Common Ingredients in macaroni salad Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over a dozen popular macaroni salad recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredients in macaroni salad dishes are celery and onion.

Elbow macaroni, white sugar, mayonnaise, eggs, bell pepper and salad dressing are also common ingredients in macaroni salad recipes. For herbs and spices, yellow mustard, white vinegar and garlic powder are popular. Variations include:

• sour cream in place of eggs
• green onions, pimentos, green pepper, carrots and green bell pepper in place of bell pepper

Salt is in 70% of macaroni salad recipes and pepper, 70%.

The average macaroni salad recipe has about 12.1 ingredients, with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 20.

In terms of directions, macaroni salad recipes have about 3.5 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 12 instructions.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Macaroni Salad

For 1 cup celery (101 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single macaroni salad recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with celery	Potential subsitutions
elbow macaroni	half a pound (227 g)	0.78 pound (355 g)	80%
yellow mustard	1.3 tablespoon (20 g)	1.4 tablespoon (22 g)	80%	dijon mustard
onion	half a cup (80 g)	0.47 cup (75 g)	70%	green onions
white sugar	0.39 cup (79 g)	0.42 cup (85 g)	60%
black pepper	1 teaspoon (2 g)	2.9 teaspoon (7 g)	60%
mayonnaise	1 cup (220 g)	0.79 cup (174 g)	50%
white vinegar	0.2 cup (47 g)	0.21 cup (50 g)	40%	garlic powder
eggs	12 (672 g)	10.1 (565 g)	40%	sour cream
salad dressing	3 cup (867 g)	2.8 cup (820 g)	30%
bell pepper	1.2 small (86 g)	1.2 small (91 g)	30%	green onions pimentos green pepper carrots green bell pepper

Ingredients by Average Weight in Macaroni Salad

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in macaroni salad recipes. This would be: 30% elbow macaroni, 15% celery, 12% mayonnaise, 11% salad dressing, 8% eggs, 6% onion, 5% salt, 4% white sugar, 4% bell pepper, 2% yellow mustard, 2% white vinegar and 2% green onions.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

celery

Celery is the most popular ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 90% of macaroni salad recipes contain celery.

Chopped, diced and sliced are frequent preparations for celery in macaroni salad dishes.

Celery is often included in macaroni salad dishes in amounts of 1 cup, 3 stalks or half a cup.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain celery, it is on average, 10% by weight.

For macaroni salad recipes, celery is frequently used with elbow macaroni, yellow mustard, salt, onion and white sugar.

onion

Another popular ingredient in macaroni salad is onion. From the recipes we've sampled for macaroni salad, over 90% have onion.

Variations of onion include:

• green onions: 27% of recipes

In recipes for macaroni salad, onion is often used with celery, elbow macaroni, yellow mustard, white sugar and salt.

Potential substitutions for onion in macaroni salad:

• green onions

green onions

Another popular ingredient in macaroni salad is green onions. From the recipes we've sampled for macaroni salad, over 25% have green onions.

Macaroni salad dishes often call for green onions to be chopped.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain green onions, it is on average, 4% by weight.

In recipes for macaroni salad, green onions is often used with salt, celery, elbow macaroni, eggs and garlic powder.

Potential substitutions for green onions in macaroni salad:

• bell pepper
• dill pickle relish
• carrots

Also, green onions is not often used with celery seed and sour cream.

elbow macaroni

Elbow macaroni is another common ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 80% of macaroni salad recipes contain elbow macaroni.

Uncooked and cooked are frequent preparations for elbow macaroni in macaroni salad dishes.

Common quantities for elbow macaroni in macaroni salad dishes include 1 pound, 2 cups or 8 ounces.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain elbow macaroni, it is on average, 23% by weight.

Celery, yellow mustard, salt, onion and white sugar are commonly used together with elbow macaroni in macaroni salad dishes. Conversely, elbow macaroni is not often used with cheddar cheese.

pepper

Another popular ingredient in macaroni salad is pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for macaroni salad, over 70% have pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• black pepper: 55% of recipes
• lemon pepper: 9% of recipes
• pimento peppers: 9% of recipes

For macaroni salad recipes, pepper is frequently used with yellow mustard, mayonnaise, celery, salt and white sugar.

black pepper

Black pepper is another common ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 55% of macaroni salad recipes contain black pepper.

Ground is a frequent preparation for black pepper in macaroni salad dishes.

Black pepper is often included in macaroni salad dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0.6% by weight.

For macaroni salad recipes, black pepper is frequently used with celery, salt, elbow macaroni, onion and yellow mustard. However, green pepper is almost never used together with black pepper in macaroni salad dishes.

salt

Salt is another common ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 70% of macaroni salad recipes contain salt.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 4% by weight.

