Macaroni Salad with Pickles

I made this for a cover dish dinner, and it did NOT last. Everyone remarked about the flavor and how creamy it was. It is so good. I did change just a couple of things. One, I left out the onion as neither my husband or myself can eat them..and it was n't missed. Also, instead of using pickle juice and the sweet pickle, I used sweet relish. I did increase the dressing half again, as we do not like a dry macaroni salad, and this did not get dry. I made it the day before, and yes, it tastes better the second day after the ingredients have had a chance to sit and blend. I put the carrots through my food processor and they were perfect for this salad. And one little tip. When using celery seed, rub the seeds between your palms to crush them a little. This releases not only the aroma, but the flavor as well. Oh, and if you are making a dish that requires both onion and celery, cut the celery last, and rub some leaves, or even part of the rib on your hands. It will remove the onion.

I made this over the holiday weekend for my family and it was a hit. The only thing I did differently was I chopped the carrot and added sweet pickle relish instead of the chopped pickles. I will make it again. The celery seed and spanish olives were nice additions.

This is a very good recipe. Multiplied it many times and made it for my daughter's wedding reception, and I received many compliments. My only question would be about the number of servings. This recipe makes between 13 and 14 cups of salad. Unless you are feeding Paul Bunyan and his brothers, I think that's a lot more than six servings. Maybe it 's supposed to say 16?

I can't rate this yet because I didn't like what I did. I used large elbow macaroni (that was all I had) and it was much too starchy. I nearly doubled the wet ingredients and still a little dry (and starchy). Unless you are having a party for a least ten big eaters I would at least half this recipe. I have a family of four and even though I 1/2 this it will be enough for at least 3 meals. I'm excited to try again w/ small elbow mac. Thanks!

I made this with all the ingredients except the olives and bell peppers ('cause my wife doesn't care for them). I did make more of the dressing (about one and one half times more). I only had one sweet pickle left so I subed one dill pickle and a little sweet relish. I'm glad I made more dressing as it would have been to dry otherwise. The recipe as written makes a LOT(about a gallon) of salad, but it's so good it should be gone in a couple days! As far as the taste..... EXCELLENT!!! Definately five stars!

I used 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream, and the dressing was great. I didn't add the carrots but added fresh diced tomatoes before serving. Used lemon juice in place of pickle juice for a bit of tartness. Nice versatile recipe, Thanks!

!!!We really love this recipe. It does make a HUGE amount, and the dressing should be at LEAST doubled. We leave out celery and add thawed sweet peas and cheese. Great for cookouts. We've made this many times and will continue to make it.

A great place to start! As prior suggestions I was generous with my mayo/sour cream measurements. The dried mustard didn't offer enough flavor so I also added 1T dijon mustard. Instead of pickle juice I added 1T lemon juice and 1T apple cider vinegar. I used sweet relish instead of pickle. After tasting I felt it needed a little sweetener so I added 1T honey. I used red pepper because I prefer it to green pepper and it really added to the variety of colors. I did not have celery seed so I omitted. This was delicious. My husband loved it and he is a macaroni salad lover! I was so worried he wouldn't care for it and he just loved it! Thank you.

This is the best recipe I found for macaroni salad. My hubby even said it's as good as his mother's! :) It makes a lot of food. I used sweet relish instead of pickles & I used pimentos instead of olives...It turned out great! Thanks!

Great recipe Linda! I used salad macaroni, left out the olives and cut the celery seed to 1T. Wonderul! The flavors meld nicely together. Oh yeah...I also used Dijon mustard instead of ground and I chopped rather than grated the carrots. The egg adds a nice flavor as well. Thanks for sharing.

TERRIFIC, EASY recipe. Basic and very TASTY!!!! I used red pepper instead of green bell because it agrees with me more. But everything else A #1. Thanks for having this on the web. I even put tuna in it the second day - and had a whole new dish!!!

This recipe took a lot of work (I have no food processor) and the results, although okay, were not outstanding. Makes a HUGE bowl of mac salad. Needed a LOT more sweet pickle juice (or maybe sweet relish), mustard, and less celery seed. Good recipe to tweak to your liking. Probably won't try again.

