Creamy macaroni salad recipe made with macaroni and colorful vegetables tossed in creamy Greek yogurt dressing! This easy pasta salad is hearty comfort food that can be made within 30 minutes. Perfect for summer potlucks, BBQs, dinner, or simply serve it as a side dish.
Jump to:
- About this Creamy Macaroni Salad recipe
- Recipe features
- Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe Ingredients
- How to make creamy macaroni salad recipe
- Recipe Tips For Healthy Macaroni Salad
- FAQs
- Variations that you can try
- Storage suggestions
- Serving Suggestions for creamy macaroni salad
- More Summer salad recipes
- Recipe Card
If you love classic macaroni salad and want to make it healthier then this Greek Yogurt Macaroni Salad recipe is just for you.
You can pair up this creamy macaroni salad with grilled meat or sandwiches. It is a perfect side dish for summer grilling.
About this Creamy Macaroni Salad recipe
This recipe is inspired by the Creamy Corn Salad recipe. The healthy substitution of Greek Yogurt for Mayonnaise gives perfect creaminess and flavor to this pasta salad.
Instead of making the creamy pasta salad with all Mayo, we have replaced a big quantity of Mayo with Greek Yogurt.
I can assure you that this macaroni salad with Greek Yogurt tastes absolutely delicious and you cannot make out the difference. This pasta salad has all the creaminess coming from Greek Yogurt and the perfect crunch from the vegetables.
You can add any summer vegetables of your choice. Add some soft cheese cut into cubes, it makes the salad taste awesome.
Recipe features
- Quick & easy to make - Just toss the macaroni and veggies with the creamy Greek yogurt dressing & the salad is ready.
- Easy to customize – see the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
- Greek yogurt salad dressing - Greek yogurt is a healthy alternative to Mayo based macaroni salad.
- Make ahead recipe - You can cut the vegetables ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for a week. Also, cook pasta, drain, rinse it with cold water. Drain it. Toss it with 2 teaspoon of oil. Transfer it to an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 5 days.
Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe Ingredients
For macaroni salad
- Dry Elbow Macaroni - You can use any small pasta of your choice.
- Vegetables - I have used red bell peppers, cucumber, and onion. They add fresh flavors, crunch & beautiful colors to the salad. You can add any vegetables of your choice.
- Fresh Herbs - I have used fresh coriander leaves/cilantro. It adds a fresh flavor to the salad. You can substitute it with parsley.
For Greek yogurt dressing
- Greek Yogurt - It is a healthy alternative for Mayonnaise and gives perfect creaminess to the salad.
- Mayonnaise - Mayonnaise adds creaminess to the salad. For healthier version, skip it completely and substitute it with Greek Yogurt (with the same quantity).
- Lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice brighten up the taste of the salad. I like to use lemon zest too. Lemon juice gives a slight tangy punch to the taste buds. To substitute, you can add rice wine vinegar, or apple cedar vinegar.
- Honey - It gives a sweet flavor & balances the tanginess of lemon. You can substitute it with sugar or maple syrup.
- Red pepper flakes - It gives spicy zing to the salad. If you do not prefer spicy salad just skip it.
- Black pepper & salt - Add salt & black pepper powder as per taste.
- Mustard powder - It adds a sharp flavor to the salad. You can substitute it with Dijon mustard. Or skip if you do not have it.
- Fresh Garlic - You can substitute it with garlic powder.
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
How to make creamy macaroni salad recipe
- Cook macaroni in salted water as per the instructions given on the package. Drain it and rinse it with cold water. Drain it well and set it aside.
- Next, make the creamy macaroni salad dressing. In a big mixing bowl, whisk Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper powder, garlic, red pepper flakes, honey, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- To the bowl, add macaroni, red bell pepper, cucumber, onion and cilantro. Toss it with the dressing.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Creamy macaroni salad is ready to serve.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these amazing Pasta Salad recipes:
Recipe Tips For Healthy Macaroni Salad
- For meal prep, you can cut the vegetables and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Prepare the dressing when the salad is ready to serve .
- Cook Macaroni in salted water as per the instructions given on the package. Cook 1 minute extra than the recommended time (for al-dente) on the package. As we are not going to cook it further. Do not overcook the macaroni; it will become mushy.
