Macaroni Salad (Hawaiian)
intro
Creamy, gently tangy chilled pasta salad, a core staple of Hawaiian plate lunches, with soft macaroni coated in a sweet-savory creamy dressing for a comforting, shareable bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Cook the elbow macaroni
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (1 tablespoon of salt per 4 liters of water) to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 225g dry elbow macaroni, stir once to prevent sticking, and cook 1-2 minutes past al dente (10-11 minutes total) until pasta is fully soft, not firm in the center. Drain completely (do not rinse the pasta) and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Toss warm pasta with vinegar
While the drained macaroni is still warm (approximately 60°C/140°F), drizzle 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar evenly over the pasta. Toss gently to coat every piece, then let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature, stirring once at the 5-minute mark to let the pasta absorb the tangy flavor.
Prep vegetable mix-ins
While the pasta rests, use the smallest holes on a box grater to finely grate 75g of peeled carrot into soft, thin shreds. Finely dice 50g of peeled yellow onion into uniform 3mm (1/8 inch) pieces, and measure out 3 tablespoons of well-drained dill pickle relish, setting all prepped vegetables aside.
Whisk the creamy dressing
In a medium mixing bowl, combine 180ml full-fat mayonnaise, 60ml whole milk, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Whisk continuously for 30-45 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth, with no visible lumps of mayonnaise remaining.
Combine all salad ingredients
Add the grated carrot, diced onion, and drained dill pickle relish to the room-temperature pasta, then pour three-quarters of the prepared creamy dressing over the top. Fold gently with a silicone spatula for 1-2 minutes until all pasta and vegetables are evenly coated in dressing, taking care not to mash the soft pasta.
Chill and finish salad
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (up to 24 hours for deeper flavor) to let the pasta absorb dressing and flavors meld. Right before serving, stir in the remaining reserved dressing to loosen the salad, as the pasta will absorb liquid during chilling, and adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Tips
2.Use full-fat mayonnaise for the best texture and flavor: low-fat or light mayonnaise will separate, turn watery, or develop an off taste as the salad chills, and will not create the signature rich, creamy coating.
3.Reserve 1/4 of the dressing to add right before serving: the pasta will absorb a significant amount of dressing as it chills, and adding the reserved portion brings back the perfect creamy consistency without making the salad soggy.
OMG this tastes exactly like the mac salad I got every single day at the food trucks when I visited Maui last summer! I was so scared I’d never find a recipe that got that super creamy, slightly tangy vibe right but this is spot on. Brought it to our neighborhood block party last weekend and people were begging for the recipe before I even finished setting my plate down. 10/10 will be making this for every BBQ from now on!
Game changer for our weekly Sunday cookouts! I’ve been making boxed mac salad for years and my family always complained it was too bland. This version? My picky 10 year old went back for three helpings. Only note: make sure you actually plan for that chill time! I tried to rush it once and serve it 20 minutes after mixing and it just wasn’t the same. Worth the wait though.
Wait, is there a substitute for the apple cider vinegar? I have a sensitivity and all the other Hawaiian mac salad recipes I’ve tried call for it and I can never get the tang right without it. Really want to make this for my partner’s birthday luau next weekend!
How well does this hold up in the fridge for meal prep? I usually make my lunches for the whole week on Sundays and I’m tired of sad desk salads. This looks like it would be such a nice treat to switch things up!
I had this at a potluck a few months ago and had no idea what made Hawaiian mac salad different from regular mac salad until I made this recipe! The slightly softer pasta and that creamy, not-too-heavy dressing? *Chef’s kiss.* My grandma who swears by her own old school macaroni salad even asked for the recipe, which is the highest possible compliment if you know her.
Super easy to make even in my tiny dorm kitchen! I only had regular elbow macaroni and generic mayo from the campus market and it still turned out SO good. My roommates and I ate half the bowl straight out of the mixing bowl while we were waiting for it to chill lol. Only issue was we forgot to cover it in the fridge so the top got a little dry, oops.
My hula halau puts on a big luau every spring and I’m always in charge of the side dishes. I tested this recipe last night for my family and it’s exactly the kind of mac salad we served back home in Hawaii! Not all gloppy with too much mayo, perfect balance of sweetness and tang. So glad I don’t have to beg my aunt for her recipe anymore.
If you’re making this to go with kalua pork or spam musubi, DO IT. I made a full Hawaiian plate dinner for my partner’s promotion celebration and this mac salad was the star of the show, even better than the pork I spent 6 hours slow cooking. Wild. Will be making this on repeat all summer long.
Wait a second, do you really not add any celery or onion or hard boiled egg to this? Every mac salad I’ve ever had growing up in Chicago has all that stuff. This seems really plain? I’m nervous to try it for our family Easter dinner.
As someone who burns toast on a regular basis, I was shocked how easy this was to pull off! The steps were super straightforward, no fancy equipment needed, and it turned out perfect on the first try. I even added a little can of tuna to half the batch for some extra protein and it slapped. 10/10 for beginner cooks.
I brought this to my office potluck yesterday and the bowl was literally scraped clean in 10 minutes. People were coming up to me for the rest of the work day asking for the link. My boss even offered me a raise (ok fine, he just said it was the best thing he’d ever eaten at a work event, but close enough). Worth every minute of chill time.
Has anyone tried making this with vegan mayo? My kid is dairy free and I want to make sure it doesn’t have that weird vegan mayo aftertaste before I make a big batch for their birthday party.
How long do you cook the pasta for? The recipe says to cook it until soft, not al dente — does that mean like 2 minutes past the box time? I don’t want mushy pasta but I know the texture is super important for this salad.
This is going to be my go-to side for every single cookout, beach day, and camping trip this summer. It travels so well in a cooler, doesn’t get soggy like potato salad can, and literally everyone likes it. I already bought three extra boxes of elbow macaroni to stock my pantry so I never run out when I need to make a batch last minute.
I cut the sugar in half when I made this because I don’t like super sweet dressings and it was still amazing! I was worried it would throw off the tangy balance but it was perfect for my taste. Even my husband who loves super sweet food didn’t notice I cut it. Great base recipe to tweak to your own preferences.
Ugh I didn’t read the recipe all the way through and didn’t realize there was a full hour of chill time! I made this 30 minutes before my guests arrived and had to stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes to get it cold. It was still good but I know it would have been way better if I planned ahead. Don’t be like me, read the whole recipe first!
Grew up on the Big Island, live in Colorado now, and have been searching for a mac salad that tastes like the stuff from Zippy’s for literal years. This is it. I almost cried when I took my first bite. Thank you for not putting a million weird gourmet twists on it, that’s all I ever want.
My toddlers are the pickiest eaters on the planet and they both devoured this! I didn’t add any extra spices or mix-ins, just followed the recipe exactly, and they kept asking for “more creamy noodles”. It’s so hard to find sides the whole family will eat that don’t take a ton of work, so this is going into our permanent dinner rotation. SO good.
Made this for our Super Bowl party back in February and it was such a hit that my friends are demanding I make it again for our fantasy football draft this weekend. Quick question: can I make it a full 24 hours ahead, or will it get too soggy? I don’t want to be stuck making it at 6am before the draft starts.
I know this is supposed to be authentic, but I added a handful of diced dill pickles to my batch because I put pickles in everything and it was insane. The brininess cut through the creaminess so well. Don’t @ me, it was delicious. Highly recommend trying it if you’re a pickle freak like me.