Donut holes are a marvel of fried dough that aim to please. Nearly every country’s cuisine features some form of fried dough. While beignets, churros, banh rans, and more are amazingly delicious, donut holes are particularly suited for customization.
Their spherical shape is perfect for non-traditional, creative glazes and toppings. According to Datassential's Fancy Donuts Adoption Report, 65 percent of consumers would like to try fancy donuts in a restaurant. With that in mind, now is the time to elevate your dessert menu with inventive donut holes.
Spherical Sweets
Because of the spherical shapes of donut holes, they are the perfect application for interesting glazes. A raspberry black-pepper glaze takes the dessert past its traditional roots.
Vanilla chai, maple-bacon, and salted caramel are all equally engaging to consumers on a menu. Salted caramel itself has grown 136.4 percent over the past four years on U.S. menus—crumble a little sea salt on top of it for some pleasing texture as well.
Regional Flare and Nostalgia
To make your donut holes special to your customers, consider adding in ingredients trending in other parts of the food world. Consider a house-made ganache made from locally-sourced strawberries and rhubarb, with a dollop of crème fraiche on top.
If you’re in Florida, Key Lime glaze and graham cracker crumbles can make a local dessert favorite that much more intriguing. Even nostalgic items from childhood can make a donut hole more interesting and enticing: the dirt cup dessert—with chocolate pudding, Oreo crumbles, and gummy worms can live on top of a chocolate donut hole.
Don’t discount nostalgic breakfast cereals as well; Captain Crunch crumbled on a vanilla icing or even Cocoa Puffs on chocolate frosting can bring breakfast favorites to the restaurant table.
Savory Works with Sweet
More savory meals can be plated atop donut holes. Traditional glazed donut holes can be covered with sausage gravy and fried eggs; or even fried chicken and honey garlic hot sauce.
All-day breakfast options lend themselves to interesting appetizers to match. Just because it’s not a biscuit doesn’t mean you can’t treat it as such. A sweeter base can lend to a more surprising experience.
Your Sourcing Solution
Ready to serve up some sweetness? Dot Foods is your sample solution. Find the delightful donut holes you can innovate with—interesting glazes and toppings await. Share your creations with us, using #DevourByDot on Instagram.
Take donut holes to the next level using ingredients from Dot.