One of the ways I bond with kids (and adults) during photo sessions is simple: I ask questions.
What’s your favorite ocean animal?
What’s your favorite sport?
And, almost always, What’s your favorite treat?
It works every time. Their whole face changes when they start describing their favorites. Suddenly they’re relaxed. Smiling. Fully themselves.
So I thought I’d share ours. These are the sweet treats on Maui my children ask to visit again and again, and the ones I look forward to just as much.
Quick Guide: Maui Desserts Locals Love
If you’re looking for sweet treats on Maui, these are some of our family’s favorites:
- Warm cinnamon Poi Mochi Balls
- Japanese cream cakes — Shikeda Bento & Patisserie
- Fresh fruit shave ice — Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice
- Churros with rum caramel — Ocean Vodka Farm
- Chewy ube and lilikoi mochi — Maui Bread Company
- Tropical gelato and sorbetto — Paia Gelato
- Banana cream or chocolate mac nut pies — Leoda’s
- Guava malasadas — Komoda Bakery
- Estate chocolate tasting — Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolate
- The famous Black Pearl dessert — Mama’s Fish House
DEE’S POI MOCHI BALLS
This is the famous Maui dessert that sounds Japanese. Many visitors leave Maui remembering a chewy dessert that sounds Japanese, but not the name.
What they’re usually trying to remember is poi mochi.
Poi mochi is made from taro (poi) and mochiko rice flour, then fried until crisp outside and chewy inside. The texture is somewhere between a donut and mochi.
It’s one of those Maui treats people try once and spend the rest of their trip craving again.
Fresh poi mochi is best warm, when the outside still has a little crunch.
We get them with just cinnamon, but lilikoi is also delicious! Dee’s food cart used to be in Lahaina before the fire, but you can find the food truck in Kahului now.
Confections from Shikeda Bento & Patisserie
I have a craving for their sweet treats about every two weeks, almost like clockwork. They close early and they are not close to my house—they make me work a little to get there—and I still go.
I usually go for are the cream cakes. The toffee and lilikoi is my favorite. It sounds like an unusual combination, yet it’s so good! My husband loves the ube cookies. Their musubi and bento are excellent as well. It’s the kind of place where you intend to stop for dessert and leave with dinner.
ULULANI’S SHAVE ICE
This is still my favorite shave ice on Maui. Their syrups are handmade, often with real fruit, and the ice is smooth and fine. I always get the Lahaina (pineapple and coconut) or the Local Motion with li hing mui. It’s the perfect treat after a hot day running errands or a long morning at the beach.
OCEAN VODKA ORGANIC FARM & DISTILLERY
Ocean Vodka might be known for cocktails, but their café is such an underrated food stop Upcountry. The bi-coastal ocean views are incredible. You’re sitting high above the island watching planes under you while the sun dips below the horizon. It’s outdoors with live-music and very kid-friendly.
The pizza is delicious, and the desserts are even harder to resist. I can never decide between the churros with rum caramel drizzle or the chocolate-dipped apple banana with macadamia nuts… so we usually get both. For adults, the boozy rum tiramisu is a real treat.
MOCHI FROM MAUI BREAD COMPANY
While they specialize in traditional German breads (flour flown in from Germany and a German master baker), they also make some of the best local mochi on the island.
The ube and lilikoi mochi are our favorites. Soft, chewy, and lightly sweet. They’re also really non-messy, which matters when
you’re heading back into the car or to the beach.
Pie From Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop
Leoda’s is a bit of a drive for us, so it usually becomes part of a little West Maui outing.
Our favorite way to do it is to pick up takeout and head just down the road to Launiupoko Beach Park. It’s one of the most family-friendly beaches on the island, with shade, picnic tables, and a shallow protected pool that’s perfect for kids.
Sitting in the shade of the ironwood trees, eating an ahi sandwich, watching the baby splash in the calm water, and knowing pie is waiting for dessert is my favorite Sunday afternoon!
After a careful pie tasting, the grown-ups in our group decided the banana cream pie is the winner. Our ten-year-old loved the chocolate mac nut, and the baby seemed equally enthusiastic about all of them. Yum!
PAIA GELATO
I honestly still can’t believe their non-dairy sorbettos aren’t real gelato because of how creamy they are. They have everything from tropical fruits to peanut butter and chocolate.
If you go to Marlow, an Upcountry favorite, they have a specialty Paia Gelato flavor: olive oil served with honey and fennel pollen. It is so, so good.
They also make ice-cream cakes to order! You can even specify dairy-free for that! We’ve ordered a couple times for special occasions. Perfect for a birthday!
MALASADAS FROM KOMODA BAKERY
I love the guava-filled malasadas, and the kids always go for the stick donuts. They have unusual hours and sell out early, so you have to be there at the start of the day. It’s worth it, though. Makawao is such a charming old cowboy town. Grab a coffee at Coffee Mafia and just enjoy the morning Upcountry sunlight, breeze, and your malasadas.
Heading Upcountry? You can read more about What To Do In Makawao Town.
KU’IA CHOCOLATE
We always return to the classic dark chocolate, though they offer infused flavors like mango and lime that are bright and interesting. It’s also one of my favorite souvenirs to bring back to friends on the mainland.
Another thing that makes this place special is the tour. I’ve done it four times now. You learn how cacao is grown, harvested, and eventually made into chocolate, and it includes a tasting that kids absolutely love.
I share more about Maui’s Best Farm Tours here.
BLACK PEARL AT MAMA’S FISH HOUSE
Then, of course, there is probablyMaui’s most famous dessert at Maui’s most famous restaurant. I love going to Mama’s for my birthday every year and I cannot go without ordering the Black Pearl. I’ve tried. Impossible! Chocolate and lilikoi is a great combination—rich, balanced, and beautifully done. It’s become a tradition.
SOME OTHER FAVORITE MAUI SWEET TREATS
A few more we enjoy are:
- Coconut Glen’s on the Hana Highway
- Mana Foods for fruit and local specialties
- Soulberry for New Zealand–style fruit-blended ice cream
- Cafe Des Amis for crepes with brown sugar and lime
- Roselani Ice Cream, a longtime island favorite
- Maui Cookie Lady: giant cookies with local flavors
What’s Your Favorite Sweet Treat?
When I ask children about their favorite treat during a session, it’s never really only about dessert.
It’s about joy, family traditions, and memories. Because sometimes going out for a treat becomes the moment families remember most.
Hope you have a sweet time on Maui with your family or on your babymoon,
More Maui Vacation Tips
You might also enjoy these in-depth guides for your Maui babymoon or family trip:
