17 Donuts From Dunkin', Ranked Worst To First
Dunkin' may have removed the donuts from its name, but trust us, the chain hasn't removed them from the store. In fact, we did and tried every variety of donut we could get our grubby little hands on from Dunkin'.
The truth is that despite it once being in the name, Dunkin' isn't known for having the best donuts in the world. It's easy to forget that Dunkin' is the McDonald's of the donut world in every way that comparison implies. This doesn't mean you can't get good donuts at Dunkin'; you just have to know what to spend your money on.
Be warned, quality can vary daily depending on how fresh the specific donut you choose is. For fresher donuts, it's always good to get a donut close to open, but since many Dunkin' locations are open 24 hours, you never quite know when the fresh batches are coming out.
We figured the only way to determine which Dunkin' donuts were best was to try all the flavors at a given location. Some favorite flavors, like the French cruller or chocolate Kreme, have come and gone over the years and weren't available in our region. We went to the nearest Dunkin' and tried 17 regular donut flavors before ranking them all from worst to best. Here is what we found at the sugary bottom of it all.
17. Strawberry frosted with sprinkles
Dunkin' has three varieties of frosted donuts with rainbow sprinkles: vanilla, chocolate, and the unfortunate third option, strawberry. The strawberry frosted donut was among the handful of donuts we tried that we would recommend avoiding at all costs.
The strawberry frosting on this donut is among the strongest and worst artificial strawberry we've ever tasted. If there is a morsel of real strawberry in there, we'd be hard-pressed to find it. The non-filled yeast donut is the worst of Dunkin's base donuts, so topped with a nasty frosting, we can't say there is anything to be positive about here. We didn't take more than a few bites before realizing this was not for us.
16. Jelly
Near the bottom of the pack, we have the Dunkin' jelly donut. We can get behind the flavor if it's done well, like at New York's Doughnut Plant. This take on a controversial classic commits the worst sin a filled donut can commit: bad jelly. This sugared yeast donut was nothing to rave about (but it wasn't awful either) until we reached the jelly within. The filling had an unappealing texture and a color and flavor combination we couldn't quite place. Whatever fruit that jelly was supposed to be, it was clearly primarily artificial ingredients.
Our disappointment in this donut was profound. We finished most of the donuts we tried for this taste testing over the course of a week. This one went in the trash after the first two bites.
15. Glazed Blueberry
After looking back on our final ranking, we have clearly identified a consistent culprit in these bottom few donuts: fake fruit. When it comes to artificial fruit flavors, they aren't all made equal, and Dunkin' seems to frequently strike out and put out something on the nauseating side of fruity.
In the case of the glazed blueberry donut, we can't say the blueberry flavor faired much better than the strawberry. In this instance, it's in the cake donut, which makes it a bit more bearable. But when it comes to cake donuts on the Dunkin' menu, there are better options than this imposter blueberry.
14. Vanilla frosted with sprinkles
Another frosted donut with sprinkles bites the dust, and that's okay; we'll just leave it there. This one manages to climb higher than its strawberry-frosted brethren, but not by much. Many of the same issues apply here, namely, the texture and flavor of the frosting not being especially good.
The vanilla here is honestly quite flavorless, but at least the sprinkles give it some kind of texture. We sure didn't get any of that fresh fried dough crunch with this boring variety of frosted yeast donut. Of all the donuts we tried, we have the least to say about this one. It just isn't very remarkable.
13. Glazed Pumpkin
Somehow, we were able to get our hands on the pumpkin donut at Dunkin' in August. In concept, we aren't complaining. This fall favorite is a glazed pumpkin cake donut that will catch the eye of any fan of autumnal flavors, but the result is a bit of a letdown.
The artificial flavoring curse strikes again because this donut suffers from an overbearing fake pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin is supposed to be a subtle base for fall spices, but Dunkin' fails to deliver the depth of spice and flavor expected in this one. Our advice is that if you want pumpkin flavor in your Dunkin', stick to coffee.
12. Powdered Sugar
If you want to inhale a half pound of powdered sugar, we recommend going to New Orleans for beignets instead. At the very least, Dunkin's lightly powdered sugar cake donut isn't going to cause a coughing fit, but it will get all over your shirt. Ultimately, we found this to be a bit of a downgrade on the Old Fashioned donut, despite how similar the two are.
While it's hypothetically a sweeter version of the Old Fashioned, the Dunkin' powdered sugar donut winds up being too dry due to the topping. While that old-fashioned flavor shines through, it is a bit muddled and overwhelmed by the one-note sweetness of the sugar powder. Plus, this one is a bit tricky to dip into a cup of coffee without making a huge mess.
11. Sugared
The sugar, or sugared donut, is one of the simplest options on the Dunkin' bakery menu. Simplicity, as you will find, largely works in favor of Dunkin's products, as overloaded donuts tend to be sugar overload more than anything. So yes, despite its name, the sugared donut is one of the least sweet donut options. It's a good recommendation for someone with only a mild sweet tooth or who has largely aged out of the fancies of filled custard donuts.
That is to say that overall, we found the sugared donut to be fine. Like the powdered donut, it was clearly inferior to a similar, more popular option. In this case, the glazed donut (which we will discuss much later) eats this one's lunch. The only advantage we will offer to the sugared over the glazed is that this one will leave you with cleaner hands.
10. Chocolate frosted with sprinkles
Now, we are finally getting somewhere. While the donut itself is admittedly dry and lacks much flavor, Dunkin's chocolate frosting is something the chain gets right. In this case, that frosting is tasty enough to allow this donut to make it narrowly into the top ten.
The rich, smooth chocolate frosting really seals the deal with this one, amplifying an otherwise bland donut to edible status. At this point, we can't say we hate the sprinkles on these, either. That added crunch stands out when you've sampled a dozen donuts in a given day.
9. Bavarian Kreme
Filled donuts are a love-em or hate-em kind of affair, and around these parts, we tend to be a fan. Even the maligned jelly donut can be good on occasion. One of the oddest donuts on the Dunkin' menu is the Bavarian Kreme. Not quite as well-known as its cousin, the Boston Kreme, this donut is very similar, with the same filling, but instead of being frosted with chocolate, the Bavarian Kreme donut is powdered.
The Bavarian Kreme donut we tried had a nice, snappy texture to the yeast donut layer, and the custard inside was pleasant and not overwhelmingly sweet. What didn't work as well was the powdered sugar. If you are a fan of the Dunkin' Boston Kreme and want to try something new but similar, this donut is a safe bet. Otherwise, you might best stick to the classics and save your fingers the dusty trouble.
8. Apple crumb
The next stop on the filled donut train lands us once again in Fruit Town. We were pleasantly surprised by the apple crumb donut, especially after such a catastrophe with the jelly flavor. Of all the attempts at the fruit that we tried, the apple crumb was a clear winner.
This yeast donut is filled with a spiced apple, covered with a crumb topping, and in between, there is a thin layer of mystery frosting. It all works together surprisingly harmoniously. The apple filling is strongly flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon, which cuts the super sweet frosted donut in a pleasant way. We have to admit that the "crumb topping" left a bit of texture and flavor to be desired (we wished it were crunchier and saltier), but overall, we were satisfied with this donut.
7. Boston Kreme
This donut is as much of a Boston classic as Dunkin' itself. We'd wager more people reading this have tried a Boston Kreme donut than an actual Boston cream pie itself. So it makes sense this one would rank pretty highly. While this is far from the best Boston cream donut we've ever tried, Dunkin's Boston Kreme is a consistent and tasty option at the fast food chain.
We've already discussed the elements of this donut, between the chocolate frosting and the custard in the center. But these two elements also make a compelling pair, even if this breakfast option is very much on the sweet side. It's a sweetness that's hard to resist once you've taken a bite.
