Want tore-create a bit of Hawaii at home? Learn how to make Hawaiian malasadas, the super popular Portuguese donuts from Hawaii. Scroll down for the full Hawaiian Style coconut-filled malasadas recipe!
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I’m all about the food when I visit Hawaii. We always make a point to hit up popular poke spots onOahuandMaui. And I know all the best shave ice spots onOahu,Kauai, andMaui.
Living in Seattle, we’re lucky enough to have lots of Poke restaurants all over the city. And we even have several restaurants that also offer shave ice.
But, the trickiest thing to find outside of Hawaii are good malasadas. Malasadas are Hawaiian donuts that originally came to the islands from Portugal.
In Hawaii, you can find malasadas at lots of different bakeries. You can also find them at pop-up stands outside of stores or at farmer’s markets.
If you’ve ever been to Oahu, I’m sure you’ve heard aboutLeonard’s Bakery. They are famous for their pink boxes filled with amazing Hawaiian malasadas.
That’s the first place I ever had malasadas that were filled. Leonard’s does a great job trying out all kinds oftropical fruitsand custards as malasada fillings.
Out of all of them, I think my favorite malasada filling is haupia (coconut cream.) It pairs so nicely with the fluffy malasada, and it’s the ultimate breakfast treat.
I love them so much that I decided to create my own version at home. Finding the right recipe for malasadas can be tricky (many cheat and use Pillsbury dough, which isn’t the same!)
Enjoy thisHawaiian malasada recipethat will take you on a mini vacation to Hawaii!
Plus, it includes a really tasting haupia-filling recipe that you can use on lots of other baked goods!
How to Make Coconut-Filled Hawaiian Malasadas
Here is exactly how to make your very own homemade malasadas, Hawaiian style! This easy Malasada recipe will show you a Portuguese malasadas recipe and then show you how to make the haupia filling for your donut too!
Malasadas Ingredients
Ingredients for the Coconut Filling (aka Haupia Filling)
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cupscoconut milk, full fat
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Ingredients for the Hawaiian Malasadas
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted + extra for rolling
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tspdry yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tbsps butter, melted and warm
- ¾ cup warm milk
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil
Ingredients for the Malasadas Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Yields: This recipe makes about 8 to 10 malasadas
How to Make the Coconut Filling:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, bring coconut milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract to a boil on high. Whisk consistently. Turn down the heat to medium-low heat.
3. Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add cornstarch and continue whisking for an additional 2 minutes or until thick.
5. Pour back into a large bowl and cover to put in the refrigerator overnight.
How to Make Malasadas:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside the flour mixture.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add melted butter and warm milk and mix thoroughly.
3. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly until dough forms.
4. Knead for a few minutes and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise for about 1 ½ hours or until the malasada dough has doubled in size.
5. Once the dough has risen, dust a clean working area with flour. Add flour to a rolling pin as well.
6. Roll dough out on your lightly floured surface until it’s about ½ an inch thick.
7. Use around cookie cutter, about 2 ½ inches in diameter, to cut dough out 8-10 dough discs.
8. Place gently on a baking sheet, cover with a towel, and allow to re-rise for about 45 minutes.
9. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. When the oil temperature is hot, you can start frying your malasada dough.
10. Fry each dough disc, about 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
11. Then allow it to cool for 5 minutes until they are light and fluffy.
How to Coat your Hawaiian Malasadas:
1. One at a time, dip a malasada into a bowl of melted butter.
2. Once coated with butter, immediately dunk the malasada into a bowl of granulated sugar, covering it completely.
3. Place gently on a baking sheet.
How to Fill your Hawaiian Malasadas:
1. Using a dowel, toothpick, or the opposite end of a spoon or fork, poke a hole into each malasada until you’ve reached its center.
2. Scoop coconut filling into a piping bag withWilton icing tip #8attached.
3. Squeeze coconut filling into the hole of each Malasada.
Serve your Hawaiian haupia malasadas and enjoy!
How to Store Malasadas
Hot malasadas taste the best. However, I know that is not always possible. There are times when we at our Leonard’s Bakery malasadas a day or two after we got them and they still tasted just fine.
