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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.
And If you follow a vegan or healthy diet, we’ve added alternate ingredients that will allow you to enjoy this macaroni salad recipe.
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.
Healthy 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. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
More Delicious Hawaiian Food
If you love this Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, try more of our other authentic Hawaiian recipes:
Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Video
Equipment
- Stove Top
- Large Sauce Pan
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. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
- While macaroni is still hot, 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.
Notes
- I like to put my boiled macaroni and ingredients directly in a Tupperware bowl with a lid so I can easily refrigerate it.Â
- Make sure you use Best Foods or Hellmann’s mayonnaise-no substitutes!Â
Yum! We just got back from a vacation on Oahu and I’m craving some Mac Salad! I can’t wait to make this and take us back to our beautiful vacation once again. Thank you!
You are very welcome! Hope you like it! 😀
My mother always mixed equal amount of boiled potatoes cut into cubes with the macaroni and also added a can of peas and carrots and hot dog relish and chopped up boiled egg. There were 8 of us kids so perhaps this was her way of making it go far enough to feed all of us.
That sounds good! Like a mix between macaroni and potato salad.
Ok, I’m not from Hawaii, but my aunt is, born and raised, and her family runs a pretty popular Hawaiian takeout joint in California(I grew up in LA). They won’t give me their mac salad recipe(it’s a restaurant thing), and ever since moving to Canada, I crave Hawaiian Mac salad like crazy!!! So thank you!! I make this once a month, and even my macaroni salad hating Canadian husband gobbles this up. I usually have to kick him out of the kitchen. I do notice this salad tastes better the next day. And please don’t put pineapple or coconut in it, that’s um…an abomination. Oh, and I have to eat my mac salad with a scoop of calrose rice. Thank you again.
You are welcome! I’m so glad you like it, I will have to try the calrose rice!
Thanks! Btw, Im Japanese, and I don’t know if I can agree about Kewpie mayonnaise. That would turn the salad into a Japanese macaroni salad(which is fantastic, but not the same). In Japan, we make a spaghetti salad using Kewpie, and if you’re ever bored, do look this recipe up! It’s delicious! On the island though, people love their Best Foods Mayo, and never seen anyone else use Kewpie for Hawaiian mac salad. Also, calrose rice is simply the name of the type of rice which a Hawaiian plate lunch is served with. It’s the fluffy, sticky rice, which I love!
So glad you (and your mac-hating husband) like this recipe! It is always me go-to when I am craving REAL Hawaiian food. I could not agree more about pineapple and coconut being an abomination haha love them on their own.. but they have no business being in mac salad lol
I agree! I love pineapple and coconut (I can eat my weight in pineapple coconut cake!!) but I like my Hawaiian mac salad traditional.
Omg… I loved L&L in St George, I live in cedar and travel there just for L&L I was so sad when they closed… I was just looking h for recipes via I love the macaroni salad and came across this!!! Do excited to try it tonight! Thanks
I hate when good places close. Let us know how you like it!
I would say real Hawaiian Mac salad is made with Kewpie Mayo. It’s a Japanese mayo that is much more creamier than BestFoods. Basically, you are trying to reproduce the taste of Kewpie by adding the cider vinegar and milk. Also, we throw in a tablespoon of tuna to give it a subtle seafood kick. This is much more authentic of what you’ll find in Hawaiian islands not the Americanized version at L&L.
Thank you, Steven. Can you find Kewpie Mayo anywhere other than Hawaii or Japan?
Would the instructions change for gluten free noodles. TIA
Nope, you would just prepare the noodles as directed on the box. 🙂 Hope this helps!
This is a great recipe. I have made it many times and even added celery and imitation crab meat. So good. This is in my opinion a no fail dish to make for any potluck situation as well. I love it, thank you.
So glad you like it! It is definitely a favorite of mine <3.. I agree.. totally no-fail!
This was an amazing macaroni salad. The flavors came together wonderfully overnight. I can’t emphasize more how important it is to refrigerate this overnight. I tasted right after it was cooked and it wasn’t all that impressive but boy did those flavors come together overnight. It was like eating 2 completely different salads. Once again I can’t say enough about this. So flavorful. Thanks, Erica. Such a tasty recipe.
Thank you for your comment Kazy! We are so happy you liked the salad!
Just got back from Oahu, da best grinds, local style. Recipe is great. Today I made kalua pua’a in da oven, also cabbage slaw with grated carrots, onion, and creamy sriracha sesame dressing like Foodland’s spicy Ahi Poke dressing. Mac salad didn’t miss a beat, brah! Onolicious! Broke da mouth!
Thanks Bill! Lucky you! I would love to be in Oahu right now!
