Sufganiyot Hanukkah Donuts: A Fun DIY Dessert Board Idea
Oct 27, 2025
This post contains collections of products that I personally recommend (it may contain affiliate links).
Table of Contents
- What Are Sufganiyot and Why Are They Eaten on Hanukkah?
- Ingredients and Supplies for a Hanukkah Donut Board
- How to Build Your Own Sufganiyot
- Sufganiyot Fillings Board: Step-by-Step Instructions
- Recipe Tip
- Ingredient Variations
- FAQs About Sufganiyot
- Beverage Pairings
- Show Me Your Sufganiyot
- DIY Sufganiyot Board Recipe
- Shop This Post
Meet your new favorite Hanukkah dessert hack: the sufganiyot donut board filled with Dunkin’ Donuts munchkins and a variety of donut fillings and toppings you can mix and match. This Hanukkah dessert spread is playful, customizable, and way less intimidating than frying your own donuts from scratch.
Celebrate the Festival of Lights with a tray piled high with donut holes, bowls of toppings, colorful sprinkles, and syringes (yes, food-safe syringes!) full of fillings. It’s interactive, fun for kids and adults, and the best part—everyone gets to make their own uniquely-filled donut creation.
Bonus, it makes a great complement to my Latke Board, another Hanukkah favorite that’s just as fun to assemble. Or if you’re looking for a lighter winter board alongside these donuts, try my favorite warm winter salad board, or a snacking staple, my crudite platter and veggie tray.
If you’re looking for a new Hanukkah tradition (or just a delicious excuse to eat more donuts), let’s talk about why sufganiyot are typically served for Hanukkah and how to set up your own Hanukkah donuts board.
What Are Sufganiyot and Why Are They Eaten on Hanukkah?
Sufganiyot (pronounced soof-gah-nee-OHT) are typically round, pillowy jelly donuts traditionally filled with strawberry jam and dusted with sugar. The singular form is sufganiya (so you eat one sufganiya, but hopefully many sufganiyot).
These are a classic Hanukkah dessert because they’re fried in oil. That frying in oil connection matters because Hanukkah is rooted in how a single day’s supply of oil miraculously kept the Temple of Jerusalem’s menorah burning for eight nights. Eating fried foods (latkes, donuts, even fried chicken if you’re feeling bold!) is a delicious way to honor the story.
Traditionally, the filling is strawberry jam, but modern sufganiyot filling flavors can range from Nutella to dulce de leche to lemon curd. That’s what makes a board like this so fun. You get to offer both the old-school version and all the creative riffs, whatever suits you and your family!
Ingredients and Supplies for a Hanukkah Donut Board
Here’s what you’ll need to serve 8-10 people (estimate 2-3 donut holes per person):
Donuts / Sufganiyot
- Powdered sugar donut holes (Dunkin’ Donuts or grocery store bakery)
- Glazed donut holes (for variety)
Fillings (load into food-safe syringes or squeeze bottles)
- Strawberry jam (traditional)
- Raspberry or cherry jam (FYI, cherry was the hardest to get in/out of a syringe)
- Blueberry jam or grape jelly
- Nutella
- Cream cheese or flavored cream cheese (strawberry is so good)
- Lemon curd
- Caramel or dulce de leche
Toppings
- Powdered sugar
- Granulated sugar glaze
- Chopped walnuts
- Chopped pistachios
- Festive sprinkles
Supplies
- Food-safe syringes or injectors (these can fill about 2–3 donut holes each before needing a refill)
- Squeeze bottles (an easier alternative to syringes, especially for thicker fillings)
- Small disposable Hanukkah-inspired plates (tip: sprinkle your toppings here first to avoid a mess)
- Serving board or large tray
How to Build Your Own Sufganiyot
- Arrange bowls of toppings. I included nuts and sprinkles, but you can add Hanukkah-shaped sprinkles or extra sugar around the board.
- Place donuts in neat piles. I added powdered and glazed donut holes in two distinct piles—choose your favorite donut types, but keep it simple.
