Vacations come and go but souvenirs always bring us back to those wonderful memories of relaxing and exploring our favorite places. We’ve visited the Hawaiian Islands many times over the years. After many trips, we are always on the lookout for the best gifts to bring back from Hawaii. Look for these best souvenirs from Hawaii to bring home.
Some of these souvenirs can only be found on the Hawaiian islands. You can also buy these souvenirs when doing tours of places where the products are actually produced. It’s a wonderful way to support the local economy and learn how products are made.
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There have been several occasions where we have brought semi-empty luggages so we can fill it with all our Hawaiian goodies and souvenirs on our way home. Hawaii offers a plethora of unique souvenirs based on its culture, history, beautiful landscapes and food.
Hawaiian Food and Snacks to Bring Back
Food items make for some of the best souvenirs from Hawaii. A bulk of our souvenirs have usually been many of the food items and snacks below. Some have never made it home because we’ve eaten them while sightseeing.
Macadamia Nut Chocolates
Hands down, these are our favorite food and snack souvenirs from Hawaii. Imagine crunchy macadamia nuts covered in decadent milk or dark chocolate. We actually go through a couple of boxes even before we leave. They are quite addicting and easy to pack.
There are a variety of companies that sell them like Hawaiian Host, Mac Farms, Hawaiian Sun and Mauna Loa. They come in various sizes. We’ve found that the cheapest ones can be found at Walmart or Costco if you buy in bulk (e.g. 12 packs).
Factory Tour: If you’re in the Big Island of Hawaii, don’t miss a visit to the Mauna Loa Visitor Center. There is a memorable character and sign to take a picture with at the entrance. It’s a beautiful drive through macadamia nut trees.
There is an area to see the production line if you’re here at the right time. Buy some exclusive products that aren’t found elsewhere and of course, sample the variety of Mauna Loa goodies.
Flavored Macadamia Nuts
The islands of Hawaii is a major producer of macadamia nuts. These macadamia nuts are usually roasted and seasoned in a variety of flavors from BBQ, Maui Onion, Kona Coffee Glazed, Milk Chocolate, Honey Roasted, Wasabi, Teriyaki and even Spam-flavored among others. They are very addicting!
Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company on the Big Island is also another favorite stop. They offer self-guided tours, a look into their processing area, some interactive activities (like cracking macadamia nuts) and free macadamia nut products samples and free coffee tasting. They have a wonderful selection of flavored macadamia nuts.
Cookies
Diamond Bakery Hawaii – These aren’t just any cookies, these are Hawaiian short bread cookies that have been been around for 99 years. Diamond Bakery is Hawaii’s largest cracker and cookie manufacturer.
But, their various cookies with great flavors like original coconut cookie, butterscotch, guava, chocolate chip and kakimochi (mocha crunch) are a family favorite. There are also macadamia shortbread cookies in a variety of tropical flavors.
We always love bringing these home. We’ve found Walmart or Foodland Supermarkets has the best variety and usually the cheapest prices for them.
Honolulu Cookie Company – You may have seen their signature pineapple shaped cookies around the islands especially in their Waikiki area stores. These premium shortbread cookies, individually wrapped with delicious tropical and island flavors make for great souvenirs. We love their chocolate dipped cookies too.
Punalu’u Bakeshop – If you’re heading towards Volcanoes National Park or Punalu’u Black Sand Beach from Kona, don’t miss this bakery in the town of Na‘alehu. Located at 19 degrees latitude, this is the southernmost bakery in the United States. They are known for baking Hawaii’s best sweetbread.
Their bakery has some of the most delicious pastries including local favorites like malasadas (doughnuts), pineapple macadamia nut fruitcake and plenty of shortbread cookies in assorted tropical flavors. These packaged cookies make for great souvenirs.
They also have plate lunches and sandwiches for your day trip. We loved their little tropical oasis which is the perfect place for relaxing and eating their goodies.
Jam, Jelly, Preserves
Jam, jellies and preserves can be spread out on so many pastries whether for breakfast or snacks. Look for various fruit jams, jellies, butter, and chutney in tropical island flavors like pineapple, guava, mango and lilikoi passion fruit. There are also jars with a combination of flavors.
Fresh Pineapple
You may have seen people carrying pineapple boxes back from Hawaii at airports and who can blame them? Hawaii isn’t the world’s top producer of pineapple anymore but this tropical fruit is still somewhat synonymous with it.
You can bring some of these juicy locally grown pineapples back home to relive your tropical getaway or to share with family and friends. Dole Pineapple Plantation in Oahu is one of the state’s top attractions.
