Tuna Macaroni Salad
This Tuna Macaroni Salad recipe is a classic favorite. Elbow macaroni, canned tuna, peas and a seasoned mayonnaise all combine for a family favorite!
A CLASSIC TUNA PASTA SALAD RECIPE
Tuna Macaroni Salad is a dish that doesn’t get a lot of credit. It’s one of those meals that most of us remember our Mommas making. It is economical and it makes a lot. I absolutely love to dig into a bowl of this stuff. It is one of my favorite comfort foods (besides The Best Potato Salad). This classic pasta salad really is an entire meal in one!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)
The basic ingredients are macaroni noodles, canned tuna, peas, relish and onion all tossed in a mayonnaise based dressing.
Shallot has a very light onion flavor and doesn’t overpower the other flavors. But you certainly can use an onion if you prefer.
Elbow macaroni is a traditional pasta shape to use for this recipe. However, you really could use any pasta shape you enjoy. Cavatappi or shell pasta would work great.
I only use canned tuna in water. Canned tuna in oil or any other flavors will change the consistency and texture of the tuna pasta salad.
Yes, Tuna Pasta Salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to serve (about 24 hours in advance). In fact, I think that the flavors of the salad improve after a few hours or even overnight in the fridge.
It can be done but it is not recommended. The quality of the pasta deteriorates quite a bit once it is defrosted.
Tuna Pasta Salad can last for up to four days in the fridge if stored in an airtight container. However, it is important to note that the quality of the salad may start to degrade after a day or two.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- elbow macaroni – you can use any small shaped pasta.
- canned tuna – I prefer the canned tuna in water – not oil.
- shallot – you can use an onion but I prefer the light onion flavor of a shallot (it also gives it a touch of garlic flavor).
- mayonnaise – I like Hellman’s or Duke’s mayonnaise but you could use Miracle Whip if you really love it.
- sweet pickle relish – don’t like pickle relish? leave it out or substitute with dill relish.
- celery seed – this adds a light celery flavor, you could substitute with finely diced celery.
- lemon juice – this brightens the overall flavor of the pasta salad as well as the tuna (you don’t taste it as a separate flavor).
- frozen peas – peas are frozen at peak ripeness and work perfect here but you could use drained canned peas as well.
HOW TO MAKE TUNA MACARONI SALAD
Cook macaroni according to directions on package. While pasta is cooking, drain cans of tuna well. Chop hard boiled eggs and shallot. In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, relish, celery seed, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Stir well to combine. Stir in tuna.
Once macaroni is cooked, drain well and rinse with cold water until pasta has cooled. Pour drained macaroni into a large bowl.
Pour mayonnaise mixture onto pasta. Then add chopped eggs and shallot, followed by thawed peas. Stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and pop into the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
Then enjoy!
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Originally published: October 2018
Updated & republished: March 2024
Tuna Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounce box elbow macaroni
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sweet pickle relish
- ½ Tablespoon celery seed (more or less, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3 (5 ounce) cans tuna packed in water, drained well
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Instructions
- Cook 16 ounce box elbow macaroni according to directions on package.
- In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish, 1/2 Tablespoon celery seed, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice. Stir well to combine.
- Stir in 3 (5 ounce) cans tuna packed in water, drained well.
- Once macaroni is cooked, drain well and rinse with cold water until pasta has cooled. Pour drained macaroni into a large bowl.
- Pour mayonnaise mixture onto pasta.
- Then add 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped and 1 shallot, diced, followed by 1 cup frozen peas, thawed. Stir well.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
- Put bowl into the fridge for a couple of hours, then serve.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Letting the tuna pasta salad hang out in the fridge for a couple of hours really makes a difference. It helps the flavors to meld and just makes for a better tasting tuna macaroni salad.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
My mom used to make something of the same premise, she called it Tuna and Elbow, elbow macaroni, Mayo, bumble be tuna, dash of salt and dried parsley. We loved it, so awesome! Now my sister makes it for every potluck, holiday and outing. I like the idea of the peas brings more color! Ty for memories. Keep doing what you do so well.
I have made this several times and it AMAZING!!! I planned on making it again for Thanksgiving and decided to stop by your page and let you know just how much I love this recipe.
My Mom made this salad. I have been making it for over 50years, mostly in the summer. I use LeSeur peas as they are smaller then frozen ones and are tasty. I do not use hard boiled eggs but do put in chopped celery..
Yum! Now I want to make a batch for my work lunches next week ????
I made this exactly as the recipe calls for. It was pretty good but thought the celery seed was a little overpowering. My son tried it and said it was good. I’m also cooking your Mississippi pot roast. I’ve made it before and it was a big hit. Thank you for sharing your recipes. Without the internet these days, I’d be the worst cook ever
I sure do appreciate the feedback Cindy!! Thank you!