Very, very good stuff! Instead of increasing the dressing ingredients I just used 12oz. of macaroni...perfect! There was still enough to feed a small army! I used 3 eggs and a yellow bell pepper since that is what I had on hand and it was a hit...thanks!

I love this macaroni salad and have made it several times. All of the extras -- pickles, olives, green pepper, etc give this macaroni salad great flavor. And best of all, it's really easy to make.

Excellent recipe. I had finished making the salad and when I tasted it, I wonder why it didn't have a kick to it. I had forgotten to add the pickle juice. Once I did that, it was totally awesome. Thanks for the recipe.

I followed the recipe exactly. It was terrible. I made if for a super bowl party and was very disappointed. Man, I can't believe all the good reviews on this - I was expecting something worth while eating. Very disappointed!

This is wonderful! I used it for my church dinner feeding 120 ppl, and everyone raved about it. the only changes i made was doubling the dressing, i used sweet pickle relish & i sprinkled on a lil bit or sugar & bacon bits! also, it makes WAY more that 6 servings. i would estimate at about 15-18 servings per recipe.

This went great with the ribs I made. I only made half a box of elbow macaroni but used the recipe amounts for everything else. I didn't have any celery, green pepper or olives. So I had to substitute some frozen peas and carrots and added some chopped roasted red peppers and a little garlic powder. It was wonderful. I almost threw some crumbled bacon in too, but didn't feel like cooking any. I will make this again and definitely add the olives some fresh carrots and peas -I love them. The red peppers gave it nice color too.

Easy and great-my kind of recipe!

i used all of the celery seed called for and loved it. i increased the olives the second time around. i think this tastes best on the second day -- once thoroughly chilled. will use this again and again.

This was my first ever macaroni salad. I followed the recipe to the letter except for changing out yellow onion for red onion. It was fantastic! All the flavors blend together just right. Many people at our party loved it. I'll make it again for sure.

great salad, will make again thanks,

I have been looking for a great macaroni salad recipe for a while and this one is wonderful. My husband loved it. I did have to add more dressing as it did get dry with the full amount of macaroni used in the salad. Otherwise, a keeper.

I love this macaroni salad. For years I have said my grandmother's is the best, but this one is definitely better. I halved this recipe and it was still enough to serve six though, so I agree with others who have said the servings are off. The only changes I made were leaving out the olives and substituting sweet pickle relish for the sweet pickles and juice and using celery salt rather than celery seed (all I had on hand). It turned out great. I will use this forever as my macaroni salad recipe!!! Thank you.

At last! I've finally found a recipe for macaroni salad that I love. So did my husband. This has a very good balance of flavors. Thanks, Micky Perry

Very good. A little spicey though. I will cut down on the celery seed(maybe it's a typo) next time. But was a great change, tangy, and the different ingredients work together wonderfully. Hopefully it will go over well at my sons birthday party.

I found this recipe to be extremely lacking in taste. Will not try again.

I made this recipe and found several over-powering ingridients...the sweet pickles ,sweet pickle juice, pimento stuffed olives and sour cream was all you tasted . I then made it again ommiteing the sweet stuff and olives then used less sour cream and it was great, then on a serving ,a touch of dill weed (fresh) and it was outstanding!

I made this as a trial run for a friends shower. It turned out great!! I had a neighbor taste it for me so that I could get an honest opinion. Her son actually took the plate and ran!!LOL. She also asked for some for her husband, since I had a ton of it and my husband doesn't like it. Thanks so much for an easy recipe!

This was really good macaroni salad. I made a few modifications for personal preference. I omitted the bell pepper and olives. Cut the recipe in half which was still a lot of salad. This is definitely a keeper. My husband claimed it as one of his favorites.

Linda, what a wonderful salad, it was the best I ever made ! Thank-you for sharing, my family and friends REALLY enjoyed your new twist to a old standard....

I made this for a cookout before I even tried it and it was a huge hit! I loved it too! When I went to make it again, I couldn't find the recipe and I was really bummed out. I'm so glad I found it again! Thanks for posting it!

This was my first time to make macaroni salad. I have never liked it, but this was actually quite good. Thanks for sharing...

Green olives are a good twist. I skipped the onions and came out with a yummy salad. Different than the normal high mayonnaise type. Good for getting a lot of veggies in.

