Pączki Day 2026: The Fat Tuesday Polish Donut Tradition
National Paçzki Day is celebrated yearly on "Fat Tuesday". Learn more about this indulgent treat.
Quick Reference: Pączki Day
- When in 2026: Tuesday, February 17, the same day as Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras.
- What it is: a day for eating pączki, rich Polish donuts stuffed with jelly or cream and dusted with sugar.
- Say it right: “POONCH-key” or “POWNCH-key” for the plural; a single donut is a paczek, “POON-check.”
- Why the feast: the eggs, sugar, and lard had to be used up before the 40 days of Lent began.
- Where it is big: Midwestern cities with deep Polish roots, like Detroit, Cleveland, Green Bay, and Chicago.
Every year on Fat Tuesday, bakery lines in Detroit and Chicago wrap around the block before sunrise. The reason is a fried Polish donut called a pączki, and the day named for it lands on February 17, 2026. Here is what pączki are, how to say the word, where the tradition comes from, and how to make a batch at home.
When Is Pączki Day?
In Poland, this pre-Lenten celebration falls on a Thursday, but in Midwestern cities with heavy Polish influences like Detroit, Cleveland, Green Bay, and Chicago, Pączki Day is always on Fat Tuesday.
National Pączki Day is rapidly approaching, but many may not know what pączki are, let alone why they have their own holiday. National Pączki Day is February 17, 2026, which coincides with Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday (also known as “Mardi Gras”). This is a time for indulging in these fried Polish donuts, which are stuffed with jelly or cream and sprinkled with sugar, as a way to use up sugar, lard, and eggs before Lent begins. If you track the moveable feasts, our guide to when Mardi Gras falls each year lines up with Pączki Day, since both ride on the same pre-Lenten calendar.
Upcoming Dates:
- February 17, 2026
- February 9, 2027
- February 29, 2028
The date moves every year because it is tied to Easter, which is a moveable feast set by the Moon. Fat Tuesday always sits 47 days before Easter Sunday, so as Easter shifts, so does Pączki Day. That is why 2028 lands all the way out on February 29, a leap day.
How Do You Pronounce Pączki?
First, you’re probably wondering how to pronounce pączki, which does not look like it sounds: it’s pronounced “POONCH-key” or “POWNCH-key” (although we’re bound to get emails telling us the correct pronunciation). Practice it a few times so when you’re ready to order one from your local bakery, you’ll know what to ask for. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can make them yourself. See the authentic recipe below.
Fun Fact: Paczki is the plural usage. Each donut is a paczek, pronounced POON-check)
What Are Pączki, Exactly?
A pączki is not quite a jelly donut, though it is a close cousin. The dough is richer, made with extra eggs, butter, and sometimes a splash of grain alcohol, which gives it a tender crumb and a deep golden shell when fried. The result is heavier and more decadent than the donut you grab with morning coffee, which is the whole point of a feast-day treat.
Bakeries fill them by the tray. Traditional fillings run to fruit preserves like raspberry, plum, apple, and lemon, along with sweet cheese, custard, and rose or prune. In the American Midwest you will also find modern spins on the classic, from Bavarian cream to chocolate to Nutella. However you fill them, a pączki is meant to be eaten fresh and a little messy, with powdered sugar down the front of your shirt.
It All Starts With Lent
For Christians, Lent is a time for penitence and self-reflection. Beginning with Ash Wednesday (the day after Fat Tuesday), it continues up until Easter. In a spiritual fast, such as during Lent, the purpose is to show restraint and self-control, so people may give up certain foods or activities for the forty-day period; the idea being that without distractions, they are better able to concentrate on God.
Traditionally, only simple foods are to be eaten during Lent, and rich ingredients such as eggs, sugar, and lard must be used up before the fast begins. This is why so many decadent treats are traditionally eaten at this time. The 40 days run from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, and the pączki is simply the tastiest way a Polish kitchen ever found to empty the pantry before the fasting started.
A Little Pączki History
The first records of pączki were noted in the Middle Ages, but at that time, these pastries were savory rather than sweet. It was King Augustus III of Poland who, to celebrate Shrove Week, or Shroven Tide, brought in French pastry chefs, known for their sweet and indulgent desserts, to his castle, where they created the sweet variation of pączki that we know and love today.
As with all dishes, there are many variations of pączki. Some chefs add a small amount of grain alcohol to the dough, which prevents it from getting greasy, but most of the variations lie with the filling. Today, you’ll find fruit jelly (raspberry, apple, and lemon), custard, and even Nutella at the center of most pączki.
Fun Fact: Pączki are often filled with prune filling because the idea was to “cleanse” before Lent!
Pączki Day in the American Midwest
Polish immigrants carried the tradition to America in the 1800s and 1900s, and it took deepest root in the industrial Midwest. Hamtramck, the historically Polish city surrounded by Detroit, throws the best-known celebration, with a Pączki Day run, live polka, and bakeries that sell tens of thousands of donuts in a single morning. Cleveland, Chicago, Green Bay, and Milwaukee keep the day just as seriously.