This looks great and easy to put together. How do you think it would be to add cherry tomatoes instead of peas?
I can’t wait to fix this for my family.
Well, I love tomatoes so it sounds good to me!
A wonderful recipe, so tasty and easy. I did half the mayo and added sour cream to make up the 1 cup. Some Greek spice was added and presto! Tasty easy lunch!
Thank you so much!
I added sour cream as well. Think that I am going to add red & yellow peppers for color plus we love them. May add a little grated carrot as well. English cucumber is great also but can tend to get a tad soft. Since it’s a big batch I’m going to pass on the cuke or add it just before serving.
This is a great recipe! I need to make this salad as a side for 25 people. I know you said the recipe serves six – do you think I should quadruple the recipe?
I really like this recipe as it doesn’t have celery in it. Turned out really good. I did add a bit more mayo and tuna than the recipe calls for. Also, this recipe makes ALOT! Like a picnic sized bowl. Which is great, but just be prepared for how much you actually will make. I believe myself and my partner now have lunch for the next week!
This is delicious! Making this for the second time today. Only thing that I leave out is the eggs (I hate them). If your reading reviews before making this, your not going to be disappointed.
I did this exact recipe, but switched it up a little. Instead of celery seed, I used regular celery. Instead of a shallot I used a yellow onion. It was delicious!!
I made it this way, too. Delicious!
Make this often, however, I prefer dill pickle relish rather than sweet relish; it gives more of a tang this way.
I do like a good pasta salad, but am not a huge fan of the sweeter ones. I’ll have to give this a go!
I added a table spoon of ranch dressing, it added a nice zing.
Thanks for a favorite of ours, the entire household loves it when I make tuna mac. Especially the Grand kids.
I make it almost the same but always use a small can of chopped peas and carrots along with half a bag of frozen baby peas. Yum!
Made this for dinner last night. Super easy and very tasty. I did use Hellman’s Light mayo – as I believe it cuts a lot of calories without sacrificing any flavor. 🙂 Thank you for the yummy recipe!
I make almost the same because that’s how my grandmother did it. But she didn’t use celery seed , lemon juice, or relish. and she used sweet onions. Next time I make it I am going to use your recipe because it looks yummier!! 🙂 I will definitely use shallots, never though of that before! and you gotta love the peas! It makes the dish. One thing I do add sometimes is cheddar cheese cut in small cubes. But, that’s me.. I love cheese! Great recipe!
I LOVE THIS. I do tweak mine a tad by adding a qtr or half a cup of graded mild cheddar cheese, cut up a 1/4 cup celery really fine in lieu of the celery seed, plus add 2 tablespoons of sugar or stevia. For those looking for an additional twist with extra calories or as I like to call it protein (cheese), fresh veges (celery and energy (if I use real sugar). Any way it’s made we can barely go wrong.
Do you like to use tuna in water or tuna in oil for this recipe?
Hi Linda! I prefer the tuna in water 🙂
I have made this almost the same except with regular sweet onion I HAVE to try it with shallot (omgosh I forgot I love the flavor of shallots!) and a little relish and lemon juice – never used that before. My grandmother also chopped up some cheddar cheese into little squares and threw it in there. I have also made mine with deviled eggs on top for bring along parties. I am gonna have to make this your way. Sounds YUMMY!!!!!
amym11 so glad it was a winner for you, we love this stuff!
So freakin good! I had to adjust becuase I only had one can of tuna and half a bag of large elbo pasta. I added mustard and halted the mayo with Greek yogurt. So amazing still.
Looks wonderful!
I made this for myself -cutting recipe in half. This is so
Yummy!! I used chopped dill pickles instead of sweet relish and added dill spice and chopped celery -. And left the eggs out. Oh this is so good!
So delicious! Made it exactly to your recipe.
This looks yummy!!! I love both macaroni and tuna salad!! The both together will be a great meal!
Can you use canned baby peas
No, I tried this once when I was in a pinch. It is a totally different taste (but not in a good way) You would be better off just leaving the peas out. (It still tastes great without them.) I love peas so I just make sure to always have them onhand now.. but no, it gives it a weird taste..
I agree! If you don’t have frozen peas I wouldn’t use canned peas. I find that I have to stir my tuna macaroni salad before serving. It may need more mayonnaise. This will destroy canned peas. Far better off eliminating peas
all together. I like extra eggs in my salad. I don’t like egg whites so I just add the yolks of at least 6 eggs.
Tuna macaroni salad is going to be our dinner tonight.
You can use whatever you want
You can! Make sure that you drain them early on and well and then only stir them in very gently close to serving time. I like frozen much better because they hold up better. The canned tends to turn to mush, especially as they sit.
Agreed Mary 🙂 Thanks for helping to answer!
I add frozen peas to the salad, it cools the salad right away, Less time to wait to eat.
I’ve used canned baby peas before and thought it was a great substitute.