This Portuguese dessert can be stored in the fridge for a day or two and reheated, but again, once they cool completely, they are best to eat right away!
Other Delicious Malasadas Fillings
Many like malasadas served plain. However, I really like all the different flavored fillings! Here are a few more ideas of other malasada fillings you can make and enjoy:
- Passion fruit
- Mango
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
- Strawberry
- Banana
- Guava
- Custard pastry cream
- Li Hing
You can do just about anything you can think of for malasada fillings!
Hawaiian Malasadas FAQs
What are malasadas in Hawaii?
Brought over by the Portuguese, malasadas are oversized donut holes that are fried and rolled in sugar. Many Malasada doughnuts in Hawaii even have some delicious fillings as well!
Can you freeze malasadas?
Technically yes, but they won’t taste great. Malasadas are best eaten as soon as they are fried or even a day or two after.
How do you re-heat malasadas?
You can pop them in the microwave for a few seconds or throw them in the toaster oven.
How is a malasada different from a donut?
Malasadas are doughnuts that don’t have any holes in them. Malasadas donuts are deep-fried and taste so good!
What’s the difference between malasada and beignets?
These Hawaiian doughnuts are pretty much their own version of beignets. Both malasadas and beignets are deep-fried and are best when you serve immediately after they cool. Hawaii malasadas differ from beignets when they are filled with delicious fillings.
Coconut Custard Filled Malasada Recipe Wrap-Up
This is very similar to Leonard’s malasadas recipe, and you will absolutely love it! Use this amazing recipe and make malasadas the next time you are missing these donuts in Hawaii!
Looking for moreHawaiian recipes? Learn how to makeChocolate Haupia Pie,Peach Mango Pie, andPineapple Dole Whip.
Yield: 8-10 Servings
Hawaiian Style Coconut Filled Malasadas Recipe
These mouthwatering cococut filled malasadas are the perfect breakfast pastry. These Hawaiian donuts will remind you of the Islands and pair perfectly with a cup of coffee!
Prep Time10 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Additional Time5 minutes
Total Time10 hours 45 minutes
Ingredients
- Coconut Filling
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk, full fat
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- For the Malasadas
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted + extra for rolling
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tsp dry yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tbsps butter, melted and warm
- ¾ cup warm milk
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil
- For the coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Instructions
To make the coconut filling:
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar and set
aside. - In a large saucepan, bring coconut milk, heavy cream and
vanilla extract to a boil on high. Whisk consistently. - Turn down heat to medium.
- Slowly pour egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk for
about 2-3 minutes. - Add cornstarch and continue whisking for an additional 2
minutes, or until thick. - Pour back into large bowl and cover to refrigerate overnight.
To Make the Malasadas:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add melted butter and warm milk and mix thoroughly.
- Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly until dough forms.
- Knead for a few minutes and cover with a cloth. Let rise for about 1 ½ hours or until dough has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, dust a clean working area with flour. Add flour to a rolling pin as well.
- Roll out dough until it’s about ½ an inch thick.
- Use a round cookie cutter, about 2 ½ inches in diameter to cut out 8-10 dough discs.
- Place gently on a baking sheet, cover with a towel and allow to re-rise for about 45 minutes.
- In a large pot, warm oil over medium heat.
- Fry each dough disc, about 1-2 minutes on each side, until
golden. - Allow to cool for 5 minutes
To Coat the Malasadas:
- One at a time, dip a malasada into a bowl of melted butter.
- Once coated with butter, immediately dunk the malasada into
a bowl of granulated sugar, covering it completely. - Place gently on a baking sheet.
To Fill the Malasadas:
- Using a dowel, toothpick or the opposite end of a spoon or
fork, poke a hole into each malasada until you’ve reached its center. - Scoop coconut filling into a piping bag with Wilton icing
tip #8 attached. - Squeeze coconut filling into the hole of each Malasada.
Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 Malasada
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 2810Total Fat: 284gSaturated Fat: 35gTrans Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 236gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 242mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gProtein: 10g