If you live where the tradition runs strong, a bit of planning goes a long way. Order ahead, since the popular fillings sell out first. Pick them up the morning of Fat Tuesday, because a pączki is at its best within a day of frying. And buy a few extra; they never last as long as you think they will.
Traditional Pączki Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling and glaze, you’ll need:
- 1 ½ cups jam or jelly
- 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions:
- Use a whisk and mix flour and salt in a medium bowl before setting aside. Using a microwave, heat the milk slightly, to between 110-115 degrees F. Add the yeast and a tablespoon of granulated sugar. Stir, and leave the mixture for 8-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and the rest of the granulated sugar together, on medium-high speed, until they’re light and fluffy. Add the whole eggs and blend well before adding the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix again for one minute.
- Add the flour mixture, alternating with the yeast mixture. Once the dough has formed, use the kneading hook to combine until the dough is slack and sticking to the sides of the bowl slightly, but not too sticky to work with.
- Next, knead dough by hand on flour-dusted surface, forming a smooth ball by tucking the dough under itself. Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover it with a towel, and leave it to rise and double in size.
- Roll out the dough to ½ inch thickness on a floured surface, then cut into 3-inch circles and place on a cookie sheet. Let the dough circles rise and double in size.
- Heat oil to 350 degrees F. Dust off any excess flour on their surface, and fry the pączki in batches of 3 to 4 until they’re golden brown on each side. Once done, transfer them to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and let it rest till cool enough to handle.
- Place the filling in a pastry bag with a small round tip, and then poke a hole in the middle of each donut using a thick skewer or chopstick. Take care not to poke all the way through.
- Use the pastry bag to fill the pączki, then glaze them by whisking together the confectioner’s sugar and milk (or simply dust them with powdered sugar). Aim for the consistency of maple syrup when creating the glaze.
- Dip the doughnuts into the glaze before letting them rest. Then eat and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Homemade Pączki
A few small habits separate a bakery-worthy pączki from a heavy one. Keep your oil steady at 350 degrees F with a thermometer, since oil that runs cool soaks into the dough and oil that runs hot burns the shell before the middle cooks. Fry in small batches so the temperature does not crash when the donuts go in.
Give the dough its full rise both times, once in the bowl and again after cutting, so the crumb turns out light. Fill the pączki only after they have cooled, or the warm dough will melt the jam and go soggy. If you would rather time your baking day by the calendar, the Best Days Calendar marks the traditional days for baking. Eat them the same day you fry them, the way the folks in Hamtramck do.
Pączki Day: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pączki Day?
Pączki Day is a pre-Lenten tradition of eating pączki, rich Polish donuts stuffed with jelly or cream. In the American Midwest it falls on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, and it exists so the eggs, sugar, and lard in the kitchen get used up before the 40 days of Lent begin.
When is Pączki Day in 2026?
Pączki Day is Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the same day as Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras. It falls on February 9 in 2027 and February 29 in 2028. The date moves each year because it is tied to Easter, which is set by the Moon.
How do you pronounce pączki?
The plural pączki is pronounced “POONCH-key” or “POWNCH-key.” A single donut is a paczek, pronounced “POON-check.” The spelling does not look the way it sounds, so it is worth practicing once or twice before you order at the bakery.
What is the difference between a pączki and a regular jelly donut?
A pączki uses a richer dough with extra eggs, butter, and sometimes a splash of grain alcohol, which keeps it from soaking up grease. The result is denser and more decadent than an everyday jelly donut. Traditional fillings include plum, rose, prune, and sweet cheese as well as the fruit jams you would expect.
Why are pączki eaten before Lent?
Lent is a 40-day fast when rich foods are set aside, so cooks used up their eggs, sugar, and lard in the days before Ash Wednesday. Frying a batch of pączki was the tastiest way to empty the pantry. The prune filling carried its own meaning, since prunes were thought to cleanse the body before the fast.
Can I make pączki at home?
Yes. Our traditional recipe above walks through the dough, the rise, the fry at 350 degrees F, and the filling. It takes patience more than skill. Keep the oil temperature steady, give the dough its full rise, and fill the donuts only after they cool so the jam does not turn them soggy.
Where is Pączki Day celebrated in the United States?
The tradition is strongest in Midwestern cities with deep Polish roots, including Detroit, Cleveland, Green Bay, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Hamtramck, the historically Polish city inside Detroit, is famous for its Pączki Day festivities, where bakeries sell tens of thousands of donuts in a single morning.
Amber Kanuckel
Amber Kanuckel is a freelance writer from rural Ohio who loves all things outdoors. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics.
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- Amber Kanuckel
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Thank you! So many memories with my Grandma. We all looked forward to having these but with no filling just rolled in cinnamon & sugar. Mmmmmmmmsooooooooo good!
Glad you enjoyed the article! And memories.
Sounds a lot like a Kolache!
Now that you say that, they do! We had some in Texas (Kolache) and boy they were tasty!