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The Hawaiian Plate Lunch is more than just a meal, it’s a beloved tradition across the islands. A plate lunch brings perfectly cooked rice, island-style meats, and Hawaiian Mac salad together into one comforting and delicious meal.
Aloha on a Plate 🌺
Plate lunches were possibly my very favorite meal when I lived in Hawaii. You can find a great plate lunch at any decent local restaurant or food truck on any of the islands but the very best plate lunches are the homemade ones shared with local friends and neighbors at luaus or beachside BBQs. There’s just something about everyone pitching in and creating a meal together that makes it extra special (and delicious). Now here’s the best part: you don’t even need to go to Hawaii to enjoy it! With these easy recipes you can share a taste of Hawaii with your friends and family right in your own home.
Don’t stop with the plate lunch, make a full on Hawaiian feast with more authentic Hawaiian favorites like Loco Moco, Spam Musubi, and Huli Huli Chicken. Finish it off with something sweet like Chocolate Haupia Pie, Guava Cake, Malasadas, or any of our other popular Hawaiian Dessert Recipes. All of these Hawaiian recipes have such a special place in my heart, I am so excited to share them all with you!
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
- Aloha on a Plate 🌺
- What is a Hawaiian Plate Lunch?
- Essential Ingredients
- The Best Hawaiian Mac Salad
- Pick Your Protein
- Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
- Shredded Kalua Pork (aka Kalua Pig)
- Loco Moco
- Plate Lunch vs. Mixed Plate
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Making Ahead and Storing
- More Hawaiian Recipes
- Hawaiian Plate Lunch Recipe
What is a Hawaiian Plate Lunch?
A true Hawaiian plate lunch is made up of three parts: two scoops of white rice, one scoop of Hawaiian Mac Salad, and a savory protein “entrée.” The “entrée” is typically grilled teriyaki chicken, Kalua pork, chicken katsu, or teriyaki beef.
The plate lunch originated during the plantation era on the islands, where workers from Japan, the Philippines, China, and Portugal shared their food cultures, resulting in a fusion-style, hearty midday meal. Now plate lunches are enjoyed by locals and tourists. Many Hawaiian-style restaurants across the United States serve plate lunches. L&L Hawaiian BBQ and Mo’Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food are a couple of places near me that serve plate lunches.
Essential Ingredients
- Rice – The rice is usually a sticky-type rice. Calrose rice is common for lunch plates. Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice definitely doesn’t make the cut. And definitely not brown rice if you are going for authentic. Sometimes you will find that restaurants put a bit of sauce (or brown gravy) over the rice for you. I love this because it gives the rice just a little flavor boost. Most of the time the rice is just plain, which is great too. Season with a little salt and pepper for extra flavor.
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad – This has oversized noodles that absorb the salad mixture. Serve the mac salad cold. It has a tangy and sweet flavor to it. Hawaiian mac salad is a staple in the Hawaiian dishes!
- Kalua Pork – Made with only a few ingredients this kalua pork is tender and a little more on the drier side. It doesn’t come with a lot of juices compared to other meats. Kalua pork is loaded with all the flavor though!
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken – A classic favorite that kids and adults love to have on their plates. This teriyaki chicken recipe is grilled to perfection. It is tender and juicy with teriyaki sauce. It is the best type of Hawaiian BBQ!
The Best Hawaiian Mac Salad
A plate lunch is not a REAL plate lunch unless it has Hawaiian Mac Salad. You simply MUST have mac salad on there. Don’t ask me why, it just makes a meal complete. I am a food mixer when it comes to plate lunches. I love getting a little creamy mac salad, a little rice, and a little bit of meat for each bite. Have a side dish of Hawaiian rolls to scoop it all together. HEAVEN I tell ya. Mac salad, the good kind with mayo, shredded carrots, and everything all together. Don’t skip it!
Pick Your Protein
One of the best parts of a plate lunch is choosing your favorite protein. You can’t go wrong with any of these local-style favorites:
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
Grilled teriyaki chicken has got to be the most common meat choice on a plate lunch. It’s always a safe option for people who are unsure about trying out new foods. If you are throwing a luau or party and just want to cook up one entree for everyone, this may be the one you want to do. Be sure, though, if you do this, that you are using chicken THIGHS. Chicken breasts do not make the cut and I promise you, it will not taste anywhere nearly as good as chicken thighs. Don’t be tempted to make the switch!
Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
The grilled beef teriyaki is probably my husband’s favorite entrée (and it may be mine, too, it’s so hard to say). I love tender, SUPER thin slices of beef steak that you can cut with a fork. The marinade for the teriyaki beef is also just downright delicious. I love cooking up the leftover marinade and pouring it over the beef (and sometimes over the rice) to make sort of a beef stew. So, so good.
Shredded Kalua Pork (aka Kalua Pig)
Kalua Pork is another very common plate lunch entrée. Traditional Kalua big is slow-cooked in a pit (an imu) with ti leaves and/or banana leaves. That method is a little intense for a typical weeknight meal at our house so we usually do the “cheater” method. This version is made in the slow cooker and tastes just like authentic shredded Kalua Pig. We love adding cabbage to the mix, which is also very common for this style of lunch.
Loco Moco
Loco Moco is another favorite local dish that goes well on a plate lunch. It’s basically a Hawaiian hamburger steak with gravy often served with a fried egg on top. When making a plate lunch with loco loco, serve the rice and Mac salad on the side of the hamburger and gravy. The gravy is also delicious served over the rice.
Plate Lunch vs. Mixed Plate
People can get confused between a plate lunch and a mixed plate. The only difference is that with a mixed plate, you have more than one “entrée” dish. A typical plate lunch only has one big serving of one thing (like JUST teriyaki chicken or JUST Kalua pork etc..) A mixed plate usually consists of two or more smaller servings of a combination of entrees. For me, I usually like the mixed plate because I like a little taste of everything!
Frequently Asked Questions
The name comes from the way the meal was originally served – on paper plates for plantation workers during lunch breaks. It became a quick, filling, affordable meal served from lunch wagons across Hawaii.
They are similar in concept, but plate lunch is unique to Hawaii. It typically focuses on three main items: rice, mac salad, and a protein. Bento often includes multiple compartments with a variety of small sides.
Yes! Swap out the meat for grilled tofu or teriyaki mushrooms or zucchini. Serve rice and mac salad on the side.
Making Ahead and Storing
This Hawaiian plate lunch is the perfect meal for feeding a crowd! Make ahead or the day you plan to serve it. When ready to serve use a bento-style plate or styrofoam container to hold all the contents.
- Making ahead – Make each of the recipes ahead of time and store them separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Serving – Warm the chicken, pork, or beef and rice separately in the microwave or oven. Once warmed through place on a Hawaiian lunch plate and add the creamy Mac salad.
- Storing leftovers – Store each item separately in the fridge for up to 5 days. The meat can be frozen for later use, but the rice and Mac salad do not freeze well.
More Hawaiian Recipes
Now that you know how to make an authentic Hawaiian plate lunch, we’d love to hear how yours turned out! Leave a comment below – and don’t forget to try our Guava Cake or Haupia Pie for your next Hawaiian feast! 🍍
Hawaiian Plate Lunch
Ingredients
- 1 cups Calrose rice cooked
- ½ cup Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (click for recipe)
- 1/2 cup Kalua Pork (click for recipe)
Instructions
- For each plate, add two scoops of rice, one scoop of macaroni salad, and a ½ cup Kalua pork. 1 scoop is approximately ½ cup.
- For a mixed plate add another protein option: Teriyaki Chicken, Hawaiian Beef, or Loco Moco.
Thank you for sharing this! I can’t access the recipe for the mac salad. It jumps me to web story of the mac salad which doesn’t give measurements of the ingredients. I would love to get the recipe! 🙂
Sorry it should be fixed now! Here is the link: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/authentic-hawaiian-macaroni-salad/
I am with you on liking a taste of everything, mixed plate for me! When everything tastes this good, how could you leave anything out?
Found this on Pinterest. What a great set of recipes for putting together an authentic Hawaiian meal! My daughter and I will be making it this weekend.
Yum – all my favorites on one page! Amazing recipes
It’s all great. Soon we will be getting an L&L close enough to us in Texas. (Killeen). It’s a 1/2 hr drive but I can hardly wait. In the meantime I do a lot of what u have here. I love Mac salad and use the L&L recipe. Mayo is the key !
I was born and raised in Hawaii and what I miss most is the food.
I don’t need sauce on the rice. The main entree usually has enough sauce
I can eat plain rice every day ! Thanks for posting this
Oh boy, this is terrific! I can’t wait to try it!
Brings back such great memories of being on the islands of Hawaii! That macaroni is so good!!
Do you have any idea what sauce you use for the rice? I LOOOVE Honolulu Grills (in St George) that they use so much I could probably drink it!
It has been so long since we have been to Honolulu Grill, I will have to go back and see what kins of sauce they put over the rice. I will see if I can duplicate it and make a post out of it! Thanks for the suggestion!