This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
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.
- Make sure you use Best Foods or Hellmann’s mayonnaise-no substitutes!
every recipe is different but when I saw no Pineapples or ham EVER had to laugh being born and raised in Wahiawa and Whitmore village and everyone thinks that is Hawaiian.
I have made this three times and each time has been better. What I did differently this last time is rinse the noodles with cold water while draining them. The mayo mixture kept its creaminess and didn’t clabber like it did the other times.
I disagree! Born and raised on Oahu. This Mac salad tastes almost exactly like Penny’s Lunch Wagon’s mac salad except theirs is slightly sweeter. I don’t see anything that’s not authentic on the ingredient list.
Aloha, this is definitely basic Hawaiian American Mac! Todd is incorrect and has lost his tastebuds unless he discloses the ingredients for what he deems is “authentic Mac salad”. I’d really like to know, because I come from kanaka maoli and I am American and this is obviously Hawaiian American and it’s delicious!
Thank you for the comment, Marie! I’m so glad you approve. We make this all the time and it tastes as good, if not better, than any Mac salad we’ve had in the states. I’m sure eating anything in Hawaii just naturally tastes better!
Didn’t have carrots or onions, but I loved it and kids did to. Thank you.
Hi, thanks for this recipe! It was very tasty, reminded me of the Mac salad I had in Kauai but I felt like it was missing something. Another reviewer mentioned msg powder and I think I will try that as I feel like the recipe was very close and it was just a minor flavor missing. However I felt it was still quite delicious and am pleased to serve it at a potluck this afternoon. I think the mayo is spot on, as Hawaiian Mac salad is generally heavy on mayo however if someone doesn’t like too much mayo then just add less, common sense. I added Serrano peppers to my portion as I like everything spicy. This of course is not authentic but I enjoy the flavor spicy chili’s add to the dish. Thanks again!
Waayyyy too much mayonnaise. I love ono Hawaiian bbq’s mac salad so I thought I’d achieve that, instead I just got spoon fulls of mayo with each bite. Made another batch and did half of the mayo, it tastes much better.!
Disagree, mine had the perfect amount when I did it just like the recipe
So glad I read the comments BEFORE I put all the ingredients together. Totally agree with @Bri, 2.5 cups is way too much mayo! So, I folded in half of my mayo mixture and it was more than enough. Put the rest of the un-used mayo into the fridge, and if the Mac Salad ends up needing more after it’s fully chilled, I can add some more at that time. Meanwhile, I loved everything else about this recipe (it tastes fantastic still warm, so can’t wait until it’s been in the fridge for 4+ hours). Bravo, we will be making this often!
I agree about the amount of mayo. I cooked a regular sized box of Macaroni noodles and folded 1.5 cups of mayo mixture into it and felt that was a good amount. Put the rest of the mixture in my fridge to mix more in if needed.
Also I added a little bit of garlic powder to give it a bit more fuller flavor.
Excellect! I made it with my teriyaki beef recipe and rice to make the perfect plate lunch, reminding me of home.
Only extra comment is that I think japanese mayonnaise is the best option for mayo, because it has a little MSG in there. I didn’t have that so I used MSG powder and it added that perfect extra little flavor that makes the Mac Salad taste incredible.
Similar to what me and my family would make!
Love this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing.
Aloha,this is ono! Having teriyaki burgers and salad tomorrow, reminds me of Frankie’s Drive Inn in Waimanalo, ate there almost everyday while I was manager of a horse ranch. Just add a cherry Coke and that was lunch. Young in those days could eat anything!
Found this same exact recipe on another site, entire post/context literally almost word by word. Not sure this recipe is just that simple or if you share your recipe on other sites but definitely looked like it was copied & pasted. Regardless, am trying tonight and am very excited!
Do you have the link to the site? We would like to contact them and ask them to take it down.
I found this recipe late December 2018. I had modified it to my liking and it is always a hit!
I added 1/2 cup black olives (diced), 1/2 cup celery (diced), 3 green onions (diced) 1 extra tsp white sugar & tsp of regular mustard. This side dish is the bomb.com!!!!! Also, I did a google search with just the listed ingredients and there were several sites that had the exact same ingredients and I wasn’t sure which site was the original. I would hate for your recipe to be stolen. It is truly a gem. I paired this dish last night with the hawaiian chicken from my favorite place (COSTCO) and some white medium grain rice + chicken bouillon + butter. It was banging!
I saw it on America’s Test Kitchen.
Same ingredients but different proportions. They also added celery. Assembly was also different.
Made this today and felt like I was back home(HI)
However there are only 3 of us and won’t be able to finish it. Can it be frozen?????
Unfortunately, pasta and mayonnaise don’t freeze well. Maybe take some to a neighbor? It will last in the fridge for up to a week. Thanks for asking!
I see that it says salt and pepper to taste but around how much to start off with?
Great question! I start off with about a teaspoon of each, but usually end up adding more pepper. I like the extra flavor pepper adds.
SO GOOD! Taste just like Hawaiian plate macaroni salad! My new favorite! Mahalo🌈🌺🤙🏼
Do you have a good Hawaiian rice and sauce recipe? Making this tomorrow with Kalua Pig with cabbage.
We do have this Chicken Long Rice recipe! https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/hawaiian-style-chicken-long-rice/
This is a very easy recipe and absolutely amazing!!
I been looking for a mac salad, I’m from Big island, keaukaha, I will try this recipe and let you know, how it stands to our local places, like L & L, or K’s Drive -in, or Cafe 100. Give me a few days, I’ll let you know. Mahalo
This Mac salad is sooooo good! My sister in law made it for us when she was down to visit. They paired it with their grilled teriyaki chicken and it was seriously the best thing since sliced bread! Lol. It reminded us of a Hawaiian restaurant in Utah called Mo Bettahs. Thank you so much for sharing!
Made this for a potluck to accompany some Shoyu Chicken. It was a hit and honestly took me back to all the lunchboxes I had growing up 🙂 ! I was surprised by how quickly it went away and people were coming back for seconds. Thank you!
I had Honolulu Grill yesterday, I love their macaroni salad and the sauce on the rice!! I am definitely going to give this recipe a try.
I made this today. It is to die for!!! Thank you for the fantastic recipe. Also I’m probably going to eat half of it before dinner. Absolutely delicious.
I’ve been looking for an authentic mac salad recipe for years and this is it. It tastes just like what you’d get at a Hawaiian restaurant. I truly believe that the secret is the addition of the Apple cider vinegar into the noodles after cooking.. other Mac salad recipes have never soaked up the mayo like this has! Thanks!
I’ve had that problem as well!
Let your macaroni cool completely about 45 min then put your mayonnaise in.
Best mac salad recipe. Threw a few fresh salad shrimp in just befoe serving. Perfection. Thank you for sharing this recipe!