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Home » Salad

Easy Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe

Dec 22, 2022 · Last updated: Jun 29, 2023 by Rita · This post contains paid affiliate links · 3 Comments

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Easy Hawaiian Macaroni Salad bowl

This Hawaiian style macaroni salad is full of tangy flavor, soft macaroni pasta, and a handful of ingredients such as shredded carrots, celery, peas, and onion.

The tangy dressing is thick, coating every inch of the cooked pasta - ready to be enjoyed as the perfect side dish for summer cookouts or family gatherings.

a bowl of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe

We absolutely love pasta recipes, they are so easy and go well with all the veggies!

From our Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta, refreshing Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with salty sausage, to cheesy Broccoli Pasta Salad - there's something for everyone and guaranteed to satisfy even picky eaters.

This Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is no exception!

Jump To
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Tips
  • Freezing and Storing Instructions
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Easy Salad Recipes
  • 📖Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Ingredients

  • Mayonnaise -  Use your favorite brand, but I suggest a full-fat mayonnaise for the best flavor and creamy texture. Duke’s mayonnaise would be a great choice for this pasta salad. 
  • Yellow onion - Grated.
  • Sugar - Use dark brown sugar.
  • Pepper - I prefer ground pepper to keep with the smooth consistency of the dressing, but you could use freshly cracked pepper instead. 
  • Salt - Add to the pasta water and the ingredients. 
  • Pasta - Elbow macaroni. 
  • Apple cider vinegar - Use rice or white wine vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar. 
  • Green peas - Fresh or frozen.
  • Green onions - For garnish.
  • Celery ribs - chopped into ¼-inch pieces.
  • Carrots - Grated. It's a good idea to squeeze any excess water from the carrots so that it doesn't thin the dressing.

For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package directions adding a couple of extra minutes until the pasta is very soft and plump. This way it will absorb the sauce better.

Drain and let cool in a colander for 10 minutes. Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl, drizzle with vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes. 

cooked elbow macaroni in colander

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a medium bowl whisk together milk, cream, mayonnaise, onion, sugar, salt, and black pepper.

Add the sauce to the pasta. 

creamy sauce for hawaiian mac

Add the remaining ingredients: green onions, peas, celery, and carrots to the pot and stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper if needed.

carrots, celery and peas in a bowl for hawaiian mac

Let the pasta salad cool completely at room temperature. After that cover, the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. 

Decorate with green onions and black pepper on top.

a bowl of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe

Tips

  • For a mayonnaise alternative, you could use yogurt or sour cream but the consistency may turn out too thin n the end.
  • It’s important to allow this macaroni salad to chill in the refrigerator so that all of the flavors infuse and blend well. 2 hours should be adequate to chill the Hawaiian mac before serving. 
  • If you don’t feel like making another batch of creamy dressing for leftover macaroni salad and the salad needs additional coating, simply mix in a little extra mayonnaise or even Greek yogurt. 
  • It’s always advised to be generous when adding salt to pasta water before adding dried, uncooked pasta. It's the secret ingredient that makes a huge difference in the taste of this classic macaroni salad. 
  • The vinegar added immediately to the cooked and drained pasta will be absorbed by the pasta for great flavor but also helps prevent the pasta from sticking together. 
  • While I often cook pasta until it’s al dente pasta for most other recipes, this macaroni salad requires very soft pasta to absorb the dressing better. Therefore, I highly recommend adding 5 minutes of cooking time to whatever the pasta packaging suggests. 
  • You can turn this traditional Hawaiian mac salad into a main lunch plate dish by adding leftover Huli Huli chicken pieces or BBQ pork!

Freezing and Storing Instructions

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. For this type of pasta salad, I recommend eating it right after chilling.

By that time, the pasta has absorbed the sauce, and the texture and flavor will be at their best. After repeated refrigerating the pasta salad will be a little dry. You can easily fix this by mixing up a double batch of the sauce.

The sauce can be made a 2-3 days in advance and stored in a separate container in the fridge.

Can macaroni salad be frozen? It is best to freeze the salad right away after making it, this way you'll preserve most of its flavor and help avoid it becoming soggy.

Defrost macaroni salad in the fridge overnight, drain excess liquid and add more fresh creamy sauce.

Pasta will absorb a lot of liquid and the salad will look a little dry. For this reason, keep some extra salad sauce on hand.

