A doughnut is a very specific dessert treat, a fried ring that is glazed or sugared, with a texture soft enough to tear with your fingers. It may also have a filling. But its family tree is much messier. The modern Western doughnut is commonly traced back to the Dutch settlers' olykoeks, or ‘oil cakes’, which were fried rounds of dough brought to New Amsterdam. The familiar hole in it came later, surrounded by several competing origin stories. By the early 20th century, the industrial improvement and rise of American doughnut chains had turned the pastry into a global food icon.
And then came the doughnut's adventurous and trendy era. Aka the Cronut, Dominique Ansel's croissant-doughnut hybrid launched in New York in 2013, combining laminated pastry and deep-frying into a viral dessert. And just when you thought humans could not get more culinarily creative, Japan's Pon de Ring pushed the texture conversation in another direction with its distinctly chewy, mochi-like dough. More recent food and bakery trends lean towards stuffed doughnuts, bomboloni, sourdough versions, and quirky ones with contrasting textures.
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However, India's relationship with fried dough is far older and more varied, even after the Western doughnut made its grand entrance. Here, regional doughnuts do not always arrive wearing a fashionable glaze. Sometimes it comes with chutney, often alongside jaggery, and other times drenched in a bunch of mouthwatering desi dressings. This makes India's regional doughnut varieties particularly intriguing and delicious from the very start.
India’s Own Fried Rings
If you are in India, step out and go looking for doughnuts. Of course, you will find several modern bakeries selling great stuffed, glazed, and cronut varieties of the OG treat in air-conditioned malls and upscale neighbourhoods. Now go local and follow the tasty smells on familiar streets. You will find crisp vadas served with generous amounts of sambar or various chutneys, desi sweets with textures akin to doughnuts, and filling chaats combining the best of both cuisines. While the three are completely different dishes, somewhere between the ring, the fried crust, and the soft or chewy texture, they began speaking the same delicious doughnut language. That does not rob them of their identity, but helps us view them with newfound appreciation.
Medu Vada
If India has a dish that can walk into the doughnut conversation without explanation and give stiff competition, it is medu vada. Made primarily from urad dal batter, the South Indian staple is shaped into a ring and deep-fried to dreamy crispness. The result is almost tailor-made for the texture comparison: a crisp, craggy exterior giving way to a soft, pillowy centre.
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Medu vada is a memorable desi savoury doughnut and has a special place in Tamil Nadu meals, weddings, festivals, and puja occasions. And then comes the essential culinary masterstroke: sambar and coconut chutney. A Western doughnut may get a glaze, but medu vada gets an expert supporting cast.
Sel Roti
Then there is sel roti, the rice-based ring that makes any doughnut comparison all the more convincing. The National Portal of India lists sel roti among India's regional culinary traditions. Very simply described, it is a flat, round sweet doughnut made from rice flour, water, sugar, ghee, and spices, before being deep-fried. It is particularly associated with Dashain and Tihar in Darjeeling's Nepali-speaking communities.
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Its texture is its business calling card: crisp and browned on the outside, with a denser, pleasantly chewy interior. Unlike a yeast-raised doughnut, sel roti has a distinctly rice-forward character with a great mouthfeel. It is the sort of food that makes a doughnut feel festive and rustic instead of fast food.
Balushahi
The Indian doughnut conversation becomes much more tempting with the entrance of the elegant balushahi. Though it has no hole, its resemblance to an old-fashioned glazed doughnut is hard to miss: fried dough, a beautifully tawny exterior, and a generous sugar coating. Bihar Tourism describes the Runni Saidpur balushahi as a traditional sweet made using chhena, flour, and semolina before being soaked in sugar syrup.
Texture is where balushahi takes the centre stage. It has a rich, layered bite, with the fried exterior giving way to a softer centre before the syrup arrives. And that contrast of crispness, sweetness and softness at the centre allows Balushahi to remain in the regional doughnut category.
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After all, a differently shaped desi doughnut is still a doughnut if the basic culinary profile matches. Also, a distinctly contemporary footnote: the Geographical Indications Registry records a 2026 application for Baghpat Balushahi, showing how strongly regional identity is now being attached to individual versions of Balushahi itself.
Telghor Or Ghila Pitha
Assam's ghila pitha, also called tel pitha, is another compelling member of India's fried-dough universe. Assam Tourism describes it as a round preparation made from rice powder and jaggery, which is then deep-fried until the resultant dessert is golden and crisp, with a slightly chewy centre. It is usually made during Bihu and other special occasions.
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Now this is where the Indian doughnut idea becomes even more personal and regional. There is no wheat flour, no yeast, and no bakery glaze. Instead, rice and jaggery provide the internal softness, structure, and sweetness, while hot oil creates the crisp outer shell. Ghila Pitha is rustic, compact, and unmistakably Assamese, despite its similarity with its cousin Doughnut.
Gulgula
For enhancing the snackability of India’s doughnut spread, gulgula deserves more attention. Found across parts of North India and made in different regional variations, these small sweet fried dough balls are commonly made using wheat flour and jaggery or sugar. They are closer to doughnut holes than doughnuts themselves, especially when served warm and crisp.
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Just imagine, the contemporary bakery world has made filled doughnut holes and bite-sized doughnuts fashionable in recent decades, whilst Indian kitchens have had their own version of the small fried sweet for a really long time.
Dahi Vada
And then India, being diverse and creative as always, went and mischievously recreated the doughnut into something far more snack-worthy and street-friendly: the dahi vada. The fried urad dal base is round and airy within, but with a crisp crunch from being fried in oil.
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But then it undergoes a lovely makeover: it is soaked, softened, and covered in tangy, cooling whipped yoghurt, zesty coriander, and sweet tamarind chutneys, alongside other spices. The texture changes instantly, from crisp to almost cloud-soft. However, the fried lentil foundation still manages to provide a medium bite amidst everything, which is more than sufficient for traveling to texture heaven.