You can get your pineapples there, supermarkets, Costco or local farmers’ markets. If you’re in Maui, look for the extra sweet Maui Gold pineapples
Pineapples are allowed to be brought back to the mainland USA and will go through agricultural inspection at the airport. While you’re at it, you’ll also find a myriad of pineapple products and pineapple designs all over the islands.
Hawaiian Sea Salt
I consider this an underrated souvenir product and a really great Hawaiian souvenir to bring home especially for those who like to cook. Hawaiian sea salt was used in ceremonial blessings but has been improved for practical purposes by these three companies.
Look for them on many stores around the islands. Get the sampler collections for the best value. They make great gifts from any of these companies.
Sea Salts of Hawaii harvest salts from their own salt farm in the Big Island and the island of Molokai. They continue to give back 1% of all their proceeds to a marine debris project. They offer a variety of salt flavors.
If you’re in the Big Island, visit their salt farm, which is located near the Kona airport. They offer complimentary tastings which we enjoyed a lot. They show you which salts go with which type of food. There is also an educational tour of the farm. This is one of the best souvenirs from the Big Island.
Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts is a world-renowned and local Kauai company. They make a variety of tropical infused and island inspired seasonings and salt with products like garlic guava and passion fruit chili pepper.
Hawaiian Island Salt Company based in Oahu offers gourmet sea salt. It has a range of unique flavors that include The Black Lava salt, Kiawe Smoked salt and Red Alaea Sea Salts and produced with no additives.
Hawaiian Honey
It’s hard to fathom a more conducive environment for bees to produce the best honey than the lush Hawaiian lands filled with tropical flowers and continuous sunshine. Pure, raw Hawaiian honey is enhanced in this enviable environment. Manoa Honey harvests and offers different flavors of Hawaiian raw honey and honey infused products including Hawaiian craft mead (Honey wine).
Goat cheese, soap and truffles
If you’re in the island of Maui, don’t miss a visit to Surfing Goat Dairy Farm which is an actual working farm. In addition to having the chance to tour an actual dairy farm, you can pet the baby goats aka kids and feed some of the goats too.
My favorite part is tasting their award-winning goat cheese and decadent chocolate truffles made of goat milk. You can buy the goat cheese to bring home using cooler bags. Don’t forget their smooth and silky goat soap.
Read about our experience at the Surfing Goat Dairy Farm with kids.
Pancake mix and syrup
I don’t really know where the pancake mix fit in with all things Hawaiian. But, the souvenir stores and supermarkets always seem to have a variety of pancake mixes and syrup in a variety of tropical flavors. Hawaiian Sun has a wide range of flavors from Lilikoi Passionfruit to Banana Macadamia Nut.
We love our pancakes so we seem to always come home with a few packages. I recently found pancake mixes from Matsumoto’s (the Oahu North Shore shave ice store) and loved them.
Try the mochi one. If you really want to something unique, Basalt (a restaurant in Waikiki) has a black pancake mix. It’s actually pretty good.
Li Hing Mui candy
It doesn’t look like the most attractive combination but guaranteed to make your mouth water. Li Hing Mui is a unique combination of a sweet, salty and sour powder.
They are usually put on a variety of gummy candies to enhance their flavors. Pre-mixed candies are sold in packets at supermarkets and stores like ABC Store, Walmart, Target and Long’s Drugs.
You can also just get the Li Hing Mui powder by itself and put it on your own gummy candy. Try the powder on pineapple slices too which is my personal favorite.
Hurricane Popcorn
There’s no such thing as a plain popcorn when you’re in Hawaii. As locals will tell you, the unique blend Hurricane Popcorn is the way to go. This popcorn is mixed of crunchy arare or kakimochi or mocha crunch (Japanese rice crackers) and furikake (Japanese seaweed seasoning or nori).
You can get the Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn online at local markets and at Costco (where we usually get ours). You can also buy ready-to-eat snack sizes and bags of the pre-popped popcorn.
Macadamia Cooking Oils
With the amount of macadamia nut trees growing on the Hawaiian islands, the Oils of Aloha produces macadamia cooking oils. These naturally extracted oils come in many flavors like garlic or herb. Check out their site for recipes.
DRINK Souvenirs from Hawaii
Coffee
You really can’t go wrong with any of the Hawaiian coffee brands touted and sold at many local stores. Straight from island coffee growers, this is guaranteed to bring back some Hawaiian memories as you sip your morning coffee. The Big Island aka Hawaii and specifically the Kailua Kona region is known as coffee country.
