Sufganiyot: Traditional Fried (or Baked!) Hanukkah Dessert

by Beth Lee · Published: Oct 27, 2021 · Modified: Dec 30, 2024

Baked or fried sufganiyot (soufganiyot) are the perfect Hanukkah dessert. And like the oil that lasted for 8 days, this dough is a miracle because it will work in the fryer or oven! A big plus when preparing for your traditional Hanukkah meal.

Baked sufganiyot in a blue bowl with a jam squeeze jar on the side.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

In 2021, I wrote the Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook and included a recipe for soufganiyot – jam-filled doughnuts traditionally eaten for the Festival of Lights. Before I wrote the book, rugelach, a mini rolled pastry, was our unconventional Chanukah dessert. But now that I've mastered the fried (or baked!) jelly donut, we have a new traditional Hanukkah dessert on the menu.

So often, I hear people say they aren’t going to make sufganiyot because they don’t want to fry. In this recipe, I used the same dough to fry AND bake and guess what? Both versions are fantastic!

If you’re preparing for a Hanukkah get-together, the baked version of the jelly-filled donuts will be almost as good several hours later as fresh out of the oven. The fried version does not “age” as well. Or make a few of each and decide for yourself!

Ingredients you’ll need for this Hanukkah dessert

Ingredient shot with everything you need to make jelly filled donuts labeled with their names.

The ingredient list for sufganiyot is simple and divided into dough, filling and coating. For the filling – your imagination is really the only limitation. Pay attention to the consistency of the filling – if it’s too thick or chunky, it won’t flow through the decorating tip easily into the doughnut.

All-purpose flour: You’ll be using more than the measured amount for dusting while you knead the dough.

Granulated sugar: You use this twice – once in the dough and then more for coating.

Instant or active-dry yeast: If your active-dry yeast is not expired, you can toss it in the dough like instant yeast but if you’re not sure, then “proof” the active-dry yeast by mixing it with a little sugar and warm water and wait for it to foam.

Kosher salt: I used Diamond Crystal in all of my recipes.

Milk: Be sure to heat it to between 105° F and 115° F.

Vegetable oil: You’ll use some in the dough and some for frying.

Citrus zest: I love the addition of lemon or orange zest but it is entirely optional.

Melted butter: This is only for the baked version. You brush it on after they come out of the oven before you coat them in sugar.

Fillings: I like to use jams for my fillings but some kind of pudding-like filling would also work. For the jams, you can loosen them up a bit with hot water if they are too thick. You also want them to be smooth. If very chunky, you could run them through a food processor to smooth them out.

Check out my sufganiyot web story for a quick visual guide on making these fantastic Hanukkah jelly donuts!

Steps to make this recipe

No need to pull out the stand mixer - one bowl will do the trick.

Prepare the dough

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Dry ingredients for soufganiyot in a red bowl with a small whisk.

2. Add the wet ingredients and combine.

Dry ingredients with wet ingredients nearby ready to be mixed into the sufganiyot dough.

Dough mixed in red bowl ready to be kneaded.

3. Move the dough to a floured surface and knead with additional flour for a couple of minutes.

Sufganiyot dough ready to be kneaded in bowl with dough scraper.

4. Let the dough rise until doubled in volume.

Donut dough ready to rise in a red bowl.

Soufganiyot dough risen and ready to roll out.

5. Roll out the dough to about ½ inch thick.

Donut dough rolled out on a floured surface.

6. Use cookie cutters or the rim of a glass to cut out donuts.

Rolled out sufganiyot dough with a cookie cutter on the dough and a rolling pin in the background.

7. Let rise again.

8. Bake!

Baked soufganiyot on parchment on a baking tray.

9. Or fry!

Prepare the coating and filling

10. While baking, melt butter and place sugar in a bag or wide bowl.

Melted butter and sugar for baked donuts.

11. Get jam ready by thinning out with hot water if necessary. Put in a Ziploc or frosting bag or squeeze bottle.

Jam in squeeze bottle next to a bowl of baked sufganiyot.

Coat and fill sufganiyot

12. When soufganiyot come out of oven, brush with melted butter and coat with sugar. If you fried them, coat with sugar but skip the butter step.

13. When cool enough to handle easily, cut a small slit in each donut and squeeze in jam until it starts poking out.

Starting to cut slit into a baked donut.

Pro tips and FAQS

The dough is pretty wet and that’s ok. Use your dough scraper to get it out of the bowl onto your floured work surface. Use plenty of flour while kneading it. Even if it’s just a bit sticky when you let it rise, it’s all going to work out!
If your jam is too thick, thin it with a bit of hot water mixed into it well. If it’s too chunky, run it through your food processor to smooth out the chunks.
Be sure to use a paring knife to cut a narrow but deep slit in the baked or fried soufganiyot before filling with jelly. It will help ensure some jam in every bite!

How do you pronounce soufganiyot/sufganiyot and what does this Hebrew word mean?

It is pronounced Soof (rhymes with roof)-GAH-NEE-yote, the plural of sufganiyah. It means jelly-filled donut, specifically the ones traditionally eaten on Hanukkah. They are especially popular in Israel.

Why do we eat sufganiyot on Chanukah?

