Oahu’s Tastiest Donuts 2023
Oahu’s food scene is off the charts, and the donuts do not disappoint. There are so many different types of donuts here (yeast, brioche, baked, mochi, taro, poi, malasada, vegan…) with tons of inventive flavor combos. We covered everything from classic to gourmet. Sweet breakfast, midday snack, or late night dessert... it's all here.
Here are the best of the best donut shops in Oahu:
Holey Grail for Instagrammable taro donuts, served hot.
Wallflower Bakeshop for brioche doughnuts filled with tasty custards.
Aloha Donut Co. for mochi and cake donuts that change flavors every week.
Little Vessels Donut Co. for vegan donuts in unique flavors.
PURVÉ Donut Shop cake donuts with funny names (like Unicorn Butt Sneeze).
Li’ili’i Donuts for mini vegan and gluten free donuts.
Mud Hen Water for fresh doughnuts served hot with brunch.
Donut King Hawaii for more traditional donuts.
Leonard’s for the OG of Hawaiian malasadas.
Liliha Bakery for late night poi mochi donuts.
Kamehameha Bakery for a poi glazed donut at 3am.
Mr. Donut's & Bakery for classic donuts.
Kpop donuts for volcano donuts and choose your own filling flavors.
Uncle Lani’s Poi Mochi for mochi donut holes served from a bubblegum pink food truck.
Holey Grail
For Instagrammable Taro Donuts, Served Hot
Holey Grail opened their bright yellow Oahu food truck in 2020. Most of their flavors make you think “what the heck would that actually taste like?” and then you try it and ”oh my god it’s so good.” They’re fried to order and served hot — a little like a cake donut, but with a crisp exterior. The glazes and toppings are all made in house and from Hawaiian grown ingredients like honey, cacao, pink dragon fruit, and pretty flowers for decoration. The coffee and drinks are great too. Try the Chocolate Mylk. Everything on the menu is vegan.
Tips: Their seasonal flavors rotate each week. Check their Instagram to see what’s on the menu. Expect to wait about 10-15 minutes because all the donuts are fried to order.
Fun Fact: Tony Hawk is now an investor and they just opened up a shop in Santa Monica, CA.
Locations: Kaka’ako + Waikiki (cute yellow food truck named “Goldie”)
Instagram: @holeygraildonuts
Wallflour Bakeshop
For Brioche Doughnuts Filled With Tasty Custards
This newer bakery has been showing up at the Kaka’ako Farmers Market since January 2022. You can order their Brioche Doughnuts either filled or unfilled. The flavors vary, but they’re inspired by the many cultures in Hawaii. So you might find Pandan custard one week and Chocolate Peanut Butter the next. Their Lilikoi Sticky Buns also deserve a shoutout. If you prefer pastries that are not overly sweet, this is your place.
Tip: You can find them at the Kaka’ako Farmers Market on Saturdays from 8-12 or pre order to pick up at 'ili'ili Cash and Carry on specific days.
Locations: Kaka’ako Farmers Market + Mo'ili'ili pop up
Instagram: @wallflourbakeshop
Aloha Donut Co.
For Mochi and Cake Donuts That Change Flavors Every Week
This newcomer opened its doors in February 2022, serving chewy mochi donuts shaped in those bubble donut rings. They also have excellent cake donuts that are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. Some favorite flavors are haupia, black sesame, Dole Whip, lychee, coffee, strawberry, melon, chocolate brownie…. (I could go on). The flavors change every week, but there’s always a good chance you’ll find lilikoi, guava, or taro. They also serve nitro coffees and teas on tap.
Tip: You can order online. And lucky you, there’s lots of street parking.
Locations: McCully + Moʻiliʻili
Instagram: @alohadonutcohnl
Little Vessels Donut Co.
For Vegan Donuts in Unique Flavors
Little Vessels is a hidden gem, serving donuts and donut holes right out of their kitchen… like literally in the parking lot right outside. Every donut here is handmade by owner Sachi and her team in small batches. They’re 100% vegan, made with coconut milk, coconut oil, and no eggs. They always have 6 flavors at time - all unique and inspired by Sachi’s childhood - things like Mexican Hot Chocolate, Fruity Pebbles, Thai Tea Boba, Guava Cream Cheese, Watermelon Lime, Chocolate Banana Pretzel, and Mango Pie.
Tip: Check their website or Instagram to see what flavors they’re serving each day. They usually sell out between 1130 and 1, but the good flavors and daily specials tend to go within the first hour. Location: Kaimuki. They’re in the parking lot behind Mud Hen Water and Kaimuki Superette.
Instagram: @littlevesselsco
PURVÉ Donut Stop
Cake Donuts With funny Names (Like Unicorn Butt Sneeze)
PURVÉ was started by two bartenders who taught themselves how to make donuts by watching YouTube videos. Their fun flavors and interesting toppings come together to create a menu with a sense of humor. Their donuts are called things like Smurf Balls, Unicorn Butt Squeeze, and You’re Killing Me Smalls. Everything’s made fresh to order.
Tips: They can customize flavors if you have something specific in mind. They also have online ordering for pickup and delivery.
