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Hawaiian Mac Salad

Hawaiian Mac Salad

There are a lot of different versions of macaroni salad, and growing up in Texas, just about every one I tried was really sweet. That was never quite my thing. I tend to like my meals on the savory side and save the sweets for dessert.

Then I moved to Hawaii and discovered a whole different world of macaroni salad.

In Hawaii, every plate lunch seemed to come with its own version. Some used traditional elbow macaroni, while one of my favorites was made with spaghetti noodles that had been broken into one-inch pieces. Some had just a hint of sweetness, while others leaned more toward tangy and savory. Every family seemed to have their own recipe, and every restaurant had its own little twist.

My absolute favorite mac salad though was from a food truck tucked away in the industrial area of Ewa Beach. I’d happily eat myself silly on his Huli Huli chicken and macaroni salad, and this recipe is about as close as I’ve been able to come to recreating what I remember.

Like most simple recipes, the ingredients are straightforward, but the little choices you make along the way have a big impact on the finished salad.

Key Ingredients & Why They Matter

The Noodles

Traditional elbow macaroni is the classic choice, but not all macaroni is created equal. I like using Barilla because the noodles have a little more texture on the outside. That rougher surface holds onto the dressing better, and the pasta stays firmer after it’s mixed instead of becoming mushy after a day or two in the refrigerator.

Green Onions

I use green onions in this recipe because I always have them on hand, and grabbing one ingredient to chop up is easier than grabbing two. Plus I do like the milder flavor I get from the green onions, and the green tops help make the salad look more appetizing.

If you’d like a stronger onion flavor, substitute a finely minced white or yellow onion, then stir in a few chopped chives or the green tops of the onions for color.

Mayonnaise

A good mayonnaise makes a big difference here because it’s the foundation of the dressing. My homemade mayonnaise works beautifully in this recipe, but if I’m buying it from the store, Hellmann’s is my first choice. It has the richness and tang that work really well in Hawaiian macaroni salad.

Carrots

The carrots are there mostly for color with just a little sweetness. I keep them to a minimum because I don’t want the salad to become sweet, but if you enjoy a sweeter macaroni salad, then double the amount of carrots you use.

White Pepper

White pepper is one of my favorite ingredients in creamy recipes because it brings a gentle warmth without adding the sharp bite you get from black pepper. If you’ve made my Creamy “Everything” Sauce, you’ve already seen me use it there for the same reason. It blends right into the dressing and adds flavor without drawing attention to itself.

If you prefer a little more peppery bite, substitute black pepper instead. It has a bolder flavor that stands out more against the creamy dressing.

Kosher Salt

This is one of those ingredients that seems simple, but I think it makes a difference. Yes you can use any salt, but let me tell you why you may want to lean into Kosher salt for this recipe.

Kosher salt lets the actual flavor of the dressing, the tang of the mayo and the warmth of the white pepper, shine through without that background bitterness you sometimes get from table salt.

Because table salt is heavily processed it can have a metallic or sharp chemical like after taste which is enhanced by the creaminess of the mayonnaise.

And the larger grain size of the kosher salt makes a different too. Because the flakes are larger and coarser, they don’t dissolve the second they hit the moisture of the mayo. This gives you a bit more control. When you’re tossing the pasta, those little flakes can hit the vegetables and the pasta surface differently than fine, sandy table salt, which just tends to disappear and “over-salt” a dish before you realize it.

A Pop of Color

You may have noticed I mentioned, “color” a few times already, and that was intentional, because the carrots and green onions do more than just add flavor. They make the salad look amazing.

We eat with our eyes, after all! Adding those pops of color makes the dish more inviting and helps build anticipation for that first bite. While a plain white bowl of mac salad might taste just fine, a little color brings a sense of joy to the table that flavor alone just can’t match.

Making this Salad Step-by-Step

It really is an easy salad to make but there are a couple of things that help make it really good.

step 1: Cooking the noodles

Get a pot of water boiling and add plenty of salt. Once it’s at a rolling boil, add your noodles and cook them until they’re tender but still have a bit of a bite.

Don’t skip the salt. Pasta absorbs water as it cooks, which means it is absorbing a bit of the salt as well, and this is your only chance to season the noodles from the inside out. If you skip this, the pasta will be bland, and no amount of sauce can fix that later.

Step 2: chop the veggies

I like to chop the carrots up really fine for this recipe so you get a little hint of that sweetness in every bite. I also chop up both the whites and the greens of the green onions, as the green adds a nice pop of color and a fresh, mild flavor to the finished salad.

Step 3: make the dressing

While the noodles are cooking, mix together the dressing. If you have a kitchen scale, this is another recipe that’s easy to make by weight. Just add each ingredient one at a time measuring by the gram. You don’t really have to be precise with this recipe, but it definitely saves you from having to wash extra measuring cups and spoons.

Step 4: toss it all together

Once the macaroni is cooked, drain it well but don’t rinse it. you want to keep the starch that was released during the cooking process as this helps the dressing stick to the noodles.

Add the warm noodles directly to the dressing. By doing this, the noodles soak up some of the dressing while they’re still warm instead of just being coated on the outside.

After the macaroni is coated, stir in the green onions and carrots. Letting the pasta cool a bit first ensures that the vegetables stay fresh and crisp in the salad.

Step 5: Chill and serve

After everything is mixed together, cover the bowl and refrigerate it for a couple of hours, or overnight before serving. This chill time helps thicken the dressing and bring the flavors together.