Hawaiian Mac Salad with Tuna

5 from 5 votes

This easy and authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad with Tuna is one of my absolute favorite recipes! It's creamy, tangy, a little sweet, and goes with literally everything. It's the perfect side dish for a BBQ or cookout!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Fridge Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 483

Author Jessica Kwon

Ingredients

8 oz elbow pasta
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup shredded carrots
¼ cup shredded onion about 1 small onion
1 cup Hellman's or Best Mayo mayonnaise
¼ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
1½ tablespoon white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 (5 oz) can tuna drained (no salt added recommended)
1-2 green onion thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add elbow pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes longer than box instructions. Pasta should be well-done and soft, but not mushy. Drain, rinse with cold water, and transfer to a large bowl.
To the cooked pasta, add the apple cider vinegar, carrots, and onion. Stir well and let sit for 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
In a separate bowl, whisk the two mayonnaises, sugar, milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set ¼ cup of the dressing aside and store in the fridge.
Add the drained tuna and mayonnaise dressing to the macaroni. Mix to combine and season to taste. Let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour, but overnight would be best.
When ready to serve, add the reserved dressing and half the green onion to the macaroni salad and stir to combine. Garnish with the remaining green onion. Serve cold or room temperature.

Notes

How to grate onion: I recommend using the large holes on a box grater rather than a food processor. Make sure to squeeze out and drain any excess liquid before adding it to the pasta.
If you don't have Kewpie mayonnaise, substitute for more Hellman's or Best Foods mayonnaise.

Nutrition