A New Food Hybrid in Japan

Japan’s knack for wacky eats and unexpected food mashups can be enough to attract travelers from across the world, although the newest surprise food launch may have diners feeling apprehensive. Gyonuts are bite-sized donuts made from gyoza wrappers, and they’re now available at nine Osaka Ohsho (大阪王将) locations across the Kanto and Kansai regions, as of December 17th, 2025.

The Gyonuts are made using leftover gyoza skins from the company’s dumpling production process, which have ended up as food waste in the past. Instead of being discarded, the trimmings are combined with eggs and butter to become a unique donut dough, which is then shipped to restaurants and fried to order. Served in a paper bag atop a melamine plate, each batch includes five small donuts for 300 yen.

How Do Gyoza Donuts Taste?

Osaka Ohsho’s “Gyonuts” lineup includes sweet flavors like sugar, chocolate, and strawberry milk, but as a gyoza restaurant, it looks like they couldn’t stop there. There are also savory donut options like mapo tofu and, yes, “gyoza” flavor. Beneath the flavors is a simple donut dough, which Osaka Ohsho describes as having a subtle chewiness thanks to the use of excess gyoza wrappers. When the Japankuru team went for a taste test, we were immediately reminded of the texture of Okinawan sata andagi, or perhaps old-fashioned donuts. They were a little hard and crunchy on the outside, with a soft but dense inner core.

The donut dough itself had a subtle sweetness, but the real flavor comes from the powder tossed atop the donuts in the paper bag. Not wanting to shy away from the potential of the true “gyoza donut,” we ordered gyoza flavor, and were intrigued to find the flavor salty, intensely savory, and maybe a little garlicky. Tastes may vary, but we found the flavor to be a pleasant match for the freshly-fried dough, although the treats are unlikely to unseat anyone’s standard gyoza order.

The Future of the Gyoza Donut

Beyond novelty, the Gyonuts do reflect a broader push toward food waste reduction in Japan. Osaka Ohsho produces tens of thousands of gyoza daily, and both dumpling skins and other ingredients used in the donuts had previously been treated as inevitable production loss. In the end, repurposing the ingredients for these experimental donuts may not be a permanent change, but it’s an interesting step in a better direction. For now, Gyonuts remain a limited item, offered at just 9 locations around Tokyo and Osaka, but Osaka Ohsho has indicated plans to expand availability if they see the demand. Try Japan’s gyoza donuts for yourself, and you may help decide whether they’re a successful sustainability effort, or simply another short-lived Japanese snack trend.

Osaka Ohsho Locations Offering Gyonuts
・Tokyo Area: Inaricho Station, Aeon Mall Musashi Murayama, Kameido Clock, LaLaport Shin-Misato, Akishima Mori Town, Senju Mildix, LaLa Terrace Kita-Ayase
・Osaka Area: Dotonbori, Aeon Mall Shijo-Nawate
Official Press Release (jp)

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