Kona Coffee is world-renowned as one of the tastiest. Exclusively grown between the island’s two volcanoes, this gourmet coffee has a unique taste due to it environment.
There are over 650 coffee farms in this region and many offer tours that usually end with free samples. If you are visiting the Big Island, do not miss visiting one of these farms to learn how coffee is grown and processed and of course, sample the special Kona Coffee at the end. Check out this self-drive coffee tour on the Big Island.
If you are visiting Kauai, there is also a plantation worth visiting. We loved going to Kauai Coffee Company. This happens to be Hawaii’s largest coffee grower with over four million coffee trees.
They have formal tours and also self-guided guided tours around the farm. Of course, there is a store to sample their coffee and buy these products.
If you’re not in Big Island or Kauai, it’s easy to get Kauai Coffee Company’s products or several brands of the famed Kona coffee while at the other islands too. Popular brands include Royal Kona Coffee and Lion Coffee,
Tea
Tea was one of the surprising souvenir products I found when we first visited awhile back. Surprisingly, some parts of the Big Island are conducive for growing tea. There are actually some small tea plantations to visit of you’re interested in how tea is produced and sample some of their products. Most require reservations to tour.
Hawaiian Islands Tea has been around since 1995. Their flavored tea boxes can be found in many island stores.
Tropical Wines
Hawaii may be one of the last places you’d think of for winery visits or to buy local wine. But, there are a couple of local wineries worth the drive if you are in Maui or the Big Island. If you can’t visit them, their products are also widely available around the islands.
We have made the scenic drive to visit MauiWine which has been around since 1974. They offer tastings and a visit to the historic King’s Cottage. They have a beautiful tasting room and beautifil seating outside.
Their signature wine seems to be the Maui Blanc which is made from 100% Maui Gold pineapples. But, my favorite is the sweet Maui Splash Pineapple with a hint of Passion Fruit.
There is also Volcano Winery on the Big Island near Volcanoes National Park. They offer tastings of their local wines which are also sold around the islands but aren’t available outside of Hawaii.
Volcano Winery is known for their Estate Pinot Noir and signature and unique wines with a tropical twist. Their award-winning Macadamia Nut Honey Wine is delicious.
Organic Vodka
The blue circle bottle is unmistakeable. Ocean Organic Vodka, located in Maui, offers guided tasting experiences during specific times. We have stopped here and enjoyed visiting their organic farm with fantastic views but didn’t get to do the taste test due to time constraints.
Their vodka comes from pure organic sugar cane and 100% deep ocean mineral water. If you or anyone you know is a vodka aficionado, this makes for a wonderful souvenir.
Hawaiian Rum
Known as the “Spirit of Aloha”, The Koloa Rum Company in Kauai has been distilling and bottling premium Hawaiian rums since 2009. Made from pure cane sugar and rainwater from the mountains, their tasting room offers scheduled tastings of these premium rums everyday.
Their company store also has ready-to-drink cocktails, rum cakes, rum fudge and tropical fruit jellies/jams. It is located in the Kilohana Plantation and is a beautiful place to walk around.
CLOTHING souvenirs from Hawaii
T-Shirts
It’s a standard souvenir for many tourists and you can find a variety of designs and quality. They are practical and cheap and can be found easily everywhere. If you need to bring back souvenirs for a lot of people, T-shirts and a macadamia nut covered chocolate box are the way to go.
Women’s Wear
We can always use colorful attire. There is no shortage of casual dresses and swim cover-ups in various tropical prints while on the Hawaiian islands. Pack an outfit or two less and buy some during your vacation.
They can be found in many stores including mainstream ones like Macy’s, Ross, Marshall’s and Nordstrom Rack. There are also specialty stores like Hilo Hattie, Shaka Time Hawaii and Iolani.
Aloha Shirts
Known more commonly in the mainland USA as “Hawaiian shirts”, the button-down Aloha shirts with a variety of beautiful prints are perfect items to buy on the island to wear for a nice dinner or to attend luaus. But, they make for perfect souvenirs to wear at home and at work especially during casual Fridays.
My husband has gathered a small collection over the years. He likes how comfortable they are and I love how they look.
There is no shortage of places to buy these shirts on the islands. Prices depend on the quality, fabric and prints of the shirts.
The most popular brands but are also pricey are Reyn Spooner, Kahala, Tommy Bahama, Tori Richard. You can get some of them discounted at Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack. Hilo Hattie, Ross and Costco also have a large variety of Aloha shirts for reasonable prices.
