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My love for Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) comes from my many visits to Hawaii, where the highlight of my day would be a plate lunch made of Chicken Katsu and Katsu Sauce, Mochiko Chicken, white rice, and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad. Keep reading for my key tips on making an authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, island-style (and my Hawaiian followers-approved!)
Watch the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe Video Below!
Table of Contents
- Watch the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe Video Below!
- Ingredients for an Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- What Else Can I Put In My Hawaiian Macaroni Salad?
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad: Recipe Instructions
- Expert Tips for an Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Storage Instructions
- What to Serve with Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe
Ingredients for an Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) is known to be simple and no frills – it’s only a handful of ingredients that you already have in your pantry.
- elbow macaroni – to be an authentic Hawaiian Macaroni salad, it must be elow macaroni. If you don’t have it on hand, it is totally okay to use a different shape.
- apple cider vinegar
- Best Foods or Hellmann’s Mayo – Mayo is a key ingredient in this recipe and not just any brand. To be an authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, it must be either Best Foods or Hellmann’s – no exception! Longtime readers know how much I love Kewpie Mayo but this is one of the only times where I will use another brand.
- onion – finely grated
- carrot – shredded
- scallions – chopped
- canned tuna
- eggs – hard boiled
- white pepper
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- kosher salt, to taste
Key Tip
What Else Can I Put In My Hawaiian Macaroni Salad?
The beauty of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) is that you can customize it to your liking! You can add more options to change the texture or include your favorite fillings.
For example, if you want to add more protein or make this a heartier side, you can add more hard boiled eggs, and/or tuna. I’ve even had it with imitation crab!
If you want to add more vegetables, I would add in finely chopped cabbage, diced boiled potatoes, peas, or corn.
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad: Recipe Instructions
1. Overcook the Macaroni
Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes past the instructions. The pasta needs to be overcooked and “fat” to achieve the desired texture. The pasta will firm up once mixed with the dressing and chilled, so don’t worry about the texture at this point! Trust the process!
2. Toss the Drained Pasta
Once the pasta is drained, add the apple cider vinegar and give it a toss. The vinegar will absorb into the pasta and give it a slight tang to balance out the mayo dressing!
3. Mix the fillings and dressing
In a large bowl, add 2 cups of Best Foods Mayo, onion, carrot, scallions, canned tuna, chopped hard boiled eggs, black and white pepper, and salt. The hard boiled eggs and tuna are optional, ensure you mix the macaroni salad thoroughly.
4. Cover and Chill
Once the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) is thoroughly mixed, cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Mix in the reserved 1/2 cup of mayo just before serving your Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad)!
PRO TIPS
Expert Tips for an Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Overcook the pasta:
- To achieve the perfect texture, you need to overcook the pasta by 3-4 minutes past the instructions. This will give the macaroni a soft, creamy texture that’s perfect for absorbing the flavors of the other ingredients.
Add apple cider vinegar
- Adding apple cider vinegar to the macaroni after it’s cooked and cooled will give the dish a tangy, slightly sweet flavor that’s a signature of macaroni salad from Hawaii.
Use Best Foods or Hellmann’s Mayo
- When you are making Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad), you only have one (two) options when it comes to what type of mayo to use – it has to be Best Foods or Hellman’s (they’re the same company but known as different brands in different parts of the United States). They both have a creamy texture and a rich, tangy flavor that complements the other ingredients perfectly. Furthermore, this specific flavor is a signature of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, so you can’t use anything else!
Chill before serving
- I recommend you let the macaroni salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld together and give the dish a creamier texture.
Reserve extra mayo
- Once the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) has chilled and it is ready to serve, I would add in a little bit more mayo. You may find that your macaroni salad has dried out a little bit in the refrigerator. You can ‘refresh’ it by adding more mayo (as much as you prefer, as you should adjust to your preferred consistency).
Storage Instructions
I like to make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) on the day I plan to eat it.
However, if you want to make it ahead, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) can keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Once you are ready to eat or serve it, I recommend using extra mayo to ‘refresh’ the salad. It will likely dry up a little bit, sitting in the refrigerator, so I like to add in more mayo to get it back to the consistency I like. Use as much or as little mayo as you need to get your Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) to the consistency of your preference.
What to Serve with Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
There’s nothing that goes better with Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) than a Hawaiian plate lunch – Chicken Katsu and Katsu Sauce with a side of white rice. In Maui, there’s one spot I like where I order Mochiko Chicken or Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) with my Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.
However, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad isn’t just for Hawaiian meals – this is the perfect side dish for your summer barbeques and family get-togethers! This would be a perfect side dish to my Korean Marinated Short Ribs (LA Galbi), Easy Fried Chicken, or my Air Fryer Chicken Wings, which is the top recipe on my site!
If you tried this Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad) or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2.5 cups Best Foods or Hellmann's Mayo, (reserve 1/2 cup to achieve desired consistency after refrigerating)
- 1/2 cup onion, finely grated
- 1/2 cup carrot, shredded
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 can canned tuna, about 5oz
- 2 eggs, hard boiled
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in salted boiling water 3-4 minutes past instructions for al dente. The pasta should be soft, as it will firm up once mixed and cooled in the fridge.
- Once the macaroni is drained and cooled, add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and mix into the pasta to absorb.
- Add mayo, onion, carrot, scallions, tuna, egg, black and white pepper, salt and mix thoroughly.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until chilled. Add the reserved 1/2 cup of mayo to the salad, or enough to achieve your desired consistency. Serve with your plate lunch and enjoy!
Notes
Storage Instructions
I like to make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad on the day I plan to eat it. However, if you want to make it ahead, it can keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Once you are ready to eat or serve it, I recommend using extra mayo to ‘refresh’ the salad. It will likely dry up a little bit, sitting in the refrigerator, so I like to add in more mayo to get it back to the consistency I like. Use as much or as little mayo as you need to get it to the consistency of your preference.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Been looking for a good recipe for Hawaiin mac salad. Made this recipe and everyone loved it. So delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad to hear everyone loved it! Thanks for the kind words, Charlie!
This was so delicious. Our family enjoyed it with the pork katsu.
What a great combo! Thanks for the review, Chong!
Love this recipe! The addition of the tuna is great. I typically cut down on the mayo a bit to make it the slightest bit healthier as I pair this with other not-very-healthy food 🤣
Wow can’t wait to try this!
I wanted to pair my garlic butter shrimp with some Mac salad so I followed this recipe. IT WAS SO GOOD, def a keeper!
Thank you for sharing us this recipe.
I made this and boy was it a hit.
Yummy, go to for Hawaiian food and a must have. Easy to make and always makes a great side.
IG Elizabethnarae