Donuts are not just for breakfast as consumers are serving them at birthday parties, weddings, showers and other events as they are sized for individuals and offer a way to serve several flavors.

“The ‘donut wall’ has emerged as a trendy alternative to traditional wedding cakes, featuring walls adorned with donuts for guests to enjoy,” said Anne-Marie Roerink, president, 210 Analytics. “It’s visually appealing, interactive and it’s gained great popularity on social media platforms.”

She added that this is just one example of many new ways consumers are eating donuts, such as having donut cakes, charcuterie-type boards with toppings to create your own favorite donut and more. 

“These types of applications are new and likely purely incremental to the traditional breakfast application,” Roerink continued. “This is precisely where social media and in-store merchandising energy should go to elevate donut sales through new applications and occasions.”

Chad Larson, vice president and chief operating officer, Mel-O-Cream Donuts International Inc., Springfield, Ill., said he’s seen a surge in donut walls at events like weddings, and he’s seen them at conferences and charity events, too.

“The local police station here built a donut peg wall,” he explained. “We donate glazed ring donuts for them for different charitable things, and they take it around and they have ‘get to know your local police officer’ days, and they put the donuts on there.”

Brands are also experimenting with packaging and catering to holiday themes and other events.

“Certainly, donuts are also trying to penetrate new holidays and celebrations, which is the No. 1 reason for consumers to splurge a little more,” Roerink said. “For instance, I’ve seen a Halloween-themed box with four orange/brown donuts that was eye-catching and creates an impulse purchase or donuts that were inspired by pop culture or zeitgeist fun, such as Barbie, a solar eclipse or Ghostbusters.”

Kelsey Olsen, food and drink reports analyst, Mintel. suggested retailers take promotions a step further by emphasizing daily specials that encourage more frequent visits and expand palates by encouraging consumers to try new flavors and products. Social media is another place to get creative, too.

“We’re also seeing in-store bakery products that support special occasions outside of the core holidays, like a Super Bowl cookie cake or cookies that are topped with encouraging messages for the everyday,” she said. “Baked goods, particularly, are in the sweet spot and have an opportunity to create more special everyday moments with the right messaging and presentation of products, like toppings and decor.”

Flavor, texture, new shapes and other innovations can be the difference between flat sales and growth, and that opportunity will only expand because Generation Z and millennials like to try new things, Roerink said.

“While boomers and Gen X prefer safer innovations that provide a twist to a proven favorite, Gen Z likes bold innovation. That provides great opportunities to retailers and bakers to ensure the existing assortment delivers and experiment with seasonal, trendy flavors as limited-time offers,” she said. “For instance, Korean cuisine is red-hot right now with Korean bakeries sprouting up across the nation. Exploring with Kkwabaegi, Korean twisted donuts, can be a way to engage with these younger generations on social media and in-store.”

Tous les Jours, Commerce, Calif., is a French-Korean bakery chain that has doubled its store count over the past five years with more than 150 locations. It is a fusion of rich, buttery French baking paired with the bold, diverse flavors of Korean cuisine.

“For example, we serve classic sweet donuts like our Vanilla Cream, Chocolate Cream and Mango Cream Donuts, which highlight the indulgent side of French pastry techniques,” said Sue Han, marketing manager for Tous les Jours. “On the Korean-inspired side, we offer items like our Kimchi Croquette, a savory standout that features the tangy, spicy complexity of fermented kimchi encased in a soft, golden croquette shell.”

Other offerings include a Sweet Rice Donut that has a chewy texture that mimics Korean rice-based desserts and a classic Twist Donut, which has a light, airy texture and subtle sweetness. The bakery’s Red Bean Donut resonates well in areas with large Asian-American communities, Han said.

This article is an excerpt from the March 2025 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Donuts, click here.