Oliebollen are small Dutch pastries often referred to as the grandmother of donuts! These soft, pillowy treats are dusted with powdered sugar and are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve.
What are oliebollen?
Oliebollen (don't translate; nobody wants oil balls ;-) ) are a Dutch sweet fried snack and are considered to be the predecessor of the donut. They are made with the same ingredients, but unlike donuts, you don't make oliebollen with a bread-like dough but with a thick batter instead. This makes it a bit tricky to work with but allows you to turn the batter into the amazing fried snack all the Dutch people love.
Why do we eat them on New Year's Eve?
Traditionally, oliebollen are eaten on New Year's Eve, but I think they are a great snack all year round. I think most Dutchies don't even know why this is.
Pastries like oliebollen have been around for centuries, and similar recipes are also found outside the Netherlands, but where did this tradition come from?
The story goes that during the cold months, less fortunate people would receive a special treat, such as a waffle or an oil cake, as a way to wish them all the best for the new year. Over time, this oil cake evolved into the famous oliebol. Instead of being given exclusively to the less fortunate as a New Year's greeting, everyone in the Netherlands enjoys this warm snack.
Why you will love oliebollen
- Warm, fried pastries dusted with powdered sugar coating are perfect winter snacks!
- Add your favorite fillings like diced apples, currants, raisins, nuts, and candied fruit.
- You only need a few ingredients to make them.
- Oliebollen are great with champagne.
- If you love sugar donuts or beignets, I promise you will LOVE oliebollen.
Ingredient notes
Flour: I recommend using bread flour to make oliebollen, but all-purpose flour works too. You could use gluten-free flour; however, I haven't tested this myself.
Yeast: To make traditional Dutch oliebollen, you have to add yeast. I always use instant yeast, but if you have dried or even fresh yeast, feel free to use that instead. For the best results, it is important that you don't use older yeast, so please check the expiration date before you begin.
Eggs: Eggs give the oliebollen a soft, tender texture, but you can make oliebollen without eggs. To get a similar texture make sure to add whole milk or a little bit of melted butter.
How to make this oliebollen recipe
Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix them together. Next, we add all the wet ingredients, and with a hand mixer or stand mixer, we mix the batter for about ten minutes until you have a thick, smooth batter.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside in a warm spot to let the batter rise. This often takes a lot longer than when you're making bread and it is really important that the batter doesn't get too cold.
Once the batter has doubled in volume, it's time to preheat the oil to 350°F. Carefully scoop some batter into the hot oil and fry the oliebollen for about 6 to 8 minutes.
Once they are golden on both sides, you can take them out of the oil. Put them in a bowl lined with paper towels to remove excess oil, and dust them with powdered sugar.
Variations
You may have noticed that the oliebollen in my photos are plain and do not contain fillings like currants. This is because I like them better this way but also because they are so versatile, and there are many amazing filling options.
Traditionally, you fill them with a mixture of currants and raisins, but other dried fruits like cranberry or dried apricots and cherries are also delicious.
I like the ones filled with currants, but adding fresh fruit like sweet apples cut into tiny cubes is AMAZING! Replace the powdered sugar with cinnamon sugar and they taste just like apple pie.
Oliebollen can also be filled with hearty fillings like cheese, spring onions, and bacon.
Add a cup of chocolate chips to make chocolate oliebollen!
Toppings
- Traditionally, oliebollen are served with a generous coating of powdered sugar, but if you want to take them to the next level, add a little cinnamon to create cinnamon (powered) sugar!
- Fill them with (vegan) pastry cream to make them extra special.
- We also love to fill them with chantilly cream, especially in the north of the Netherlands. If you don't like regular whipped cream, try chocolate whipped cream or cinnamon whipped cream!
- If you love donuts dipped into chocolate, you have to try coating your oliebollen in melted chocolate.
- Drizzle some dark caramel sauce over them!
My tips for the best oliebollen
- Use two large serving spoons or an ice cream scoop dipped in oil to scoop out the batter. Dipping your spoons into the hot oil prevents the batter from sticking to the spoons.
- Make sure to use new instant yeast.
- Your ingredients should be at room temperature. This will make incorporating all the ingredients easier and give your yeast a better start.
- Make sure you let the batter rise in a warm space. On cold days, I often place the bowl near a warm stove or kachel. If you are lucky and have an oven with an option to prove bread, this is perfect for oliebollen batter.
- Use water instead of milk. The protein in the milk will give your oliebollen a beautiful color, but that can make it harder to see if they are done.
- Don't bake too many at a time. Overcrowding your pan will result in gooey, greasy oliebollen.
Frequently asked questions
We use sunflower oil in the Netherlands to make oliebollen, but any vegetable oil will work. However, make sure it is suitable for frying at high temperatures.
If your oliebollen are greasy, your oil probably wasn't hot enough.
Yes and no. You can't just scoop batter in your basket and bake them, but you can pour a little bit of batter into a muffin tin. They will become more like sweet bread if you cook them in your air fryer.
Diets
- Lactose-free - you make oliebollen with water of milk, but you can use lactose-free or plant-based milk.
- Vegan - for vegan oliebollen, you omit the egg, and, as for the lactose-free oliebollen, you could use lactose-free or vegetable milk instead of water if you like.
- Gluten-free - even if you can't tolerate gluten, you can make oliebollen! Replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
- Egg-free - you can also bake oliebollen without eggs. Leave out the egg and add a little more liquid if the batter seems too dry.
Storage
Don't store oliebollen in the fridge because, like bread, they will dry out. Covered with plastic wrap or in a paper bag, they will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature. If you want to store them longer, you can also freeze them. When frozen, they will stay fresh for up to three months.
To reheat your oliebollen, the best method is to place them in a preheated oven until they are warm. You can also reheat them in a microwave, but they will become a bit soft.
Leftovers are also fantastic for making French toast or for use in a bread pudding with vanilla sauce! Or eat them for breakfast (and lunch ;-) ) like a true Dutchman.
More traditional Dutch recipes to try next
Oliebollen
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 2 cups lukewarm water or milk
- 1 packet yeast 7 gram
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 8 ½ cups sunflower oil *The ammount depen on the pan you are using.
Instructions
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Add the egg and water and mix it with a hand mixer with dough hooks to a smooth batter. This takes about 5-10 minutes. You can also do this with a (wooden) spoon if you don't have a mixer.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let the batter rise in a warm place for about 45-60 minutes. The batter is ready to bake when it has roughly doubled in volume.
- Preheat your oil to 350 °F (180 °C).
- Dip your spoons or ice cream scoop into the hot oil for a moment and scoop some batter from the bowl.
- Carefully slide the oliebollen batter into the hot oil and fry the oliebollen for about 4 minutes on one side until golden brown. They should turn over on their own after 2-3 minutes.
- Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and let the oil balls drain on some paper towels to drain off the excess oil.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all the batter is used up.
Notes
- You can heat up leftover oliebollen in a preheated oven or microwave.
- You can keep them for 2-3 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
I’m so happy I finally found out what these desserts are called. I had these on vacation before and been dying to make them myself.