This Hawaiian Mac Salad is creamy, tangy, and so flavorful — making it the perfect side dish for any potluck or cookout. It’s resemblant to the mac salads I saw on every menu in Hawaii! This is also a wonderful dish to make ahead!
My little family recently took a trip to Oahu, Hawaii and it was amazing! The food scene was impeccable— my favorites included: poke bowls, shave ice, spicy garlic shrimp, the spam + eggs breakfast plate from Mcdonald’s, and all the pre-made meals from Seven Eleven! Everyone in Hawaii was so nice and the locals were so helpful. I enjoyed this trip so much, I told my hubby that I wanted to move to Hawaii once we retire 🤣
What you’ll need to make Hawaiian Mac Salad:
- Macaroni pasta
- Apple cider vinegar
- Carrots
- Onion
- Green onion
- Mayo
- Milk
- Sugar
- Salt + black pepper

How to make Hawaiian Mac Salad:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your macaroni pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Once the pasta is done, drain the pasta and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
To the mixing bowl, add grated carrots, grated onion, chopped green onion, apple cider vinegar, mayo, milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt + pepper.
Using a spatula, mix until is just combined.
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This allows the flavors to come together and the mac salad tastes better cold in my opinion!
Watch how to make Hawaiian Mac Salad
Other side dish recipes you may like:
- Miso Garlic Baked Potato Wedges
- Butter Board
- Menbosha 멘보샤 | Mian Bao Xia (Korean Chinese Shrimp Toast)
- Corn Rice
- Lou Malnati’s Salad
- Easy Garlic Yu Choy

Ingredients
- 8 oz macaroni pasta, cooked
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup carrot, grated
- ¼ cup onion, grated
- ½ green onion, chopped
- 1 cup mayo
- 2-3 tablespoons whole milk (can substitute with other milk of choice)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your macaroni pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Once the pasta is done, drain the pasta and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl, add grated carrots, grated onion, chopped green onion, apple cider vinegar, mayo, milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt + pepper.
- Using a spatula, mix until is just combined.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This allows the flavors to come together and the mac salad tastes better cold in my opinion!