Hanukkah is the celebration of the miracle of the oil lasting eight days when it was only supposed to last for one day. We eat fried foods or any food made with oil to remember the miracle of the long-lasting oil. Whether you bake or fry these, there is oil in the dough so you’ve got that covered!

Can you freeze soufganiyot?

Technically, you could freeze the baked doughnuts before coating them. But I don’t really recommend it. However, you could prepare the dough through the first rise and freeze it or at least refrigerate it to get you part way through the recipe ahead of time.

Bowl of baked soufganiyot with one cut in half so you can see the jam inside.

Prefer fried donuts - you're in luck!

Feast on the magic of Annie Martin's photography and these lovely fried beauties. Just follow the instructions for the baked donuts but fry in at least 2-inch deep 350°F oil and skip the brushed-on butter.

Fried soufganiyot in a white bowl with blue trim and jelly in the upper left hand corner. — Photo by Annie Martin

More inspiration for your Hanukkah meal

Other doughnut recipes you might love:

Glazed raspberry filled doughnuts from Pastry Chef Online

Gluten-free sufganiyot from Fearless Dining

And when Chanukah falls near Thanksgiving - try these pumpkin spice donut holes!

Don't want to make donuts? Try my rugelach recipes - apricot chocolate and orange cranberry!

Try making homemade jam for the filling: Strawberry Raspberry Jam or Apricot Strawberry, for example.

Buy my cookbook now!

P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!

Baked sufganiyot in blue bowl with one cut open and a squeeze bottle of jam.

Sufganiyot - Baked or Fried Jam-filled Donuts for Hanukkah

Beth Lee

Baked or fried sufganiyot (soufganiyot) are the perfect Hanukkah dessert. And like the oil that lasted for 8 days, this dough is a miracle because it will work in the fryer or oven!

4.67 from 36 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 10

Inactive Time 1 30

Total Time 2 20

Course Dessert

Cuisine Jewish Holiday Baking

Servings

Calories 433 kcal

Ingredients

NOTE: If you use the multiplier - it will only adjust the US units, not the metric ones provided. If you are multiplying the recipe and using metric, please do the math yourself.

Dough

2 ¼ cups (281 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
3 tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons 7 grams/1 packet active dry or instant yeast
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup (161 grams) warm milk (105°F to 115°F)
2 tablespoons (27 grams) vegetable oil
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or orange zest optional

Coating

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (if baking)
1 cup sugar
Vegetable oil (if frying)

Filling

¾ cup (240 grams) seedless jam

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Dough:

Mix: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the milk, oil, egg, vanilla, and zest if using, and mix with a wooden spoon until a rough, wet dough forms.
Knead: Place the dough on a well-floured surface, dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead for about 2 minutes. If it remains sticky while kneading, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. It should be tacky but not too sticky to knead.
Rise: Oil the bowl you just used and place the dough back inside. Cover with a towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Roll dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to ½ inch thick.
Cut donuts: Using a 2 ½-inch round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out as many rounds as you can and place them on the baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining scraps and repeat. You should have 14 to 16 rounds total.
Second rise: Cover the baking sheet and let the donuts rise until they puff up slightly, about 30 minutes, depending on the temperature of the kitchen.

If Baking:

Prep for baking: While the donuts rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bake: After the donuts have risen, bake them for 10 minutes, until golden.
While the donuts bake, melt the butter. When the donuts come out of the oven, brush each of the donuts with the melted butter. Proceed to COAT step.

If frying:

Prep for frying: Add vegetable oil to a medium pot, at least 2 inches deep. Heat the oil to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Deep-fry: Place a few donuts at a time in the hot oil, avoiding overcrowding. Fry for a minute on one side; then flip and fry on the second side for another minute, until golden brown. This is a fast process, so watch carefully. Once fried, transfer the donuts to the prepared baking sheet. Proceed to COAT step.

Coat:

Coat donuts: Place the sugar in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Working one at a time, place each donut in the bag of sugar, seal shut,and shake it around to coat the donut. Return the donut to the baking sheet. Repeat with all donuts.

Fill:

Fill donuts: Fit a piping bag (or a plastic bag) with a decorating tip with a ¼-inch-wide opening or use a plastic squeeze bottle. Fill the bag or bottle with the jam of your choice. Using a paring knife, cut a 1-inch horizontal slit in the side of each donut, slicing through to the center. Place the decorating tip in the hole and squeeze until the jam starts to ooze out of the donut (some spillage is okay). Repeat with the remaining donuts. The donuts taste best if served immediately, but they will maintain their freshness for several hours.

Notes

The dough is pretty wet and that’s ok. Use your dough scraper to get it out of the bowl onto your floured work surface. Use plenty of flour while kneading it. Even if it’s just a bit sticky when you let it rise, it’s all going to work out!
If your jam is too thick, thin it with a bit of hot water mixed into it well. If it’s too chunky, run it through your food processor to smooth out the chunks.
Be sure to use a paring knife to cut a narrow but deep slit in the baked or fried soufganiyot before filling with jelly. It will help ensure some jam in every bite!

Nutrition

Calories: 433kcalCarbohydrates: 83gProtein: 8gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 178mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 3gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 151IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg