The twisted, ridged doughnut traditionally associated with the United States and Canada is called a cruller.
Crullers are commonly made from a piped choux-like dough or from a yeast-raised dough, depending on the regional style. Their twisted or ridged shape gives them a larger crisp surface while keeping the interior light.
The English word comes from the Dutch “kruller,” meaning a curled pastry. Dutch immigrants helped bring related fried pastries to North America, where the name developed several local meanings.
A French cruller is a particular light, ring-shaped variety made from choux pastry, while the term “cruller” can also refer more broadly to twisted doughnuts. That difference explains why photographs and recipes labelled crullers do not always look identical.