We Tasted Every Krispy Kreme Donut & This Is the Best
Everyone knows that when that bright red neon sign is on at Krispy Kreme it's time to pull off the road and into the drive-thru to treat yourself to a hot glazed donut. The soft pillowy donut often brings back memories of sitting inside my local Krispy Kreme donuts with my dad watching the conveyor belts filled with the raw dough being pushed through the baking mechanisms before being fried, flipped, glazed, and handed over to me as a young kid with a major sweet tooth for hot donuts.
While Krispy Kreme donuts may be famous for its hot glazed donuts, there are plenty of other options in the cases that line the front of the store like classic strawberry iced and lemon-filled, along with a few limited-time donuts. I set out to try all of the Krispy Kreme donuts and this is what I found about what's the best and what's worth leaving in the case.
Plus, don't miss We Tried 12 Donuts from Dunkin' & This Is the Best One.
Note: Donut selections vary by shop and region. What was available in my area may not be available where you live.
Worst: Original Filled, Original Kreme donut
When I rounded up my family to try a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts we didn't expect to find original donuts filled with Kreme. While it was a novelty at first this was the least favorite of the bunch. The donut was barely filled with creme and it was overly sweet to the point where I wouldn't have been able to finish the donut.
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Cake Batter
Cake batter-flavored anything has a very distinct taste that's very artificial. With this donut, I definitely got the cake batter flavor, but it also felt like I was just dumping sugar right into my mouth. I do like the bright yellow frosting and confetti sprinkles, which make this inviting just like a birthday cake. The filling was smooth and creamy, but the amount of it made the donut hard to eat without making a mess.
Glazed Raspberry Filled
The glazed raspberry-filled donut had a good raspberry flavor from the bright red jammy filling. The actual donut part of the donut was exceptionally fresh, and the glaze didn't make the overall donut too sweet. One thing that brought this donut towards the bottom of the list was that I wish it had been filled more. There were definitely a few bites where I didn't get any filling at all.
Chocolate Iced Glazed With Sprinkles
This is a classic donut that kids often gravitate towards because of the brightly colored sprinkles. While the sprinkles did add a nice textural contrast to the donut, the overall taste was just okay. The dough was a little stale, like it maybe had been made very early in the morning and sat around for a while. Overall, kids will love this, but I'm passing it up for a few others that are in the case.
Strawberry Iced With Sprinkles
Just edging out the classic chocolate iced is the Strawberry Iced With Sprinkles donut. This donut definitely tasted fresher and almost melted away after biting into it because it was so soft and pillowy. The strawberry frosting had a bright, fruity taste, almost like a boxed strawberry cake. The sprinkles on this donut were a fun addition, but don't add anything flavor-wise to the sweet donut.
Glazed Blueberry Cake
The only cake donut that my Krispy Kreme had available was a Glazed Blueberry Cake. The light cake batter didn't crumble completely when I bit into it, which was likely helped by the layer of glaze holding the crumbs to the larger part of the donut. There were visible pieces of blueberry in the donut, which made for a bright pop of color in an otherwise boring-looking donut.
Chocolate Iced With Kreme Filling
Filled donuts are a polarizing issue because you're either a creme-filling person or a custard-filling person. The Chocolate Iced With Kreme Filling is a good option, but not my favorite. The filling was a little gritty compared to some of the other fillings in different donuts. The overall donut was almost too sweet when I got a bite of the glaze, chocolate icing, and filling at once. If you have a sweet tooth and love filled donuts this is the one to get though.
Glazed Lemon Filled
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and when it's combined with a perfectly cooked donut there's not much that can top it. The Glazed Lemon Filled donut did have a decent amount of filling, though there was a bite or two where the filling was absent. The actual filling had a strong lemon flavor without being too sweet or too tart. When I want a filled donut this is the one I'm going to go for.
Original Filled Chocolate Kreme
This donut was a pleasant surprise, especially after not truly enjoying the Original Filled Original Kreme. The chocolate Kreme was smooth without a hit of grittiness. The chocolate stripes on the top of the donut let me know exactly what I was about to bite into, and the donut was filled evenly all the way around.
Chocolate Iced Glazed
Rounding out the top three donuts is the Chocolate Iced Glazed. This iconic donut almost rivals the Original Glazed in my donut memories. The glaze on the donut was super thin and light, which was good because the icing was super sweet and had a rich chocolate flavor. If you want something other than plain donuts this is a nice option.
Chocolate Iced Custard Filled
There's just something about a custard-filled donut that makes me keep coming back for more, until unfortunately for me, the donut is gone. The creamy filling was packed into the donut and each bite had a large amount of the custard with it. The chocolate icing counterbalanced the vanilla taste of the filling, and the donut was so soft that it almost melted away in my mouth.
Best: Original Glazed
When it comes to Krispy Kreme there's really nothing better than a dozen Original Glazed donuts. The hot donut was incredibly soft and buttery. The glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness where I could eat two donuts and not get an instant sugar rush. This is the donut that we all dream about when we go to Krispy Kreme and it turns out it's still the best.
Read more about the best places to grab a sweet:
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