Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (2024)

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Easy Hawaiian style malasadas are deep fried and rolled in sugar creating a light and fluffy donut. Perfect for Malasada day here in Hawai’i or anytime of year.

Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (1)

Whether you call it Malasada Day, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or something else, one thing’s for sure, delicious food will be a part of your day.

Here in Hawai’i it’s most often called Malasada Day or Fat Tuesday. This is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of lent.

A popular treat made for enjoyment on Fat Tuesday is malasadas. Malasada is a Portuguese dessert that was brought to the islands by immigrants that traveled to Hawai’i to work on the plantations.

Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (2)

Malasadas have quickly become the favorite Hawaiian island donuts. Malasadas are small yeast balls of dough, deep fried, and coated in granulated sugar. Traditional malasadas are not not filled, however in Hawai’i you can find both traditional malasadas as well as stuffed ones.

Popular filings used to stuff malasadas include:

  • Haupia
  • Guava
  • Lilikoi
  • Custard
  • Chocolate
Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (3)

If you’re looking for other popular desserts here in Hawai’i, try kulolo, sweet potato haupia bars, or haole brownies.

Home Maid Bakery on Maui and Leonard’s Bakery on O’ahu are popular for their yummy version of the malasada.

What do I need to make malasadas:

Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (4)

What’s the difference between bread flour and all purpose flour?

Bread flour contains a higher protein content than that of all purpose flour. Proteins create gluten. Gluten creates stringy strands that allow bread to have its characteristic elasticity and stretch.

Do I have to let the malasadas rise?

Letting the dough rise allows the yeast time to use up the sugars and break down the starches. This allows air to form within the dough creating light and fluffy dough. I would not recommend skipping this step. It’ll be well worth your wait.

What other toppings can you use on malasadas?

The classic topping is granulated sugar. You can also use cinnamon sugar, plain, or with a side of ice cream. Drizzle on some chocolate or strawberry sauce. The possibilities are endless.

Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (5)

How to store malasadas?

Hawai’i malasadas are best eaten fresh. If you somehow have leftovers you can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. You can reheat the malasadas in a microwave when ready to eat.

Can you freeze malasada dough?

You sure can. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. This will keep for a few months. Allow to defrost at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight.

How to make malasadas?

In a small mixing bowl add yeast, warm water heated to 115F, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside and allow to sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add eggs. Mix until light and fluffy.

Add milk, evaporated milk, butter, sugar, and yeast mixture. Mix until well combined.

With the motor running slowly add flour mixture and salt. Mix dough until well combined and smooth.

Transfer to a lightly greased mixing bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm, dark area and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Remove dough on to a floured surface. Roll dough to about 1 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cup, or any round shape to cut dough. Place dough rounds on to a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and allow to rest.

Place sugar in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil of choice in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat until oil is heated to 375F. Place malasadas on oil to fry. Do not crowd the malasadas. Fry until golden brown or about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Remove malasada from oil and place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Once malasada has slightly cooled, place in the bowl with sugar. Toss to coat.

ENJOY!

Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (6)

Easy Hawaiian Style Malasada Recipe

Relle Lum

Easy Hawaiian style malasadas are deep fried and rolled in sugar creating a light and fluffy donut. Perfect for Malasada day here in Hawai’i or anytime of year.

4.54 from 290 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine Hawaiian

Servings 2 dozen

Calories 234 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small mixing bowl add yeast, warm water heated to 115F, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside and allow to sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add eggs. Mix until light and fluffy.

  • Add milk, evaporated milk, butter, sugar, and yeast mixture. Mix until well combined.

  • With the motor running slowly add flour mixture and salt. Mix dough until well combined and smooth.

  • Transfer to a lightly greased mixing bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm, dark area and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

  • Remove dough on to a floured surface. Roll dough to about 1 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cup, or any round shape to cut dough. Place dough rounds on to a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and allow to rest.

  • Place sugar in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil of choice in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat until oil is heated to 375F. Place malasadas on oil to fry. Do not crowd the malasadas. Fry until golden brown or about 3-5 minutes on each side.

  • Remove malasada from oil and place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Once malasada has slightly cooled, place in the bowl with sugar. Toss to combine.