First off…let me say there is no such thing as authentic “Hawaiian” macaroni salad. It would more appropriately be called “Island Style” macaroni salad. The authentic method would be adding potatoes and macaroni to the salad, Best Foods mayonnaise, salt & pepper, shredded carrots, chopped yellow onion, celery, peas and sometimes can tuna. Local families have been variations…all of them good. It is incorrect to say that something is “Hawaiian” when it is not. Traditional Hawaiian food is poi, fish, kalua pig to name a few. Because of so many different ethnic groups living in the Hawaiian Islands, the different foods have become a part of the Island of eating. It is major concern of mine for people to think because something is associated with the Hawaiian Islands, especially food, it much be Hawaiian. Unfortunately, that is not so. Your recipe looks wonderful and I’m sure tastes fantastic. I apologize in advance if my comment upsets you, that is not my intention…just a little education, if you will.
Thank you for your comment, Betty. The comment doesn’t upset us at all. Erica lived in Hawaii and this salad recipe was made by many of the families that lived there – one family that had a catering business and called this “Hawaiian Mac Salad.” It’s always good to have a different perspective and more information. One thing I know for sure – the food in Hawaii is amazing. Kalua Pig is one of my favorites.
My mom always put tuna in our Mac salad. I like tuna, crab and shrimp!!
And you are right pineapple has NO BUSINESS in Mac salad. Also, just because it has pineapple in it does not make food Hawaiian????
haha yes everything in Hawaii definitely does not have pineapple in it, especially mac salad! — I like the idea of crab.. definitely will try that one!
I am going to make this today. I hated Mac salad until I had my first plate lunch! I think some huli huli chicken and rice will be a nice compliment.
Oooh Huli Huli chicken will be coming soon to the blog, too! Keep an eye out for it 😉 You’ve got good taste 😀
OMG!!! This is soo good!! I moved to northern Utah from St.George. We used to live right down the street from the Honolulu Grill, and I crave the Honolulu Grill all the time! This hit the spot! Thank you so much for posting!
So happy that you liked it! I am totally with you– I am always craving Honolulu grill MmmmmMMMmmm Isn’t Hawaiian food the best?!
Do you know if the recipe will work with Best Foods Light Mayo?
It will work but with it being “light” it probably won’t taste quite as good 😉 I have used the Olive Oil mayo and that actually tastes really good
I have made this recipe twice in a month….family loves it! They are requesting it again for our Memorial Day cookout….thank you!
Great idea! So glad you liked it!
THANK YOU THANK YOU for this recipe! 🙂 I’ve been so homesick for good Hawaiian food and it was exactly the right taste I was looking for. It turned out great and then I put it in the fridge to chill and about a half hour later I took it out to sneak a few more bites (so addicting) and the mayo sauce seemed to have been all absorbed. It was still good but there wasn’t much sauce so it was just like cooked buttery noodles. I used the 2 tablespoons of vinegar. What could have gone wrong? Are there any other tricks to keep the creamy consistency like it was at first and not have the mayo sauce absorb?
hmmm… I don’t know. You could try waiting until the noodles are completely cool before adding the mayo mixture. I think if you do that it probably won’t absorb as much as it is cooling. I hope this helps!
Rinse your noodles first with cool water and leave the milk out. 🙂
My 2 cents. I seem to notice that different pasta brands react differently to the sauce. Some brands seem to absorb the mayo faster than others. Not sure why. I’ve using DeCecco lately and it seems to work have the sauce as a coating. Perhaps it is the type of flour they use to make the pasta. I so love this salad in a plate lunch. To die for. thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks so much for the info! We have definitely noticed different brands can taste MUCH different. I have never tried DeCecco before. Will definitely try it next. Thanks!
Just made this! Couldn’t wait for it to be refrigerated and it still taste delicious! Does flavor enhance upon refrigeration or can it also be served @ room temperature? No Best foods where I’m from, so Hellmans did the trick! Awesome salad, thanks for sharing!
OH good, Hellman’s is the same as Best Foods so you made the right choice 😉 It can be served at room temp or refrigerated, just whatever your personal preference is. To store, though, you will want to refrigerate.
Just got done making this for a family gathering. My husband can’t keep sneaking forkfuls out of the bowl!!
Haha! The true test of a recipe! I’m so glad he likes it!
I want to make this for a large party so I’m sure i need to up the ingredients. I was wondering, what is the serving size for your ingredients here? thank you!
It would probably serve 10-12 in a party setting like that
The key to good Hawaiian Mac salad is to salt the water well when cooking the mac. I haven’t tried adding vinegar but this recipe otherwise looks authentic.
Man, egg is traditional! We put egg in the Mac salad. You have to use a cheese grater and shred the eggs up. I use at least 6 hard boiled eggs in a recipe. Only best foods mayo and salt the water before cooking the macaroni. My husband is born and raised on the north shore. Hawaiian-Filipino….eggs are always in Mac salad.
I love that you grate the eggs in with a cheese grater! And I completely agree on the Best Foods Mayo, that is the only Mayo I will use!