- Add fillings. Fill syringes with jams, creams, Nutella, etc. Choose a variety or just a few (having a few options means you can more easily refill). Set them along the board, or in cups or jars to keep upright.
- Invite creativity. Show guests how to inject filling into the center (one gentle squeeze is enough). Then roll, dip, or dust their donut in toppings.
Sufganiyot Fillings Board: Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place ramekins of toppings on the board: glaze, chopped nuts, and sprinkles.
- Add a pile of donut holes to one side.
- Place syringes of toppings on the left side (I put all the jams on one side).
- Lay down syringes of additional toppings on the right side (I put all non-jam fillings on the other side).
- Place powdered sugar donut holes in the remaining space between fillings.
- Invite your guests to mix-and-match the fillings and toppings for their sufganiyot.
Recipe Tip
Pro tip from experience: Food-safe syringes are fun for the novelty, but some fillings can be challenging. I loaded the syringes by pulling the two pieces apart and spooning fillings into the open base. Then insert the bottom of the syringe to push the fillings out. Don’t try to pull fillings in through the tip (like you would with water); it will only frustrate you and make a big mess.
When looking for jam, try and find varieties that are thinner, they will be way easier to squeeze out of the syringes. If you’re looking at labels, technically jelly is made from fruit juice and should have no chunks, while jam is made from crushed fruit and contains small pieces of fruit. Cherry jam, though a popular sufganiyot filling, tended to be too chunky. If that happens, you can swap for a squeeze bottle with a wide nozzle.
Ingredient Variations
Gluten-Free Sufganiyot: Use gluten-free donut holes if you can find them (many specialty bakeries offer them).
Vegan Sufganiyot: Look for dairy-free fillings like fruit jams, vegan caramel, or whipped coconut cream.
Creative Twists: Try custard filling donuts, chocolate syrup or melted chocolate, or even savory fillings (smoked salmon-flavored cream cheese? Why not!).
FAQs About Sufganiyot
Not much—sufganiyot are essentially jelly donuts.
Donut holes keep for a day, but fillings are best added just before eating so the donuts don’t get soggy.
The most traditional is strawberry jelly. But modern Hanukkah celebrations include anything from Nutella to custard to passionfruit cream. Make it your own!
Store plain donuts in an airtight container. Wait to fill until serving. Reheat unfilled donuts briefly in the microwave if needed.
If you’ve ever wondered what is the correct sufganiyot pronunciation, here’s the answer: it’s pronounced “soof-gah-nee-OHT.” That’s the plural form referring to many jelly donuts eaten at Hanukkah. The singular is sufganiya (soof-gah-nee-YAH), meaning just one donut. You might also see the word spelled sufganiot—it’s simply another transliteration of the Hebrew term. Whether you say sufganiyot, sufganiyah, or sufganiot, you’re talking about the same festive, sweet treat central to Hanukkah celebrations.
Beverage Pairings
- Hot coffee or espresso (balances the sweetness)
- Hot chocolate for the kids
- A glass of sparkling wine for the adults (trust me—bubbles + sugar = party vibes)
Show Me Your Sufganiyot
Hanukkah is all about light, joy, and yes—festive fried food. I hope this post gives you the inspiration to set up a fill-your-own Sufganiyot Board! Whether you stick with traditional powdered sugar-covered donuts with strawberry filling, or go wild with chocolate and caramel drizzle, this board is guaranteed to become a new holiday favorite.
If you make something inspired by this post, please tag me at @ainttooproudtomeg so I can see and share!
And, if you liked this recipe, please rate and review.
DIY Sufganiyot Board
Ingredients
- 24-30 powdered or glazed donut holes
- Assorted fillings: strawberry jam, Nutella, lemon curd, cream cheese, caramel
- Assorted toppings: powdered sugar, sprinkles, chopped nuts
Instructions
- Arrange bowls of toppings neatly on the board.
- Place donuts on the board, making distinct piles of each type of donut.
- Fill food-safe syringes or squeeze bottles with jams or fillings of your choice.
- Invite guests to inject, dip, and decorate their own sufganiyot.
