Five-spice malasadas

Aloha friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful week. Today I’m showing you my favorite vegan malasada donut recipe. Not too sweet, tossed in sugar and often filled with coconut pudding (haupia), you’ll have to keep yourself from eating the whole batch! These are popular in the islands and were introduced to Hawai’i by Portuguese immigrants. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find vegan versions, so you’ll have to make them yourself! If you’ve ever made donuts before, it’s a breeze, but even if you are a first timer, you’ll find these approachable!

These are great by themselves, tossed in the five-spice sugar, but if you’d like to take it up a notch, definitely fill them with the haupia filling. Either way, you’ll be happy you tried this out!

Make a simple dough, and let rest for an hour, or until doubled.

Portion the dough in 3oz balls.

Set malasadas on parchement paper and get your fry station ready!

Once cooked, toss in the five-spice sugar.

Five-Spice malasadas (vegan)

Malasada Dough

Ingredients

• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)

• ¼ cup sugar

• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast (1 packet)

• 1 cup warm plant milk (soy works best, warmed to ~110°F)

• ¼ cup aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas — acts like egg)

• ¼ cup vegan butter (melted)

• ½ tsp salt

• Neutral oil (for frying — canola, peanut, or sunflower)

• 1 cup sugar (for rolling finished malasadas)

• 1 Tb five-spice seasoning

Haupia Filling (optional)🥥

Ingredients

• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk

• ½ cup sugar

• ¼ cup cornstarch

• ½ cup water

• Pinch of salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Make the Dough

1. In a small bowl, combine warm plant milk, 1 tbsp sugar, and yeast. Let bloom 5–10 min until foamy. (NOTE: If using instant yeast, skip this step and combine the yeast with flour.)

2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, remaining sugar, and salt.

3. Add yeast mixture, aquafaba, and melted vegan butter. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.

4. Knead (by hand 8–10 min or stand mixer 5–6 min) until smooth and elastic.

5. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise ~1½ hours, until doubled in size.

2. Make five-spice sugar

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and the five-spice powder.

2. Mix until well-combined, and set aside.

3. Make Haupia Filling (optional)

1. In a saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, and salt.

2. In a separate cup, whisk cornstarch + water into a slurry.

3. Bring the coconut milk mixture to a simmer, then whisk in the slurry.

4. Cook on medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and glossy (~5–7 min).

5. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Chill until cool and pudding-like.

4. Shape & Fry Malasadas

1. Punch down the dough, then portion out the dough into 3-oz pieces.

2. Shape the pieces into balls, taking care not to overwork the dough.

3. Place on small pieces of parchment paper (for ease of movement), cover lightly, and let rise 30–40 min.

4. Heat 2-3 cups of oil to 350°F (175°C). Fry malasadas in batches, 1–2 min per side, until deep golden brown.

5. Drain on a rack or paper towels, then roll in sugar while still warm.

4. Fill with Haupia (optional)

1. Transfer cooled haupia into a piping bag fitted with a long tip (or a zip bag with a corner snipped).

2. Poke a hole into each malasada (side or bottom) and pipe haupia inside until filled but not bursting.

3. Dust with extra sugar if desired.