Updated post: May 9, 2025 || Original Post July 21, 2017
Have you ever gone on vacation where you tried a local delicacy and still craved it after your visit? Well, one of my favorite food happens to be in Hawaii, where they are known for their delicious island dishes. Despite our long lists of Hawaiian foods to try, this one food was on top of our list, Hawaiian Malasadas. (Pssst… stick around, and I’ll share a Malasada recipe I love).
What Are Malasadas?
Before I talk about my tasty experience with this delicious goodness, let’s talk about what Malasadas are. Originating in Portugal, Malasadas (aka Filha in Portuguese) are a type of doughnut, but without the hole in the middle. They are very yeasty, but so full and fluffy on the inside with a crispy outside layer that is most of the time coated in sugar. When the first Portuguese immigrants moved from the Portuguese Island of São Miguel to Hawaii to work on the sugar cane plantations in the late 1800’s, they brought the Malasadas recipe with them. Therefore, the Portuguese Malasada recipe become a staple in Hawaii.
Where to Find Malasadas?
There are several bakeries in Honolulu, Hawaii that offer Malasadas. Leonard’s Bakery in Honolulu is the most famous baker of these sweet treats in the area. We made sure to add this bakery on our top list to try during our visit.
When we first arrived at Leonard’s Bakery, there was already a long line outside, and it was almost mid-morning, on a weekday. I expected this as I knew this was a hotspot location! The bakery offered pastries, cupcakes, and of course, the Malasadas. We were just there strictly for the Malasadas.
What Flavors are Offered?
You can order the Leonard’s Malasadas non-filled with either plain/sugar coating, cinnamon sugar, or Li Hing (powder plum, very popular here). You can also order them with fillings inside. The Malasada filling choices include: guava, chocolate (Dobash), macadamia nut, custard, or in my favorite, Haupia (coconut pudding). We tried to order one of each Malasadas but they were already out of a few flavors… see, I told you they’re pretty popular.
Taste Test
Once we got back in the car, we immediately pulled them out of the box to eat! It tasted just like doughnuts, except, the dough was nice, crispy, and fluffy. The inside was light and fluffy. For the filling, I’d say the custard tasted like custard and chocolate, well, like chocolate. We did not get to try the macadamia nut as they were out. The non-filled Li Hing was just a sugar (plus the powder plum) coated Malasada that when you bit into it, tasted just like a sugar coated Malasada but with a bit of tanginess (sweet/sour) from the Li Hing to balance out the sweetness of the dough. Next, the Haupia (coconut), was amazing; it tasted of a rich, coconut, almost like the consistency of coconut pudding but much more creamier. If you love coconut, like I do, this was definitely my favorite one out of all the flavors!
Final Thoughts
All in all, if you visit Hawaii, I recommend you try this amazing dessert! There are several bakeries that offer Malasadas, but Leonard’s is the most popular. If we go back to visit Hawaii, I’ll be putting on my list to head back to Leonards’ Bakery as well as try all the other Malasada Bakeries in the area. So, Happy Food Travel! Until Next Time! Mahalo! (P.S. Recipe is below ⇣ )
Helpful Information
Places to try Hawaiian Malasadas in Honolulu:
1.). Leonard’s Bakery: Address 933 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816;
Price: Malasadas: $1.30/each; Malasadas Puffs (filling): $1.65/each. You can find their most current price here.
Get there early to get the best selections and beat the hungry crowd! You can find their hours here as well as their other locations (yes, they have other locations)!
2.) Liliha Bakery: https://www.lilihabakery.com/menus
CopyCat Recipe
Update 1/16/2021: It’s been years since we have had this delicious dessert. So, I decided to make my own. If you want to learn how to make your own Hawaiian/Portuguese Malasadas, here is a Malasadas recipe that I have tried from this website: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/malasadas/. I hope you enjoy making your own Hawaiian/Portuguese Malasada at home!
My Favorite Travel Sites
FYI: Find My Favorite Travel Sites Below for Your Trip Planning
I’m attaching some of my favorite travel sites I use to book my trips below! If you use the links below, you’ll be supporting Hello Graciemo’s travel blog at no extra cost to you. I hope you find these helpful for your trip planning! Thank you for your support and Happy Planning!
Flights
I use both SkyScanner and Google Flights to track the best rates for flights. It searches for the best rates from hundreds of airlines to ensure you don’t miss the best deals. You can have SkyScanner and Google Flights send you notifications when flight prices have changed for the specific dates you want to fly.
Accommodations
I love using Booking.com to find our accommodations. You can filter out to your needs
and narrow down the best rates. Plus reviews are helpful when deciding which
accommodations are right for you and your family. Additionally, once you become a
Genius Level Member (based on the level and amount of times you book with
Booking.com), you can receive special discounts.
Airbnb is another favorite for booking our AccommodationS! I stick to places that have
good reviews.
Experiences and Tours
My favorite site to book tours and experiences are with GetYourGuide or Viator. They both have a range of tours and experiences on their website. However, check both sites as one may be sold out and the other may not be.
Rental Cars
I book directly towards the company’s sites to ensure I have the best deals. I compare between Booking.com’s rates and the company’s main sites.
Another option is to also check the rates from your credit card company if they offer travel rewards specials. We like to look at our Chase Sapphire and American Express travel offers as they may offer the best deals and even include insurance as part of the incentive, just double check with them and also the rental car agency if they honor this.
Transfers | Airport Pickups
For Airport Pickups, we have relied on Welcome Pickups for transfers. The drivers are reliable and it’s easy to use the Welcome Pickup Apps to reserve your transfers. Book and find more information here!
Priority Pass
Take advantage of your credit card incentives for travel. Our American Express and
Chase Sapphire offer Priority Pass. From research Platinum Card® from American
Express, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit
Card allow cardholders to register for Priority Pass Select membership and enjoy access
to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide that participate in Priority Pass.
Hopefully this will help alleviate some of your travel planning! Thanks for reading this! Happy Travels!
– Mo
