You can make a family dinner into a favorite family dinner with this BBQ macaroni salad recipe. It has a lot of flavor mixed with a deliciously creamy base and a little added crunch. It is the best macaroni salad recipe in my opinion.
This BBQ Macaroni Salad recipe is not just perfect for weekend dinners; bring it to your next cookout, BBQ party, or family gathering and impress everyone. The combination of the creamy mayonnaise, tangy barbecue sauce, and the fresh crunch of red peppers, lifts this salad above the realm of the ordinary. It’s a delightful twist on traditional pasta salad, and is sure to become a favorite recipe in your home.
One of my favorite things about this BBQ side dish recipe is that you can make it your own. Add more or less of one of the carrots, cucumbers, or green onion. Or you can even omit it if you know you’ll like it better without it.
Changing the recipe to suit your family will not mess it up, just makes it even tastier. If you are making this for a group you know that likes things spicy, you can even ramp up the spice a little bit by adding more chili powder or hot sauce.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our BBQ macaroni salad, you need the following ingredients:
- Elbow Macaroni
- Mayonnaise
- BBQ Sauce
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Hot sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Finely chopped red bell pepper
- Finely chopped celery
- Cubed cucumber
- Shredded carrots
- Chopped green onion
- Chopped purple onion
- Colby jack cheese
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Our BBQ Macaroni Salad Recipe
- Cook macaroni according to package directions.
- Drain the noodles, rinse in cold water and drain again.
- In a large bowl, combine mayo, BBQ sauce, seasonings, hot sauce and vinegar.
- Add the drained noodles and chopped veggies and cheese.
- Stir to combine and refrigerate before serving.
Recipe Notes
It happens often when I think I have everything I need in the house, and when I go to make the recipe I am missing one thing. Well, since apple cider vinegar isn’t used in a ton of recipes, I always just assume I have some. Ha. But what to do if you don’t have any and you don’t want to run to the store? Take a look at the list A Couple Cooks make for the best apple cider vinegar substitutes that you can use in a pinch.
Remember to store any leftovers in an airtight container to keep the salad fresh and flavorful for your next meal. And for those who love to experiment, feel free to tweak the recipe to your liking.
Enjoy More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Want to add more veggies to your meals? Browse our comprehensive list of salad recipes.
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Copycat Hug-Hes Chicken Pasta Salad
- Cowboy Pasta Salad
- Creamy Macaroni Salad
- Creamy Pasta Salad
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
BBQ Macaroni Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni, 1 box
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup BBQ Sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- ½ cup cubed cucumber
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 2 Tablespoons green onion, finely chopped
- 4 Tablespoons purple onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup colby jack cheese cubed
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to package directions.
- Drain the noodles, rinse in cold water and drain again.
- In a large bowl, combine mayo, BBQ sauce, seasonings, hot sauce and vinegar.
- Add the drained noodles and chopped veggies and cheese.
- Stir to combine and refrigerate before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
OK, Ladies! This looks fantastic! I’m cleaing up my drool drips as we speak!
Will definitely have to try for my next BBQ. Subscribed to your channel 🙂
I just wanted to say real quick that I love your new site and totally love your videos!! Keep up the awesome work!!!
this looks delicious! that video pretty much rocks, too.
i wud try all of recipes here :).. for sure so delicioso !!
WONDERFUL!!!!
My husband and I BOTH love this, going in the KEEP file, 🙂
Thanks Ladies!!!
I made this last night and it was so good! It is nice to have a new macaroni salad recipe! I will definitely be making this again! Thanks!
I made this Saturday. It was even better on Sunday. My husband really liked it. A definite “DO AGAIN” at our house
Lovely work! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is about all things BBQ? This is the link . I do hope to see you there. Cheers
We made this for my birthday weekend and oh wow was it a hit! Because we had leftovers, we stored it in the refridgerator until the next day – it was a bit dry so we just simply added a bit more bbq sauce and it again was perfection! My son just can’t get enough – it’s such a great summer salad. Two thumbs up from me and my family!
thanks for bringing this over to the big BBQ. Cheers
Excellente salade!!
Made this to celebrate our 4th of July holiday. Delish!
I’ve been intrigued by this ever since I found it on Pinterest a couple weeks ago. I made it today and it’s delicious. I added some leftover grilled chicken to make it a complete meal for lunch. Even without the chicken it would be a great side dish when grilling burgers.
I made this today for a work potluck and it received RAVE reviews! Thank you! 🙂
This looks so, so good! Nothing says summer to me more like a giant bowl of good macaroni salad- it?s the best!
Some crunchy bacon bits would be divine in this!! Can’t wait to make it!!
Oh yes! Bacon bits would be amazing! Have a great week.