Based on more than just this taste test alone, we can say that the quality of a Boston Kreme donut will vary based on how fresh the donut is. For some reason, this variety of donut goes stale quicker than others.
6. Double chocolate
This one kind of hurts us since the double chocolate donut has been a long-time personal favorite. Number six feels low, but the chocoholic in us has to admit this donut is far from perfect.
This chocolate cake donut is topped with a layer of Dunkin's delicious chocolate frosting. It is a delicious treat for chocolate fans, but if we are being real, the donut is a dense one. Unless you are going on your Dunkin' run first thing in the morning, the Double chocolate donut is often on the dry side. A pretty reliable trick to remedying that would be dunking the donut in your coffee, and we have to say this is one of the better donuts to try it out on.
5. Glazed Stick
While Dunkin' may have discontinued the sour cream donut at some locations, we have the next best thing — the glazed stick. This long-john-style cake donut is a tasty accompaniment to any Dunkin' beverage, giving you the most bang for your buck.
The core of the glazed stick is a rectangular old-fashioned sour cream-style donut with a richness and texture unmatched by anything else on Dunkin's donut menu. It is crunchy on the outside and creamy in the middle, with a glaze that adds a nice layer of sweetness. Our only complaint with this one is that the glaze can be too thick and overwhelming, leading to a plastic-y texture when the donut is not as fresh.
4. Glazed chocolate
We love Dunkin's chocolate donuts, and choosing between the two classic options available nearly tore us apart. Ultimately, though, we forced ourselves to choose and landed on the glazed chocolate donut. This is one of the stars of the Dunkin' menu, and on a good day, it's one of the best things you can get from the chain.
As usual with the tester we tried, the glazed chocolate donut always remains more moist than its double chocolate brethren. Perhaps the glaze keeps all that moisture in; we can't say, but we can speak to its texture and flavor, which are basic but clean and good. This is a sweet donut, but there is a hint of chocolate-y bitterness that makes it an especially good accompaniment to a cup of black coffee.
3. Glazed
We've been talking about glazed "this" and glazed "that," but what about just plain old glazed? If you are the one tapping on our window asking this, then we have some great news. The regular glazed donut is better than any of the other glazed options we've mentioned so far. Simplicity goes a long way, and this donut is nearly sticky sweet perfection — the absolute best way to consume a yeast donut from Dunkin'.
This is a donut flavor as traditional as they come, but somehow, Dunkin' does it justice. The glaze is not as overbearing as on the Glazed Stick, making it an excellent compliment to the not-quite-fresh donut that lies underneath. It turns out a thin glaze is the perfect way to conceal and elevate a donut whose actual quality leaves something to be desired because we found little to complain about here.
2. Old fashioned
It might strike some as a bit boring to put the Old Fashioned donut this high on the list. But the truth is, by the time we got around to sampling the Old Fashioned, the lack of any kind of frosting, glaze, filling, or added sugar content was its biggest benefit.
At the end of the day, this is Dunkin's quintessential donut, and the chain has it down to a science. There is not as much crunch on the outside as donut purists might want, but the flavor and texture on the inside are spot on. It is a perfectly dense donut for dunking, an action that truly unlocks the secret of the Old Fashioned donut. If you've never dunked, what are you doing in Dunkin'?
1. Coconut
The joy of making lists like these is being surprised by what you can find, and, in the process, making a bunch of people upset. We fully admit that the coconut donut is not for everyone, but in this comparison, it was the freshest and most balanced flavor-wise of all the donuts we tried. If you like coconut in any capacity, we recommend trying this overlooked donut ASAP. For our money, it was the best of the bunch.
This masterpiece is a cake donut that is then lightly glazed in frosting before being tossed in coconut flakes. For starters, something about the donut itself made it more moist and fluffy than any other we tried. Secondly, the coconut flavor here is just right — partly due to using a good bit of real coconut. Any fan of the tropical flavor will fall in love with this treat, but it's also a great option if you are looking for a donut at Dunkin' that isn't overwhelmingly sweet but will still satisfy your taste buds.