Hawaiian Macaroni Salad – Creamy and delicious Hawaiian macaroni salad is an excellent side dish to serve with your favorite grilling recipes. My recipe is super easy to make and is always a crowd pleaser!
Macaroni salad is by far one of my favorite side dishes to serve when grilling. This salad is also great to bring to potlucks, baby showers, work parties, and more!
We served ours with Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers, steamed white rice and Grilled Zucchini. It was absolutely delicious! I will link a few more of my favorite main courses to serve this is Hawaiian Macaroni Salad for you below.
This recipe serves about six people giving each person about a half cup as a side dish. If you are cooking for a large crowd, simply double this recipe. Hawaiian Macaroni Salad makes amazing leftovers! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Ingredients you need to make Creamy Hawaiian Mac Salad:
Elbow Macaroni – You’ll need a half pound (half box) of elbow macaroni for this recipe.
Carrot – One small carrot.
Onion – You can use yellow, sweet or white onion.
Apple Cider Vinegar – If you don’t have ACV, you can use regular white distilled vinegar.
Pickle Juice – I used sweet pickle juice, but you can also use dill.
Pickle Relish – I used sweet pickle relish, but you can also use dill.
Milk – I used whole vitamin D milk, but you can use low fat as well.
Mayonnaise – I highly recommend using Best Foods or other thick rich mayo.
Sugar – Granulated white sugar or organic cane sugar both work great.
Black Pepper – Fresh cracked or ground.
Green Onions – Optional garnish.
Tools to have on hand for this recipe:
- Saucepan – To boil the macaroni.
- Cutting Board – To prepare the veggies for the salad.
- Mixing Bowls – For mixing the sauce and to toss the pasta salad in.
- Mixing Spoon – For mixing your salad and dressing.
- Colander – Straining macaroni.
How to make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad:
Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add vinegar, onions, carrots, pickle juice and pickle relish. Toss to combine then allow to cool completely.
In a small bowl whisk together milk, mayo, sugar and black pepper. Toss dressing in with macaroni and mix to combine. Cover and place in fridge for an hour to let cool.
When done, sprinkle with chopped green onions (optional). Serve with your favorite main courses!
Main courses that pair perfectly with Hawaiian Macaroni Salad:
Teriyaki Chicken Skewers – The most delicious marinated teriyaki chicken grilled to perfection and finished with a delicious teriyaki sauce.
Korean Chicken Skewers – Amazing slightly spicy, flavor-packed Korean style grilled chicken skewers/kabobs marinated with bold Korean flavors and grilled to perfection!
BBQ Pork Skewers with Filipino BBQ Marinade – Delicious grilled pork skewers in a homemade sticky, sweet, and spicy Filipino style BBQ marinade. This grilled pork recipe is one of my favorite things to cook on the grill.
Grilled Spicy BBQ Chicken Thighs – Juicy grilled chicken thighs basted in a spicy homemade barbecue sauce. The low and slow method for cooking these thighs on the grill make for a super tender and juicy end result!
If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more salad recipes I think you will love:
Creamy Asian Cucumber Salad – Thinly sliced cucumber and red onion tossed in a delicious creamy peanut dressing. This is one of my all time favorite salads!
Creamy Macaroni Salad – Super creamy and delicious Classic American Macaroni Salad is the perfect side dish for cookouts and picnics! Made with fresh peppers, onions, celery and pickle in a sweet creamy sauce.
Classic American Potato Salad – Classic American Potato Salad is the perfect side dish for your upcoming summer BBQ’s! Made with hard boiled eggs, this classic potato salad is creamy and delicious!
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
- 3 tbsp carrot grated
- 3 tbsp yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp pickle juice
- 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 2 tbsp milk
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- chopped green onions optional garnish
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add vinegar, onions, carrots, pickle juice and pickle relish. Toss to combine then allow to cool completely.
- In a small bowl whisk together milk, mayo, sugar and black pepper. Toss dressing in with macaroni and mix to combine. Cover and place in fridge for an hour to let cool.
- When done, sprinkle with chopped green onions (optional). Serve with your favorite main courses!
Notes
This post was originally published on February 27, 2019 and updated on February 19, 2021.
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