Founder & certified Hawaii travel expert with 20+ years of experience in Hawaii tourism.
If, during your Hawaii visit, it will at any point be Tuesday, and if, by chance, you have taste buds, then you’re going to need the full rundown on the malasada situation.
These are sinfully delicious pastries mostly resembling, but arguably surpassing, donuts. Malasadas are similarly made with a yeast dough, but the dough is typically eggier and includes milk - something that is true of many, but not all, regular donuts. Perhaps most importantly they also, in a stroke of genius, don’t have a hole. In other words, the fried dough is richer, and you get more of it. This allows for common fillings, like custard, coconut, or even pineapple, guava, and other tropical fruit flavors.
Why Tuesday? To answer that, we have to briefly summarize how these underappreciated treasures made their way onto the Hawaiian Islands in the first place.
Malasada is a Portuguese compound word that roughly translates to “badly baked.” The malasada originated in the Madeira region of Portugal, supposedly to serve the stomach-rumbling but artery-clenching purpose of using up all the leftover butter and sugar before the start of Lent - which always starts on a Wednesday.
They arrived in Hawaii when Portuguese laborers started working on island plantations in the late 19th century. Today, Hawaii is a rare hub for these “badly baked” delights. They can be hard to find in most parts of the world, including the rest of the United States, and most people have probably never even heard of them. However, in Hawaii, they’re everywhere. Although the tradition of “Fat Tuesday” lives on and forms a kind of annual “malasada season” before Easter, many, if not most, local bakeries offer them year-round.
This is your guide to finding those glorious places.
The Best Locations to Get Malasadas on Each Island
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You can find and eat these crazily mouthwatering super treats, and you’ll be glad you did. Remember: this is a cultural experience and a somewhat unique opportunity amid travel.
Eating malasadas is not something you necessarily do every day, but it’s also something you are almost guaranteed not to have the chance to do most days anyway. Dive in. Taste the flavors and colors of the island. We hope you savor every second of it.