I did not like this very much. It seemed to have too much celery taste in it. It needed more sweetness and creaminess. I ended up adding more sour cream and more mayonaise just so I could eat it. I will try a different recipe next time.

Great flavour, but I agree with other reviewers who recommend either decreasing the pasta to 12oz or increasing the sauce ingredients by half to get a better consistency. Will definitely make it again.

I enjoyed this macaroni salad because of the different vegetables and the sweet pickle. My husband said he prefers traditional mac salad. Good recipe with a lot of different flavors.

amazing

This salad was great! Like others, I did change a few things. I didn't use the measurements posted at all, just "eye balled it", and I omitted the olives. I also used plain mustard, dill pickle juice instead of sweet and diced up a few pickles in there. Other then that the salad is amazing...love the dressing! I think I've found a new favourite!

This was a wonderful recipe! I will agree with other users in regards to the serving size - the serving for six can actually feed a lot more. I used a little less bell pepper and onion than instructed, and it still turned out great. Everyone loved it, thank you!

Great recipe but I prefer it without the sour cream

This salad is pretty ordinary, kind of a little bland. I gave it 3 stars because it is very easy to make and with more seasoning could be great. I am glad I took the advice of some other reviewers and cut the recipe in half; it still made a lot! We ate it for dinner with bbq ribs and baked beans. I plan to mix the leftover salad with tuna and more seasoning, so at least I get 2 meals out of it!

I made this for Thanksgiving 2002 and my family enjoyed it very much. I believe this may be the first one I have made myself but have eaten many. It was good but takes a while (at least for me) to cut all the stuff, etc.

This was totally awesome. I made this for my whole family at our Easter BBQ and everyone loved it. Say hello to our new summer specialty. I made a few small changes: made double the sauce, used lots of relish instead of pickles and juice, added a bit of yellow mustard,and used black olives instead cause i really hate green ones. i kept all of the celery seed in there, slightly crushed like someone else said, and even added a little celery salt. I am still in awe of how great this tasted since i dont really like mac salad that much in the first place. thanks so much!!!

I rate this salad excellent for once a salad with all natural more healthly taste. My sister who expecting really like it and so did the baby. She stated oh he likes that you could see him moving around. I suggest this salad recipe to anyone.

The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly as written and thought the celery seed was overpowering. I have made it many times since and have either omitted the celery seed or used just a teaspoon and love it.

this is my favorite macaroni salad - i use lemon use instead of pickle juice and add diced cucumbers.

I've made this recipe for two different get-togethers and it was well received at both. I do not like salads that are dripping with mayonnaise. The combination of mayo and sour cream makes this much tastier. The green olives also make a great change from a regular macaroni salad. I do have to agree with a previous reviewer that this can't possibly be only 6 servings as I used an 18-cup bowl and it was more than 3/4 full.

I was asked to bring macaroni salad for a Mother's Day gathering,and I new my plain old mac.salad would be boring.I searched this site and decided on this one.It was a huge hit! very flavorful,not difficult,besides the chopping, and the sour cream dressing was much better than the ordinary mayo.I'm glad I decided on this one and will continue to make it for all gatherings from now on.

I followed it exactly and have two major complaints: (1) WAY too much celery seed. Next time I would cut this in half at least because all I could taste was celery seed with every bite. (2) it really was too crunchy, so I think the celery and/or green bell pepper should also be cut in half. Additionally, the olives seemed sort of pointless to me so can easily leave them out and get the same salad.

We didn't get too crazy over this Macaroni Salad but I might try again leaving out the olives, using only 2 teaspoons of celery seed and add a little garlic powder.

Just go ahead and double the amount of mayo and sourcream. You won't regret it. Delicious. Much better than store bought macaroni salad. I usually cut the recipe in half except for the mayo and sour cream. I like the carrots finely grated.

I made this for a family barbecue and everyone really enjoed it. This was the first time I have attempted to make a "macaroni salad". The mayo mixed w/sour cream makes a very creamy sauce (a nice "tang" to it as well). I actually increased the dressing mix by 1/2 and this made the salad a little bit more moist. I omitted the onion, olives and celery seed for some do not like them. I used sweet relish instead of sweet pickle and also added an extra two tablespoons of sweet relish to salad. I can't wait to make this easy and wondreful recipe again. It will be on our menu often!

