List of fried dough foods facts for kids

Have you ever eaten a yummy doughnut or a crispy churro? These tasty treats are just a few examples of fried dough foods. People all over the world make delicious dishes by deep frying dough in many different shapes and sizes. While doughnuts are super popular, there are so many other amazing fried dough foods to discover!

Delicious Fried Dough Treats

Fried Dough from Around the World

Akara and Acarajé

These fried dough balls come from West Africa and Brazil. They are made from ground black-eyed peas, mixed with onions, peppers, and salt for extra flavor. People often eat them for breakfast with a type of custard called "pap" or "akamu".

Awameh

From the Levant region, Awameh are like little fried dough balls, similar to doughnut holes. After being deep-fried, they are soaked in sweet syrup or honey and often sprinkled with cinnamon or sesame seeds.

Bambalouni

This sweet doughnut comes from Tunisia. It's made by frying dough in oil and is usually served with sugar or honey on top.

Bamiyeh

Bamiyeh is a traditional sweet treat from Iran and Azerbaijan. It's made from a dough that uses yogurt and starch, then fried and dipped in sweet syrup. It's quite similar to the Turkish tulumba.

Vietnamese Fried Delights

Vietnam has many unique fried dough foods!

• Bánh chuối chiên is a banana fritter.
• Bánh gối is like a fried Empanada filled with minced pork, noodles, and mushrooms.
• Bánh rán (or Bánh cam) are sweet glutinous rice balls coated with sesame seeds and filled with sweet mung bean paste.
• Bánh tôm is a tasty sweet potato-battered shrimp fritter.
• Bánh xèo is a savory pancake made with rice flour and turmeric, often stuffed with different ingredients.

Bannock

Bannock is a type of bread. In Canada, it's also called frybread and is an important part of Indigenous American cuisine. There's also a Scottish version, which is a thick bread similar to a scone.

BeaverTails

This Canadian pastry is a registered trademark! It's an oblong-shaped piece of fried dough, shaped like a beaver's tail, which is how it got its name.

Beignet

Originally from France, beignets are very popular in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are deep-fried pastries, often made from choux pastry, and covered with lots of powdered sugar. They are sometimes called French doughnuts, but they have their own special shape and texture.

Berliner

These are the German equivalent of doughnuts, found in Germany and Switzerland. They are usually round and filled with jam, rather than having a hole in the middle. In the US, they are sometimes called "Berlin doughnuts."

Bhatoora

From the Indian Punjab and Pakistan, Bhatoora is a very chewy bread. The flattened dough is fried until it puffs up into a light brown, fluffy shape.

Binangkal

These are deep-fried flour balls from the Philippines that are covered with sesame seeds.

Bomboloni

These Italian treats are similar to the German Berliner. They are usually filled with cream or chocolate.

Boortsog

Boortsog is a fried dough food found in the cuisines of Central Asia and Mongolia. They can be thought of as cookies or biscuits, and because they are fried, they are sometimes compared to doughnuts.

Buñuelo

Buñuelos are popular in Spain and many former Spanish colonies. They are typically made from a simple wheat-based dough, often flavored with anise. The dough is rolled thin, cut, fried, and then finished with a sweet topping.

Cascaron

A type of buñuelo from the Philippines, Cascaron is made with ground glutinous rice and coconut milk. They are often eaten on skewers.

Çäkçäk

This sweet dish from Tatarstan and Bashkortostan (Russia) is made from unleavened dough cut into small balls. These balls are deep-fried and then covered in a sweet syrup.

Chapssal Doughnut

These chewy, mildly sweet doughnuts from Korea are made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweetened red bean paste.

Chiburekki

Chiburekki is a fried turnover with a filling of ground meat and onions. It's a national dish of the Crimean Tatars and is popular across Central Asia, Russia, and Turkey.

Churro

Churros are thin, deep-fried pastries from Spain with a ridged surface. They are often eaten for breakfast or at festivals, usually with thick chocolate sauce or coffee.

Coxinha

This Brazilian food is like a croquette, shaped like a chicken drumstick, and filled with chicken.

Curry Bread

A popular snack in Japan, curry bread is a bread filled with curry, coated in panko breadcrumbs, and then deep-fried. You can often find it in convenience stores and bakeries.

Dutchie

The Dutchie is a square, doughnut-like pastry that started at Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada. It's topped with raisins and a sugary glaze.

Elephant Ears

A popular treat at fairs in the United States, elephant ears are large, flat, round pieces of fried yeast dough. They are often covered in fruit or sugar. They are also known by other names like fried bread or doughboys.

Falafel

Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern dish made from deep-fried balls of ground chickpeas or fava beans. It's a favorite among vegans and vegetarians and is often served in a lavash wrap with fresh vegetables and sauces.

