Pączki

Round Polish doughnuts made from a rich yeast dough, deep-fried and usually filled with jam or custard.

Pączki: Several round golden-brown pączki doughnuts with a pale band around the middle, glazed and dusted with powdered sugar, one torn open to show a red jam filling
  • Cakes, cookies, pastries and baked goods
  • Poland

Pączki are made from a very rich dough with plenty of egg yolks, butter, sugar and milk, and some recipes add a splash of spirit so the dough absorbs less fat while frying. The dough is shaped into balls, left to rise and fried until deep golden, often leaving a pale ring around the middle. They are then filled with rose-petal jam, plum butter, custard or fruit preserves and dusted with powdered sugar or glazed.

In Poland they are eaten in great numbers on Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent. In Polish-American communities the big day is usually the Tuesday before Lent, often called Pączki Day.

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Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

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