I've made a lot of mac salad but this is by far the best. The ONLY thing I did different was to use Famous Daves Signature Spicy Pickle Clips for the pickle juice & sweet pickle. You gotta try it! YUMMY!

I was looking for a macaroni salad that I could count on to taste the same each time I made it. This one fits the bill. As a rule, I make a new recipe exact the first time, then make changes. I would not change a thing on this one...it's great!! and everyone loves it. Thanks for sharing.

Pretty good noodle salad. I used only 2 tsp of celery seed, ommitted the olives, used red & green bell peppers, miracle whip instead of mayo, and used lemon juice instead of the pickle juice. Everyone seemed to enjoy this one and its versatile enough that you can use whatever veggies you want. Thanks Linda.

I made this for a 4th of July BBQ, it was a hit! Delicious, I would reduce the celery seed to 1T next time.

Well, I am being generous with a 4 as I had to really tweak this recipe. I loved using both sour cream and mayo, however, I cut the macaroni to half and I still had to add more mayo/sour cream. I cannot imagine using the full 16 oz of macaroni! I omitted the olives and carrots. Thanks for the post.

Liked the recipe, good base to start from. I added more mayo, more mustard, some honey, some hotsauce and only did 1 tbsp of celery seeds, instead of two. Good, good!

Delicious! Just what a macaroni salad should taste like. I didn't use the carrot and I only put in one teaspoon of celery seed, and it was still very good!

I have looked for years for a good macaroni salad and I finally found it when I made this one. I made it for my daughter's birthday party and it was a HUGE hit with everyone, even the kids. I used sweet relish instead of the green olives and I also added some red bell pepper. This is definatly a keeper. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.

Good. Thanks.

This was excellent. I read the reviews before making so I did 1 1/2 times the dressing. The only thing I changed was I added sweet relish. It was a hit and I have been asked to make it again and again.

Super delicous! The sauce makes this salad! I followed what other users said and put more dressing to noodle ratio and it was great. I changed a lot of the other things like the celery and such that went in it and it still turned out great. Thanks. :)

My husband loved it.

have made this recipe many times and always get great compliments. i've added other veggies, whatever i have in the fridge and it always gets eaten up fast at getogethers. the sourcream and mayo make a great combination for a creamy salad!!!

Great recipe!!!I omitted the green pepper and carrots and was stilll wonderful.It does make a ton so halfing it makes plenty for 6.

I have been trying to find a mac salad without sugar, this went over really well. The only changes I made was using red and yellow peppers, knob onions, a touch of garlic and celery salt. Additionally, I used plain greek yogurt to sub for the sour cream to cut the fat and add some protein. There were no leftovers. Making this again for the fourth!

As suggested by HEBH I also made some modifications. I doubled the amount of mayonaise and sour cream. In addition to the ground mustard I added dijon mustard (2 tsp.). I doubled the amount of sweet pickle juice. I added probably about a cup of chopped sweet pickles. I omitted the pimento-stuffed green olives. I also subsituted a red bell for a green bell pepper. I added a tbsp or two of honey. Yummmmmmmmmmm.

I thought this was good but not outstanding a little too much celery seed took over the taste. I may try next time but cut back on both of the celery and seed.

This macaroni salad is delicious! I followed the recipe but omitted the green olives. This salad has such a fresh and clean flavor and the celery seed is so nice! I think I would add more of either the pickle juice or pickles next time for more of a sweet tangy flavor but other than that and just my taste buds, this salad is great!

Very good base allowing room for tweeking the recipe to your tase and pantry supplies! I used whole wheat pasta....(the only way to go). I dusted the salad with paprika for a little color.

I made this for a group barbecue, and everyone seemed to like it alot. The mayo mixed w/ the sour cream makes a very creamy sauce (a nice "tang" to it as well). I omitted some of the items the recipe called for, just because I didn't have them on hand (the green pepper,celery seed & sweet pickle) and it still came out tasting great. I also added approximately a tsp. of "all purpose" salad seasonings (contained onion, parsley, oregano, celery salt), then I sprinkled bacon bits over the top as a garnish and was told that added some good flavor.

