Shrimp Macaroni Salad with Peas and Lemon

This shrimp macaroni salad is the cookout classic you already know, with sweet pink shrimp, green peas and a little lemon folded into a creamy dressing. It feeds 8, travels well to a potluck and works as a side or a light main on a hot day.

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The usual letdown with any mayo pasta salad is a bowl that turns thin and soupy by the time it hits the table, or one that dries out and tastes flat. Two small habits fix both, and we cover them below.

Plan on about 30 minutes of hands-on work, plus an hour in the fridge before serving.

What goes into shrimp macaroni salad

• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp seafood seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• Paprika, for dusting

Cooked shrimp keeps this quick. Buy it already peeled if you can, and you skip the messiest job. The sour cream adds a little tang next to the mayonnaise, and the lemon juice keeps the whole bowl tasting fresh and light.

How to make it

• Cook the macaroni until tender, rinse cold and drain. The cold rinse stops the cooking and cools the pasta, which matters because warm pasta would melt the mayo. Shake the colander a few times and let it sit for a minute so no water pools in your bowl later.

• Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, seafood seasoning and salt. Use a large bowl so you have room to fold everything together in the next steps. Whisk until smooth and taste it now, while it is easy to adjust.

• Add the macaroni, shrimp, peas, celery, onion and eggs to the bowl. Pat the shrimp dry before it goes in. Thawed peas go in as they are, with no cooking needed.

• Fold in the dressing, chill 1 hour and dust with paprika. Use a gentle folding motion. The eggs and shrimp hold their shape better that way, and the pasta stays whole. The hour in the fridge lets the flavors settle and the salad firm up.

How to keep the dressing thick and creamy

Water is what thins the dressing. It sneaks in from two places: the shrimp and the pasta.

Pat the shrimp dry before chopping. Thawed or store-bought cooked shrimp holds a lot of surface moisture. A few paper towels and a gentle press take care of it, so the dressing clings to every piece.

Drain the macaroni well after rinsing. A minute of resting time in the colander makes a real difference. If the bag of thawed peas has liquid in it, drain those too.

Small cuts, even bites

Chop the shrimp, celery and red onion into pieces close to the size of the elbows. That way every spoonful gets a bit of everything, and no one ends up with a mouthful of raw onion.

Easy swaps

Plain Greek yogurt can stand in for the sour cream in the same amount and keeps a similar tang. You can also use all mayonnaise, though the dressing will taste richer and a little less bright. If you are cooking your own shrimp, leftover air fryer shrimp works once it has cooled completely and been chopped.

Serving it at a cookout and keeping leftovers

Serve it cold, straight from the fridge, with the paprika added right before it goes out so the color stays bright. It sits nicely next to burgers, grilled chicken, corn on the cob or a plate of sliced tomatoes. For lunch, a scoop on a bed of lettuce is enough on its own.

Because it has shrimp, eggs and mayonnaise, keep it cold. The USDA advises not leaving perishable food out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it is above 90°F outside. At a picnic, set the bowl inside a larger bowl of ice.

Store leftovers covered in the fridge and eat them within 3 to 4 days. The pasta keeps soaking up dressing as it sits, so a day-old salad can look a little dry. A spoonful of extra mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon bring it back.

We would skip the freezer for this one. Mayonnaise separates when it thaws, the celery goes limp, and cooked shrimp turns rubbery.

Building a potluck spread? Our Amish macaroni salad , the chicken macaroni salad and the Hawaiian plate lunch mac salad all use the same chilled pasta method, and the creamy Cajun shrimp pasta is a good warm option when you have more shrimp to use.

Shrimp macaroni salad questions

Can I make it the day before?

Yes, and it holds up well. Make it through step 4, cover it and keep it chilled. Wait to add the paprika until you serve, and give it a gentle fold first since the dressing settles.

Can I use raw shrimp?

Cook it first. Boil or steam raw shrimp until pink and opaque, cool it completely, then pat it dry and chop it. Warm shrimp would thin the dressing.

Why did my salad turn watery?

Most often the shrimp or the pasta went in wet. Patting the shrimp dry and draining the rinsed macaroni well are the two fixes, along with draining any liquid from the thawed peas.

How much does this make?

The recipe feeds 8 as a side. Served as a light main over lettuce, plan on fewer portions.

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us