This Hawaiian Mac Salad is a simple creamy macaroni salad that uses a tangy mayonnaise-based sauce. It's a perfect side dish for your next barbecue or luau!
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Why this recipe works
Authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad is a staple of the Hawaiian plate lunch, along with two scoops of white rice and a flavorful meat like Kalua pork or chicken katsu.
The creamy, tangy pasta salad pairs great with dishes like barbecue pork and chicken and my Hawaiian huli huli chicken kabobs. And best of all it only takes around 15 minutes of active time to prepare!
Ingredient Notes
- Mayonnaise - For the most authentic taste use Hellman's or Best Foods brand mayo. These are the same product under different regional names.
- Veggies - Hawaiian style macaroni salad is super simple. Typically the only veggies included are shredded carrot, finely diced celery, and grated onion. But like most pasta salad there are no firm rules. you can totally add other veggies if you want!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Hawaiian Mac Salad
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions. Then drain and rinse under cold water to cool the noodles.
- While the water comes to a boil, grate the carrot and onion and dice your celery.
- In a medium bowl add the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, salt, and pepper then stir to combine.
- Add the cooked noodles, carrots, celery, and onion to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over top and fold until the noodles are well coated.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour, up to overnight, before serving.
What to Serve With Macaroni Salad
This side dish is great with all of your backyard barbecue favorites. The creamy, tangy sauce helps cut though sweet and spicy barbecue dishes and it's a perfect addition to your next neighborhood potluck. A few of my favorite main dishes to pair with this are:
- Smoked Pulled Pork Barbecue
- Grilled Chicken Legs
- Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers
- Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Lime Marinade
- Smoked Chuck Roast
- Smoked Whole Chicken
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The macaroni will soak up more of the sauce as it sits, so you may need to stir together a tablespoon or two of mayo and a splash of milk and stir it into the pasta salad to refresh it before serving.
This Hawaiian pasta salad can, and should, be made ahead. The flavor is best after it has been refrigerated for at least an hour, up to overnight.
Hawaiian mac salad doesn't use vinegar and mustard and instead subs mayonnaise.
More side dish recipes to try
📖 Recipe
Hawaiian Mac Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 1 cup celery, finely diced
- ¼ cup onion , grated
- 2 ½ cups mayonnaise, preferably Best Foods or Hellman's
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil then add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions. Then drain and rinse under cold water to cool the noodles.
- While the water comes to a boil grate the carrot and onion and dice your celery.
- In a medium bowl add the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Add the cooked noodles, carrots, celery, and onion to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over top and fold until the noodles are well coated.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour, up to overnight, before serving.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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