This rich, creamy Hawaiian potato salad contains a little spam, a hit of lemon juice, and is super flavorful. Serve this homemade potato salad recipe with grilled and baked meats or vegetables.

Why use spam in potato salad?

Spam is a great addition to potato salad, especially when browned first. Like bacon or ham, spam adds a bit of saltiness that compliments the creaminess of a homemade potato salad. Serve this crowd pleasing Hawaiian potato salad with smoked pulled pork or Hawaiian style ribs. It’s great all on its own too!

We use lite spam for this recipe to keep the salt and calorie count low, but you can certainly use regular spam, turkey, hickory, or any of the spam varieties as long as the flavors don’t clash with the creamy mayonnaise dressing.

What is Hawaiian potato salad?

Hawaiian potato salad is similar to the mainland version but can include chopped fried (or cold) spam, green onions, and lemon juice. Spam is a widely used ingredient in Hawaiian cooking and appears in such dishes like fried rice, moco loco, musubi, and potato salad.

What you’ll need:

5 medium russet potatoes
Real mayonnaise
Fresh lemon juice
Green onions
Flat-leaf parsley
Dijon mustard (substitute with yellow mustard if needed)
Salt and black pepper
Hot sauce (use a mild vinegar-based hot sauce)
Paprika (regular, not smoked)
Onion powder
Garlic powder
3 hard-boiled eggs
7 ounces of light spam
Olive oil

How to Make Hawaiian Potato Salad

Boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and quickly place into a large bowl with cold water and ice (ice bath). Let potatoes sit in cold water for 3-4 minutes to halt the cooking process.
Drain potatoes once more and chop them into 3/4″ chunks. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add spam slices and brown each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place spam onto a cutting board. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, hot sauce, and granulated garlic in a large bowl. Add chopped 3/4 each of the green onions and parsley. Stir and adjust salt as needed.
Add potatoes, chopped spam, and 2 chopped eggs to the bowl. Gently fold to combine with dressing.
Transfer Hawaiian potato salad to a serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining 1/4 each of green onions, parsley, and the remaining egg cut into fourths.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving.

Tips and Alternatives

Safety first: Keep your potato salad covered and cool during service. Pack the outside of the bowl with bags of ice, or use an insulated serving dish that keeps food cold for up to 6 hours.
Store leftover potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Add some extra crunch to your salad! I recommend 1/3 cup diced red or green bell peppers, or 1 large finely diced celery stalk folded right in.
Not a fan of spam? Substitute it with chopped steamed shrimp, freshly cooked crab meat, or imitation crab in this Hawaiian potato salad. You can also use chopped ham or bacon.
Some recipes call for both potatoes and cooked macaroni. If you’d like to add pasta, use 1 cup cooked macaroni in addition to the potatoes for this Hawaiian potato salad recipe.

More crowd pleasing salads

Hawaiian Potato Salad

This rich, creamy Hawaiian potato salad contains a little spam, a hit of lemon juice, and is super flavorful. Serve this homemade potato salad recipe with grilled and baked meats or vegetables.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American BBQ, Hawaiian

Keyword: hawaiian potato salad, Potato Salad, Side Dishes

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 25

Cooling Time: 20

Total Time: 1 5

Servings:

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Sabrina Baksh

Ingredients

5 medium russet potatoes peeled and chopped into fourths
1 teaspoon salt for boiling water
1 cup real mayonnaise
3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 medium green onion finely chopped
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (substitute with yellow mustard)
1/2 teaspoon salt use as needed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper use as needed
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon regular paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 large hard-boiled eggs peeled
7 ounces light spam cut into 4 slabs
1/2 tablespoon olive oil (use cooking spray if preferred)

Instructions

Boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and quickly place into a large bowl with cold water and ice (ice bath). Let potatoes sit in cold water for 3-4 minutes to halt the cooking process.
Drain potatoes once more and chop them into 3/4″ chunks. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add spam slices and brown each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place spam onto a cutting board. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, hot sauce, and granulated garlic in a large bowl. Add chopped 3/4 each of the green onions and parsley. Stir and adjust salt as needed.
Add potatoes, chopped spam, and 2 chopped eggs to the bowl. Gently fold to combine with dressing.
Transfer Hawaiian potato salad to a serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining 1/4 each of green onions, parsley, and the remaining egg cut into fourths.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving.

Notes

Tips:

Safety first: Keep your potato salad covered and cool during service. Pack the outside of the bowl with bags of ice, or use an insulated serving dish that keeps food cold for up to 6 hours.

Store leftover potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Not a fan of spam? Substitute with chopped steamed shrimp, freshly cooked crab meat, or imitation crab. You can also use chopped ham or bacon.

Some recipes call for both potatoes and cooked macaroni. If you’d like to add pasta, use 1 cup cooked macaroni in addition to the potatoes for this Hawaiian potato salad recipe.