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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.
- Make sure you use Best Foods or Hellmann’s mayonnaise-no substitutes!
My incredibly picky husband said this was his favorite part of the meal. I have never know the man to enjoy any mac salad ever. I only used about 1/2-3/4 of the called for mayo since that’s all I had and it was still perfect.
My family is from the Philippines and this is almost identical to my grandmother’s Mac salad, if I remember correctly, but we add ham and pineapple for our Filipino Mac salad! Must be a Pacific Islander thing
ALSO FILIPINO, MY MOM WLD USE CRUSHED PINEAPPLE W/ COCKTAIL SHRIMP & DICED RED & GRN BELL PEPPERS.
I lived in Lanikai, Oahu, HI and absolutely loved this recipe! Even better – how about Hawaiian Potato-Mac Salad?!!
Hi there. Just made this recipe and I like it very much. It’s delicious! One thing I would offer for those who are vegan – Vegenaise as a substitute for mayo. The flavor is pretty darn identical only without the fat for those who are on a heart-healthy diet. I made this for my mom who has congestive heart failure and she loved it. Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe.
Veganaise is whipped, stabilized oil… definitely not heart healthy. Use caution for those with health issues.
I am allergic to carrots. Can anyone suggest a substitute?
Thanks:)
Bell peppers, sweet peppers, or just skip them.
I bet you could shred sweet potatoes or yams and get a similar flavor.
I would use very small chopped red bell peppers. They have a more sweet taste and bright color like carrots. Actually, that sounds really delicious!
That does sound delicious! Red bell peppers will be perfect and add that pop of color too. Great idea!
You could try jicama. It won’t have the pop of color carrots give but it’s a similar texture and has a neutral-slightly sweet flavor. Peel it then shred it as you would the carrot.
Tiny green bell 🫑 cut up or chopped bread and butter pickles
This is the one. AMAZING! Been scouring for a recipe since I lost my gran’s. It’s the perfect complement for my spicy jerk chicken and just about anything else. Thank you for posting!🌺
Just made it and it is chilling but my husband and I tried it and both liked it. He can be picky and he really liked the flavor too. He loved the macaroni salad of a local hawaiian bbq place and he said the flavor of this one was good and there was a happy tone in the way he said it lol. Super simple recipe and I would make again. 🙂
I made this recipe last summer it was the bomb. It tasted just like the real deal. We are making it again for this 4th of July.
Tastes just like the Islands’ mac salad!
Thanks for the recipe! Happy 4th of July from Honolulu!
If you don’t mind the extra calories try using heavy cream instead of milk , you won’t be disappointed
Best and Hellmann’s? Nonono! Blue Plate. I personally prefer Duke’s for everything, but it might be a bit tangy for HMS. Ono grinds, Sistah.
Just got back from Maui where I fell in love with the mac salad I was finding everywhere! This recipe is dead-on and I’ve already made a batch and saved this recipe!
This recipe has been a hit and is requested at every bbq we throw. Sometimes I throw in cubed ham and peas for some added color. The dressing is amazing and it’s so easy to make. It’s addicting!!!
Tasted horrible very mayo heavy. Not like authentic Hawaiian Mac mild salad taste that I’ve come to love.
I’m wondering if maybe you didn’t use one of the recommended mayo brands, or if you didn’t get the right amount of the other dressing ingredients right? I followed this recipe to a T and it tastes just like the Mac salad I had recently on Maui.
I haven’t made this…yet. Does anyone know if I can use olive oil Mayo? Will it taste okay? Or is original Hellman’s/best foods best?
We normally encourage substitutes but for this recipe, original mayo is best!
Your answer is in the recipe. No substitutes if you want it to taste like the recipe intended. Use what you want, but don’t rate it down unless you do it exactly as written.
Easy and delicious!
Girl you are my hero!! You hit the nail on the head about the mayo, no other mayo compares. I lived in Hawaii twice and the first time around my son was 3 so he practically grew up on the island. 20 years late, he is buying the same mayo brand!! Hawaii has made me a mayo and rice connoisseur. But your recipe was on point!! I added a little sugar and white vinegar to give it the taste I like. If you really wanna wow your readers, make a spam musabi..I personally think spam is disgusting, much less with mouri but there are millions including my son, who disagree. The North Shore always had an awesome food truck/bus, oh so many good things. Now I miss Hawaii! Great post as I chow down on mac salad at 3Am because I have not gone shopping and literally had the recipe ingredients. I couldnt be happier right now!!
Thanks so much for this comment! You made my day 🙂 We actually DO have a Musubi recipe! https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/musubi/ Also… we compiled a bunch of recipes from my days in Hawaii if you were interested in taking a stroll down memory lane 😉 >>>> https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/category/recipes/cuisine/hawaiian/
Love this Mac salad. I have found I needed to add about 1/4 cup more milk and an extra splash of the cider vinegar. Makes it perfect.
Don’t change a thing. It’s perfect.
This is a required side for the plate lunch supper I decided to make for my husband. I tend to make classic mac salad but it really needs sweet and tangier mac salad for a plate lunch. This turned out wonderfully. Years ago, I found a Hawaiian mac salad recipe that I would make for friends/family from Hawaii that I would take to pot lucks which was always gobbled up. I lost track of the recipe over the years so I googled the key ingredients that I could recall and…Voila! Your recipe appeared. Perfect match.
So glad you found us again!