Malasadas (Hawaiian and Portuguese Doughnut) Recipe

By
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan is a recipe developer, baker, food writer, and author of "The Vintage Baker" and "Icebox Cakes."
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Updated on 05/26/22
Hawaiian Malasada

The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Rise: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 12 doughnuts
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
400 Calories
17g Fat
54g Carbs
7g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 400
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 3g 16%
Cholesterol 56mg 19%
Sodium 168mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 55mg 4%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 116mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Malasada is a yeasted-fried doughnut, made from dough enriched with eggs, butter, and evaporated milk. They are golden-brown, pillowy, and tossed in granulated sugar while still warm. Although many think of a malasada as a Hawaiian doughnut, they in fact originated in Portugal. In the 19th century, the Hawaiian government encouraged immigrants familiar with sugarcane production to come to Hawaii and work. Portuguese laborers arrived and brought with them the malasada.

Malasadas are so popular in Hawaii that there is even a special day when they are celebrated. Named Malasada Day (or Fat Tuesday), it is held at the beginning of Lent, on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. 

For best results with this malasada recipe, include the optional potato starch. It makes working with the dough much easier. These malasadas call for instant yeast, which simplifies the assembly of the dough. There is no need to proof the yeast before beginning to mix the dough—you merely add it along with the rest of your dry ingredients. 

Patience is the name of the game here, which arguably is close to impossible when doughnuts are involved. But, if you can find it in yourself to just let the dough rise and double at its own pace, you will be rewarded with sweet sugary pillowy doughnut goodness.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 2/3 cups bread flour

  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, divided

  • 2 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast

  • 1/4 cup potato starch, optional

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk

  • Oil, for deep frying

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    Malasada ingredients
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan 

  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, 1/3 cup of the sugar, yeast, potato starch (if using), and salt.

    Mix the dry ingredients
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan 

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until light and frothy, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and evaporated milk and beat on medium to combine.

    Beat the eggs
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

  4. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook, and on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky.

    Mix up the dough
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

  5. Turn the dough out into a medium bowl that has been greased with cooking spray or softened butter. Turn the dough ball over in the bowl to coat it in spray or butter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it has practically doubled in size.

    Let the dough rise
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

  6. Remove the dough from the bowl, place it on your work surface (you should not need to flour it, but do so lightly, if the dough is too sticky to work with), and pat the dough or roll it out into a 10 x 12-inch square, about 1/2-inch thick.

    Roll out the dough
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

  7. With a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out the doughnuts and place on the prepared sheet. You may re-roll your scraps and cut out additional doughnuts, but they will be tougher than your first 12.

    Cut out the donuts
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

  8. Place the baking sheet in a warm spot, lightly covered in plastic wrap, and let the doughnuts rest on the counter until they have doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

    Let donuts rise
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan 

  9. When ready to fry, fill a large heavy pot with 2 inches of oil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot, and heat the oil on medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350 F, or slightly above (the temperature will drop when you add your doughnuts, but while frying, you want your temperature to stay at 350 F).

    Heat up the oil for frying
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

  10. Once the oil is at temperature, carefully transfer a couple of doughnuts to the oil, and fry for about 90 seconds per side, or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts, being careful not to overcrowd the pan and lower the temperature of the oil too much.

    Donuts frying
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

  11. Without burning your fingers, dip the warm doughnuts into the remaining sugar and flip to coat. Serve immediately. The doughnuts will keep for a day or two, but they are best eaten within a few hours of making.

    Toss donuts in sugar
    The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan 

Tips

  • Enriched dough takes a long time to rise, but if all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin mixing your dough, you will have a bit of a leg up, as cold ingredients will cause your dough to rise even more slowly. 
  • If you do not have a 3-inch cookie cutter, you can slice them into 3-inch squares with a sharp paring knife.
  • If you use a cookie cutter to form your doughnuts and end up with scraps, try frying a scrap first before you begin on the doughnuts. This will help you gauge just how long it takes for the dough to brown in the hot oil.
  • Although not quite the same as the day they were made, malasadas can be refrigerated, or you can keep them on the counter—either way, wrap them in plastic wrap, and eat the next day. Reheat them in a microwave or toaster oven to enjoy warm.

Recipe Variations

  • Although these malasadas are quite traditional with no adornment save for a coating of granulated sugar, feel free to go rogue. Try cinnamon sugar, a dusting of confectioners' sugar, or a dip in an easy glaze. 
  • Often folks fill their malasadas with pudding, custard, or cream. A coconut filling would be delish, as would a vanilla pastry cream. You can use a paring knife to make a small hole on the outside edge of the doughnut, and then pipe the filling into the hole.