- Drain it and rinse it with cold water. It will immediately stop the cooking process. Also, it will rinse the starch that makes the pasta sticky. Drain it well.
- When you rinse cooked macaroni with cold water, make sure to drain off the water completely from it. If the macaroni has water in it then it will thin out the dressing.
- You can transfer the cooked macaroni (without adding the dressing) to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Stays good for 5 days.
- Tastes best when served chilled - After making the salad, cover with a cling wrap & refrigerate for an hour. It tastes best when served chilled.
- This salad stays good at room temperature for 2 hour. Better to keep it refrigerated.
- Consume this creamy macaroni salad within 2 days of preparing it. Do not freeze this salad.
FAQs
Keep the macaroni salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It may last for 2 days. Better to consume it within 24 hours.
You did not drain the macaroni well before adding it to the salad. If there is water in the macaroni then it will make the dressing thin. So make sure the macaroni is drained very well before adding it to the salad.
No, this salad is not freezer-friendly. When you thaw the salad the veggies will become soggy and the dressing will thin out. It will have a bad texture. So, I suggest you avoid freezing this salad.
After cooking the macaroni, drain it and rinse it well with cold water. It will remove the excess starch from it that causes macaroni salad to be sticky.
Yes, you can skip the mayonnaise and make this creamy macaroni salad with Greek yogurt. Replace the entire quantity of Mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
Variations that you can try
- You can add the vegetables of your choice. Add carrots, tomatoes, etc.
- Add boiled eggs or chicken to the salad.
- You can add some sweet pickles to it.
- Make it a Vegan Macaroni Salad by adding dairy-free yogurt.
Storage suggestions
To Refrigerate
- Keep this creamy macaroni salad in an air-tight container & store it in the refrigerator. Consume it within 2 days.
- Do not keep this salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Better to keep it refrigerated.
To Freeze
Do not freeze this macaroni salad. The vegetables will become soggy and the dressing will be runny.
Serving Suggestions for creamy macaroni salad
You can serve it as a side dish with
- Sandwich
- Grilled Chicken
- Garlic butter chicken bites
- Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Black pepper Chicken Stir Fry
More Summer salad recipes
- Greek Yogurt Coleslaw
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Salad
- Asian Slaw
- Grilled Corn Salad with Feta Cheese
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Recipe Card
Creamy macaroni salad recipe | Greek Yogurt Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Big mixing bowl
Ingredients
Macraroni Salad Ingredients:
- 200 grams Macaroni uncooked
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cucumber
- ¼ cup cilantro coriander leaves
- 1 small onion chopped
Creamy Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon garlic (finely chopped)
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in salted water as per the instructions given on the package. Drain it and rinse it with cold water. Drain it well and set it aside.
- Next, make the creamy macaroni salad dressing. In a big mixing bowl, whisk Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper powder, garlic, red pepper flakes, honey, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- To the bowl, add macaroni, red bell pepper, cucumber, onion and cilantro. Toss it with the dressing.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Creamy macaroni salad is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- For meal prep, you can cut the vegetables and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Prepare the dressing when ready to serve the salad.
- Cook Macaroni in salted water as per the instructions given on the package. Cook 1 minute extra than the recommended time (for al-dente) on the package. As we are not going to cook it further. Do not overcook the macaroni. It will become mushy.
- Drain it and rinse it with cold water. It will immediately stop the cooking process. Also, it will rinse the starch that makes the pasta sticky. Drain it well.
- Make sure to drain off the water completely from Macaroni after you rinse it with cold water. If the macaroni has water in it then it will thin out the dressing.
- You can transfer the cooked macaroni (without adding dressing) to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It stays good up to 5 days.
- Tastes best when served chilled - After making the salad, cover with a cling wrap & refrigerate for an hour. It tastes best when served chilled.
- This salad stays good at room temperature for 2 hours. Better to keep it refrigerated.
- Consume this salad within 2 days of preparing it. Do not freeze this salad.
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Preeti Nayak, and with over two decades of hands-on experience in Indian cooking, I’m excited to share my passion with you. As the author, photographer, and editor behind every well-tested, family-friendly recipe on this blog, my goal is to help you cook with confidence and bring the bold, authentic flavors of India to your table.
helan
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.