Food Holidays & Occasions 6 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays With Doughnuts Fry up sufganiyot or sfinj for Hanukkah, or take on a doughnut hole croquembouche for Christmas. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 30, 2023 Close Cinnamon-Cardamom Sufganiyot. Photo: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Doughnuts are a holiday tradition in Jewish culture. Fried foods represent when a day's worth of oil lasted eight nights from a miracle at the Temple of Jerusalem. Jelly-filled sufganiyot are a tradition in Israel and crispy, airy sfinj are more common in Morocco. Fry any of our five Hanukkah doughnuts for your celebration or craft a croquembouche centerpiece with doughnut holes for Christmas, thanks to Paola Velez's version. There's a doughnut recipe to sweeten any celebration this season. 01 of 06 Old-Fashioned Doughnut Croquembouche Photo by Sarah Crowder / Food Styling by Drew Aichele 2021 F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez's variation on a traditional croquembouche features homemade cinnamon doughnuts instead of cream puffs. It's ready in an hour and a half and can be made ahead. Get the Recipe 02 of 06 Cinnamon-Cardamom Sufganiyot Cinnamon-Cardamom Sufganiyot. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Chef and TikTok celebrity Eitan Bernath’s fluffy, spiced sufganiyots are fried to golden brown, rolled in cinnamon-sugar and filled with a cardamom-spiced pastry cream. Get the Recipe 03 of 06 Hanukkah Doughnuts John Kernick Hebrew for doughnuts, sufganiyot are the most popular Hanukkah food in Israel. These fried treats are simply made from balls of yeast dough and filled with chocolate, creams, curd, or jam, as Andrew Zimmern's recipe calls for here. Get the Recipe 04 of 06 Doughnut Holes with Raspberry Jam © Con Poulos These light, crisp, sugared doughnut holes with sweet-tart raspberry jam from chef and recipe developer Ginevra Iverson are mini sufganiyot, ideal for sharing throughout Hanukkah. Get the Recipe 05 of 06 Sfinj © Christine Han These luscious Moroccan doughnuts are crispy on the outside and very fluffy and airy on the inside. They're typically served for Hanukkah with sugar or honey, but New York Shuk founders Leetal and Ron Arazi share this recipe with a saffron and cardamom syrup. Get the Recipe 06 of 06 Doughnuts in Cardamom Syrup © Keller & Keller Dipped in cardamom-rose water syrup and sliced almonds, Esther Sabach's doughnuts are a nod to Sephardic Jewish cooking traditions and ideal for serving during Hanukkah. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit