Donuts
What Are Donut Holes? What's In the Box and What They Cost
10 October 2026 · 4 min read
Donut holes are small round donuts, about the size of a walnut, sold by the dozen in a box rather than one at a time. They are a complete donut made small - not an offcut, not a leftover, and not a lesser version of anything. At The Donut Run a dozen is $3.75, which makes them the cheapest way to put donuts in front of a group.
Do they really come from the hole in the middle?
That is where the name came from, and it is a good story, but it is mostly not how it works any more.
The original logic was simple: when you punch a ring donut out of a sheet of dough, you are left with a disc from the centre, and rather than waste it you drop it in the fryer beside the donut. Hence the hole. In practice most shops portion donut hole dough deliberately instead, because doing it on purpose is the only way to get a box where every piece is the same size and cooks through at the same rate. An offcut is whatever shape the cutter left behind; a portioned one is round.
Why people buy them
Almost always because of the group, not the individual. A donut hole solves three problems a full-sized donut creates:
- Nobody has to commit. A whole donut is a decision. A donut hole is not - which is why boxes empty faster than trays at the same event.
- They pass round. No plate, no napkin negotiation, no cutting one in half so two people can try it.
- They go further per dollar. At $3.75 a dozen they are the least expensive thing we sell by the piece.
They are the obvious call for a classroom, a kids' table, a meeting where people are standing, or anywhere you want something sweet on the table without it becoming the main event.
How many do I need?
The honest answer is that they disappear faster than people plan for. A working rule:
- Alongside other food - three to four per person
- The only thing on the table - five or six per person
- A group of ten - three to five dozen
- A classroom of thirty - eight to ten dozen
If you are hesitating between two numbers, take the higher one. Donut holes are the one item nobody has ever regretted over-ordering, and they are cheap enough that the difference is small.
Donut holes vs a dozen donuts
Different jobs. A dozen donuts is twelve individual decisions, and people pick a favourite and remember it. A box of donut holes is a shared thing in the middle of the table that everybody picks at. If you want your crowd to choose something, buy the dozen - our dozen deal is buy ten, get two free, and you can mix whatever you like into the box. If you want the table fed with no fuss, buy the holes.
For a bigger group, plenty of people do both: a dozen or two of the real thing so there is something to choose from, and a few boxes of holes so there is enough.
One thing to know before you come
All of our donuts contain dairy, wheat and egg, and we do not have a gluten-free option.
Where and when
Out with the morning trays from 5:00am at Spanish Fork, Ogden and St. George, six days a week. For a large order - several boxes for a classroom or an office - give the shop nearest you a little notice and it will be ready when you arrive rather than built while you wait.
Common questions
What are donut holes?
Donut holes are small round bite-sized donuts, roughly the size of a walnut, sold by the dozen in a box rather than individually. They are a whole donut in miniature, not a leftover piece of one.
Are donut holes actually made from the middle of a donut?
That is where the name comes from, but it is not generally how they are made now. The traditional story is that the centre punched out of a ring donut was fried alongside it. In practice most shops portion donut hole dough on purpose, because sizing them deliberately gives you a consistent box.
How much are donut holes at The Donut Run?
$3.75 a dozen. They are sold by the box rather than as singles, which makes them one of the least expensive things on our menu per piece.
How many donut holes do I need for a group?
Count on three to four per person if they are alongside other food, and five or six each if donut holes are the only thing on the table. For a group of ten that is roughly three to five dozen.
Are donut holes good for kids and parties?
They are the easiest thing we sell to hand round. No cutting, no sharing a donut in half, and small enough that nobody has to commit to a whole one. For classrooms and kids' tables they tend to go further than full-sized donuts.
Do donut holes contain wheat, dairy or egg?
Yes. All of our donuts contain dairy, wheat and egg, and we do not have a gluten-free option.