This is the sweet-and-tangy, extra-creamy macaroni salad that steals the show at every cookout, church picnic, and Fourth of July spread — tender elbow macaroni tossed with chopped hard-boiled egg, crisp celery, onion, and red bell pepper, all coated in a rich, deliberately sweet dressing built on creamy salad dressing, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, and a hit of celery seed. What sets Amish macaroni salad apart is that sweetness, and that is exactly what makes our Jaca swap shine. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version — every bit of the conventional white sugar is swapped for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount: 1 1/2 cups granular Jaca in the dressing in place of 3/4 cup sugar, so you get the same signature sweet-tangy Amish flavor with no added sugar and no aftertaste. Because allulose is only about 70% as sweet as the sugar we grew up with, doubling it lands the sweetness right where it should be — and it dissolves cleanly, so whisk it into the dressing until smooth with no graininess. It comes together in about 25 minutes, then chills until cold, and it feeds a crowd of 12. Adapted from The Suburban Soapbox.
Prep: 15 min · Cook: 10 min · Serves: 12
Ingredients:
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 3 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 cups creamy salad dressing (Miracle Whip or mayonnaise)
- 1 1/2 cups granular Jaca (allulose) — for the dressing, replaces 3/4 cup white sugar at the 2x ratio
- 3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 2 1/4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the elbow macaroni for about 8 minutes until al dente. Drain and let it cool completely — do not rinse, since the surface starch helps the dressing cling.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled macaroni, chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced onion, chopped celery, and diced red bell pepper.
- Make the dressing — in a separate bowl, whisk together the creamy salad dressing, the 1 1/2 cups granular Jaca, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, and salt until smooth. The Jaca steps in for the sugar here at double the amount, so you get the same signature sweet-tangy Amish dressing with no added sugar. Whisk until the Jaca is fully dissolved with no graininess.
- Pour the dressing over the macaroni mixture and toss until everything is evenly and generously coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight, so the salad chills through and the flavors meld. Give it a good stir before serving, and add a splash more dressing if it looks dry.