This was delicious!....but the tip from the review to add a Tbsp. of real lemon and a Tbsp. of honey really added a sixth star!

Recipe is pretty good, but calls for way more celery seed than is needed. I believe two teaspoons would be more reasonable. Makes a lot of macaroni salad!

Needs sliced radishes, but apart from that, it stands without alteration. I loved the addition of celery seed and sweet pickle, although I did tweak that component slightly. I added the pickle and omitted the sweet pickle juice. It's actually quite similar to my family recipe, except that my family recipe contains tuna fish, which I have recently become allergic to, much to my dismay. Definitely, absolutely, and under all circumstances, do not add dill to this. It's fine as it is without making it taste like soap flakes.

The salad was a hit at our neighborhood barbeque. I added shrimp to the recipe, and left out the carrots and green pepper. Very tasty!!!

This is a great recipe. I wanted a little heat, so I added Sriracha sauce.

Was okay. I think it would have been a lot better with less celery seed. Too strong of taste. If i make it again i'd maybe add a few dashes only.

THIS IS AWESOME!!!! I made this for tomorrow 4th of July 2015 and I can breath a sy of relief!! My macaroni salad has always come out dry no matter what I did to it, it was dry. So today I thought I would look to see what was available. This was the first one I came across and it's not DRY!! Thank you for sharing!! Happy 4th to all

I made this exactly as directed with the exception of using more mayo and sour cream. It's very easy to make. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Hubby, myself and other that have tasted this salad absolutely love it.

This a really nice recipe. I used different colored peppers of added color and subbed in a bit of Greek yogurt to help cut down some of the fat. This is a keeper!

Good base recipe but waaaaay too much celery seed. cut by 3/4 it is good solid macaroni salad.

This was a pretty good macaroni salad. I took it to a bbq and very little was left. I think it would be awesome with some salad shrimp added

Too much celery seed not enough pickle. The pickle was easy to correct but not the celery seed. The amount of dressing seemed fine but we like it a little dry.

This was really good and a nice change of pace from the regular creamy ranch pasta salad.

This is by far the best macaroni salad I have ever had!

I knew the dressing would not be enough for the amount of pasta, so I doubled it, and I did not even mix in the full 16oz of pasta at the very end of mixing. Additionally, I did not add as much celery seed as it calls for just because I thought it was wayyyy too much. Other than that, this recipe was great! I think I added more pickle juice too because I like my macaroni salad sweet. Great for a barbeque!

I found this to be delicious. I only used one tablespoon of celery seed though because it's not my favorite spice. Plan ahead because there is a lot of chopping involved in this recipe, BUT worth it.

This is good the way it is. I'm looking for something a little different, thought this might be it, but it wasn't. It was a good salad, just thought it was still missing a little something. Will likely try it again and work with it a bit. Maybe a little less mayo or sour cream?

Everyone that tasted it loved it.

I thought this was too bland. I added creole mustard after I made it. Did perk it up a bit.

The only thing I did differently was switch out the green pepper (I didn't have any) with a chopped cucumber (I had the English cuke). This is good and I will make it again. This would be good for a big get together as it makes quiet a bit.

I had everything but the peppers so I substituted an English cuke and celery. It was a little bland for our taste so I added smoked paprika and more salt than it called for. I also cut the recipe in half and it still made a big bowl for us to eat.

I used 2 cups raw macaroni (8 ounce). I used 1/2 cup sweet relish, and no chopped pickle. Left every thing else the same,goo stuff.

This was very yummy, not so kid friendly because of the onion but every adult should love it. It did not have any really strong flavor so it kept calling me back. I will use this again.

Pretty good noodle salad. I used only 2 tsp of celery seed, ommitted the olives, used red & green bell peppers, miracle whip instead of mayo, and used lemon juice instead of the pickle juice. Everyone seemed to enjoy this one and its versatile enough that you can use whatever veggies you want. Thanks Linda.

I can say its great, as its as I make it.!!!!!

I made this recipe just for a lunch snack for the house. I saw all the reviews about how dry it is so before mine could even get dry all i added was olive oil. The flavor still soaks together and it doesn't dry out. Thanks for sharing this one. I was looking for a simple pasta salad and I've found it.