Choose sugar-free biscuits to serve alongside oliebollen, either whole or as a crumb topping, rather than using them as a direct sugar substitute in the batter. In Albert Heijn Allerhande’s classic recipe, sugar is mixed with yeast before the batter is left to rise; a ready-made biscuit is a different ingredient. When shopping, check the sugars per 100 g, allergens and any warnings about polyols.
If you want to leave yeast batter to rise according to a recipe, it’s best not to treat a biscuit as a substitute for the sugar in the batter. Albert Heijn Allerhande’s classic recipe uses sugar with yeast.
For this choice, check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g in the nutrition table. ‘No added sugars’ does not mean a biscuit contains no sugars.
A biscuit can be served whole or used as a crumb topping. When choosing biscuits for guests, also check the ingredients, allergens, polyols and serving size for the product you’ve chosen.
First decide whether you want to change the oliebollen batter or simply serve a biscuit on the side. For the latter, compare the information on the label of the product you’re considering.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is it important to? |
|---|---|---|
| The oliebollen batter | If you want to change the sugar in the batter, choose a recipe designed for that adjustment; don’t buy a biscuit as a direct replacement. | If I’m making oliebollen myself, I don’t want to alter the yeast batter by using a ready-made biscuit in place of sugar. For around 44% of consumers, getting the batter right comes first. |
| Sugars on the label | Read the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g and distinguish between ‘sugar-free’ and ‘no added sugars’. | When choosing a biscuit, I want to know whether it meets my sugar-free requirements, even if the front of the pack says ‘0% added sugar’. Around 33% of consumers prioritise checking the label. |
| Ingredients when serving | Check the allergens and any polyols listed on the chosen pack, as well as the nutrition information per serving, if provided. | If I’m serving biscuits with oliebollen, I want to take into account what my guests can eat and how many biscuits I put out. This serving choice matters most to around 23% of consumers. |
A biscuit with no added sugar may still contain sugars. Albert Heijn lists 1.7 g of sugars per 100 g for Verkade San Francisco zero, alongside the claim ‘0% added sugar’.
Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g with your own requirements; don’t rely solely on the wording on the front of the pack.
Albert Heijn Allerhande’s classic oliebollen recipe mixes sugar with yeast before the batter is left to rise. A ready-made biscuit won’t automatically do the same job.
Serve the biscuit separately or use crumbs as a topping just before serving. If you want to adapt the batter, look for a recipe developed specifically for that change.
A lower sugar content doesn’t, by itself, tell you anything about the rest of a biscuit’s nutritional value or its allergens. Some of the products mentioned contain polyols and carry a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Also read the ingredients, allergen information, nutrition details and warnings for the exact product you want to serve.
AH Digestive 0% sugar is a biscuit to serve alongside oliebollen, not an ingredient to use in place of sugar in the batter.
The speculoos-almond and coconut-flavoured biscuits mentioned are options to serve alongside oliebollen.
San Francisco zero is worth considering if you’re specifically looking for a biscuit with no added sugar; that’s different from looking for a sugar-free one.
Lotus Bakeries describes Biscoff as a biscuit that can also be used as an ingredient. That alone doesn’t tell you whether it meets sugar-free requirements.
Not as a direct replacement. Albert Heijn Allerhande’s classic recipe uses sugar with yeast before the batter is left to rise, whereas biscuits are already baked, made-up products. It’s better to serve them whole or use them as a topping after baking.
No. A product with no added sugars may still contain sugars: Albert Heijn lists both ‘0% added sugar’ and 1.7 g of sugars per 100 g for Verkade San Francisco zero. So make sure you read the nutrition table too.
This warning may appear on products with added polyols. According to Albert Heijn, AH Digestive 0% sugar contains polyols and carries a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. Check the warning on the pack of the product you’ve chosen.
Use them as a topping when serving, not as a sugar substitute in the batter or as an addition to hot frying oil. Follow the instructions in your chosen oliebollen recipe when baking.
