There is no evidence of when exactly the first pickle donut was created. But ever since that day, the internet was not the same. Today, there are an endless amount of places to find a unique pickle donut, whether it be at a bakery, a state fair, or even a pickle festival.
One of the most iconic pickle donuts could be found for a short time at the Hurts Donut bakery thanks to lead baker Ian Carleton. While the pickle donut only spent a single day on the Hurts Donut menu in 2017 (on National Pickle Day, of course), it left a lasting impression. In fact, the pickle sent the internet into a frenzy, begging for it to return to the menu until the bakery partnered with Delish in order to give the donut its coveted menu slot back for two weeks.
This novelty donut is actually very popular, which is why Hurts Donut is not the only bakery to take the leap into sour territory. Fluffy’s Hand Cut Donuts offer the Dill Pickle Donut at the Wisconsin State Fair, and Holly Springs’ Eric Cane is bringing his iconic Mt. Olive Dill Pickle Doughnuts to the 2025 North Carolina Pickle Festival. There are many pickle donut distributors across the country, but they may be a little difficult to come by due to their very short time on most menus.
Making your own pickle donuts
Bakeries often offer pickle donuts as seasonal products because they’re usually a novel purchase — not the average choice for a morning donut. So, it may be easier to make your own instead of making the trek to the fairs and festivals in Wisconsin or North Carolina. This is actually a fairly easy process, but the most important piece of the pickled puzzle is using a recipe where the donut and frosting’s flavor compliment the sour taste of a pickle.
Hurts Donut’s pickle donut includes pickle cheesecake filling, vanilla icing, dried dill, and a pickle juice cubes. Fluffy’s utilizes dill pickle juice whipped cream cheese, while Cane specially makes Mt. Olive Dill Pickle Frosting for his donuts. What this iconic trio has in common is their heavy use of pickles in each part of the donut, leaning into the sour addition on top of the normal sweetness of a donut. Each baker pairs the pickle with a complementary sweet flavor, all tasting vastly different yet similarly delicious. The beauty of making your own tray of donuts is the fact that you can play around with the taste. Each of these donuts are unique in their pickle usage, and you’d be surprised at the various tastes that complement a pickle (including the cheeses and meats on a charcuterie board, the classic app deviled eggs, and even pizza).
