34 Types Of Donuts - The Ultimate Guide - Tastylicious (2024)

It's no secret that donuts are delicious. Whether you like cake-style, old fashioned, jelly-filled, or crullers, there is a donut out there for everyone! In this article, we will explore all the different types of donuts and find your perfect match.

1. Yeast donuts

Yeast donuts are light and fluffy and usually have a hole in the middle. They are also known as raised doughnuts and use yeast as a leavener.

Yeast donuts are often topped with granulated, cinnamon, or powdered sugar, or frosted. They are a popular variety you'll find in any donut shop. These fluffy circles taste delicious no matter what they are dipped in - melted chocolate or strawberry icing.

Expert tip: If you end up with more donuts than you know how to eat then check out our guide on how to keep donuts fresh.

2. Cake donuts

Cake donuts are another popular type of doughnut that get their rise from baking powder. They are denser than yeast donuts because of the cake batter that makes them up. You'll also notice they have a drier texture with more crumbs.

A cake donut can come in a wide range of flavors, from vanilla to chocolate. They can be topped with either powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.

3. Glazed Donuts

Glazed donuts are made with a sweet glaze topping. They're a nice-looking donut that can be made using a wide range of recipes. The chocolate glaze is a common topping.

4. Sugar Donuts

Sugar donuts are a classic breakfast option. Their simple, sweet flavor is perfect for those who want something delicious to start their day off on the right foot. Sugar donuts are topped with a thin layer of sugar. This gives them a beautiful appearance and adds just enough sweetness without being overpowering or cloying.

5. Powder Donuts

Powder donuts are smothered with white-looking powdered sugar. This coating gives the donut a unique appearance that's hard to resist.

6. Churros

Churros are a long stick of choux dough that gets fried and then doused in sugar. A common way to eat these sweet treats is by dipping them into melted chocolate!

7. Crumb Donuts

Crumb donuts are a mouth-watering variety that are soft, cakey, and moist. They are often baked not fried and the crumbs provide a slightly crunchy texture.

8. Chocolate sprinkle

As the name suggests, a chocolate sprinkle donut has been topped with chocolate icing and sprinkles, making it one of the most popular types. They are loved by kids around the world.

Related reading: What are the different types of chocolate?

9. Fruit filled

Fruit filled donuts are filled with fruit preserves or fresh fruit. This variety of doughnut can be covered in frosting, but it's most often just the filling that provides the sweet flavor. Some popular types of filling include raspberry, lemon, strawberry, and blueberry.

10. Cream filled donuts

For all those cream-lovers, try cream filled donuts (aka filled doughnuts). They have been injected with cream and popular variations of this type are the Boston Cream Donut or Long Johns. If you don't enjoy cream then try donuts filled with custard.

11. Jelly Donuts

A jelly donut is a popular doughnut that is injected with jelly, jam, or other sweet fillings. Jelly donuts don't usually have a hole in the center. Variations of this variety of donut include the sufganiyot, Berliner, and bomboloni.

12. Sour cream donut

For something a little different, try a sour cream donut. These donuts have sour cream incorporated into the batter. The result is a delicious cakey texture most will enjoy.

13. Boston Cream Donut

A Boston cream donut is filled with custard and has a layer of chocolate frosting on top. They are a popular option for those looking for a dessert donut. They are light and airy thanks to the yeast leavening and are based on the Boston cream pie.

14. Apple fritters

Apple fritters are made from yeast-raised dough that gets mixed with cooked apple chunks and cinnamon. Once fried, they have a lovely browned outside with a light and fluffy inside. If you decide to make these yourself, check out our guide to the sweetest apples to choose a suitable variety.

15. Cinnamon Twist Donuts

Cinnamon twist donuts are a long, twist-shaped donut covered in cinnamon sugar. They are a popular choice for those seeking a warm, sweet breakfast or snack option.

16. Crullers

A cruller is a donut that is made from rectangular pieces of dough that get braided into a shape similar to a torpedo. They're much loved in New England, where they often come in a rectangle shape. For something a little fancier, try French crullers which are made from pâte à choux - that's the same dough that is used for Eclairs and Profiteroles.