Faworki

Also known as chrust, Faworki is a fried, crispy flat dough from Poland. It's sometimes twisted and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Fried Bread

In the United Kingdom, fried bread usually means triangular slices of white bread fried in bacon fat. It's a traditional part of a "Full English breakfast" served with eggs, bacon, and sausages.

Fried Coke

This unique creation became popular in Texas, United States. It's made by mixing batter with Coca-Cola syrup and frying it. It's then topped with more Coke syrup or whipped cream and a cherry.

Fritter

A fritter is any kind of food coated in batter and deep-fried. While similar to a doughnut, a fritter usually has another main ingredient, like fruit or vegetables, mixed into or coated by the dough.

Frybread

Frybread is a Native American fried dough in the United States. It can be bread-like or doughnut-like, depending on the tribe and their recipe.

Funnel Cake

Funnel cake is a sweet pastry made by pouring dough through a funnel into hot oil, creating a tangled, spaghetti-like shape. It's a popular treat at carnivals, fairs, and amusement parks in the United States.

Gogoşi

Gogoşi are round or ring-shaped fried dough from Romania. They are usually topped with powdered sugar or filled with fruit jam or chocolate cream.

Hushpuppies

These savory fried dough balls from the United States are made from a thick cornmeal batter. They are a popular side dish, especially with seafood.

Jalebi

Jalebi is a deep-fried sweet batter from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It's often shaped into spirals and soaked in rose water and saffron syrup. It's similar to Persian Zoolbiya.

Jin deui

From China, Jin deui is a hollow fried pastry made of glutinous rice flour. It's coated with sesame seeds and filled with a sweet paste.

Johnny Cake

Johnny Cake is an unleavened, golden-sweet, semi-flattened, fluffy-fried bread from the US Virgin Islands. It's primarily made of white flour.

Kachori

Kachori are dough balls filled with savory ingredients like lentils or spices in India. In Pakistan, they are often filled with ground beef or lamb, or potatoes for vegetarian versions.

Koeksister

This traditional South African sweet is made of fried dough soaked in syrup or honey. The name comes from a Dutch word meaning "wheat flour confectionery."

Krapfen

From Austria, Bavaria, and South Tyrol, Krapfen are round, fried dough usually filled with apricot jam or vanilla cream and topped with powdered sugar.

Lángos

Lángos is a popular fried flatbread from Hungary. It's often topped with sour cream, cheese, or garlic.

Laufabrauð

This traditional Icelandic bread is mostly eaten during Christmas. It's a very thin, round flat cake with beautiful leaf-like patterns, briefly fried in hot oil.

Lihapiirakka

Lihapiirakka is a savory doughnut (without a hole) from Finland. It's filled with minced meat and rice.

Lokma or Loukoumades

These crisp doughnut holes are popular in Turkey and Greece. They are deep-fried dough balls marinated in honey and cinnamon.

Luchi

Luchi is a type of unleavened bread from Eastern India and Bangladesh. It's made from fine flour, rolled into small circles, and deep-fried until it puffs up like a ball. It's usually served with curries.

Ma Hua

Ma Hua is a fried dough twist from China. It has a shiny, golden look and is made by frying a bar of dough in peanut oil.

Malasada

Malasadas are a type of fried dough from Portugal, especially popular in Hawaii and some parts of Massachusetts.

Mandazi

Mandazi is a fried bread from East Africa, popular in Kenya and Tanzania. It's usually served without glazing or frosting and is eaten for breakfast, with tea, or as a snack.

Maruya

Maruya refers to various types of fried banana fritters from the Philippines.

Mekitzi

Mekitzi from Bulgaria are similar to Funnel cake. They are often served with jam or cheese.

Mutzenmandeln

These are shortcrust dough teardrops or almonds from Germany. They are deep-fried and covered in powdered sugar. They are a common snack at Christmas markets.

Oliebollen / Smoutebollen

Literally "oil balls" or "lard balls," these are known as "Dutch doughnuts" in the Netherlands and Belgium. They often contain pieces of apple or dried fruit like raisins and are traditionally eaten around New Year's Eve.

Ox-tongue Pastry

This Chinese pastry is shaped like an ox tongue. It's sweet, chewy, and has a fine texture.

Pączki

Pączki are springy doughnuts from Poland filled with jam and often coated with granulated or powdered sugar.

Pakora

Also called bhajji in India and Pakistan, Pakora are deep-fried vegetable fritters in a gram flour batter. In Pakistan, pakoras filled with ground beef are also common.

Pampushky

Pampushky are traditional Ukrainian buns, often fried and served with garlic sauce.

Panyalam

Panyalam is a fried rice cake or pancake from the Philippines made with ground glutinous rice, sugar, and coconut milk.

Papadum

Papadum (or papad) is a fried wafer from India and Pakistan. It's made from a dough of lentils or rice flour and spices. It can be fried until crispy and is often eaten as a snack.

