Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (a.k.a. Mac Salad) is a creamy pasta salad featuring cooked macaroni mixed with a sweet and sour dressing, grated carrots, onions and boiled eggs.
A HAWAIIAN ISLAND FAVORITE RECIPE
This is hands down one of my favorite pasta salads! My friend, Leilani, who is a native Hawaiian, made it her goal to educate mainlanders on all things Hawai’i. She would always joke about our use of pineapple in recipes and then we’d call it ‘Hawaiian’ just because it has pineapple in it – ha! Leilani thankfully gave me her family’s recipe for Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (or Mac Salad as most folks call it) and I still make her treasured recipe after all these years!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A lot of people enjoy Hawaiian Mac Salad with tuna. It’s very easy to add tuna to this recipe. Prepare as written then stir in a can of drained tuna. If you prefer a lot of tuna, add two cans. You could even add a can of chicken as well.
It is traditionally served with Kalua pork (recipe from Onolicious Hawai’i – a fantastic resource for all things Hawaiian by Native Hawaiians) Any type of pulled pork will go great with this or some BBQ ribs or a traditional Hawaiian favorite, Huli Huli Chicken.
You could use a finely diced red onion or a sweet onion. I like the shallot in this because it is very mild and adds a very light garlic flavor as well.
Yes. Just make sure it is a similar sized pasta (like a shell pasta.)
Leftovers would be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
HOW TO MAKE HAWAIIAN MACARONI SALAD
Boil macaroni according to box directions until al dente: about 9 minutes. Drain noodles, rinse under cold water until cool then put into a large bowl. Add in the shredded carrots, diced shallot and boiled eggs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper & celery seed. Whisk together until sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 – 3 minutes. Pour over noodles and stir.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before serving.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Glazed Hawaiian Party Rolls
- Copycat Ruby Tuesday Pasta Salad
- Chicken Macaroni Salad
- BLT Macaroni Salad
- Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Mom’s Macaroni Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
Originally published: May 2016
Updated and republished: April 2024
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounce box macaroni noodles
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3 Tablespoons finely diced shallot (or sweet onion)
- 2 boiled eggs, diced
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
Instructions
- Boil 16 ounce box macaroni noodles (boil the noodles, not the box obviously) according to box directions until al dente; about 9 minutes.
- Drain noodles, rinse under cold water until cool (allow to drain well again) then put into a large bowl.
- Add in 1 cup shredded carrots, 3 Tablespoons finely diced shallot and 2 boiled eggs, diced.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups mayonnaise, 1/3 cup whole milk, 2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon celery seed. Whisk together until sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.
- Pour over noodles and stir.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This was a huge hit. Thank you for sharing this and thank you for mentioning the pineapple stuff. That is definitely a ‘mainlander’ thing to do is to add pineapple to anything and call it Hawaiian LOL
Love this salad the most of all of them. I also hate people saying it is Hawaiian just because you added pineapple. LOL! My heart is in Hawaii. My birthplace. Leilani was suppose to be my name but they changed it at the last minute. If you do not try this salad boy are you missing out.
This recipe was a weekly meal for the group. They loved it thank you for sharing
Five stars two thumbs up they never had it before thanks. Your recipes are easy delicious fast.
Thanks so very much Aeil!
Oh my gracious this is so good! I think it actually tastes better than the Mac Salad we ate in Hawai’i (no offense to my native Hawaiian friends!)
If theres no pineapple in Hawaii macaroni salad its not Hawaii
Did you even read this post? That is not true at all. Have you ever actually eaten in Hawai’i? I am guessing you haven’t I promise you that pineapple doesn’t go anywhere near Mac Salad.
I definitely give this recipe a 10 out of 10!
Brandie, just wanted to let you know we made this and loved it. This dressing is SO good!! So much better than just plain ole mayonnaise!
my brother and his family lives in Hawaii, I may have to send him this recipe to try.
Thanks!
Well I made this and it didn’t last long at our BBQ so I guess you could call it a hit. LOL
i like all the recipes , too many favorites to pick just one ..
What happened to your friend Leilani?
She moved back to Hawai’i, got married and now runs a successful business there. And she still makes her famous Mac Salad recipe!
When I saw the headline, I thought, "Macaroni salad with pineapples!" Well, I was absolutely wrong! Ha! This sounds divine – thank you for sharing!
I thought the same thing !