Pistachio, chocolate and a price freeze: Israel’s Hanukkah doughnut season begins

Israeli bakery chain Maafe Neeman said it would hold its Hanukkah doughnut prices steady this year, introducing flavors such as pistachio and cornflake cream while keeping its classic jam-filled version at NIS 6.

The chain said it would absorb higher ingredient costs, including flour, rather than raise prices for its 2026 holiday collection. Premium doughnuts will remain NIS 14 each, it said.

Known in Hebrew as sufganiyot, these filled, fried doughnuts are a staple of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival. Foods fried in oil recall the holiday’s traditional account of a small supply of oil keeping the Temple’s menorah burning for eight days.

The familiar version is filled with jam. Maafe Neeman’s new collection ventures further, with pastry creams, chocolate coatings and crunchy toppings alongside the classics.

From strawberry jam to Dubai-inspired chocolate

One new variety combines pistachio cream, milk chocolate and kadaif, the fine strands of pastry used in Middle Eastern desserts. Another features Oreo cream and crushed cookies, while a cornflake-inspired doughnut pairs milk-and-cereal-flavored cream with a white chocolate coating.

Other options include vanilla pastry cream with raspberry, chocolate with buttery biscuit cream, and nougat cream topped with cereal pieces.

For customers who prefer traditional fillings, strawberry jam doughnuts will cost NIS 6 each and dulce de leche, a caramel-like milk filling, NIS 8. The chain said those prices, along with the NIS 14 premium price, were unchanged from last year.

It will also offer ring doughnuts in flavors including chocolate, pistachio and Oreo for NIS 12 each or two for NIS 20. Sugar-coated sfenj, Moroccan fried doughnuts, will cost NIS 10 each.

“This year, too, we are choosing to absorb increases in raw material prices, including flour, rather than pass them on to consumers,” said Mimi Neeman, a co-owner of the chain and its chief recipe developer.

She said the aim is to let families enjoy the holiday without adding to their expenses, while continuing to develop new flavors.

The chain said the collection was now available at its 78 branches across Israel.