Sour Cream Cheddar Macaroni Salad

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This pasta salad with sour cream and cheddar is a creamy, tangy copycat of the beloved deli case favorite you can now make right at home. Loaded with sharp cheddar and simple ingredients, it’s the perfect side dish for cookouts, potlucks, or family gatherings.

Looking for more pasta salad recipes? Try my Creamy Italian Pasta Salad, my Zesty Italian Pasta Salad, or my Tortellini Caprese Salad.

Closeup of cheddar and sour cream pasta salad in a bowl with green onions next to it

Jump to:

🩷 What you'll love about this pasta salad recipe
🥘 Recipe Ingredients
📝 Ingredient Notes
📋 How to Make Pasta Salad With Sour Cream Step-By-Step
💡 Recipe Tips
🫙 Storage & Reheating
🧂Additions & Substitutions
❓Your questions answered
🍽️ More side dish recipes that you'll love
📋 Recipe
💡 Recipe Tips
🫙 Storage & Reheating
🧂Additions & Substitutions
💬 Comments

This recipe is a copycat of the cheddar and sour cream pasta salad that we always purchase from the deli case where they scoop out as much as you want. I love it so much and became tired of my hopes being dashed when they didn't have it in the case when I was craving it. This tastes just like it, and I might even say a little better!

🩷 What you'll love about this pasta salad recipe

▪️No more being disappointed when the grocery deli isn't serving this macaroni salad when you really, really want it. Make this creamy macaroni salad recipe instead!

▪️There are lots of fresh veggies included, so you don't have to feel so bad about eating a lot of pasta, sour cream, cheese and mayo!

▪️You can make this easy pasta salad up to 2-3 days in advance.

🥘 Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this amazing pasta salad with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

ingredients needed to make pasta salad with sour cream and cheddar just like the deli

📝 Ingredient Notes

pasta - the deli uses a long, straight macaroni instead of elbow macaroni. I have had a really hard time finding this pasta. In this recipe I am using ziti, which is a little bigger and it works fine. I've found a pasta at Walmart online that looks promising, so I'll be checking this out soon.

cheddar cheese - if you can, please try to shred your own. The pre shredded cheese has an additive to it to keep it from clumping together. The flavor and texture is just so much better when you shred it yourself.

vegetables - of course you can add whatever you like, but red bell pepper, green bell pepper, celery and green onion are exactly what they use in the deli version.

sour cream - I like to use the Daisy brand. It has simple, basic ingredients and no junk. Look at some of the other brands and you will see.

mayo - I always, always, always use Duke's mayo. This is hands down my favorite mayo and I won't use any other. It's the best creamy mayo in my opinion and will give you the best creamy pasta salad.

📋 How to Make Pasta Salad With Sour Cream Step-By-Step

Here are some visual instructions. Full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the Recipe Card below.

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Cook just until al dente. You don't want overcooked mushy noodles for a pasta salad. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Get the pasta as dry as you can. Sometimes I'll run a paper towel through it to get extra water out. I like my pasta salad to have a very creamy dressing and not get watered down.

Add the cooled and cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add the sour cream, the mayo and the sweet relish.

Adding sour cream to cooked macaroni in bowl

Add the sugar, all seasonings and the chopped veggies to the bowl.

Adding seasonings to cooked macaroni in bowl

Add cheddar cheese to the bowl. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours so all of the flavors can meld together.

All ingredients mixed thoroughly in bowl

💡 Recipe Tips

You want to get the pasta really dry after cooking. This helps the creamy salad dressing to coat the pasta better, and won't water down the dressing.

For the best flavor, make sure to use regular, full-fat mayo, cheese and sour cream.

If you are serving this outside for a potluck or BBQ, place a bigger bowl underneath filled with ice to keep this cool since it has dairy ingredients included.

Make In Advance
Make this cheddar and sour cream macaroni salad up to 2-3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

🫙 Storage & Reheating

Storage: Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days.

Freezing: It is not recommended to freeze this pasta salad. Mayo based dressings do not freeze well.

🧂Additions & Substitutions

Additions:

Other veggies or add ins - red onion, grape or cherry tomatoes, green onions, black olives.
Try out adding other spices - red pepper flakes for heat, garlic powder, celery seed, a little bit of dijon mustard.
If you want a sweeter macaroni salad, add more sweet relish or a teaspoon or two of extra white sugar.
If you want a tangier pasta salad, add a splash of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.

Substitutions:

If you replace the mayo and the cheese with plant-based versions, you can make this a vegan version. If you have issues with sugar, use an alternate vegan sugar.
Try small shells, rotini pasta, small bowtie pasta or your favorite pasta shape.

❓Your questions answered

Can you freeze macaroni salad?

As mentioned above, no it is not recommended to freeze this prepared salad since mayonnaise-based dressings or sour cream based dressings do not freeze well. The best way to freeze is to freeze the ingredients separately. Let the pasta get to room temperature and toss in a small amount of olive oil or vegetable oil. The ingredients need to be stored in airtight containers. Store in a freezer safe ziploc bag. Chop and freeze the vegetables separately in another ziploc bag. When you are ready to make the macaroni salad, thaw the pasta and veggies. You should make the dressing fresh at that time.