Serving Suggestions

We love this pasta salad with a variety of main courses. From juicy classic pan-seared Pork Chops, BBQ Ribs, baked pesto Chicken, to all types of patties and burgers.

You can find all our recipes in recipe-index or for go-to Dinner recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to make macaroni salad the night before?

Macaroni salad always tastes better the day it is made since the extra time chilling the combined ingredients in the fridge allows all the flavors to infuse together.

Why is macaroni salad so popular in Hawaii?

This dish was introduced to the Hawaiian locals when Europeans brought dry elbow macaroni and mayonnaise to the Hawaiian islands.

These simple ingredients are affordable and not perishable, making this creamy macaroni salad ideal to serve as a main dish or side dish at home.

How do you keep macaroni salad from soaking up mayonnaise?

To slow down the pasta from absorbing the creamy mayonnaise, chill the ingredients before combining them to make the salad. This slows the absorption rate if that is your desire.

Why does mayonnaise separate in macaroni salad?

Some mayonnaise dressing can settle at the bottom of the pasta salad if the pasta hasn’t entirely absorbed it.

If this happens, stir the salad from the bottom up so that the mayonnaise dressing can be redistributed evenly throughout the Hawaiian pasta salad ingredients.

Should you rinse pasta before making macaroni salad?

No. Rinsing the pasta will reduce the starch, which helps the mayonnaise dressing stick to the pasta.

Thank you so much for reading about how to make a Hawaiian Macaroni Salad. Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have! I love reading your feedback. Rita

Easy Salad Recipes

If you craving for more pasta dishes try our creamy Tuna Pasta Salad, healthy Cheddar Broccoli Pasta Salad, or Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with juicy sausage .

Or simply browse through our Salad Collection.

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Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below. Thank you!

📖Recipe

a bowl of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe

Easy Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe

This Hawaiian style macaroni salad is full of tangy flavor, soft macaroni pasta, and a handful of ingredients such as shredded carrots, celery, peas, and onion. The tangy dressing is thick, coating every inch of the cooked pasta - ready to be enjoyed as the perfect side dish for summer cookouts or family gatherings.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 14 minutes mins
Chill Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 24 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Servings 10 side portions

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups mayonnaise
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 ½ tablespoons brown onion, grated
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni pasta or similar small pasta
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup green peas, fresh or frozen
  • 2-3 tablespoon green onions for garnish
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 cup carrots, medium grated

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions adding a couple extra minutes until pasta is very soft and plump. This way it will absorb the sauce better. Rinse and let cool in colander for 10 minutes. Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl, drizzle with vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile prepare the sauce. In a medium bowl whisk together milk, cream, mayonnaise, onion, sugar, salt and black pepper.
  • Add the sauce to the pasta.
  • Add in the remaining ingredients: green onions, peas, celery, and carrots to the pot and stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper if needed.
  • Let the pasta salad to cool completely at room temperature. After that cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.
  • Decorate with green onions and more black pepepr on top.

Notes

  • For a mayonnaise alternative, you could use yogurt or sour cream but the consistency may turn out too thin in the end.
  • It’s essential to allow this macaroni salad to chill in the refrigerator so that all of the flavors infuse and blend well. 2 hours should be adequate to chill the Hawaiian mac before serving.
  • It’s always advised to be generous when adding salt to pasta water before adding dried, uncooked pasta. It's the secret ingredient that makes a huge difference in the taste of this classic macaroni salad.
  • If you don’t feel like making another batch of creamy dressing for leftover macaroni salad and the salad needs additional coating, simply mix in a little extra mayonnaise or even Greek yogurt.
  • Is it better to make macaroni salad the night before? Macaroni salad always tastes better the day it is made since the extra time chilling the combined ingredients in the fridge allows all the flavors to infuse together.
     
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Comments

  1. Rita

    December 22, 2022 at 5:58 am

    5 stars
    Easy And delicious classic Hawaiian Mac!

    Reply
    • Suzanne

      July 24, 2023 at 6:41 am

      It is delicious. I only used about 3/4 of the dressing mix and it was perfectly moist.

      Reply
      • Rita

        July 24, 2023 at 10:18 am

        Thank you Suzanne! Thank you for letting me know!

        Reply

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Hello! I'm Rita. Here you'll find delicious, easy, and family-trusted recipes with easy step-by-step instructions. There is nothing better than enjoying good food and wine with your loved ones!

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