Donuts start with a delicious foundation of fried dough. However, they wouldn't be the confectionery customers know and love without the delicious glazes, sprinkles, and toppings that transform them into one of America's favorite baked goods. To help you elevate your donut offerings and satisfy your customers' cravings, we've compiled a list of the foundational donut toppings every donut house needs. Whether you're just starting a donut shop or have been operating for decades, these classic donut toppings will add flavor, texture, and visual appeal to your donuts.
Shop All Donut Shop Equipment1. Donut Glaze
A plain, simple sugar donut glaze is the most foundational topping every entrepreneur must invest in when starting a donut shop. This thin, translucent sugar coating is typically made with a mixture of sugar and liquid. It can be drizzled, poured, or dipped onto the donut after it is fried or baked. Its pourable consistency when warm makes it easy to work with, speeding up your production line.
The donut glaze hardens as it cools, creating a smooth and shiny finish, adding visual appeal to the donut. In addition to enhancing the donut's appearance, the glaze also adds moisture to the treat, keeping the donut fresh for longer periods. Donut glaze is used on many different types of donuts. Popular applications include yeasted donuts, donut holes, crullers, and honey buns.
- Donut Glaze Tasting Notes: Neutral, sweet taste
- Donut Glaze Texture: Thin and pourable when warm, hardens when cooled
- Donut Glaze Applications: Yeast donuts, donut holes, crullers, and honey buns
2. Vanilla Donut Icing
Known for its true vanilla flavor, this icing adds a deliciously sweet and aromatic touch to your treats. Vanilla donut icing creates a glossy finish that enhances the overall look of the donut and entices customers. It can be easily spread or dipped onto the donuts.
Compared to frosting, donut icing is thinner in consistency but not as thin as a glaze. This balance makes it easy to work with while still providing a smooth and even coating on the donuts. Additionally, vanilla donut icing is less translucent than a glaze, giving it a more opaque appearance that stands out on the donut surface. Popular applications for vanilla donut icing include yeast donuts, sour cream donuts, and buttermilk drop donuts.
- Vanilla Donut Icing Tasting Notes: Pure vanilla, sweet, creamy, floral essences
- Vanilla Donut Icing Texture: Syrupy
- Vanilla Donut Icing Applications: Circular and bar yeast donuts, sour cream donuts, buttermilk drop donuts
3. Sprinkles
Dipping freshly iced or glazed donuts in sprinkles adds a crunchy texture that contrasts with the soft dough and enhances the flavor and appearance. Sprinkles often come in two popular shapes: the thin, rod-shaped variety frequently called jimmies, and the round, flat, sequin-shaped option often referred to as confetti sprinkles. Seasonal shapes like hearts, stars, and Christmas trees are also available.
From white to black and everything in between, sprinkles come in a variety of colors. Rainbow sprinkles that feature several hues in one mix are a popular option, as are solid brown, chocolate-flavored varieties. Non-chocolate sprinkles boast a straightforward sweetness or may carry vanilla essences.
- Sprinkles Tasting Notes: Saccharine, possible chocolate or vanilla notes
- Sprinkles Texture: Crunchy, toothsome
- Sprinkles Donut Applications: Funfetti donuts, glazed donuts, chocolate iced donuts
4. Chocolate Donut Icing
Chocolate donut Icing is a popular choice for adding a rich chocolate flavor and shine to donuts when cooled. Its viscous consistency when warm makes it ideal for dipping or drizzling over donuts. Thanks to its thin consistency, it coats the donut with decadent chocolate without overpowering it the way a chocolate frosting or ganache would.
One of the key benefits of using chocolate icing is that its saturated color creates a stark contrast to sprinkles or other toppings, making the donut visually enticing and appetizing. These toppings easily stick to the icing when wet and remain in place once the icing dries. Whether you're looking to create a classic chocolate-glazed yeast donut, a Boston cream donut, a Bavarian cream donut, or a chocolate long john, chocolate donut icing is a versatile option that can elevate the taste and appearance of your donuts.
- Chocolate Donut Icing Tasting Notes: Velvety, sweet, rich chocolate
- Chocolate Donut Icing Texture: Viscous
- Chocolate Donut Icing Applications: Boston cream donut, Bavarian cream donut, chocolate long john, chocolate iced yeast donut with sprinkles
5. Powdered Sugar
Powdered sugar is a classic and versatile topping for donuts, adding a touch of sweetness and a delightful powdery finish. As a staple sweetener, powdered sugar is a topping that most bakeries likely already have on hand, eliminating the need to source new ingredients. Powdered sugar is the perfect topping for zeppole, beignets, and cake donuts, enhancing their flavor and appearance.
To achieve the perfect powdered sugar coating on your donuts, it is essential to follow a few key steps. After you fry your donuts in oil, allow them to cool for no more than 10 minutes. Once the donuts have cooled slightly, gently toss them in a bowl of powdered sugar. The warmth of the donuts will cause the powdered sugar to stick effortlessly, resulting in a beautifully coated finish.
- Powdered Sugar Tasting Notes: Sweet, but less intense than granulated sugar
- Powdered Sugar Texture: Smooth, fine, powdery
- Powdered Sugar Donut Topping Applications: Beignets, cake donuts, zeppole, sour cream donuts
6. Maple Donut Icing
Maple icing is a classic donut topping that adds a touch of sweetness and a rich maple syrup flavor. Thanks to its warm, comforting fall flavor, maple donut icing is a popular seasonal choice for icing apple fritters and cinnamon buns in the autumn months. It's also used to make year-round donut shop staples like maple-glazed yeast ring donuts and maple long johns.
One of the key characteristics of maple icing is its thin and pourable consistency when warm, similar to light syrup. This makes it the perfect viscosity for dipping, ensuring that it evenly coats the donut's surface and provides a delicious amber maple syrup flavor in every bite. Once cooled, maple icing adds a shiny finish to donuts, enhancing their overall presentation.
- Maple Donut Icing Tasting Notes: Caramel, toffee, vanilla, woody, floral notes
- Maple Donut Icing Texture: Thin, pourable, syrupy
- Maple Donut Icing Applications: Apple fritters, cinnamon buns, maple-glazed yeast ring donuts, maple long johns
7. Cinnamon Sugar
When it comes to classic and versatile donut toppings, cinnamon sugar is a simple yet flavorful combination that adds a delightful touch to a variety of donut styles, making it a must-have option for any bakery or cafe. Purchasing a premixed cinnamon sugar blend cuts down the number of individual spices you need to measure out, saving you time and ensuring the ideal ratio of cinnamon to sugar every time. This convenience helps you achieve the perfect balance of flavors in your donuts. Simply roll the donuts in your cinnamon sugar mixture while hot so it sticks.
The swicy blend of sweet sugar and spicy cinnamon creates a warm and comforting flavor profile that pairs well with a wide range of donut varieties. Whether you're offering traditional cinnamon rolls, cake donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar, or even apple cider donuts topped with a dusting of this flavorful mixture, your customers are sure to be delighted by the familiar taste. Other popular cinnamon sugar fried sweets are churros, cinnamon sugar twist donuts, and sour cream donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar.
- Cinnamon Sugar Tasting Notes: Warm, subtly spicy, candied
- Cinnamon Sugar Texture: Granular, sand
- Cinnamon Sugar Donut Topping Applications: Cinnamon sugar twists, churros, sour cream donuts, apple cider donuts, cake donuts, cinnamon rolls
8. Sanding Sugar
Sanding sugar is a versatile and visually appealing donut topping that can add a colorful garnish to your baked goods. Sanding sugar comes in both coarse and fine varieties, allowing you to choose the texture that best complements your desired donut style. The large crystal grains of coarse sanding sugar reflect light to deliver a sparkling effect to baked goods. This makes it an ideal choice for creating eye-catching treats that stand out in an Instagram post. However, fine sanding sugar offers a similar visual appeal and deep color saturation with a less crunchy texture.
Sanding sugar is bake-stable, meaning it does not dissolve when subjected to heat or wet icing and liquids. Whether you prefer to sprinkle sanding sugar on your donuts before or after baking, this topping maintains its decorative appearance. With a wide range of color options available, from vibrant lavender to lush green, you can customize your donuts to suit any theme or occasion.
- Sanding Sugar Tasting Notes: Saccharine
- Sanding Sugar Texture: Granular sanding sugar is gravel-like, fine sanding sugar offers a mild crunch
- Sanding Sugar Donut Topping Applications: Plain, vanilla, or chocolate glazed donuts
9. Cereal
Combine two beloved continental breakfast foods by topping your donuts with cereal. Purchasing wholesale cereal is inexpensive, making this a fun and affordable topping. Designed to be bite-sized, cereal is the perfect crunchy sweet topping to enhance without overwhelming your donut creations. It easily adheres to wet icing or glaze, ensuring that the chocolate chips stay in place and provide a visually appealing finish to your creations.
There is a wide variety of cereals you can choose from to enhance your donuts. If you want a fruity flavor profile, consider Fruity Pebbles, Froot Loops, or Trix. Create a chocolate cereal donut with Cocoa Puffs, Chocolate Chex, or Cocoa Pebbles. Peanut Butter Captain Crunch pairs wonderfully with chocolate donut icing, or you can create a decadent cinnamon sugar donut with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Create a seasonal St. Patrick's Day donut by topping it with Lucky Charms, or separate the rainbow marshmallows and use them to create a Pride Month donut.
