Donut Glossary
42 terms defined
From classic glazed rings to regional specialties from around the world, this glossary covers every donut term you need to know.
A
Apple Fritter
A large, irregularly shaped fried pastry made from chunks of apple mixed into a sweet batter, then deep-fried and glazed. Apple fritters have a craggy exterior that fries up extra crispy while the interior stays moist and studded with tender fruit.
Evolved from medieval European fritter traditions brought to colonial America, where apples were abundant and frying was a common cooking method.
B
Bear Claw
A large, flat pastry made from sweet yeast dough filled with almond paste or fruit filling, then slashed to resemble the toes of a bear's paw. Bear claws are typically glazed or dusted with sliced almonds and powdered sugar.
An American bakery invention dating to the mid-20th century, inspired by the shape of a grizzly bear's paw with its distinctive claw-like slits.
Beignet
A square or rectangular piece of deep-fried choux pastry, served piping hot and buried under a mountain of powdered sugar. Beignets are light, pillowy, and hollow inside, with a crisp golden exterior that shatters at first bite.
Brought to Louisiana by French colonists in the 18th century, beignets became the official state doughnut of Louisiana in 1986.
Bomboloni
Italian filled doughnuts made from a rich, eggy brioche-like dough that is fried until golden and filled with pastry cream, Nutella, jam, or other fillings. Bomboloni are round with no hole, typically rolled in granulated sugar while still warm.
Originating in Tuscany, Italy, bomboloni have been a beloved Italian street food and café staple since at least the 19th century.
Boston Cream
A filled donut inspired by Boston cream pie, consisting of a yeast-raised round donut filled with rich vanilla custard and topped with a smooth chocolate ganache glaze. The combination of soft dough, creamy custard, and bittersweet chocolate makes it a perennial favorite.
Inspired by the Boston cream pie invented at Boston's Parker House Hotel in 1856, the donut version became Massachusetts' official state donut in 2003.
Brioche Donut
A premium donut made from brioche dough — an enriched French bread dough loaded with butter and eggs. Brioche donuts are exceptionally tender, buttery, and rich, with a golden crust and a fine, cake-like crumb that elevates the humble donut into pastry territory.
Rooted in French brioche baking traditions dating back to the 16th century, brioche donuts became popular in American artisan donut shops in the 2010s.
Buttermilk Bar
A rectangular cake donut made with buttermilk, which gives it a distinctive tangy flavor and exceptionally tender crumb. The exterior develops a satisfying crunch while the inside remains moist and slightly dense, often finished with a vanilla glaze.
A classic of California donut culture, particularly associated with old-school independent donut shops throughout the American West.
C
Cake Donut
A donut leavened with baking powder instead of yeast, resulting in a denser, more crumbly texture similar to cake. Cake donuts have a satisfying heft and a slightly crispy exterior, and they come in countless flavors from plain to chocolate to blueberry.
Cake donuts emerged in 19th-century New England kitchens as a simpler alternative to yeast-raised doughnuts, requiring no proofing time.
Churro
A long, ridged stick of fried choux-like dough, coated in cinnamon sugar while still hot. Churros have a crispy, ridged exterior created by being piped through a star-shaped tip, with a soft, slightly doughy interior that is perfect for dipping in chocolate sauce.
Believed to have been brought to Spain and Portugal by shepherds as a simple fried bread, churros spread throughout Latin America during Spanish colonization.
Cinnamon Roll Donut
A hybrid pastry that combines the spiral shape and cinnamon-sugar filling of a cinnamon roll with the deep-fried preparation of a donut. These are typically topped with cream cheese icing or vanilla glaze and offer a rich, swirled interior.
A modern American bakery creation that merges two beloved breakfast traditions into one indulgent pastry.
Cinnamon Sugar Donut
A freshly fried donut — usually cake-style — tossed in a mixture of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon while still warm. The heat from the donut causes the cinnamon sugar to adhere perfectly, creating a sweet and spicy coating that crunches with every bite.
