Oahu’s Must-Try Malasadas

If you ask any local what they recommend eating on Oahu, one of the items on their list will be malasadas. They have a unique airy, yet crispy, texture. This texture and their sweetness makes them one of the most popular deserts in Hawaii. As such, it is a must-try food on Oahu.

Malasadas are a dessert of Portuguese origin. Essentially, they are yeast donuts without the hole. They are also coated in sugar. They are airier and also have a slightly eggier taste than their donut counterparts.

The plain, sugar-coated malasada is the original flavor. However, many bakeries offer unique flavor variations like custard filled, poi, and haupia malasadas.

Where to Get Them

Leonard’s Bakery

One of the most popular bakeries on Oahu is Leonard’s. They are conveniently located near Waikiki in Kapahulu. At anytime of the year, you will find lines out the door. Leonard’s offers a wide selection of baked good from pies to sausage wraps. However, people love coming to the bakery for their malasadas.

Leonard’s give you the options to choose from a variety of flavors. They have malasadas coated in regular sugar, cinnamon sugar and li hing. Their filling options also include custard, chocolate, coconut (haupia), guava, and macademia nut.

Non-custard malasadas are $1.30 each while the custard-filled malasadas are $1.65 each.

What to Get

The #1 bestseller at Leonard’s is their regular sugar malasada with no filling. However, the custard malasada is another popular option among visitors.

Address: 933 Kapahulu Ave., Honolulu, HI

Website: https://www.leonardshawaii.com/home/

Kamehameha Bakery

Kamehameha Bakery is a popular bakery among locals on Oahu. They offer a wide rage range of baked goods. Bread pudding, cupcakes, and apple turnovers are to name a few. However, Kamehameha Bakery is best-known for their poi malasadas.

“Hawaii, Holidays 2014–New Year 2015” by Design Feast under CC BY-ND 2.0

The poi malasadas have an interesting appreance. They are dark purple on the outside with a taro glaze, and they are bight purple on the inside.

Kamehameha Bakery also offers a coconut (haupia) filled malasada along with a regular sugar-coated malasada.

Their plain malasadas are $0.90 each while the poi and coconut filled malasadas are $1.15 each.

Address: 1284 Kalani St, Unit D106, Honolulu, HI

Website: https://www.kamehamehabakeryhi.com/

Featured image courtesy of “Delicious Fried Balls of Heaven” by lesleyk is under CC BY-NC-ND