New York deli macaroni salad is a creamy side dish that’s found in nearly every deli in the NY metro area. It’s perfect with sandwiches, burgers, and barbecue and is sure to stand out at any backyard gathering!
This post may contain affiliate links. Our disclosure policy.
Macaroni salad can get a bad rap at times.
Homemade versions are often a clumpy mess with little to no flavor, but anytime I’ve eaten New York deli macaroni salad, it’s been awesome!
I’ve worked in a number of delis in my life and this is the real-deal, tried and true way to ensure a tangy, creamy macaroni salad.
The vinegar brine is the key to this salad, as it is to New York deli potato salad, German potato salad, coleslaw, and others.
While many deli mac salads include just macaroni, or macaroni and a touch of celery, I added just a bit of red and green bell pepper to mine for texture and flavor.
Serve this mac salad with burgers, barbecue, or alongside an Italian hero/sub, chicken salad sandwich, or deli roast beef sandwich for the full NY deli experience!
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we'll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a large bowl whisk together 1/3 cup of white vinegar, 3 tablespoons of water, 1/3 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, a 1/2 cup of grated or pureed onion, 1 1/4 teaspoons of fine sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. Finely dice half of one small green or red bell pepper and 1 rib of celery.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook 1 pound of elbow macaroni to al dente. Drain and run the pasta under cold water to cool it off and stop the cooking process. Whisk the brine again and add the macaroni along with the bell pepper and celery. Mix well to coat, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate the macaroni overnight to allow the flavors to absorb.
- The next day add 3/4 cup of mayonnaise and mix well until you achieve a creamy consistency, adding more mayo as needed.
- Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Top tips
- The brine. Brining the macaroni 1 day in advance yields maximum flavor, and the longer it sits in the brine the better it will taste. This is the key to the quintessential New York deli flavor! Most delis (all of the ones I worked at) will leave macaroni, potato, and cabbage for coleslaw in the brine overnight or longer. Then the next day they can mix up a perfect smooth batch for customers. This works for presentation but also for taste.
- Pepper. I used white pepper in the brine to keep everything uniform in color, but you can certainly use black pepper. In fact, I used some black pepper at the end to season it to taste.
- Vegetable oil. I get a lot of comments about vegetable oil and some folks prefer to not use it. This is the oil that’s being used in most delis. Using olive oil here will change the flavor. If you don’t want to use vegetable oil, something with little taste, like avocado oil, would be an ok substitute. The only use for the oil is to aid in the smoothness and creaminess of the mac salad.
More summer side recipes
This NY deli-style macaroni salad is great all year long but is especially good in the summer. Here are a few more side ideas for warm weather.
If you’ve enjoyed this New York Deli Macaroni Salad Recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and tell us about it in the comments below.
We strive to satisfy a number of learning styles. If you are someone who prefers to learn by watching, you can find most of our recipes on YouTube and our Facebook Page.
New York Deli Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
For the brine
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup grated white onion or pureed
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Remaining ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise plus more to achieve a smooth consistency
- 1/2 small green or red bell pepper finely diced
- 1 rib celery finely diced
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
Instructions
For the brine
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the brine ingredients and set aside.
For the macaroni salad
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook elbow macaroni to al dente. Drain and run the pasta under cold water to cool it off and stop the cooking process.
- Whisk the brine again then add the elbow macaroni along with the bell pepper and celery. Mix well to coat. At this time it is best to refrigerate the macaroni overnight so that the flavors absorb.
- The next day, add the mayo and mix well again. Add more mayo as required to get a creamy consistency. Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- Brine. The key to getting that New York deli macaroni salad flavor is the brine. If you can wait let the macaroni sit in the brine for 1-2 days before mixing with mayo. This is how most delis do it.
- Pepper. White pepper can be used for appearance.
- Leftovers. New York deli macaroni salad can be saved for up to 5 days and taste even better after a few days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Follow Me
The Sip and Feast Cookbook
- 100+ recipes
- Essential tools and ingredients
- Entertaining ides
- Stunning photography
We have moved on from our America’s Test Kitchen Macaroni Salad recipe to yours….its now the go to! Thanks for all your effort to create really great recipes. So far, we’ve loved everything that we made from the website and the cookbook.
So glad to hear that, Lou, and thanks for buying the cookbook!
