19 Fantastic Fried Desserts (2024)

Try a twist on Hanukkah's fried food tradition with these indulgent apple fritters.

Recipe: Apple Fritter Rings

These little treats look like snow-covered crescent moons. To achieve the look, fill wonton wrappers with chopped chocolate, fold in half, fry in oil, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Recipe: Chocolate-Filled Wontons

Sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts, can be given out as party favors when arranged in cupcake liners and packaged in cellophane bags. These are sealed with double-sided tape and finished with patterned pastel paper.

Recipe: "Glittered" Sufganiyot

These fanciful spirals of fried dough, a take on Greek thiples, are crisp and sweet through and through. They're all the more enticing when topped with cinnamon, walnuts, and an immoderate dose of honey.

Recipe: Spiral Fritters with Honey

In Arizona, you can find traditional Native American foods on some menus, including this Indian fry bread served at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa.

Recipe: Indian Fry Bread with Ice Cream, Bananas, and Caramel Sauce

Popular in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, these puffy fritters are soaked in syrup colored red or yellow to symbolize joy, and sprinkled with cinnamon or sugar. Also popular in the Jewish tradition, Zalabia are served during Hanukkah as one of many fried treats on the table.

Recipe: Zalabia

Simple and fun to make, these holes are irresistible — and wonderfully adaptable. Omit the jam when you want a less-sweet snack, or, when craving an indulgent dessert, skip the cinnamon and roll them in sweetened cocoa powder.

Recipe: Jelly Doughnut Holes

Spain's classic sweet street food comes stateside in this decadent recipe which features orange-flecked churro dough and a semisweet chocolate sauce with vanilla and cayenne pepper.

Recipe: Orange-Kissed Churros with "Hot" Chocolate Sauce

These doughnuts — perfectly crisped in oil and coated in sugar — won't last long at all. Served with a silken chocolate-brandy sauce for dipping and a cup of strong coffee, they are a classic finish to a good meal.

Recipe: Doughnut Twists

Pastry chef Tracey Zabar considers cookies the perfect end to any meal, and in her cookbook One Sweet Cookie, she set out to collect the "best of the best" cookie recipes from 70 celebrated chefs. These playful knots from pastry chef Jerry Thornton are lightly fried and finished with a dusting of cinnamon sugar for a fanciful addition to a cookie platter.

Recipe: Ribbon Cookies

According to writer and recipe developer Jess Thomson, it's best to weigh flour on a kitchen scale instead of using measuring cups.

Recipe: Vanilla Raised Doughnuts

This deep-fried dessert is the perfect way to end a holiday meal. Who knew pumpkin could be so scrumptious? Serve with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream and guests of all ages will be delighted.

Recipe: Pumpkin Fritters with Vanilla Ice Cream

Sweet and golden-fried, these fingerling fritters are the ultimate dunkers.

Recipe: Piped Doughnuts with Orange Glaze

Watch how quickly doughnuts disappear, particularly when they're dusted with a variety of delectable sugar coatings: maple, confectioners', or cinnamon spice. The moist, fluffy confection has a lightly delicate flavor: just the cure for a sweet-tooth craving.

Recipe: Sweet-Potato Doughnuts

Rolled in shredded coconut, gift-boxed doughnuts can "hole" their own against the fanciest truffles.

Recipe: Buttermilk Drop Doughnuts

Topped with creamy icing and a dusting of cinnamon, a coffee-flavored cappuccino doughnut is the ideal companion to the frothy beverage that inspired it.

Recipe: Cappuccino Doughnuts

A double-chocolate doughnut is best when adorned with a flurry of white sprinkles.

Recipe: Double-Chocolate Doughnuts

Sufganiyot, the Israeli name for "jelly doughnut," is a popular Hanukkah food in Israel. We adapted this recipe from The World of Jewish Desserts by Gil Marks, a rabbi and expert in Jewish cookery.

Recipe: Sufganiyot

These fluted pieces of deep-fried dough are dusted with cinnamon sugar, which adds pleasing flavor and crunch. They are favorites in Spain and Mexico, where they're often served with rich hot cocoa; a perfect pairing for a chilly fall day.

Recipe: Churros With Hot Chocolate