Paratha

Paratha is a pan-fried flatbread from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. It's often stuffed with vegetables, cheese, or ground meat. In Pakistan, stuffed parathas are a common breakfast dish.

Pastel

Pastel is a thin pastry envelope from Brazil filled with minced meat, chicken, shrimp, or other fillings, and then deep-fried.

Pasztecik szczeciński

This is a machine-produced deep-fried yeast dough from Poland, stuffed with meat or vegetarian filling.

Peremech or Belyash

Peremech (or belyash) is a fried bun from Tatarstan and Bashkortostan (Russia). It's made of dough and stuffed with minced meat, usually with a hole in the middle.

Pestiños

Pestiños are pieces of dough from Spain, deep-fried in olive oil and glazed with honey or cinnamon sugar.

Picarones

Picarones are sweet, ring-shaped pumpkin-based fritters from Peru. They are often served with a molasses syrup.

Pirozhki

Pirozhki are traditional Eastern European baked or fried buns from Bulgaria, Russia, and Ukraine. They are stuffed with a variety of fillings, both savory and sweet.

Puff-puff

Puff-puff is a fried sweet dough from Nigeria and West Africa. It's made from flour, sugar, yeast, and vanilla extract, and is typically served as an appetizer or a snack.

Puri

Puri is an unleavened bread from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It's made of wheat flour, rolled into small circles, and deep-fried until it puffs up like a ball. In Pakistan, it's often served for breakfast with chickpeas and semolina halwa.

Rosette

Rosettes are delicate, ornate cookies from Scandinavia. Special irons are dipped into batter, then into hot oil. The pastry quickly separates from the iron, fries to a light brown, and is then sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Samosa

A Samosa is a deep-fried savory pastry from India and Pakistan. It's usually triangular and filled with spiced potatoes, peas, or meat.

Sata andagi

Sata andagi is a sweet, ball-shaped snack from the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, similar to a doughnut.

Schmalzkuchen

Literally "lard cake," Schmalzkuchen from Germany are small rhombuses of rolled-out yeast dough that puff up into pillows when fried. They are served warm with powdered sugar and are often found at Christmas markets.

Schneeballen

Literally "snowballs," these German treats are made by cutting dough into strips, forming them into a ball, and frying them. They are then covered in various toppings and are popular in Rothenburg.

Sfenj

Sfenj is a type of fritter from Morocco and Algeria.

Shakoy

Shakoy is a twisted doughnut from the Philippines, made with regular or rice flour.

Shuangbaotai

Shuangbaotai is a sweet fried dough from Taiwan with cavernous holes inside and a crispy outside. It's made by sticking two small pieces of dough together and frying them, causing them to separate slightly, resembling conjoined twins, which is how it got its name.

Shelpek

Shelpek is a deep-fried flatbread commonly eaten across Kazakhstan and other parts of Central Asia.

Smultring

Literally "lard ring," Smultring from Norway is similar to a doughnut but smaller, without glazing or filling, and flavored with cardamom.

Sopaipilla

Sopaipillas are a fried dough side dish or dessert popular in the Southwestern United States, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. They puff up with air when fried, resembling a pillow, and are often served with honey or cinnamon sugar.

Struffoli

Struffoli is a dessert of Neapolitan origin in Italy. It consists of many small fried dough balls coated in honey.

Sufganiyah

Sufganiyah are traditional Jewish doughnuts from Israel, typically sold during the holiday of Hanukkah. They are soft, sweet, and usually filled with strawberry jam, though modern versions have chocolate, caramel, or vanilla custard. They are traditionally topped with powdered sugar.

Timbit

Timbits are doughnut holes sold in many different flavors. They originated at Tim Hortons in Canada and are seen as a bit of an icon there.

Toutin

Toutin (or Touton) are fried bits of leftover bread dough, most popular in Newfoundland, Canada. They are often served with molasses.

Tulumba

Tulumba is a traditional sweet treat from Turkey and the Balkans. It consists of fried batter soaked in syrup, similar to bamiyeh in Iranian cuisine.

Vetkoek

Pronounced FET-kook, Vetkoek is a fried bread dough traditional to Afrikaner people in South Africa. It's often rolled into a ball or hot dog bun shape and can be filled with savory mince.

Youtiao

Youtiao, literally "oil strip," is also known as a fried breadstick from China. These are savory dough fritters with an oily taste, a crispy outside, and a chewy inside with large holes. They are commonly served for breakfast with congee (rice porridge) or soy milk.

Zeppole

Zeppole are commonly light, deep-fried dough balls from Italy, about 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter. These doughnuts or fritters are usually topped with powdered sugar and can be filled with custard, jelly, or cream.

Images for kids

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  Funnel cake

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  American-style beignets with powdered sugar

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  Kaya balls in tray

See also