Hawaiian-Style Creamy Macaroni Salad
If you are trying to get more vegetables in your diet, you need to try my EXTRA Creamy Macaroni Salad that is super easy to make at home. They’re deliciously creamy and reminds me so much of those Hawaiian BBQ Plates I love. I promise this is the CREAMIEST Macaroni Salad you will EVER try! I always prepare this macaroni salad in bulk for the perfect weekday meal prep. And, you can customize it based on your preferences!
Why I Love This Meal Prep Perfect Macaroni Salad
This super creamy macaroni salad is one of those recipes I make on repeat in my own kitchen at least once a month. Whenever I’m craving something comforting that brings me right back to our trips to Hawaii and my O’ahu Must Try Lists, this is the first thing I must make. On the islands, a chilled scoop of rich, tangy macaroni salad is the ultimate side dish of every classic Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch. It’s the go-to side dish for a reason. The cool, silky texture and creamy flavor pairs amazingly with everything from garlic shrimp to smoky Hawaiian-style ribs. In fact, I even remade a full Hawaiian Katsu Meal to prepare for my marathon!
Because it holds up so well in the fridge, a big batch of this has become a staple in my routine for easy weekday lunches and effortless dinners. Having a container prepped and ready in the kitchen means whenever you’re serving up grilled proteins or rice bowls during a busy week, an authentic Hawaiian-style side dish is already made and waiting for you.
Ingredients For Creamy Macaroni Salad
- 16- ounce uncooked Elbow Macaroni
- ½ cup Japanese Mayo
- ¼ cup American Mayo
- 3 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp of Mustard
- 4 tbsp Milk
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dashi Powder
Toppings
- Chopped celery ~⅓ cup
- Shredded Carrots ~¼ cup
- Sweet Corn ~½ cup
- Chopped Red Onion ~¼ cup
- Chopped Green Onion 3 stalks
- Imitation Crab Meat ~½ cup
Extra Creamy Macaroni Salad Dressing
My secret weapon that makes my Macaroni Salad super savory and addicting is dashi powder and Japanese Mayo in the creamy dressing. Japanese Mayo is many with ONLY the yolk, which gives it a richer flavor and more custard-like texture. Since Japanese Mayo is made with rice vinegar, it is also slightly sweeter than American Mayo. But, if you can’t find Japanese mayo, you can use some American mayo mixed with a little rice vinegar.
Both Dashi Powder and Japanese mayo contain a bit of MSG, which gives it its umami flavor! Before serving, I highly recommend pouring some extra sauce to make it super creamy!
Vegetables And Mix-ins To Add
You can customize the Macaroni Salad based on your diet and what is in your kitchen. I use carrots, celery, corn, red onion, and green onion. The green onion and red onion provide great umami flavors, while the sweet corn and carrot give the macaroni salad sweetness, and the celery provides a nice crunch. But, this is one of those recipes that’s great for using up the leftover veggies in the fridge as well.
I like to add imitation crab meat for protein, but I also love add-ins like egg, spam, shrimp or any leftover chicken I have in the fridge. If you are vegetarian or allergic to shellfish, but still looking to increase protein, I recommend eggs, tofu, tempeh, or chickpeas.
How To Make Easy Creamy Macaroni Salad
- Fill a large pot with water, and add 1 tbsp of salt. Bring the water to a boil and add in the macaroni—Cook the macaroni based on the instructions on the box.
- Drain the macaroni but DO NOT RINSE! You want the macaroni to be sticky at the touch so it can soak in all the sauce. Using a spatula, fold the macaroni to help it cool down and set the macaroni aside.
- Mix Japanese Mayo, American Mayo, Rice Vinegar, Mustard, Milk, Sugar, a pinch of Black Pepper, and 2 teaspoons of Dashi Powder in a bowl.
- Once the macaroni has cooled down, add all the topping of your choice, and drizzle in the sauce. Mix till combined, cover, and set it aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Optional: make another sauce mixture but half of the amount, and drizzle the sauce on top of the macaroni salad before serving.
Storing Your Macaroni Salad for Meal Prep
This macaroni salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container. I also love to make an extra batch of the creamy sauce on the side. I take out the amount of pasta salad I want to eat, and mix in a little bit of extra dressing. This way, it stays just as creamy as the first day I make it. on’t freeze your macaroni salad! This will break the mayonnaise in the creamy sauce, which won’t be so tasty.
Do you want more Vegetarian Recipes? Here are some of my go-to vegetarian recipes that you will LOVE!
- Japanese Mushroom Risotto – EXTRA CREAMY!
- Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (10 Minutes ONLY!)
- Scallion Oil Noodles (Easy & Vegetarian)
- Creamy Miso Ramen (20 Minutes ONLY!)
Hawaiian-Style Creamy Macaroni Salad
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 16- ounce uncooked Elbow Macaroni
- ½ cup Japanese Mayo
- ¼ cup American Mayo
- 3 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp of Mustard
- 4 tbsp Milk
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dashi Powder
Toppings
- Chopped celery ~⅓ cup
- Shredded Carrots ~¼ cup
- Sweet Corn ~½ cup
- Chopped Red Onion ~¼ cup
- Chopped Green Onion 3 stalks
- Imitation Crab Meat ~½ cup
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, and add 1 tbsp of salt. Bring the water to a boil and add in the macaroni—Cook the macaroni based on the instructions on the box.
- Drain the macaroni but DO NOT RINSE! You want the macaroni to be sticky at the touch so it can soak in all the sauce. Using a spatula, fold the macaroni to help it cool down and set the macaroni aside.
- Mix Japanese Mayo, American Mayo, Rice Vinegar, Mustard, Milk, Sugar, a pinch of Black Pepper, and 2 teaspoons of Dashi Powder in a bowl.
- Once the macaroni has cooled down, add all the topping of your choice, and drizzle in the sauce. Mix till combined, cover, and set it aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Optional: make another sauce mixture but half of the amount, and drizzle the sauce on top of the macaroni salad before serving.
yummy!!! This doesn’t disappoint! My family loved this! Thanks Tiffy!!
Just curious…what kind of Mustard did you use?
Hi Kathy, regular yellow mustard is fine, but if you’d like to kick it up a notch, try whole grain Dijon mustard!
Tiffy
This was amazing, however there was not enough dressing for the amount of pasta stated. I made it at lunchtime and left it in the fridge to serve with dinner. The flavour and creaminess before it went into the fridge was out of this world (I used the dashi powder and Dijon). However by dinner time the dressing had been completely soaked into the macaroni, so it was dry and lacking flavour. I will definitely make again but I would make extra dressing and refrigerate for no more than 30 minutes before serving, otherwise refridgerate separetly and mix through before serving. A really lovely recipe that I will make again.
Awesome recipe, great for office parties!
It’s looks delicious. I will try this recipe In Shaa Allah. Thank a lot. Bye