Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, or ‘mac salad’ is the quintessential side dish served on plate lunches across the Hawaiian Islands. This iconic pasta salad is creamy and comforting, with soft noodles and oodles of mayonnaise. You can dress it up, or down. It’s up to you!

Speaking of summery sides featuring pasta, no summer gathering is complete without a selection of easy recipes including Pesto Tortellini Salad. Or, go all out with this comforting Smoked Mac and Cheese. It’s an easy barbecue side dish, especially if the smoker is already going.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Guys. This post is an example of a dish I’ve been making FOREVER but have never gotten around to posting. Everyone loves a macaroni salad, but have you ever tried Hawaiian-style Macaroni Salad?

It’s like the difference between American style egg salad sandwiches and Japanese Egg Salad sandwiches. One is just far superior to the other and once you taste the best, you never go back.

The great news is you don’t need any special ingredients to make an amazing Mac Salad. The only difference is in the creamy mayonnaise dressing and the soft texture of the noodles. Though it might seem crazy to over cook the noodles, doing so allows them to absorb all the flavour, especially when you let the salad sit in the fridge overnight.

What is Hawaiian Macaroni Salad?

At this point, I’ll take a quick pause to allow the mayo haters to leave them room. Are they gone? Good. Don’t tell them that the BEST Hawaiian Mac Salads are ALL ABOUT THE MAYO. In fact, some recipes suggest a 2:1 ratio of mayonnaise to macaroni. Yep, you read that right.

Besides the elbow macaroni and creamy dressing, most authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad recipes contain very few ingredients. Shredded carrots and onions are a must, however green peas, finely diced celery, and sliced green onions occasionally make an appearance.

It seems counter intuitive, but purposely overcooking the pasta is one of the most important steps when making an authentic Mac Salad. Overnight, the soft noodles and mayonnaise dressing combine to create one incredibly creamy and delicious final result.

It’s so exceptionally ono (delicious) that you will forget the almost obscene amount of mayonnaise it contains.

Classic vs Traditional Hawaiian Cuisine

The funny thing is, in Hawaii it’s never called Hawaiian Macaroni Salad because it not a traditional Hawaiian food. ‘Mac Salad’ is the Hawaiian-ized or local version of macaroni salad also found throughout the mainland.

There are multiple explanations as to how it became a classic component of Hawaiian cuisine, including arrival via the hotel or plantation industry. Most agree it arrived as creamy potato salad, which became adapted to local palates with the addition of pasta.

Mac Salad may not be a traditional food of the islands, but it is now as ingrained in local palates as poi or poke.

Ingredients for Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

There are mostly traditional ingredients in this recipe with a few extras thrown in. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to your preference. Feel free to add ham or add only vegetables to keep it vegetarian. While many use straight mayonnaise for the creamy dressing, I like to add vinegar for extra tangy flavor.

• Elbow Macaroni
• Mayonnaise
• Milk
• Sugar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Carrots
• Celery
• Yellow Onion
• Green Onion
• Ham

Macaroni / elbow pasta is the classic option for this recipe, but you can swap it for any small pasta like mini farfalle, fusilli, ditalini, or even spaghetti! Try replacing half of the pasta with a few diced cooked potatoes for a unique half and half version.

Use Best Foods Mayonnaise, or Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise for the most authentic mac salad flavor. For a healthier version, use Primal Kitchen mayonnaise but avoid using Miracle Whip or other mayo alternatives.

Use whole Milk to thin out the dressing while keeping it creamy. Alternatively try coconut milk as a non-dairy option.

A little bit of granulated Sugar in the dressing adds a bit of sweetness to go with the tang of Apple Cider Vinegar and grated Yellow Onions. Feel free to replace the sugar with maple syrup (or your favourite sweetener) and the apple cider vinegar with either red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar while adjusting measurements according to taste.

Additionally, feel free to use white onions, sweet Walla Walla onions, or red onions in place of yellow onions. Finely diced Celery adds a nice textural crunch; however you can skip this ingredient if you prefer to leave it out.

Keep things simple with pre-shredded Carrots or shred them yourself. Pro tip: Freshly grated carrots tend to be juicier and sweeter.

Other additions – Cubed ham is optional, although my family considers it an essential part of any mac salad recipe. Other great additions include cubed Spam, green peas, canned tuna, cheddar cheese cubes, ulu (breadfruit), tobiko (fish roe), kamaboko (fish cakes) or Kani (imitation crab).

How to Make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

To begin, prepare the pasta according to package directions but add an extra minute or two to the cooking time. The pasta should be soft and floppy so that it absorbs the creamy mayonnaise dressing easier.

While pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together until smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mix in the shredded carrots, celery, and onions then add the ham (if using). Pour the dressing in and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve immediately if you prefer to eat it warm.

Cover salad and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight to allow flavours to develop. Just before serving, garnish with green onions and serve cold.

What to Serve with Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Typically, mac salad is served in a plate lunch alongside two scoops of rice and a meat dish. The rich creamy side pairs well with loco moco, chicken katsu, huli huli chicken, adobo, kalbi, coconut shrimp, or kalua pork. I also enjoy it alongside poke, as the rich and luscious salad is a nice contrast to fresh fish.

However, mac salad is not just for plate lunches. It makes a great side dish at family barbecues and cookouts. Serve it alongside hot dogs, (teriyaki pork) hamburgers, ribs, chicken, kabobs, grilled steak, and even grilled salmon. Don’t forget the fresh or grilled pineapple!

Serving and Storage Instructions

Store Hawaiian Macaroni Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This dish does not freeze well.

Follow food safety rules while serving and do not let macaroni salad sit out for more than 2 hours at room temperature. If it is sitting outside while it is hot, do not leave mayonnaise-based salads out longer than 1 hour.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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