Catering
Donut Walls in Utah: What They Are, How Many You Need, What They Cost
2 October 2026 · 5 min read
A donut wall is a pegboard of donuts standing where a dessert table would be. Guests lift one off a peg instead of taking one off a tray. It is cheaper than a cake per head, it needs no plates or forks, and it is the single most photographed thing at a lot of Utah receptions. Here is the arithmetic, and the one part you have to call us about.
How many donuts
The number people get wrong. Count on roughly one and a half donuts per guest — the same rule as any box for a group. Some guests take two, plenty take none, and that is where it lands.
| Guests | Donuts | Dozens |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | about 75 | 6–7 |
| 100 | about 150 | 12–13 |
| 150 | about 225 | 19 |
| 200 | about 300 | 25 |
A wall normally holds less than the full count, so the usual approach is to hang a full wall and keep the rest boxed underneath to refill as it empties. A wall that has been picked half-bare for an hour is the thing people remember, and it is entirely avoidable.
Which donuts can actually hang
A peg needs a hole. That rules more out than people expect.
- Traditional glazed — $1.50 each, $15.00 a dozen. The bulk choice. Light, a genuine ring, cheapest per guest by a wide margin.
- Cake donuts — $2.50 each, $25.00 a dozen. The sturdy choice. A cake ring holds its shape on a peg for a couple of hours better than a raised glazed does, and keeps better generally. If the wall goes up early, these.
- Specialty rings — $2.75 each, $27.50 a dozen. The showpieces. Persians, fritters and old fashioneds read as "nice" from across a room.
- Custom decorated — $3.00 each. Iced, so they hold colour and writing — see glaze versus icing. The way most people do a monogram or a colour theme is a handful of custom rings set into a wall of glazed, rather than pricing the whole wall at $3.00. Custom is the one item the dozen deal does not cover.
- Cannot hang: anything filled — Bismarks, Bavarian creams — and any bar, including Long Johns and buttermilk bars. No hole. Put those on a tray beside the wall if you want them.
What a wall of 100 guests costs in donuts
Thirteen dozen, every dozen buy ten get two free:
- All traditional glazed — 13 × $15.00 = $195.00
- All cake — 13 × $25.00 = $325.00
- All specialty — 13 × $27.50 = $357.50
- Ten glazed dozen plus three specialty — $150.00 + $82.50 = $232.50
Those are donut prices, which are the prices we can quote on a page. See what a dozen costs for the full board.
The part to call us about
Whether a wall itself is something our shops can help with — and what that involves — is a question for the shop you would be collecting from, not something to take off a web page. Call Spanish Fork, Ogden or St. George directly and ask. We would rather you heard the real answer from the people who would be doing it than read a promise here. The same goes for timing on a large order: give at least a day's notice and more for a wedding, because everything is made the morning of and a big order is a morning's production.
Large orders generally has the rest, and donuts instead of a cake covers the smaller version of the same idea.
Common questions
What is a donut wall?
A board with pegs or dowels, hung or stood upright, with a donut on each peg. It replaces a dessert table at a wedding or a party. Guests take one off the wall instead of off a tray, which is most of the appeal — it is self-serve and it photographs well.
How many donuts do I need for a donut wall?
Count on roughly one and a half donuts per guest overall, the same rule as any box. A wall usually holds fewer than that, so most people hang a full wall and keep boxes in reserve to refill it as it empties. For a hundred guests that is about 150 donuts, or roughly twelve and a half dozen.
What kind of donuts work best on a donut wall?
Ring donuts, because they need a hole to hang by. Traditional glazed at $1.50 each is the usual bulk choice, cake donuts at $2.50 are sturdier and sag less over a couple of hours, and specialty rings at $2.75 are the showpieces. Filled donuts and bars have no hole and cannot hang at all.
How much does a donut wall cost in Utah?
The donuts are the part we can price: traditional glazed $15.00 a dozen, assorted $22.50, cake $25.00, specialty $27.50, and custom decorated $3.00 each. Every dozen except custom is buy ten, get two free. What a wall itself involves at our shops is a question for the shop you would be collecting from — call and ask rather than assuming.
How far ahead should I order?
A day's notice at minimum, and more for a wedding-sized order. Everything is made the morning of, so a large order is a morning's production — the earlier it is on the books, the more of it gets made properly rather than squeezed in.
Can I get custom decorated donuts on the wall?
Custom decorated donuts are $3.00 each and are iced rather than glazed, so they hold colour and writing. Custom is the one item the buy-ten-get-two-free dozen deal does not cover. Mixing a few custom rings into a wall of glazed is the usual way people do a monogram or a colour theme without pricing the whole wall at $3.00.