KNICK KNACKS (Cute and Cool things to Buy in Hawaii)
There are a lot of miscellaneous souvenirs from Hawaii found around the islands. A walk down many of the store souvenir aisles is always fun and educational. Look for these items to remember some of your Hawaiian getaway and also bring a memento of Hawaiian culture.
Ukulele
This iconic and popular instrument has become part of Hawaii’s culture and music scene. The Portuguese immigrants brought this instrument to the islands in the late 1800s.
It’s small enough to carry around and easy to learn. Souvenir stores sell them and sometimes come decorated and are quite colorful. Though, these are more meant as souvenirs and toys.
If you want to bring a ukulele as a musical instrument for yourself or the aspiring musician in your life who will play it for an extended time, there are actual places to purchase them. Ukuleles are made in various wood and designs. Quality and prices vary based on the type of wood used to build it which can range from $50 to about $1000.
You can buy “Made in Hawaii” ukuleles directly from manufacturers, crafters and authorized retailers to ensure you’re getting an authentic one. Check out some of these local places:
Kamaka Hawaii Inc – This company has been making ukuleles since 1916 and all models are made of koa wood. Their unique and signature ukulele is the oval “pineapple”. These dealers sell their products.
KoAloha Ukulele also makes ukuleles from koa. Visitors are welcome to tour the factories. Find dealers around the country selling these special ukuleles.
Tropical Bath and Body Items
One of my favorite items to bring back from Hawaii are the tropical infused body lotions, oils, creams and soaps. I grew up with the scents of plumeria, mango, coconut and other tropical scents.
So, I have always gravitated towards these scents when buying personal care items and even with candles around my house. These scents are guaranteed to bring you back to your tropical getaway.
Look for items that are Made in Hawaii. These include products from the Island Soap Company, Oils of Aloha, HAKU, Forever Florals which can be found at ABC Stores. If you’re in Oahu, visit the Lanikai store in Kailua (or order online too) for some great natural and handmade bath and body products.
If you’re sightseeing in Oahu’s North Shore, stop by the North Shore Soap Factory to see the Hawaiian Bath and Body products and schedule a behind the scenes tour or stamp your own soap.
Lavender Products
If you’re in Maui, do not miss a visit to the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farms. It is a wonderful stop on the way to/from Haleakala National Park. With over 13 acres of farmland and about 55,000 lavender plants.
The farm sells a variety of aromatherapy bath and body items, tea, jams and other speciality products at their stores and online. We loved strolling through the gardens and eating their lavender cookies. Their lavender products are one of the best Maui souvenirs.
Jewelry
There are several companies around the islands that specialize in Hawaii inspired jewelry designs from plumerias, pineapples or honu (sea turtles) as well as shell jewelry. Na Hoku is one of the most popular being Hawaii’s oldest and largest jewelry manufacturer since 1924.
They have beautiful collections of unique and exclusive designs. Visit one of their stores on the islands for that special keepsake.
If your souvenir budget is a bit larger, look into jewelry stores that sell distinctive Hawaiian Heritage bracelets. Royal Hawaiian Heritage Jewelry offers a variety of options and even the opportunity to customize your own since they are handmade in their Honolulu factory.
Maui Divers Jewelry, known as the world’s largest manufacturer of coral jewelry, also has a diverse jewelry collection. Look for their stores around the islands.
Dashboard Hula Doll
You’ve probably seen these hula girls swaying on car dashboards. It’s become almost like pop culture collector’s item and is still a common car accessory in some places. The Dancing Hula Girl Doll or Dashboard Doll was created during the 1950s and popular especially with American soldiers coming into Hawaii.
Variations of the doll have morphed into Presidents, Shaka mans and island boys. It’s hard not to smile when you see these on the shelves or even make them dance which my kids like to do.
Leis/kukui nut
It’s tradition to be greeted at airports and hotels with fragrant floral leis or polished black kukui nuts. They are wonderful welcome tokens and also used for appreciation gifts throughout the Hawaiian islands.
The flowers last for a few days but you can buy fresh ones to bring home. They make for fantastic gifts to friends and family to share some of the island’s beauty.
The kukui nuts are almost everlasting and also come in very handy during graduations. Fresh floral leis can be purchased at Cindy’s Lei Shoppe in Honolulu’s Chinatown or at Hawaii Lei Stand in Honolulu.
Please keep in mind that the US Department of Agriculture has certain rules when bringing floral leis back to the US mainland. Make sure that the leis do not include fresh fruits (i.e. berries, citrus, citrus leaves, jade vine or the Mauna Loa flower). Look at this USDA guideline for more information on what lei is safe to bring back.
