This Hawaiian Mac Salad features tender noodles, grated carrots, and lots of creamy dressing. It’s an authentic recipe, just like they make on the island!
I’ve developed a love for Hawaiian mac salad over the years once we found an authentic restaurant in our area.
I would go there just for the delicious noodles!
Once we went to Hawaii and tried authentic mac salad, I knew I needed to figure out how to make it like a local.
I searched through several recipes to make sure I had all of the elements of the real mac salad included and the result was delicious!
This Hawaiian mac salad works because its:
- Simple. You’ll just need a few key ingredients for this salad to come together.
- Easy to make. Once you cook the pasta and add in the veggies and dressing, this salad is ready to pop in the refrigerator.
- Full of flavor. The vinegar and pepper combine to give this salad lots of delicious flavor.
- Authentic!
Step-by-Step Instructions
COOK 16 ounces of macaroni past according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain once done.
WHILE the pasta is cooking, grate 1 large carrot until you get 1/2 cup. Using the large holes, grate 1 sweet yellow onion until you get 1/3 cup. Carefully rinse and drain the yellow onion using a fine mesh strainer.
MIX 2 cups of mayonnaise, 1 cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl.
IN a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, carrots, onion, and dressing and stir well to combine. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
REFRIGERATE for one hour before serving.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
To be considered 100% authentic, you’ll want to use Best Foods, Hellman’s, or Duke’s mayonnaise.
If you don’t love the taste of raw onion you can always substitute 1 teaspoon onion powder or 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes.
The dressing may have lots of bubbles in it once you’ve mixed it with the pasta. Don’t worry. Once the salad sets up in the refrigerator and you mix it again, the bubbles will go away.
White pepper can be pretty expensive and you may not have any on hand. I used a peppercorn medley that had black, white, pink, and green peppercorns in it. You can also use any of these white pepper substitutes.
You can also substitute apple cider vinegar for the rice vinegar.
For an extra crunch, try adding in some chopped celery or one of these celery substitutes.
Try using broken spaghetti noodles instead of the macaroni and adding a can of tuna for a local twist on this salad.
More Like This
Looking for more delicious salads? You’ll love these!
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Tri Color Pasta Salad
- Tuna Rotini Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pizza Pasta Salad
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
FAQs
Hawaii is a melting pot of different cultures, and the story goes that mac salad originated from plantation managers who were Europeans.
The migrant workers would eat the mac salad with leftover rice and their favorite meats to keep them fueled during a day of hard labor.
The mac salad neutralized the heavy flavors of the proteins and soon street vendors starting including the salad with their mixed plates, which cemented it as a Hawaiian staple.
I hope your family loves this Hawaiian mac salad! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!
And if you’d like to get a 4-week meal plan featuring my recipes, just enter your email in the form above and you’ll get it straight to your inbox!
Island-Approved Hawaiian Mac Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces macaroni
- ½ cup grated carrot
- ⅓ cup grated sweet yellow onion
- 2 cups mayonnaise, Best Foods, Hellmann’s, or Duke’s
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Salt and white pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook macaroni past according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain once done.
- While the pasta is cooking, carefully rinse and drain the grated yellow onion using a fine mesh strainer.
- Mix mayonnaise, milk, rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, carrots, onion, and dressing and stir well to combine. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate for one hour before serving.