Cinnamon sugar as a topping dates to early American donut-making, combining two of the most accessible colonial-era pantry staples.
Crème Brûlée Donut
An artisan donut filled with vanilla custard and topped with a layer of caramelized sugar that has been torched to create a crackling brûlée crust. This pastry shop favorite combines the classic French dessert with a fried donut base.
A product of the craft donut movement of the 2010s, combining French pâtisserie techniques with American donut culture.
Cronut
A trademarked hybrid pastry that combines croissant dough with donut frying technique. The laminated dough creates flaky, buttery layers inside while the exterior is fried crisp. Cronuts are typically filled with cream and glazed or sugared.
Invented by pastry chef Dominique Ansel at his New York City bakery in May 2013, the Cronut became a global viral food sensation.
Cruller
A twisted or braided donut made from a rich, eggy dough that is formed into a rope shape, twisted, and deep-fried. Crullers have a slightly crispy exterior with a tender, bread-like interior. Not to be confused with the French cruller, which uses choux pastry.
Derived from the Dutch "kruller" meaning "to curl," crullers were among the earliest fried dough treats in colonial America.
D
Donut Hole
Small, spherical pieces of fried donut dough, originally made from the center cutout of ring-shaped donuts. Donut holes are bite-sized, making them perfect for snacking, and come in all the same flavors as full-sized donuts — glazed, powdered, chocolate, and cinnamon sugar.
Legend credits Captain Hanson Gregory with punching the hole in donuts in 1847; the resulting cutouts became treats in their own right.
Doughnut
The traditional spelling of "donut," referring to any ring-shaped or filled piece of sweet fried dough. Doughnuts can be yeast-raised or cake-style, and come in hundreds of varieties from simple glazed rings to elaborately topped and filled creations.
The word "doughnut" first appeared in print in Washington Irving's 1809 "History of New York," though fried dough treats existed long before.
F
Fastnacht
A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch potato donut made with mashed potatoes in the dough, which creates an exceptionally moist and tender texture. Fastnachts are typically rectangular or diamond-shaped and dusted with powdered sugar or coated in a light glaze.
Made on Fastnacht Day (Shrove Tuesday) to use up lard and sugar before Lent, this tradition dates to German settlers in Pennsylvania.
French Cruller
An elegant donut made from choux pastry — the same light dough used for éclairs and profiteroles. French crullers are piped into a fluted ring shape and fried, resulting in an incredibly airy, almost hollow interior with a delicate, crispy exterior. They are typically finished with a honey or maple glaze.
Adapted from French pâtisserie traditions, the French cruller became a staple of American donut shops by the mid-20th century.
Fritter
A broad category of irregularly shaped fried pastries made by dropping spoonfuls of batter — often studded with fruit, vegetables, or other mix-ins — into hot oil. Donut shop fritters are typically sweet, featuring apples, blueberries, or other fruits bound in a cinnamon-spiced batter.
Fritters have ancient roots across many cultures, from Roman "scriblita" to medieval European fruit fritters fried in lard.
G
Glazed Donut
The quintessential American donut — a light yeast-raised ring coated in a thin, sweet sugar glaze that dries to a slightly crackly, shiny finish. Best enjoyed warm when the glaze is barely set and the interior is pillowy soft.
The sugar glaze technique became widespread in the early 20th century, with Krispy Kreme popularizing the "hot glazed" experience starting in 1937.
J
Jelly Donut
A round, holeless yeast donut filled with fruit jelly or jam — most commonly strawberry, raspberry, or grape — and typically dusted with powdered sugar or granulated sugar on the outside. The filling is injected after frying using a pastry tip.
Jelly-filled donuts have roots in multiple European traditions, including German Berliner and Polish pączki, arriving in America with immigrant bakers.
K
Kolache
A Czech-Texan pastry made from a soft, sweet yeast dough with a well in the center filled with fruit (traditionally poppy seed, prune, or apricot). In Texas, the term has expanded to include savory versions filled with sausage, cheese, and jalapeños.