17. Cronuts

Cronuts are a relatively new invention that are a cross between a donut and croissant. They were invented in the Dominique Ansel Bakery by pastry chef Dominique Ansel.

18. Spudnuts

The creatively named spudnut is a cross between a donut and a potato. Mashed potatoes or potato starch is added to a batter and then deep-fried in oil, which gives them that crispy texture on the outside while keeping it soft and light on the inside. Also called potato donuts, they were invented in America in the mid-1900s.

Find out the best potatoes for mashing by reading our guide to potato types.

19. Coconut Donuts

Coconut donuts are a popular alternative to the traditional donut. They are covered in shredded coconut and traditionally get broiled or toasted to give the exterior a crispy texture.

20. Long Johns

A Long John is a type of donut raised with yeast. They are usually long and rectangular. A hole running through the middle gets filled with jelly or custard. They look a lot like an eclair but they're fried rather than baked.

21. Maple bar

A maple bar is a donut that is covered in a maple glaze. Sometimes these donuts are filled with custard or cream. They're also known as a maple Bismarck, Maple-Creamstick, maple bacon, or maple-glazed Long John.

22. Malasadas

A malasada is a deep-fried yeast donut that originated in Portugal and is now very popular in Hawaii. Malasadas are a type of beignet, which is fried dough and can sometimes be filled with fruit or vanilla custard.

23. Bear Claw

A Bear Claw is a type of donut that is similar to a Danish, made from yeast-raised pastry. they were invented in the 1920s and often get topped with slivered almonds. If you decide to make these at home and you don't have any almond paste then check out our handy list of almond paste substitutes.

24. Tiger tail

Tiger Tails are a long type of doughnut that has pastry twisted with another ingredient like chocolate. The two different twisted colors look like a Tiger's tail.

25. Buttermilk

Buttermilk donuts are a type of donut that is light and airy with a slightly tangy taste. They are made from the same dough as cake donuts. Got no buttermilk at home? Try one of these simple buttermilk replacements.

26. Devil's Food

Devil's Food donuts are a type of donut that is a variation of the popular chocolate cake. These donuts are usually rings and can be iced or glazed.

27. Donut Holes

A donut hole is a round piece of dough that is deep-fried or baked and then topped with confectioners' sugar. Donut holes originated in 1847 by American seafarer Hanson Gregory. The name refers to the hole that is missing in the center of the donut.

28. Paczki

Paczki is a type of Polish donut that is traditionally served on Fat Thursday. They are made from yeast dough and typically made without a hole. They are also popular in some parts of the United States like Chicago.

29. Beignet

A beignet is a fried pastry made from deep-fried choux dough that originated in France. These French delicacies are popular in New Orleans, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

30. Danish

A Danish is a type of sweet yeast-raised pastry that is baked rather than fried.

31. Old-Fashioned Donuts

An Old-Fashioned donut dates back to the 1830s and is a type of donut that is made using a cakey base. These ring-shaped donuts have a crispy crust on their exterior but are soft and fluffy on the inside.

32. Apple cider Donuts

Often made in the fall, apple cider donuts are usually smaller and denser than regular donuts. They often have a hole in the middle and have a characteristic flavor from the addition of apple cider.

33. Pershing Donuts

Pershing donuts are a type of donut that is similar to a cinnamon roll but is made with donut batter. The outside of these donuts is fried until golden brown then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

34. Berliner Donuts

Berliner donuts are a type of German donut made with no central hole. They typically have jam or jelly inside and can also contain toppings such as icing sugar, coconut flakes, blueberries, or sliced almonds.

Now that you're up to speed on the types of donuts, aka doughnuts, it's time to get cooking. You can make some of the regular ones like donut holes or a glazed donut. They never fail. If you're feeling experimental why not try something new like a Pershing Donut. Got no energy? It's time to hit Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, or one of your local donut shops for some ring-shaped snacks.