- Cereal Tasting Notes: Depending on the type, it can be fruity, chocolate, cinnamon, or peanut butter
- Cereal Texture: Crunchy, crispy
- Cereal Donut Topping Applications: Added to wet icing or glaze of any complementary flavor so it adheres to the donut
10. Crushed Oreos
Crushed Oreo donut toppings are a delightful addition to any bakery's menu. Made from dark chocolate cookies paired with a rich, smooth cream filling, these cookies are broken into perfectly sized pieces for easy application. Crushed cookies and cream topping add a satisfyingly crunchy texture to donuts, enhancing the overall eating experience. Crushed Oreo toppings pair exceptionally well with chocolate iced donuts, creating a harmonious blend of flavors and textures.
For those looking to elevate their donut menu, consider creating a gourmet donut by filling it with Bavarian creme, frosting it with luscious Oreo cream icing, and generously topping it with crushed Oreos. Alternately, you can top a chocolate cake donut with the Oreo cream frosting and cookie crumbles. Either way, these decadent combinations create an eye-catching treat that is sure to impress customers and keep them coming back for more.
- Crushed Oreo Tasting Notes: Chocolate, cream, vanilla, buttery cookie
- Crushed Oreo Texture: Crunchy, velvety, rich
- Crushed Oreo Donut Topping Applications: Chocolate glazed donuts, gourmet donuts, Oreo cream frosted donuts, chocolate cake donuts
Donut Topping Brands
Now that you know which toppings you should stock your bakery pantry with, it's time to make your purchases. Our foodservice editorial team rounded up a couple of donut topping brands you should consider purchasing from based on research and reviews. These reputable brands have performed well amongst customers for their visual appeal and flavor, and operators for their affordable prices and ease of use.
Adourne
Adourne is a brand that celebrates the trendsetters and the fabulous confectionery makers in the culinary world. Their selection includes an assortment of sprinkles, nonpareils, and sanding sugars that are perfect for adding a pop of color and flavor to your donuts. With Adourne's donut toppings, you can easily elevate your donuts and create visually stunning treats that will delight customers of all ages.
- Average Price Point: $2.35 per pound
- Toppings: Sprinkles, nonpareils, and sanding sugars
See what our customers are saying about Adourne here!
Rich's Foodservice
Rich’s Foodservice, a renowned name in the food industry, dates back to 1945 when Robert E. Rich Sr. discovered that a soya bean substance could be transformed into a vegetable-based alternative to whipped cream, setting the stage for future innovations in food processing. Today, they boast a wide category of products, including delicious and convenient ready-to-use donut glazes and icings.
- Average Price Point: .16 cents per ounce
- Toppings: Classic donut glaze, vanilla donut icing, chocolate donut icing, honey donut dip, maple donut icing
See what our customers are saying about Rich's Foodservice here!
Henry & Henry
Founded in 1899 by Charles and Frederick Henry, Henry & Henry is a renowned baking ingredient company based in Buffalo, New York. Specializing in a wide range of bakery products, Henry & Henry offers top-quality fondant, creams, fillings, and icings that are perfect for enhancing the flavor and presentation of donuts. Whether you are looking to create delicious filled donuts, beautifully decorated donuts, or unique flavor combinations, Henry & Henry's extensive line of bakery products provides the perfect solutions for all your donut topping needs.
- Average Price Point: .17 cents per ounce
- Toppings: Fudge donut icing, white buttercream frosting base, vanilla donut dip, classic chocolate donut dip icing
See what our customers are saying about Henry & Henry here!
Joy Cone Co.
Joy Cone Co. offers a range of crushed toppings that can elevate basic donuts into gourmet treats. As the largest ice cream cone manufacturer globally, producing a staggering 1.5 billion cones annually, the Joy Cone Company has been a trusted name in the industry for nearly a century. Their expertise in creating high-quality products extends to their line of donut toppings, which are perfect for adding flavor and texture to your baked goods.
- Average Price Point: .28 cents per ounce
- Toppings: Crushed cookies and cream, ground cookie topping, waffle cone pieces
See what our customers are saying about Joy Cone Co. here!
Disclaimer: The average price point is determined at the time of publication. Check product pages for current prices.
Back to TopAs a donut shop operator, you must begin with the foundational donut toppings we've listed out before you start to add in more inventive options. Once you've stocked these basics, you can layer on additional toppings like bacon, mochi candy, and melted peanut butter. Armed with the basics, you can now craft your unique menu and create a list of offerings that sets you apart.