In recipes for macaroni salad, salt is often used with celery, elbow macaroni, yellow mustard, black pepper and onion.

yellow mustard

Another popular ingredient in macaroni salad is yellow mustard. From the recipes we've sampled for macaroni salad, over 70% have yellow mustard.

Prepared is a frequent preparation for yellow mustard in macaroni salad dishes.

Common quantities for yellow mustard in macaroni salad dishes include 1 tablespoon.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain yellow mustard, it is on average, 1.7% by weight.

Celery, elbow macaroni, onion, white sugar and salt are commonly used together with yellow mustard in macaroni salad dishes.

Potential substitutions for yellow mustard in macaroni salad:

• dijon mustard

white sugar

Another popular ingredient in macaroni salad is white sugar. From the recipes we've sampled for macaroni salad, over 55% have white sugar.

White sugar is often included in macaroni salad dishes in amounts of three quarters of a cup or 1 teaspoon.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain white sugar, it is on average, 5% by weight.

In recipes for macaroni salad, white sugar is often used with elbow macaroni, celery, yellow mustard, onion and salt. On the other hand, white sugar is almost never used with garlic powder, pimentos, dijon mustard and cheddar cheese.

mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is another common ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 45% of macaroni salad recipes contain mayonnaise.

Common quantities for mayonnaise in macaroni salad dishes include 1 cup.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain mayonnaise, it is on average, 17% by weight.

Yellow mustard, celery, elbow macaroni, salt and black pepper are commonly used together with mayonnaise in macaroni salad dishes. Conversely, mayonnaise is not often used with salad dressing, celery seed, pickle relish and dijon mustard.

white vinegar

Another popular ingredient in macaroni salad is white vinegar. From the recipes we've sampled for macaroni salad, over 35% have white vinegar.

White vinegar is often included in macaroni salad dishes in amounts of a quarter cup.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain white vinegar, it is on average, 3% by weight.

For macaroni salad recipes, white vinegar is frequently used with elbow macaroni, white sugar, celery, yellow mustard and onion.

Potential substitutions for white vinegar in macaroni salad:

• garlic powder

Also, white vinegar is not often used with pickle relish, pimentos, dijon mustard, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

eggs

Eggs is another common ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 35% of macaroni salad recipes contain eggs.

Macaroni salad dishes often call for eggs to be chopped and boiled.

Eggs is often included in macaroni salad dishes in amounts of 3 eggs.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain eggs, it is on average, 14% by weight.

In recipes for macaroni salad, eggs is often used with celery, salt, elbow macaroni, yellow mustard and salad dressing.

Potential substitutions for eggs in macaroni salad:

• sour cream

bell pepper

Another popular ingredient in macaroni salad is bell pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for macaroni salad, over 25% have bell pepper.

Diced is a frequent preparation for bell pepper in macaroni salad dishes.

Common quantities for bell pepper in macaroni salad dishes include 1 small.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain bell pepper, it is on average, 9% by weight.

Elbow macaroni, white sugar, onion, yellow mustard, salt and celery are commonly used together with bell pepper in macaroni salad dishes.

Potential substitutions for bell pepper in macaroni salad:

• green onions
• pimentos
• green pepper
• carrots
• green bell pepper

Also, bell pepper is not often used with garlic powder, dijon mustard and cheddar cheese.

salad dressing

Salad dressing is another common ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 25% of macaroni salad recipes contain salad dressing.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain salad dressing, it is on average, 27% by weight.

For macaroni salad recipes, salad dressing is frequently used with celery, salt, yellow mustard, pickle relish and celery seed. However, mayonnaise, pimentos, green pepper, carrots, sour cream and green bell pepper are almost never used together with salad dressing in macaroni salad dishes.

garlic powder

Garlic powder is another common ingredient in macaroni salad dishes. In fact, over 25% of macaroni salad recipes contain garlic powder.

In macaroni salad recipes that contain garlic powder, it is on average, 1.4% by weight.

Black pepper, celery, salt, mayonnaise and cheddar cheese are commonly used together with garlic powder in macaroni salad dishes.

Potential substitutions for garlic powder in macaroni salad:

• white vinegar

Also, garlic powder is not often used with white sugar, bell pepper, celery seed, green pepper, carrots and sour cream.

Other macaroni salad Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in macaroni salad recipes include:

• dijon mustard - 15%
• green bell pepper - 15%
• sour cream - 15%
• cheddar cheese - 15%
• dill pickle relish - 15%
• carrots - 15%
• green pepper - 15%
• pimentos - 15%
• pickle relish - 15%
• celery seed - 15%

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