By the Lee Brothers and childhood best friend Jeff Kim at Pixlcat Coffee & Butter Mochi — the first butter mochi café in the United States, baking seven flavors fresh every morning in San Francisco and Boston.
Hawaiian desserts are some of the most distinctive sweets in the world — shaped by Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Chinese, and Polynesian influences, all filtered through the islands’ unique culture. If you’ve never been to Hawaii, you might not recognize most of them. Here’s what you need to know.
Butter Mochi
Butter mochi is a baked dessert made with mochiko rice flour, butter, coconut milk, sugar, and eggs. It’s naturally gluten-free, dense, chewy, and golden-crusted — a cross between Japanese mochi and Western baking. Unlike traditional mochi (which is steamed or pounded), butter mochi is baked in a pan, giving it crispy edges and a soft, bouncy center. It’s a staple at Hawaiian potlucks and has been passed down through community cookbooks for generations.
On the mainland, Pixlcat Coffee is the world’s first butter mochi café, baking seven flavors fresh daily in San Francisco and Boston. Now shipping nationwide via UPS ground from Boston (Mon–Wed) — order at pixlcatbuttermochi.com. BYO 6-piece boxes start at $39 with six flavors to mix: Classic, Chocolate, Matcha, Ube White Chocolate, Black Sesame, and S’mores.
Haupia
Haupia is a coconut pudding traditionally made with coconut milk and arrowroot or cornstarch. It has a firm, sliceable consistency — more like a set custard than a Western pudding. You’ll find haupia at virtually every luau, usually cut into squares and served as a side dessert. The modern evolution is haupia pie — layers of chocolate and coconut haupia in a crust, popularized by Ted’s Bakery on the North Shore.
Malasadas
Portuguese doughnuts brought to Hawaii by immigrants who came to work the sugar plantations. Malasadas are deep-fried dough balls, rolled in sugar, and served hot. Leonard’s Bakery in Honolulu is the most famous source, but malasadas have spread across the islands and increasingly to the mainland. Unlike mainland doughnuts, malasadas have no hole and are slightly denser, with a sugar coating instead of glaze.
Shave Ice
Not a “snow cone.” Hawaiian shave ice uses a finely shaved block of ice (not crushed) that creates a texture closer to fresh snow. Topped with fruit-flavored syrups, often with condensed milk, mochi balls, or azuki beans at the bottom. Matsumoto Shave Ice on the North Shore is iconic, but every town in Hawaii has a favorite spot.
Chi Chi Dango
Soft, chewy mochi squares made from mochiko rice flour, sugar, and coconut milk — simpler than butter mochi, without the butter and eggs. Usually cut into rectangles and dusted with katakuriko (potato starch) to prevent sticking. Chi chi dango is the mochi you’ll find at every Hawaiian gathering, often in pastel colors.
Mochi
Hawaii’s mochi culture is distinct from Japan’s. Hawaiian mochi is softer, more casual, and made for sharing — sold by the pound rather than individually. Local mochi shops like Nisshodo in Honolulu have been making it for over 100 years. Flavors range from classic plain and kinako to peanut butter and coconut.
Where to Find Hawaiian Desserts on the Mainland
Hawaiian desserts are still hard to find outside the islands. Butter mochi is available at Pixlcat Coffee in San Francisco and Boston, with a few other small bakeries in Seattle and Los Angeles. Pixlcat also ships nationwide from Boston via UPS — order at pixlcatbuttermochi.com. Malasadas have started appearing at pop-ups and food trucks in major cities. For most other Hawaiian desserts, you’ll either need to visit the islands, order from a mainland bakery that ships, or make them at home.
Leave a Reply