.
5. In a separate dish, mix the Miracle Whip, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and black pepper. Set aside about 4-5 tablespoons of the dressing mixture to use later.
6. Remove the noodles from the refrigerator and gently fold in the bell peppers and hard-boiled eggs.
7. Add the dressing, saving the reserve 4-5 tablespoons for later.
8. Place both the macaroni salad and the reserved dressing in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.
9. When ready to serve the macaroni salad, stir in the 4-5 tablespoons of reserved dressing.

Reader Questions

Amish Macaroni Salad Goes Great With Almost Anything

You can serve almost anything with this macaroni salad. I think it’s the perfect summertime cookout or picnic food. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Any type of sandwich 
2. Grilled hot dogs and hamburgers
3. Italian sausage sandwiches
4. BBQ pork
5. Sloppy Joe’s
6. Italian sub sandwich
7. Nothing at all; it’s good just by itself

I can definitely say this macaroni salad is a guilty pleasure for me, and I have even been known to eat a big bowl of it for breakfast.

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips

• If you decide to add raw onions to this recipe, soak the slices in water for 15 minutes before you use them, which removes some of the bitter taste. This works especially well for red onions.
• I find that any pasta salad tends to soak up some of the dressing when it’s refrigerated, so make sure you reserve 4-5 tablespoons of the prepared dressing to add back to the macaroni salad right before you serve it. This will make it fresh and creamy.
• If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, try my easy perfect hard-boiled eggs. They turn out perfect every time!

Laura Franco

Sweet Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad

5 from 2 votes

Sweet Tangy Amish Macaroni Salad is a classic summer side dish. Bring it to your next cookout or pool party and everyone will be begging for the recipe. This recipe is easy to make for a larger crowd – just double all of the ingredients.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 minutes mins

Total Time 22 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni I buy the 1lb. box and use half of it
• 3 hard boiled eggs – diced small
• 1 small red bell pepper – diced small
• 1 small yellow bell pepper – diced small
• 1 small green bell pepper – diced small
• 1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

 

1. Cook the macaroni according to the box directions.
2. Rinse the cooked noodles under cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
3. Place the noodles into a large bowl, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for 1-2 hours.
4. Chop the bell peppers, and hard-boiled eggs and set them aside.
5. In a separate dish, mix the Miracle Whip, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and black pepper. Set aside about 4-5 tablespoons of the dressing mixture to use later.
6. Remove the noodles from the refrigerator and gently fold in the bell peppers and hard-boiled eggs.
7. Add the dressing, saving the reserve 4-5 tablespoons for later.
8. Place both the macaroni salad and the reserved dressing in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.
9. When ready to serve the macaroni salad, stir in the 4-5 tablespoons of reserve dressing.

Notes

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips;

• If you decided to add raw onions to this recipe, soak the slices in water for 15 minutes before you use them which removes some of the bitter taste. This works especially well for red onions.
• I find that any pasta salad tends to soak up some of the dressing when it’s refrigerated, so make sure you reserve 4-5 tablespoons of the prepared dressing to add back to the macaroni salad right before you serve it. This will make it fresh and creamy.
• If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, try my easy perfect hard-boiled eggs. They turn out perfect every time!