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At a glance: Hawaiian Macaroni Salad with Avocado Oil Mayo: serves 8, cooked in avocado oil, with no seed oils.
Hawaiian macaroni salad is the side dish on every plate lunch across the islands — simpler and creamier than mainland American macaroni salad, with very little going on beyond perfectly cooked pasta and a milk-thinned mayo dressing. The restraint is the point. It exists to balance the richness of kalua pig or the heat of piri piri chicken.
The key change for seed oil free Hawaiian mac salad is the mayo. Standard commercial mayo is made with soybean or canola oil. Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo is the best widely available substitute — identical in texture and flavour profile to standard mayo, made with avocado oil instead of seed oils.
Hawaiian Mac Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 450g (1 lb) elbow macaroni
- 200ml Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo
- 60ml (¼ cup) whole milk
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely grated
- 4 spring onions (green onions), thinly sliced
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Cook the macaroni in heavily salted boiling water for 8-9 minutes until just past al dente — slightly softer than usual. Rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly.
- While the pasta is still warm, whisk together the mayo, whole milk, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. The dressing should be loose and thin — it will thicken as the pasta absorbs it.
- Pour the dressing over the warm pasta immediately and toss to coat. The warm pasta absorbs the dressing more effectively than cold pasta.
- Add the grated carrot and spring onion. Toss again.
- Taste and adjust seasoning — it will need more salt than you expect.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. The salad should be cold, creamy, and slightly dense. Serve directly from the refrigerator.
Is Hawaiian mac salad seed oil free?
Yes using avocado oil mayo. Standard commercial mayo contains soybean or canola oil. Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo or Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo are the best seed oil free options.
Why cook past al dente?
Hawaiian mac salad uses slightly overcooked pasta — it absorbs the dressing better and produces the correct soft texture. Firm al dente pasta produces a salad that is too chewy.
How far ahead can I make it?
It is best made the day before — the pasta absorbs the dressing overnight and the flavours develop. It keeps for 4-5 days refrigerated.
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