  • ENJOY!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 234kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 9gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 80mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2g

Keyword baked goods, dessert, doughnut, hawaiian donut, home made, keeping it relle, malasada, malasadas, portuguese dessert

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Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (7)

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Easy Hawaiian Style Malasadas Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the popular donut in Hawaii? ›

We started making malasadas as part of the Portugese tradition for Shrove Tuesday back in 1953. Now, we make them continuously everyday. We are Hawaii's original malasada™ bakery. All of our malasadas are made with our special dough using the finest ingredients.

How do you keep malasadas fresh? ›

What Is The Best Way To Store Malasadas? Room Temperature Up To 1day. You can freeze them if you want to keep them longer.

What is the difference between malasadas and donuts? ›

Originally from Portugal, a malasada is a yeasted donut without a hole.

Should malasadas be refrigerated? ›

Malasadas are meant to be eaten warm. If you need to save unfilled malasadas, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter. Reheat them before eating. Filled malasadas should be stored in the fridge and should not be reheated before eating.

Why are malasadas so popular in Hawaii? ›

Hawaii. In 1878, Portuguese laborers from Madeira and the Azores immigrated to Hawaii to work in the plantations. They brought with them their traditional foods, including malassadas―where it is now commonly spelled as malasadas.

What is the rarest donut in the world? ›

The priciest doughnut on the planet is filled with champagne and topped with 24-karat gold. It's called the Golden Cristal Ube, and a dozen will set you back $1,200.

Can you leave malasadas out overnight? ›

Serve warm or at room temperature. The malasadas are best the day they're made, but you can store any leftovers under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down for up to 1 day. After 1 day, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.

Why are malasadas purple? ›

Poi is a starchy paste made from boiled and pounded taro root, regularly served as a side dish on the islands. A powdered version added into the batter (as well as the glaze) is the key to these deep-fried treats' tender texture and pretty purple hue.

Can you eat malasadas the next day? ›

For filled malasadas, you can refrigerate them overnight and microwave for 10 sec/donut. If you want to eat them within the day, you can keep them at room temperature.

What does malasada mean in English? ›

Malasadas are said to be a speciality of the island of São Miguel, an island in the Azores that was first settled by the Portuguese in 1427. The name, sometimes spelled malassadas means "poorly cooked," a reference to the almost crisp, sugary exterior contrasted by a soft, doughy crumb.

What did Cowboys call donuts? ›

Bear Sign – A cowboy term for donuts made while they were on the range. A cook who could and would make them was highly regarded. Beat the Devil around the Stump – To evade responsibility or a difficult task.

What nationality are malasadas? ›

Malasadas and Sweet Bread

These baked goods have their origin in Portugal, and were brought by the many plantation laborers from the Madeira and Azores regions when they arrived to work in Hawaiʻi in the late 19th century.

How long can malasadas sit out? ›

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food and safety basics states cooked food can be left at room temperature up to two hours. If the temperature outside (or inside your house) is 90°F or above, you should cut that time in half.

Can you eat malasadas cold? ›

Malasadas are at their supreme best while hot or warm. So be sure to eat them that way. Malasadas do not keep well. They're at their best the day you fry them.

Can I freeze malasadas? ›

MALASADA Faq

You can freeze them if you want to keep them longer. What type of oil do you fry malasadas in?

What is the famous donut on the Big Island? ›

Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and the Azores brought the malasada — a pillowy, typically square doughnut (without a hole) dusted with sugar — to Hawai'i in the 1870s, when they joined multi-ethnic plantation workforce.

Which well known donut is sold by Leonard's Bakery in Honolulu Hawaii? ›

Leonard's Bakery is a Portuguese bakery in Honolulu, Hawaii, known for popularizing the malasada. The fried pastry, slightly crispier and chewier than a doughnut and with no hole, is known as a cuisine of Hawaii.

What's the difference between malasada and beignets? ›

Malsadas are a little sweeter and may have more hydration (Iʻve even seem some malasada doughs that are more like batters). As for the end product I find malasadas to be lighter and they (at least in Hawaiʻi) have a thin but noticeable "skin" or crust that you donʻt really get with donuts.

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