HOME ITEM Souvenirs from Hawaii
My house has a tropical theme so I never leave the islands without buying something new during each trip. But, you don’t have to have tropical decor.
It’s easy to sprinkle some of these items around your home that will remind you of the islands. Check out some of these household souvenirs from Hawaii.
Koa Wood Products
Koa trees are also known as “Hawaiian mahogany”. They are native to Hawaii and only grow in select parts of the islands. They were used for canoes, homes and churches during the olden days and now mostly used for furniture, staircases, musical instruments and woodcrafts.
If you want a practical souvenir, handmade solid koa wood products are wonderful keepsakes. From photo frames to treasure boxes, bowls and kitchen items, they are practical items that are sure to last for years.
Martin & MacArthur’s offers a variety of koa furniture and products around the Hawaiian islands. Visit one of their retail locations around the islands.
If you are in Kauai, stop by The Koa Store. Their retail store showcases a variety of souvenirs and koa wood products. You can also watch them make some of the products in their workshop. If you are visiting the Big Island, visit Koa Wood Ranch for many unique and handmade koa wood products.
Hawaiian Quilts
These are some of the most beautiful handcrafted items you can buy as a souvenir that will last for years. During the early 1800s, the missionaries came and brought the lessons and foundation of quilting to the Hawaiian women. Quilts were made with appliqués on solid, neutral cloths using various patterns and inspiration from the islands’ natural beauty.
Original and handmade quilts are quite pricey due to the skill and time it takes to make some items especially bedspreads (which cost over a thousand dollars). if you want authentic and handmade quilted items, visit one of the retailers that specialize in them. Many of the quilted products you’ll see in souvenir stores are cheaper, imported and mass produced items.
The Hawaiian Quilt Collection is Hawaii’s oldest retail quilt company. Visit their stores in Oahu and the Big Island for a variety of original and handmade products.
The Honolulu area also has these stores selling original and handmade quilted products. Hawaiian Quilt Wholesale in Aiea and Moana Quilts located in a couple of hotels.
If you’re in Kauai, visit Kapaia Stitchery which is the region’s largest sewing and quilt fabric store. They have many handmade products, quilts, fabric and quilt kits if you want to make your own.
Art Work
There is no shortage of local galleries all over the islands. Some of my favorite souvenirs from all over the world are the small and colorful artwork from local artists. The islands’ backdrop and surroundings are wonderful inspirations
I really love my prints of tropical landscapes from the Hawaiian islands. You can find artwork from galleries in Haleiwa in Oahu’s North Shore, the Kaanapali area in Maui, Kailua-Kona town in the Big Island and the Lihue area in Kauai. Check the events pages while you’re on the islands for farmer’s markets or free gallery shows.
Mugs/ Tumblers/Water Bottles
How about drinking your coffee from that special souvenir mug? If you’re a Starbucks mug collector, the Hawaii stores have special edition mugs and even a pineapple shaped tumbler. There is also no shortage of tropical themed mugs at souvenir stores.
Many of us carry water bottles and tumblers. They come in really handy while exploring the Hawaiian islands. There are a variety of water bottle designs at many souvenir stores.
But, my favorite Hawaiian inspired ones are from CocoNene. They are cute! Look for their stores around Oahu which also go by Island Sole.
Best Souvenir Shops in Hawaii
Now, that you know or have an idea of the popular souvenirs from Hawaii, where do you buy these items. Luckily, they’re all pretty easy to find. The Hawaiian islands are quite tourist friendly. Most of these tours can be found in many of the islands.
- ABC Stores – They’re everywhere and prices are reasonable. They also carry some unique items. Most of the time, visitors can get extra souvenirs if you keep all your receipts and show them once it reaches $100 or more.
- Long’s Drugs (they’re exactly like the CVS stores)
- Local Supermarkets (Foodland, Supermarket Times, etc.)
- Costco
- Walmart
- Kmart
- Target
- Aloha Swap Meet in Oahu
- Hilo Hattie
- Duke’s Marketplace in Waikiki
- Malls like Ala Moana, International Market place in Oahu have small stores and “carts” selling locally made items.
- Some hotels and attractions also have gift stores on their properties carrying unique souvenirs and some Made in Hawaii products.
Need to re-stock on your souvenirs or didn’t get the chance to buy some items? Check out my Hawaiian Souvenirs Idea List on my Amazon Storefront.
PIN IT FOR LATER
All great ideas, Mary! I hope to return to Hawaii next summer and look forward to purchasing some unique Hawaiian items for myself and as gifts.