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This Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is truly island-style, from how it’s made to the ingredients used. This recipe uses pantry ingredients to create a creamy, no-frills macaroni salad that is the perfect side dish for any barbecue or luau.
Authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is one of my biggest guilty pleasures because it reminds me of my time on the North Shore of Oahu. When I lived there, I often frequented a restaurant called L&L Hawaiian Barbecue where I always ordered the same thing: a plate lunch with macaroni salad and rice on the side.
For the complete Hawaiian experience, be sure to try our other recipes, such as Malasadas (Hawaii’s version of donuts), Haupia (Hawaiian coconut pudding), and Huli-Huli Chicken (Hawaiian grilled chicken).
Mac salad when you can’t be in Hawaii
This past weekend, I had a flashback to my Hawaii days when we ordered food from Honolulu Grill in St. George, UT. Everything we had there was delicious and seriously the most authentic Hawaiian food I have had since leaving Hawaii.
The macaroni salad, especially, hit home and suddenly made me wonder why we haven’t gotten a good Hawaiian mac salad recipe here on Favorite Family Recipes yet!
Keep it Simple
Authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad is ridiculously simple. It is a no-frills mac salad yet, it is so creamy and flavorful. I had a friend in Hawaii who was also a caterer there. He explained to me long ago that true Hawaiian macaroni salad is pretty much just macaroni, carrot, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. This is the way the locals make it.
There are a few other ingredients you can add like celery, extra onion, potatoes, fresh crab, or relish, but the basic recipe is my favorite. Once you start getting into adding ham or pineapple, you are getting way off course.
Adding ham or pineapple to something does not make it “Hawaiian Food”. Pineapple and ham have no business being in a Hawaiian mac salad. EVER.
What is the Best Mayonnaise?
The kind of mayonnaise you use in your Hawaiian Macaroni Salad matters a lot! Trust me, it just won’t taste right otherwise. As far as the BRAND of mayo, it has got to be Best Foods. Period. It’s the best mayonnaise! If you can’t get your hands on Best Foods, I also recommend using Helman’s, which is essentially the same brand, if you live on the East Coast.
To Rinse or Not to Rinse
This is the great debate. I used to always just let the noodles cool naturally but now I have no problem giving the macaroni a cool rinse and letting it drain before adding the other ingredients. It’s the ONLY time I will ever rinse noodles. I have found that when I rinse the noodles and stop the cooking process quickly, the dressing doesn’t get absorbed by the noodles near as much and I end up with a creamer mac salad. I have experimented both ways and haven’t noticed any difference in flavor.
Healthier Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
This recipe may seem a little mayo-heavy, it’s true. That is what makes it so stinking good. If you are really concerned about the mayo-ness of it, you can substitute Greek yogurt in whatever amounts you would like (i.e. half mayo, half Greek yogurt).
You will get a likeness of mac salad but I am telling you, it won’t be quite the same. In Hawaii, it’s all about the mayo. As far as the BRAND of mayo, it has got to be Best Foods. Period. No other mayo will taste right.
Substitutions for a Vegan Hawaiian Mac Salad
We are so grateful for comments we get from our readers, especially when adapting recipes for special diets. We received a comment from Mimi that I thought would be helpful for anyone wanting to make this a vegan recipe. She substituted Hellman’s Vegan Mayonnaise for the regular mayo in the recipe, and Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk for the regular milk. She said it turned out great. Thank you, Mimi!
How to Make Hawaiian Mac Salad Ahead of Time
If you make this ahead of time and it seems a little dried out, add some mayo mixed with a little milk until you get the right consistency back. Fold it in with a large rubber spatula so you don’t tear the macaroni noodles.
More Delicious Hawaiian Food
If you love this Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, try more of our other authentic Hawaiian recipes:
Loco Moco
Chicken Long Rice
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
Spam Musubi
Haupia
Malasadas
Chocolate Haupia Pie
Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 carrots, shredded
- ¼ cup shredded onion (optional)
- 2 ½ cups Mayonnaise Best Foods or Hellman's mayonnaise (no substitutes!)
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to package directions. Rinse under cold water until completely cool. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle on vinegar. Add carrot and onion. Toss together until well combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until cooled.
- In a separate, small bowl, whisk together mayo, milk, and sugar. Fold the mayo mixture into the macaroni until all the noodles are evenly coated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (best if overnight).
- Gently stir before serving, add a little more milk if needed, no more than a tablespoon or two.
Video
Notes
Tips
- I like to put my boiled macaroni and ingredients directly in a Tupperware bowl with a lid so I can easily refrigerate it.
- Make sure you use Best Foods or Hellmann’s mayonnaise-no substitutes!
Serving Size and Nutrition Facts
The serving size we use to calculate the nutrition facts on this recipe is ¾ cup. This Mac salad recipe makes approximately 12 cups of salad. The serving size can range from ½ cup to 1 cup – we chose to calculate the nutrition right in the middle at ¾ cup, which is arguably on the high end for a serving. This is the calorie calculation per serving size:- 1 cup of mac salad is 468 calories.
- ¾ cup of mac salad is 312 calories.
- ½ cup of mac salad is 234 calories.
So delicious and authentic! This was so easy to make and everyone devoured it. This will be my go to Mac salad from now on.
So glad that it was a hit!
I’ve made this recipe many times and I’m never disappointed. It’s spot on for being authentic as we like it here in Honolulu.
Aloha,
Linda
Thank you so much! Happy to get the “thumbs up” from another local!
How did you calculate calories per serving? When I add up calories for all ingredients and divide by 12 servings, I get 445 calories per serving, not even close to 151.
There is a nutrition calculator in the software we use on our website. I will double check it and re-calculate it. Thank you for letting us know!
Jackie, again, thank you for asking because I think this definitely needed some clarification. I have put these same notes in the recipe card as future reference. This recipe makes approximately 12 cups of Mac salad. Serving sizes can range from 1/2 cup to 1 cup. We now have the serving size set as 3/4 cup on the nutrition calculation. This is a large serving size. Most Hawaiian restaurants will serve 1/2 cup. This is a breakdown of calories per serving size:
1/2 cup serving is 234 calories.
3/4 cup serving is 312 calories.
1 cup serving is 468 calories.
This Mac salad reminds me of what we are in Hawaii ! Essential side with teriyaki chicken or beef and rice . Topped with siracha seas perfect in my plate. Excellent! Made it the night before a party and came out great. Didn’t have to add more dressing, just stirred it. Will use this again.
So glad you love this recipe and that it has worked out so well for you! Thanks so much for the nice comment!
I didn’t have onions so I used onion powder and it was still amazing! Can’t wait to make this again and try it with the onions.
Glad to hear it worked out well with onion powder! Definitely the way to go if you don’t have an onion on hand.
Is it possible to half the mayonnaise and combine the other half with greek yogurt?
Yes, you totally can, I can’t promise it will taste the same though. If you try it, please come back and let me know how it tastes!
Though I added the onion I still barely noticed it so it was not what I think of as Hawaiian Mac salad. If this is what differentiates it for you, I’d certainly add more.
Thanks for your comment! The onions definitely should not be overpowering at all. They should just blend in with the other flavors. Just curious, what do you think of when you think of “Hawaiian Mac Salad”?
great recipe! we have a lot of food allergies so I do the Barilla gluten free elbows (cook for 4min) then lots of grated onion with all the delicious onion juices, finely shredded carrot, lots of mayo and ACV and it’s always just perfect! I don’t have a good sub for the milk so I just do extra mayo and it’s always perfect! some freshly grated pepper on top is yum!
So glad you like it so much and that it worked well with GF pasta!