Macaroni Salad (SUPER CREAMY!)
If you are trying to get more vegetables in your diet, you need to try my EXTRA Creamy Macaroni Salad that is super easy to make at home.
I promise this is the CREAMIEST Macaroni Salad you will EVER try!
I prepare macaroni salad in bulk for the perfect weekday meal prep and customize it based on your preference.
If you are a vegetarian, skip the imitation crab meat.
Every time I go to Hawaii, I always get their Macaroni Salad.
Super creamy, savory, and slightly sweet macaroni salad is refreshing and pairs perfectly with garlic shrimp.
You can prepare the Macaroni Salad the night before so the Macaroni will soak up all the flavor.
Before serving, I highly recommend pouring some extra sauce to make it super creamy!
My secret weapon that makes my Macaroni Salad super savory and addicting is dashi powder and Japanese Mayo.
Japanese Mayo is many with ONLY the yolk, which gives it a richer flavor and more custard-like texture.
Since Japanese Mayo is made with rice vinegar, it is also slightly sweeter than American Mayo.
Both Dashi Powder and Japanese mayo contain slight MSG, which gives it its umami flavor!
You can customize the Macaroni Salad based on your diet and what is in your kitchen.
I use carrots, celery, corn, red onion, imitation crab meat, and green onion.
The green onion and red onion provide great umami flavors, while the sweet corn and carrot give the macaroni salad sweetness, and the celery provides a nice crunch.
I like to add imitation crab meat for protein, but if you are vegetarian or allergic to shellfish, you can also skip it.
Do you want more Vegetarian Recipes? Here are some of my go-to vegetarian recipes that you will LOVE!
- Japanese Mushroom Risotto – EXTRA CREAMY!
- Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (10 Minutes ONLY!)
- Scallion Oil Noodles (Easy & Vegetarian)
- Creamy Miso Ramen (20 Minutes ONLY!)
Ingredients
- 16-ounce uncooked Elbow Macaroni
- ½ cup of Japanese Mayo
- ¼ cup of American Mayo
- 3 tbsp of Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp of Mustard
- 4 tbsp of Milk
- 1 tbsp of Sugar
- Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons of Dashi Powder
Toppings:
- Chopped celery (~⅓ cup)
- Shredded Carrots (~¼ cup)
- Sweet Corn (~½ cup)
- Chopped Red Onion (~¼ cup)
- Chopped Green Onion (3 stalks)
- Imitation Crab Meat (~½ cup)
- Fill a large pot with water, and add 1 tbsp of salt. Bring the water to a boil and add in the macaroni—Cook the macaroni based on the instructions on the box.
- Drain the macaroni but DO NOT RINSE! You want the macaroni to be sticky at the touch so it can soak in all the sauce. Using a spatula, fold the macaroni to help it cool down and set the macaroni aside.
- Mix Japanese Mayo, American Mayo, Rice Vinegar, Mustard, Milk, Sugar, a pinch of Black Pepper, and 2 teaspoons of Dashi Powder in a bowl.
- Once the macaroni has cooled down, add all the topping of your choice, and drizzle in the sauce. Mix till combined, cover, and set it aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Optional: make another sauce mixture but half of the amount, and drizzle the sauce on top of the macaroni salad before serving.
Macaroni Salad
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 16- ounce uncooked Elbow Macaroni
- ½ cup Japanese Mayo
- ¼ cup American Mayo
- 3 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp of Mustard
- 4 tbsp Milk
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dashi Powder
Toppings
- Chopped celery ~⅓ cup
- Shredded Carrots ~¼ cup
- Sweet Corn ~½ cup
- Chopped Red Onion ~¼ cup
- Chopped Green Onion 3 stalks
- Imitation Crab Meat ~½ cup
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, and add 1 tbsp of salt. Bring the water to a boil and add in the macaroni—Cook the macaroni based on the instructions on the box.
- Drain the macaroni but DO NOT RINSE! You want the macaroni to be sticky at the touch so it can soak in all the sauce. Using a spatula, fold the macaroni to help it cool down and set the macaroni aside.
- Mix Japanese Mayo, American Mayo, Rice Vinegar, Mustard, Milk, Sugar, a pinch of Black Pepper, and 2 teaspoons of Dashi Powder in a bowl.
- Once the macaroni has cooled down, add all the topping of your choice, and drizzle in the sauce. Mix till combined, cover, and set it aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Optional: make another sauce mixture but half of the amount, and drizzle the sauce on top of the macaroni salad before serving.
yummy!!! This doesn’t disappoint! My family loved this! Thanks Tiffy!!
Just curious…what kind of Mustard did you use?
Hi Kathy, regular yellow mustard is fine, but if you’d like to kick it up a notch, try whole grain Dijon mustard!
Tiffy
This was amazing, however there was not enough dressing for the amount of pasta stated. I made it at lunchtime and left it in the fridge to serve with dinner. The flavour and creaminess before it went into the fridge was out of this world (I used the dashi powder and Dijon). However by dinner time the dressing had been completely soaked into the macaroni, so it was dry and lacking flavour. I will definitely make again but I would make extra dressing and refrigerate for no more than 30 minutes before serving, otherwise refridgerate separetly and mix through before serving. A really lovely recipe that I will make again.