Timbits are the small, roughly spherical donut pieces sold in boxed multipacks. If you have never ordered them, the main thing to know is that they are not a miniature version of a full donut in any meaningful sense — they are their own item, with their own flavours and their own pricing logic.
What they actually are
They are bite-sized pieces of donut dough, cooked and then finished the same way full-size donuts are: glazed, dusted, filled or coated. The name is a brand name for what is generically called a donut hole.
The flavour range broadly mirrors the donut case, though not every donut flavour has a Timbit equivalent and the available assortment changes by location and by time of day.
They are sold in boxes, not singly
This is the part that catches people out. You generally cannot buy one. They are sold in fixed pack sizes — commonly ten, twenty and forty, though the exact tiers vary by market.
The practical consequence is that Timbits are a group item. They work for an office, a car full of people or a household. For one person they are an awkward purchase.
The pack-size arithmetic
The per-piece price falls as the box gets bigger. This is the standard multipack structure and it holds almost everywhere:
- The smallest box has the highest price per piece.
- The largest box has the lowest price per piece.
- The middle box usually sits closer to the large box than the small one.
If you are feeding more than about four people, stepping up a size is nearly always cheaper per piece than buying two smaller boxes. Before you commit, do the division — the exact break-even point shifts with local pricing.
Choosing the assortment
Most locations will let you pick your flavours rather than taking a pre-set mix, though how willing they are depends on how busy they are and what is left in the case. Late in the day the selection narrows considerably.
If you want specific flavours for an event, ordering ahead is worth doing. Walking in at 4pm and expecting a full assortment is optimistic.
A practical rule for groups: assorted boxes cause fewer arguments than a box of one flavour, even if one flavour is objectively better.
Are they good value?
Compared to full-size donuts, the per-gram value is usually similar rather than dramatically better — you are not getting a discount for the smaller format. What you are getting is portion flexibility, which is the real reason they work for sharing.
Where they clearly win is variety: a forty-piece box covers far more flavours than four donuts would, for a comparable outlay.
Quick answers
Can I buy a single Timbit? Generally no. Pack sizes only.
Do they come in the same flavours as donuts? Overlapping, but not identical, and the assortment rotates.
Are the pack sizes the same everywhere? No. Ten, twenty and forty are common, but markets differ — check the board.
Do they keep overnight? Like any fresh donut product, they are noticeably better on the day. An airtight container helps a little; it does not work miracles.