Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is made using simple pantry ingredients to create an ultra creamy macaroni salad with an island twist! This no-frills, simple pasta salad is an easy recipe to make for a cookout, barbecue, summer gathering, or luau.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword hawaiian macaroni salad
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Chill Time 4 hourshours
Total Time 4 hourshours25 minutesminutes
Servings 15
Calories 325kcal
Author Jessica - Together as Family
Ingredients
1box (16 oz)elbow macaroni
1largecarrot(peeled & grated)
1/2cupfinely chopped celery
1/4cupfinely chopped sweet onion(or grated onion)
Creamy Dressing
2cupsmayonnaise
1/4cupwhole milk
2tablespoonsapple cider vinegar
1tablespoongranulated sugar
1teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the dry elbow macaroni and cook according to the package instructions until soft (don't cook to al dente, as true Hawaiian macaroni salad has a softer texture).Drain noodles well, but do not rinse, and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
1 box (16 oz) elbow macaroni
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper until smooth and combined.
2 cups mayonnaise, 1/4 cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Add the cooled elbow macaroni, grated carrot, celery, and onion into a large bowl. Stir everything together until combined.
1 large carrot, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
Pour the creamy dressing over top and stir until everything is combined well and the macaroni is coated in the dressing.
Cover the bowl, with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours before serving. Refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance (overnight) to allow the flavors even more time to meld together and for the salad to chill thoroughly.
Before serving, stir the salad again to redistribute the mayonnaise dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed and add a touch more mayonnaise or milk to moisten the salad back up (this is especially important if refrigerating overnight as the salad can dry out slightly).