Location: Ala Moana + Near Kaimuki
Instagram: @purvedonutstop
Li’ili’i Donuts & Cafe
For Mini Vegan and Gluten Free Donuts
Li’ili’i Cafe began as a donut experiment in the winter of 2018 when owners Travis & Erika began a gluten-free diet. They spent the winter testing new donut recipes every Sunday with their two young children. In the spring of 2019, they joined their local farmers market. Their donuts are made fresh to order.
Tip: Check their schedule to see what markets they’ll be at.
Location: Kailua + Diamond Head
Instagram: @liiliidonuts
Mud Hen Water
For Fresh Doughnuts Served Hot With Brunch
Mud Hen Water serves up Hawaiian comfort food but reinvented. Everything is seasonal, local, organic, and served family style. Their Sunday brunch menu not only features 4 different kinds of Bloody Marys, but also Warm ‘Uala Doughnuts with a coconut-rum icing. They’re baked fresh to order and served hot.
Tip: Make a reservation, especially for brunch. If you don’t mind sitting at the bar or a high top, you can probably snag a spot without a reservation.
Location: Kaimuki
Instagram: @mudhenwater
Donut King Waikiki
For More Traditional Donuts
Donut King is a long running, family owned chain that prepares all their donuts by hand. Grab a bacon maple donut, honey glazed donut holes, croissant bites, croissant maple bar or an old fashioned. They also have some fun flavors like guava filled and Biscoff or topped with M&M, Oreos, or marshmallows. They serve both yeast and cake donuts, all freshly baked.
Location: Kaimuki + Kailua + Waikiki
Instagram: @donutkinghawaii
Leonard’s
For the OG of Hawaiian Malasadas
Malasadas are like Portuguese style donuts and Leonard’s is the original malasada maker in Hawaii. It’s like a donut hole, but the size of a tennis ball — deep fried, rolled in sugar, and at Leonard’s, always baked fresh and served warm. They also have malasada puffs which are the same thing, but filled with your choice of flavors (like custard, dobash, haupia, guava, macadamia nut, and a flavor of the month). Leonard’s is legendary in Oahu ever since they opened in 1952. If you’ve never had a malasada before, you’ve got to start here.
Tip: Eat them right away while they’re still warm. If they sit out and cool down, they get oily and kind of chewy. They’re just not as good.
Location: Kapahulu
Instagram: @leonardsbakeryhawaii
Liliha Bakery
For Late Night Poi Mochi Donuts
Liliha Bakery has been around since 1950. Their Coco Puffs get all the hype, but their poi mochi donuts are incredibly popular as well. (They make thousands of them each day.) Mochi donuts have a nice chew to them and are often served as a ring made of smaller balls that you can break apart. In all honesty, the donuts here are hit or miss. I’ve had them when they’re amazing and I’ve had them when they’re forgettable. But with 5 locations that stay open late (4 of them stay open until 10pm), this is the place to get your late night donut fix.
Tip: Expect a line for baked goods. Luckily, it moves fast.
Location: Waikiki + Ala Moana + Pearl City + Liliha
Instagram: @lilihabakery
Kamehameha Bakery
For a Poi Glazed Donut at 3AM
Kamehameha Bakery has been around since 1978. Their menu is filled with tons of different types of donuts, fritters, sticky buns, malasadas and more, but the poi glazed are at the top of our list. It’s a glazed donut rolled in poi flavored sugar. They’re soft and fluffy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. They open at 2am on weekdays and 3am on the weekends and it’s not unusual to see people lining up before the doors open.
Tip: Get there early (like before 7am) to get the poi donuts. They sell out early.
Location: Kalihi-Palama
Instagram: @kamehamehabakery
Mr. Donut’s & Bakery
For Classic Donuts
This family owned hole in the wall donut shop serves traditional yeast donuts that are baked, not fried. They’ve got your classic flavors (maple, bear claw, apple fritter) as well as some more inventive ones (coconut glaze, glazed cream cheese, strawberry frosting, blueberry frosting, and peanut butter filling). They also have some fun donut hole flavors like cinnamon sugar or chocolate buttermilk.
Tip: Parking downtown is tough. If you can, have someone drop you off and circle the block while you pick up your donuts.
Location: Downtown Honolulu
Instagram: @mrdonutshawaii
Kpop Donuts Hawaii
For Volcano Donuts and Choose Your Own Filling Flavors
Kpop Donuts are dipped in panko breadcrumbs before frying which gives them a crisp exterior, but a chewy interior. Pick either a volcano donut (long oval shape) or an O donut (like a big ole donut hole) and then choose up to 4 flavors to fill them with (Strawberry, Blueberry, French Cream, or Pineapple). They also have a chocolate volcano or a red bean donut. Their donuts are both gluten and dairy free (no eggs in the dough).
FYI: They’re a little pricey - around $5 per donut.
Location: Waikiki
Instagram: @kpop.donuts.hi
Uncle Lani’s Poi Mochi
For Mochi Donut Holes Served from a Bubblegum Pink Food Truck
Uncle Lani’s has been around since 1992. Their poi mochi donuts are more like donut holes but bigger. They’re chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and topped with haupia or purple poi drizzle. The bubblegum pink food truck pops up at different shopping centers.
Tips: Check their Instagram to see where they’ll be. Oh, and heads up that they only sell them by the dozen.
Location: Kapolei
Instagram: @poi_mochi