Brought to Texas by Czech immigrants in the mid-19th century, kolaches became a defining food of Central Texas communities like West and Caldwell.
L
Long John
An elongated, bar-shaped yeast donut that is typically filled with custard or cream and topped with chocolate, maple, or vanilla frosting. Long Johns are essentially the rectangular cousin of filled round donuts, offering more surface area for toppings.
A Midwestern American donut shop staple, the Long John gets its name from its elongated shape resembling long underwear (long johns).
Loukoumades
Small, round Greek doughnut balls made from a light yeast batter, deep-fried until golden and crispy, then drenched in honey syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and crushed walnuts. They are incredibly light and airy with a crispy shell.
One of the oldest recorded fried dough desserts, loukoumades were served to Olympic victors in ancient Greece as "honey tokens."
M
Malasada
A Portuguese-Hawaiian fried dough ball made from a rich, eggy yeast dough with no hole. Malasadas are rolled in granulated sugar while still hot and can be eaten plain or filled with custard, haupia (coconut pudding), or tropical fruit fillings.
Portuguese immigrants brought malasadas to Hawaii in the late 19th century, where they became a beloved island tradition celebrated on Malasada Day (Shrove Tuesday).
Maple Bar
A rectangular yeast-raised donut topped with a thick, sweet maple-flavored glaze. The maple bar is a Pacific Northwest icon, prized for the interplay between its soft, airy dough and the rich, caramel-like sweetness of the maple frosting.
Closely associated with the donut culture of the Pacific Northwest, where real maple syrup from nearby forests influences local baking traditions.
Mochi Donut
A chewy, ring-shaped donut made with glutinous rice flour (mochiko) that gives it a distinctive stretchy, bouncy QQ texture unlike any wheat-based donut. Mochi donuts are often shaped like a ring of connected balls and come in flavors like matcha, ube, and black sesame.
Created in Japan by the Mister Donut chain as "Pon de Ring," mochi donuts gained massive popularity in the US through Asian-American bakeries in the 2020s.
O
Old-Fashioned Donut
A ridged, irregularly shaped cake donut made with sour cream or buttermilk, featuring a distinctive cracked surface that creates extra-crispy edges. The craggy exterior fries into a satisfying crunch while the inside stays tender and dense.
Named for its pre-industrial origins when donuts were hand-formed rather than machine-cut, the old-fashioned style evokes 19th-century American baking.
P
Pączki
Rich Polish filled doughnuts made from a dough enriched with eggs, butter, and sometimes alcohol, then filled with rose hip jam, custard, or other fillings and topped with powdered sugar, icing, or orange zest. Pączki are denser and richer than typical jelly donuts.
A Polish tradition dating to medieval times, pączki are eaten on Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek) before Lent and are hugely popular in Polish-American communities, especially in Chicago and Detroit.
Pershing
A rectangular or square fried donut popular in parts of the Midwest, particularly in donut shops around the Great Lakes region. Pershings are typically filled with custard or cream and topped with chocolate frosting, similar to a Long John but with a squarer shape.
Named after General John J. Pershing, the World War I commander, though the exact origin of the name's connection to the pastry is debated.
Powdered Sugar Donut
A freshly fried donut — either cake or yeast-based — generously coated in a cloud of confectioners' sugar. The fine powdered sugar clings to the warm surface, creating a sweet, snowy coating that is both visually striking and deliciously messy.
Powdered sugar coating has been a donut finishing technique since the earliest days of American commercial donut-making in the early 1900s.
R
Raised Donut
Any donut leavened with yeast rather than baking powder, resulting in a light, airy, bread-like texture. The dough must be proofed (allowed to rise) before frying, which develops flavor and creates the characteristic pillowy softness that sets yeast donuts apart from cake donuts.
