Want to cut down on sugar in the biscuit topping for homemade oliebollen? Use a biscuit as a crumb, topping or accompaniment, rather than as a direct substitute for the batter. If you’re looking for a speculoos-style flavour, compare the sugars per 100 g, but also check how many polyols the product contains and which allergens are listed. Classic Lotus Biscoff is only a suitable choice if the speculoos flavour matters more to you than having less sugar in the biscuit.
If you want to make a yeasted oliebol, a biscuit is best treated as an extra. Jumbo’s basic recipe uses flour, yeast, sugar, milk and egg; a ready-made biscuit is not a like-for-like replacement for these ingredients.
If you want to sprinkle crumbs over your oliebol or serve a biscuit alongside it, compare similar biscuits by their sugar content per 100 g. That way, you’re looking at the biscuit itself, not the nutritional value of the whole oliebol.
If sweeteners, polyols or allergens matter to you, check the packaging of the exact product. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that large amounts of polyols can cause digestive discomfort; ingredients vary from product to product.
First decide whether you want to change the batter or simply add a biscuit flavour. For the latter, compare the nutritional information for similar biscuits, then check the ingredients.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping the oliebol batter as it is | Choose a suitable batter recipe and treat biscuits as a separate flavour addition, not as a replacement for flour or sugar. | I want my oliebollen to rise according to the batter recipe I’ve chosen, even if I serve them with biscuits. Around 42% of consumers prioritise this result. |
| Sugars in the biscuit | For similar biscuits, compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g, rather than relying on the wording on the front of the pack. | When using crumbs, I mainly want to know how much sugar the biscuit contains, without making a claim about the whole oliebol. This biscuit comparison is the top concern for around 33% of consumers. |
| Polyols and allergens | Check the ingredients, allergens and any polyol information or warnings on the exact packaging. | If I’m sharing oliebollen with others, I want to know which ingredients the biscuit adds and what to bear in mind when choosing a portion. Around 25% of consumers put this check first. |
Jumbo’s basic oliebol batter uses flour, yeast, sugar, milk and egg. A ready-made biscuit cannot take the place of this yeasted batter on a like-for-like basis.
Use biscuits as crumbs or a topping. If you want to change the batter itself, follow a recipe designed for that adjustment.
This wording doesn’t mean that the nutrition table will show no sugars. Different serving sizes can also make comparisons misleading.
Compare similar products per 100 g using the ‘of which sugars’ figure, then read the ingredients list. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing products per 100 g.
A low stated sugar value doesn’t mean a product is free from polyols. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, large amounts of polyols can cause digestive discomfort.
Check the nutritional information and any warnings on the packaging, even if you’re only adding a few biscuit crumbs.
The Céréal biscuit with speculoos flavour and almond described by Jumbo contains, among other things, almond, barley, egg, milk, soya and wheat. Other varieties may contain different ingredients.
So, check the label on the exact pack you’re buying before using it.
The Céréal biscuit with no added sugars, speculoos flavour and almond pieces described by Jumbo is an option to compare if you’re looking for a speculoos-style flavour.
The Speculoos described by Albert Heijn is a useful reference if you’re after the classic caramelised speculoos flavour.
AH Ontbijtkoek zero is worth considering when comparing labels, but ontbijtkoek is not a crisp speculoos biscuit.
The sliced plain Ontbijtkoek described by Albert Heijn is a soft, spiced cake to consider separately from crisp biscuits.
Not as a direct replacement in a standard oliebol recipe. Jumbo’s basic batter uses flour, yeast, sugar, milk and egg. It’s better to add a biscuit separately as a crumb or topping, or to follow a recipe specifically developed for an adjusted batter.
No, it may still contain naturally occurring sugars. Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g in the nutrition table, and look at the ingredients list too.
The Céréal variety described by Jumbo lists 0.4 g of sugars and 29 g of polyols per 100 g; Albert Heijn lists 38 g of sugars per 100 g for Lotus Biscoff Speculoos. These figures compare the biscuits, not the nutritional value of the finished oliebol.
Check how many polyols are listed for the biscuit you’ve chosen and read any warnings on the packaging. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, large amounts of polyols can cause digestive discomfort; a low sugar value alone won’t tell you how many polyols a product contains.
Check the ingredients and allergens on the exact packaging you’re using. The Céréal speculoos biscuit described contains, among other things, almond, barley, egg, milk, soya and wheat; Albert Heijn lists wheat and soya for Lotus Biscoff.
