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People (not just us) go CRAZY for malasadas, and it’s no surprise why. These donuts were originally brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants and are a staple on the Hawaiian Islands. They even have a Malasada Day (aka Fat Tuesday)!
Our family was first introduced to this sweet breakfast food by some dear friends in Hawaii when we lined up for them at Leonard’s Bakery on Oahu. We quickly became obsessed with this soft, sugar-coated donut, so we came up with a malasada recipe of our own!
We keep ours simple and coat them in sugar, but they can easily be filled with anything from custards to fruit fillings. Ube, coconut, and guava are popular choices. Either way, these are sure to be a favorite – donut day will never be the same!
For more of our favorite donuts, try Homemade Donuts or Old Fashioned Donuts.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Hawaiian donuts. Bring the taste of the islands home with this traditional favorite!
- To fill or not to fill. Keep it simple with a sugar dusting or get creative with traditional (or non-traditional) fillings! They’re sweet enough for breakfast or dessert.
- An easy favorite. The dough is simple, and they fry up quickly. Because of the rise time, these are great for making ahead of time, and can even be prepped the night before!
Malasada Ingredients and Substitutions
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons warm water – The water temperature should be between 105-115°F.
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup milk – We use 2% or whole milk.
- ½ cup evaporated milk – Do not use sweetened condensed milk.
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups bread flour – The extra protein in bread flour is what makes the maladsadas soft and chewy. In a pinch, you can use all-purpose flour, which has slightly less protein.
- oil for frying – Stick to oils with a high smoking point, like vegetable oil, canola oil, and peanut oil.
- 2 cups granulated sugar – for coating the cooked malasadas
How to Make Malasadas
- DOUGH. In a small mixing bowl, add yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let it sit until foam – about 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs and mix until fluffy. Add milk, evaporated milk, butter, sugar, and yeast mixture. Mix until combined.
- Slowly add flour and salt to the mixture, stirring as you add. Continue to mix until well combined and smooth.
- RISE. Transfer dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel. Let rise until doubled in size – about 1 hour.
- Add dough to a floured surface and roll out to about 1 inch thickness. Use a circle cookie cutter about 3-4 inches wide and cut out dough. Place onto a greased cookie sheet, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- FRY. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil and heat until about 375°F. Add dough rounds to the oil, a few at a time, and fry until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes on each side).
- SERVE. Remove malasadas onto a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool slightly. Place sugar in a large bowl and toss the cooled donuts in the sugar mixture. Add fillings if desired.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Instead of coating the fried maladas in only sugar, combine the sugar with another spice, such as cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Be sure to activate the yeast properly in warm water. Too cold, and the yeast won’t activate; too hot, and you’ll kill it.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan, as adding too many malasadas can cause the oil temperature to drop too much.
- When rising, don’t go by time alone. A warmer environment will allow the dough to rise faster, while a cooler environment will slow down the process. The dough should appear doubled in size.
- We love this malasada recipe as it is, but you could pipe in your favorite filling, such as pastry cream, classic custard, thick chocolate ganache, fruit preserves, Boston cream, lemon curd, and more.
Malasada Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups bread flour
- oil for frying
- 2 cups sugar
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let it sit until foam forms – about 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs and mix until fluffy. Add milk, evaporated milk, butter, sugar, and yeast mixture. Mix until combined.
- Slowly add flour and salt to the mixture, mixing as you add. Continue to mix until well combined and smooth.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in size – about 1 hour.
- Add dough to a floured surface and roll out to about 1 inch thickness. Use a circle cookie cutter about 3-4 inches wide and cut out dough. Place onto a greased cookie sheet, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- Place sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil and heat until about 375°F. Add dough rounds to the oil, a few at a time, and fry until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes on each side).
- Remove malasadas onto a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool slightly and then toss in the sugar mixture. Add fillings if desired.
Notes
- Instead of coating the fried maladas in only sugar, combine the sugar with another spice, such as cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Be sure to activate the yeast properly in warm water. Too cold, and the yeast won’t activate; too hot, and you’ll kill it.
- When rising, don’t go by time alone. A warmer environment will allow the dough to rise faster, while a cooler environment will slow down the process. When ready, the dough should appear doubled in size.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan, as adding too many malasadas can cause the oil temperature to drop too much.
- Pipe in your favorite filling, such as pastry cream, classic custard, thick chocolate ganache, fruit preserves, Boston cream, lemon curd, and more.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Mix the dough as directed in the malasada recipe, cover, and refrigerate overnight (a least 8 hours and up to 24 hours). The cooler environment will allow the dough to gradually rise. When ready, roll the dough, form the malsadas, rise, and fry according to the recipe.
Just like classic donuts, you can fill this malasada recipe with different flavors of pastry cream, classic custard, fruit preserves, lemon curd, and more. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Use a long nozzle piping tip to insert into the center of the malasada and pipe in about 2 tablespoons of filling.
Store cooled, unfilled maladas in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the freezer for about 2 months. If the maladas are filled using a cream-based filling, like custard, or a fresh fruit filling, they will need to be refrigerated.
