Facts

The Mysterious Origin Story Of Donut Holes (And Where Dunkin' Fits In) By Alexa Valme Sept. 24, 2025 8:39 am EST

Bhofack2/Getty Images

The donut hole has always been more than a neat little circle of missing dough — it's a mystery with multiple claimants to its invention. Dutch settlers brought olykoek, or oily cakes, to early America, but they were heavy, round pastries without holes. The more familiar ring shape is usually credited to a 19th-century sailor named Hanson Gregory, who supposedly cut out the soggy centers with a blade while at sea. However it happened, that missing middle gave donuts their signature look and set the stage for what came next.

By the 1920s, Adolph Levitt's donut-making machine transformed the treat from small-batch novelty into mass-market

See Full Page