16 Different Types of Doughnuts to Try If You Have a Sweet Tooth

These doughnuts are also known as "raised doughnuts," as yeast is used as a leavener, which creates the air pockets when frying the batter that results in their signature light and airy texture. They're less likely to be crumbly, due to their spongy consistency, and can be glazed, frosted, or filled.

Dense and crumbly, these doughnuts are named after the cake-like batter used to make them. They have a drier texture than yeast donuts and can also be baked, in addition to the more traditional doughnut cooking method of frying. Instead of yeast, baking powder is used to leaven the batter, which is also adaptable to all sorts of flavors, like chocolate or strawberry. Cake doughnuts are ideal for topping-heavy, as their sturdy structure makes them less susceptible to collapsing under the weight of toppings.

Jelly doughnuts are traditionally a yeast doughnut without a hole in the middle, as the fruit-filling gets piped into the center.

Yeast or cake doughnuts can be used in a glazed doughnuts, but these doughnuts get their name from the thin glaze that coats the surface. Glazes come in a variety of flavors ranging from plain or chocolate to maple and beyond the imagination!

These doughnuts are typically made using cake doughnuts, which are able to withstand a heavier layer of frosting as well as toppings.

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Inspired by the Boston cream pie, these are yeast doughnuts filled with custard and topped with a chocolate glaze.

Similar to a cake doughnuts, though sometimes denser and often smaller in size, cider doughnuts made from a batter that also includes apple cider. After being fried, they are typically dipped in a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Aptly named, these craggy doughnuts date back to 1829. Essentially a cake doughnuts, these doughnuts are fried at a lower temperature than the standard doughnut-frying temperature, which allows the uneven edges to form. Crisp on the outside and softer on the inside, the glaze of old-fashioned doughnuts clings to the nooks and crannies of the exterior, making for a pleasant bite unique to this classic doughnut.

These bite-sized treats are theoretically made from the hole missing in the center of a traditional doughnut.

Twisted doughnuts are traditionally made from a yeast dough and rolled in sugar. They're soft and pillowy, and something of a cross between churros and beignets in consistency. As they are a treat in many countries like Korea, China, and the Philippines, you'll find one in your local Asian bakery.

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A rectangular-shaped yeast doughnut with a chocolate glaze, the Long John is the cousin of the French pastry known as the éclair, which is baked and not fried like a doughnut. Confusingly enough, this doughnut is sold both filled and unfilled—when filled, it's sometimes called an éclair, with the unfilled version known as the Long John. However, a filled version is also called a Long John in some parts, so both names—Long John and éclair—are essentially interchangeable.

Essentially Italian doughnut holes, zeppole are larger and can be made using either a yeast or cake batter. They're dusted with powdered sugar after frying.

A small yeasted doughnut that's French in origin, beignets are also a staple in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, where they're served dusted with powdered sugar. They're made of choux pastry, which is a French pastry dough that puffs when fried.

Choux dough is piped into hot oil in lengths and then fried into churros before being coated with a traditional mixture of cinnamon sugar. They're often served with chocolate for dipping or filled with dulce de leche.

Essentially a ball of dough that's fried, fritters are a small, versatile doughnut that can be filled, glazed, or dusted with powdered or granulated sugar.

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Also known as a French cruller, this ridged ring-shaped doughnut is traditionally made from an eggier cake doughnut batter that is fried and glazed.