Description
This Macaroni Hawaiian Salad is creamy, slightly sweet, and perfectly tangy with tender elbow pasta, grated carrots, and a rich mayo dressing. It’s the ultimate make-ahead side dish for potlucks, BBQs, and family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound (16 oz) elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- ½ medium sweet onion, finely grated
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 2 cups mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellmann’s recommended)
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni 3 minutes longer than the package directions for al dente. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
- While the pasta is still warm, drizzle apple cider vinegar over it and gently stir. Let cool.
- In a separate bowl, combine grated carrots, celery, sweet onion, green onions, mayonnaise, half-and-half, sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the dressing mixture over the cooled pasta. Fold gently until evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2–4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavors to blend.
- Garnish with extra green onions before serving. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Slightly overcooking the pasta gives the salad its signature creamy Hawaiian texture.
- For best flavor, let it chill overnight.
- If the salad thickens too much, stir in a splash of milk or half-and-half before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Boiled / Mixed
- Cuisine: Hawaiian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 410 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 390 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg