Oliebollen
Ranked #4,323 in Food & Cooking, #82,872 overall
A Dutch new year's eve tradition
Oliebollen (singular: oliebol) are basically deep-fried balls of dough, sometimes with raisins - think donuts without the holes. They are served with powdered sugar.
Traditionally Dutch people eat them on New Year's Eve. Many people here in Holland make their own (and if they do you can often still smell the oliebollen days later in their kitchen), but in the last few days of the year they are also widely available from bakeries, supermarkets and market stalls.
Oliebollen, served hot with powdered sugar, make a perfect December holiday dessert. And it's not hard to make your own, with our easy oliebollen recipe.
Oliebollen stalls
Around November, stalls like the one on the photo, selling mostly oliebollen, pop up everywhere, and in the first days of January they disappear again. The photo was taken on a quiet morning in mid December. There were no customers at that time, but probably quite a few later in the day. If you visit in the afternoon of 31 December, you will have to wait in line for a long time, even though there are several people serving.
If you want to try to bake your own oliebollen I'll share the recipe with you.
The shopping list
What you will need to bake oliebollen
- 3dl. (10.14 fl oz) milk
- 20g (0.7 oz) yeast
- 400g (14 oz / 0.9 lb) flour
- 2 eggs
- salt
- optionally: 200g raisins
- oil for deep-frying
- powdered sugar
The oliebollen recipe
Cooking instructions
Mix yeast and lukewarm milk. Add flower, eggs and salt and mix well to make a smooth dough. Optionally add the raisins and stir through the dough. Put the dough in a bowl and fully cover the bowl. Let it rise for at least an hour on a warm place - don't take off the cover while it's rising! Using two wet dining spoons, let small amounts of dough - a spoonful per oliebol - slide into the hot oil. Keep the spoons wet (or slightly greasy) to prevent the dough sticking to the spoons. Deep-fry for about six minutes. For best results use a fork to turn them half-way through.
Serve hot or cold, with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
King Kooker KK2S Stainless Steel Deep Fry Pan with Lid
Amazon Price: $33.99 (as of 06/03/2012)
Poll: Did you try the oliebollen recipe?
Oliebollen recipe card
If you want an oliebollen recipe card, we have the recipe on postcards or greeting cards. Add the card to your collection, or send it to a friend.
Oliebollen recipe greeting card
Variations
Make your oliebollen a bit different
If you know another tasty oliebollen variation please let me know, in the feedback section below!
- Replace part (or all) of the raisins by apple cubes. Tiny cubes that are similar in size to a raisin give the best result.
- Candied peel is another popular addition, albeit one that I don't particular like.
- Instead of raisins you can also use dried currants, or a mix of raisins and dried currants.
- Do you like ginger? Try adding some to your oliebollen, it's delicious!
Oliebollen greeting card
Oliebollen new year card by Henk van Kampen
Browse Oliebollen Cards
The photos on this page are available as greeting card. The text on the front is "Happy new year" but can be customized. The inside of the card is blank, you can add your own message here.
More Dutch recipes
Your feedback
Show us your oliebollen
Did you try the recipe? Do you like oliebollen? Let us know!
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Mujjen
Apr 28, 2011 @ 2:14 am | delete
- This sounds really good! Can just imagine them with powder sugar on top....yummie!
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prosperity66 Jan 26, 2011 @ 3:33 am | delete
- I want olieboolen or croustillon (that's their name in French) with lots of powdered sugar, please ;)
I use to buy a dozen each time I go to the Zuidfoor in Brussels or any other fair in my country. Oliebollen aren't traditional New Year treats in my area but all Belgians enjoy to eat them as much as Dutches do.
Your lenses remind us that we have fantastic things and foods on our Old Continent ;)
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ChrisDay
Jan 22, 2011 @ 12:07 am | delete
- Thanks for sharing
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spirituality Jan 17, 2011 @ 2:17 am | delete
- Good idea to add ginger :) I agree with the general sentiment that the raisins are obligatory :)
Eating them as a desert feels all wrong though. Too greasy.
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mivvy
Jan 5, 2011 @ 9:50 am | delete
- I always add chopped apple to the oliebollen mixture. Raisins are obligatory. If you don't add them your oliebol is likedeep-fried bread. (I am Dutch)
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Henk
Jan 5, 2011 @ 10:47 am | delete
- I agree, I always use raisins, but some people prefer without. Most stalls have both with and without raisins. And I like adding apple too;-)
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Tipi
Dec 9, 2010 @ 10:03 am | delete
- These sound like a wonderful treat that is looked forward to every year. I wonder if they are served other than Christmas.
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Henk
Dec 9, 2010 @ 1:14 pm | delete
- They are widely available in November and December. In summer you can sometimes get them on funfairs, but other than that we don't normally serve them.
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puzzlemaker
Dec 7, 2010 @ 7:46 pm | delete
- I know I'd love this. I like doughnuts, elephant ears and any other type of fried dough and I'm a big fan of raisins too.
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JoyfulPamela
Dec 7, 2010 @ 10:53 am | delete
- Looks yummy!
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Ladymermaid
Dec 1, 2010 @ 6:02 am | delete
- Hmm? I married a dutch man ... no wonder he keeps asking me to make apple fritters. Looks like a yummy recipe.
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Photahsiamirabel Nov 28, 2010 @ 9:16 am | delete
- YUM! Wish I was slim enough to eat them :D
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fanfreluche Nov 25, 2010 @ 3:18 pm | delete
- I guess every culture has its own version of these deep fried piece of dough. In the province of Quebec (in Canada where I grew up) we have similar thing called "oreilles de christ" (Christ's ears) and we serve this with warm maple syrup.
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ideadesigns
Nov 24, 2010 @ 7:15 pm | delete
- These sound good!
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emmalarkins
Nov 23, 2010 @ 8:09 pm | delete
- Yum, looks tasty!
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Bus_Stop_Toy_Shop Nov 23, 2010 @ 4:37 pm | delete
- Looks pretty tasty to me - I'd love to give them a try.
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Timewarp
Nov 23, 2010 @ 10:30 am | delete
- I love how so many different cultures have their own delicious version of deep fried dough :)
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MisterJeremy
Nov 23, 2010 @ 9:56 am | delete
- Looks good. What's not to like about doughnuts? Blessed.
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About Henk
by Henk
Web author, genealogist, avid reader, art lover.
I am the author of the Trace your Dutch roots website, and the corresponding blog and newsletter.
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