I love Hawaiian Macaroni Salad so much! It’s delicious, creamy and so simple to make! It’s the perfect side dish to bring to a bbq or picnic. It also holds and transports really well and can be made ahead of time!
How to Make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Process
- Fill a large pot with water, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add some salt and the macaroni and stir. Boil macaroni for about 7 to 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
- Place mayonnaise, tuna and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir together.
- In a large bowl combine macaroni, celery, carrot, red onion, and mayo mixture.
- Fold together until thoroughly mixed together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place mixture in the refrigerator for at least an hour and season with more salt and pepper, as needed, before serving.
Tools You Will Need
Why Add Tuna?
I know the addition of canned tuna might sound strange, but it adds a really nice touch of savory, delicious yet subtle umami flavor to the overall dish, without making the macaroni salad taste fishy at all (I promise!). It’s what makes our Hawaiian macaroni salad truly special!
Variations for our Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- If you want a more authentic version, you can omit the celery and red onion and grate the carrot instead.
- Sometimes I like to add bonito flakes, instead of tuna, to the mayo mixture for an even more savory and umami flavor. If replacing the tuna for bonito flakes, just add 1 1/2 teaspoons.
- You can swap out the mayo for Kewpie, which is a Japanese mayonnaise. It has a richer, more eggy and slightly sweeter flavor than American mayonnaise and is delicious!
- For a vegan version, replace the mayonnaise with veganaise and either omit the tuna or replace it with a tuna alternative, like Good Catch.
Healthier Macaroni Salad
Yes, there’s a lot of mayo in this recipe. It’s what makes the salad extra creamy and delicious, but if you’re looking for a healthier version you can sub some or all of the mayo with plain greek yogurt.
Make Ahead Instructions
Our macaroni salad can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If making ahead of time, reserve 2/3 cup of the may mixture and fold it into the macaroni salad before serving.
What to Serve with Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
The creamy side dish goes really well with a variety of dishes. Some of our favorite dishes to serve our mac salad with are:
- Hawaiian Style Crispy Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Sticky Honey Chicken Drumettes
- Mango Habanero Glazed Spare Ribs
- Crispy Grilled Pork Belly
- Sticky Hoisin Oven Baked Ribs
- Lamb Kabobs
- Chicken Satay
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
INGREDIENTS
- ½ pound elbow macaroni
- 1 small carrot peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk trimmed and diced
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 1/2 tablespoons canned tuna drained
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Fill a large pot with water, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add some salt and the macaroni and stir. Boil macaroni for about 7 to 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
- Place mayonnaise, tuna and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir together.
- In a large bowl combine macaroni, celery, carrot, red onion, and mayo mixture.
- Fold together until thoroughly mixed together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place mixture in the refrigerator for at least an hour and season with more salt and pepper, as needed, before serving.
NOTES
Variations for our Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- If you want a more authentic version, you can omit the celery and red onion and grate the carrot instead.
- Sometimes I like to add bonito flakes, instead of tuna, to the mayo mixture for an even more savory and umami flavor. If replacing the tuna for bonito flakes, just add 1 1/2 teaspoons.
- You can swap out the mayo for Kewpie, which is a Japanese mayonnaise. It has a richer, more eggy and slightly sweeter flavor than American mayonnaise and is delicious!
- For a vegan version, replace the mayonnaise with veganaise and either omit the tuna or replace it with a tuna alternative, like Good Catch.
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Can you omit the Tuna?
Yes! It will change the flavor profile a bit, but still be delicious!
Made this recipe for the first time last night. My husband, adult daughter and I were all delighted. It’s going into my salad rotation! We all have loved macaroni salads but this one tops all others! I omited the bonita flakes and tuna and served it with cold cuts and some leftover chicken. A big thank you for this delicious recipe!!
I always wondered how they made Hawaiian macaroni salad so delicious. Bonito flakes are a genius idea!
The link says I need to login. Authentication needed.
We’ve added the recipe directly to the post!
Thanks. My grandsons really like Mac salad in the summer. I’m going to try this.
I love hawaiian macaroni salad. I always order double scoops at my local hawaiian barbeque joint. Thanks for sharing!
FANTASTIC!
Mesmerized! No other words!
Hawaiian style WHAT!!! this looks incredible
Why am I having trouble seeing the recipe? Is there a link?
Yep…in the post it says “picnic recipe” in pink (right at the end). That’ll take you to the recipe!
Yes there is the link there but it requires a log in. I wonder what’s up with that?
Yea, that was weird, so we added the recipe directly to the post! :)
OMGGGGGGG. G. G. G.
This looks perfect to accompany a grilled burger! Yum!
Looks delicious!
This looks like the world’s best picnic food! Hooray!
Yup, I just got back from Oahu and was very guilty of eating this mac! Looks duh-licious…