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
- 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.
- White pepper can be used for appearance.
- Leftovers 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
I started working in delis when I was 15 (I’m 77 now) I was taught to brine just like you say. Only difference is that we used peas and carrot in addition to the celery. One deli in Jackson Heights had a variation with diced smoked ham and pineapple. A couple of delis had some mustard in it as well. Thanks for the good recipes!
I’m originally from Long Island and I’ve had my share of deli sandwiches and salads. Now I reside in Florida and it’s tough to find a good macaroni and potato salad. I tried Publix brand and it just didn’t cut it. I travel to Long Island every Christmas and the first thing I do is hit the deli for a hero and salads. I made the macaroni salad for the first time and I have to say, it was just like the salad I would get on L.I. The recipe is to the “T”.
Next I’m making potato salad.
So happy you liked it, Joe, and hope you enjoy the potato salad as well!
This is a new family favorite. Made for some friends and everyone has added it to their repeat recipes. Made several times by several families. Just delightful. Thank You.
So happy you all enjoyed!
This is the perfect Mac salad! I had no idea you needed to brine the pasta, but it really does something.
I hate to be this kind of person that talks about subs but I think it didn’t change the recipe that much: I used roasted orange bell pepper because I didn’t have raw and did half rice and half pineapple vinegar because I was too lazy to find my white vinegar, everything else the same. And then just eyeballed the mayo as noted in the recipe. It’s soooooo gooooood
Made this several times, it’s spot on.
My favorite mac salad ever! It’s all about the brine!
So happy you enjoyed, Tracy!
Is there a substitute for the white pepper?
Hi Mike, yes, in the top tips section Jim mentions you can use black pepper in place of white. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe was excellent!!! Best macaroni salad ever! Grew up in NY & now live in Tx & there’s nothing like this here. I used grapeseed oil instead of vegetable oil & I don’t like celery, so I omitted that & swapped it for shredded carrots! It was a huge hit & will be my go-to macaroni salad!
We’re so happy you loved it, Jeanne!
I have been cooking up a storm in my kitchen all my life and I got tell you this recipe for deli style pasta is the absolute best I have ever tasted, the flavor is out out of this world…..thank you
We’re so happy you loved it, Shirley!
Everyone loves it!
Great to hear, Linda!
This was fantastic!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Linda!
These salad recipes are easy to follow and ever so delicious. The cucumber and macaroni salads have been a big hit at the church potluck luncheons. I love the way Jim cooks. It’s the way I learned– in the kitchen with my mother and grandmother.
We’re so happy you’re enjoying the deli salad recipes, Cynthia!
Love your recipes. Thanks for sharing your ‘NY kind of style’! Refreshing, and delicious!
We’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
This macaroni salad was absolutely the best. It was a hit at our family party. The directions were easy to follow. Thank you for this wonderful macaroni salad recipe that will be used often in our household.
Hi Trish, we’re so happy to hear this! Thanks for the comment!
I’m from Bergen Beach Brooklyn , I’m must say this is the best recipe for New York deli macaroni salad. Thanks for sharing. FYI it tastes just like my mom made. 😊
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Chrissy!
Best macaroni salad ever! Made as written but added some sliced hard boiled eggs on top because I had them available. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I found your website via one of your YouTube posts and have loved every recipe I have tried. I am new to the site, so forgive me if this is asked-and-answered, but do any of your deli salad recipes freeze?
Hi Bill, we don’t recommend freezing the deli salads.
Hi. I just made this for the second time tonight and despite my initial skepticism, it’s absolutely delicious. One difference (I know). I only made a half pound because there’s only two of us. I didn’t want to fuss with halving all the brine ingredients so I made a full brine recipe with the intent of draining any excess. There was none so I did it the same way the second time. Came great.
And…lol. I have a Braun stick blender with the mini chopper. Did a great job grating the onion. Cheers
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Joe!
Just made the macaroni salad!
Outstanding! Thanks Jim and Tara!
So happy you enjoyed, Jill!
Hi Jim and Tara! I just made the coleslaw and macaroni salad. They are sitting in the fridge working their magic! We don’t have a good NY deli here in Seattle and I miss it so very much. I’d like a recipe for half-sour pickles and tomatoes. That would be heavenly. I’ll write tomorrow to let you know how the salads turned out. Bless you both!
Hi Jan, thanks for the comment and we will definitely add half-sour pickles and tomatoes to the list. Hope you enjoy the salads today!
Thank you for this deli secret. I adjusted the recipe by halving the vinegar and used Japanese rice vinegar (not seasoned). Also members of my family cannot eat raw onion so I substituted 1/2 tsp onion powder. Adding the mayo to the brined pasta before serving is a great technique. I included the chopped celery and red pepper in the brine which amplified their flavors.