Yeast-raised fried doughs trace back to Dutch "olykoeks" brought to colonial New Amsterdam in the 17th century.
S
Sour Cream Donut
A cake donut made with sour cream in the batter, which adds a subtle tanginess and creates a remarkably tender, moist crumb. Sour cream donuts typically have a fine, dense texture with a golden-brown exterior and are often glazed or left plain.
A traditional American variation of the cake donut, sour cream donuts are closely related to the old-fashioned style and have been a bakery staple since the early 20th century.
Sprinkle Donut
A donut — usually yeast-raised and frosted with chocolate or vanilla icing — covered in a colorful shower of rainbow jimmies or nonpareil sprinkles. The iconic sprinkle donut is a visual symbol of donut culture, beloved by children and adults alike.
Sprinkles (originally called "jimmies") were invented in the 1930s and quickly became the most popular donut topping in America.
Spudnut
A donut made with mashed potatoes or potato flour mixed into the dough, which creates an exceptionally moist, tender, and fluffy texture. Spudnuts have a subtle earthy sweetness and stay fresh longer than traditional donuts thanks to the moisture-retaining properties of potato starch.
Popularized by the Spudnut Shop chain founded in Salt Lake City in 1940 by brothers Al and Bob Pelton, who used their mother's potato donut recipe.
Stollen Donut
A seasonal donut inspired by German Christmas stollen bread, typically featuring a rich dough studded with dried fruits, nuts, and warm spices like cardamom and nutmeg, finished with a powdered sugar coating or marzipan glaze.
Inspired by Dresden stollen, a German Christmas bread tradition dating back to the 15th century, adapted into donut form by artisan bakeries.
Sufganiyot
Traditional Jewish jelly-filled doughnuts eaten during Hanukkah, made from a soft yeast dough, deep-fried in oil, and filled with strawberry jam or dulce de leche. They are typically topped with powdered sugar. The frying in oil symbolizes the miracle of the oil lasting eight days.
A Hanukkah tradition rooted in the celebration of the miracle of oil in the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, sufganiyot became widespread in Israel in the 1920s.
T
Toroidal
The mathematical term for the classic ring shape of a donut — a torus. In donut terminology, toroidal refers to any donut with the traditional hole in the center, as opposed to filled rounds, bars, or twist shapes.
The toroidal donut shape is attributed to Captain Hanson Gregory, who reportedly punched holes in his mother's fried dough in 1847 to eliminate the undercooked center.
Twist Donut
A donut made by twisting two ropes of dough together before frying, creating an attractive braided shape with extra surface area for glazing. Twists can be made from either yeast or cake dough and are typically glazed, frosted, or dusted with cinnamon sugar.
Twisted fried doughs appear in many European baking traditions, with the American donut twist becoming a shop staple by the early 20th century.
U
Ube Donut
A donut made with ube (purple yam), a staple ingredient in Filipino cuisine that gives the donut a striking violet color and a subtle, sweet, vanilla-like flavor. Ube donuts can be cake-style or yeast-raised and are often topped with ube glaze or coconut.
Rooted in Filipino dessert traditions, ube donuts gained mainstream American popularity through Filipino-American bakeries and the broader ube food trend of the 2020s.
Y
Yeast Donut
A donut leavened with active yeast, requiring the dough to be mixed, kneaded, and proofed before frying. Yeast donuts are characteristically light, airy, and bread-like, with an open crumb structure that makes them feel almost weightless. They serve as the base for glazed, frosted, and filled varieties.
Descended from Dutch "olykoeks" of the 17th century, yeast donuts became America's dominant donut style through mass production starting in the 1920s.
Z
Zeppole
Italian fried dough balls or rings, light and airy, traditionally made for the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19). Zeppole can be made from a simple flour-and-water batter or from choux pastry, and are typically filled with custard or ricotta cream and topped with powdered sugar and a cherry.
A Southern Italian tradition dating back centuries, zeppole are closely associated with the Feast of St. Joseph and Italian-American street festivals.