I’m so happy I ran into your life, your recipes are easy to understand. I myself am from Long Island now living in FLI come from a Jewish background,you know that’s Jews n Italians are raised the same ways like, eat you’ll feel better!
I’m going to order your book, I like the way you show off your cooking style. Ty for being you! Ilyssa
We’re happy you found us and thanks so much for ordering the book!
Best macaroni salad ever! Most are dry and gloppy, this is not. I cut the amount of onion a bit and brined a full day to serve at dinner. It was delicious even brining for just eight hrs. I added grated carrot for a bit more color.
So glad you enjoyed!
This may sound like a dumb question, but here goes: do I drain the excess brine before adding the mayo?
No need to drain. There really shouldn’t be much excess as it absorbs into the pasta.
Made this for Labor Day weekend and thought I was back home! Haven’t had this good a macaroni salad in 50 years. And I would never have guessed the recipe! Thank you for figuring it out, James and Tara. My sister-in-law was almost giddy eating it! Our usual family tuna macaroni salad wasn’t made for the simple reason my god daughter can’t stand tuna so I turned to your recipe. I followed it to a tee with one substitution ( I can’t eat white sugar but can use maple syrup….used it and was worried at first especially of the color but was great)
It made my Labor Day weekend and probably more to come!
We’re so happy you and your family enjoyed it, BettySue!
Love your recipes whether
on YouTube or catching them in Facebook. Best one Sunday gravy . 👌
So glad to hear that!
Hi Jim and Tara,
Thank you guys so much for your NY metro area recipes. We moved from north NJ to central PA many years ago and love re-creating foods we can no longer get (or at least not good versions). It tastes just like the food we grew up on.
I have been searching for a NY deli macaroni salad recipe for many years and they all fell short. But you guys really nailed it on this one! It tastes just like the one we used to get many years ago at the neighborhood deli. I make this along with the NY deli Cole Slaw every few weeks because I can’t stop eating it!
Keep up the great work! We love watching your YouTube channel and making your recipes. We bought 2 copies of your cookbook; One for us and one for my son who is also a big fan and we all use quite often.
We really appreciate the comment, Tim, and glad to hear this recipe was the one you’ve been searching for. Thank you for buying the book, and so happy it’s getting use!
OH, fer chrissakes. Use olive oil if that’s handy. It affects the flavor not at all.
And depending on the ketchup, the tomato paste is silly. Just wastes a perfectly good can.
Other than that, perfect.
It’s the best sauce I’ve come across for balance of savory, sweet, and tart. And very easy to make.
Exactly like NY Deli salad. This amount serves 12 or just 2 of my sons! It’s really that good. No changes needed.
It does tend to evaporate.
Brilliant recipe , easy ro follow instructions. Can’t wait to try this out 🥖🌯🥗❤️
My favorite chef. The only guy I watch. Recipes are perfect every time. You’re helping me teach my daughter to cook. I like that you say its ok to substitute or to leave things out you don’t like. It made her get over her fear of messing things up. Thanks Jim and Tara.
We’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes, Jeff! Thanks for the comment!
Well done teaching your daughter this valuable life skill!
Nailed it!!!
So glad you enjoyed!
For years no one knew what I was talking about when I described how macaroni salad hasn’t tasted the same to me since the Midwood Deli changed hands in the eighties. 24 hours in the brine is everything. Tuna and peas are nice New England, but they don’t belong in genuine deli style macaroni salad.
So glad you enjoyed!
I added jalapeno and only 1 tbls sugar. Outstanding and a go to now
I enjoy all of your videos and make your dishes. I haven’t made a bad one yet….. I enjoy seeing your beautiful family.
Thank you for very informative and entertaining videos…
We’re so happy to heat tha, Claire!
This is a hit with everyone who tries it. Just make the recipe to a “T” and you won’t be disappointed!
Wonderful authentic…..made your New York Deli Macaroni, Potatoe & Coleslaw. Tried a dozen recipes and this is the taste I was looking for. Thank you!
We’re so happy to hear that, Kathleen!
Hubby says this is the best macaroni salad I’ve made in 50 years of marriage! I agree. The brine is genius. Who knew? We are left coast people. Makes salad the perfect creaminess without using too much mayo.
Ps love your cookbook, too❤️
We’re so happy to hear that, Suzanne! Thanks for buying the book!