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The Best Krispy Kreme Donuts, Ranked

Don't pick up your free donut without reading this first!

By
Food, Doughnut, Cuisine, Ciambella, Dish, Baked goods, Cider doughnut, Ingredient, Junk food, Glaze,
Krispy Kreme / Allie Folino

In honor of National Donut Day, Delish editors took on the very difficult task of ranking (almost) every single Krispy Kreme flavor — there's only one on the whole island of Manhattan (devastating, we know), so please excuse the few that were left off. These 25 flavors include all the classics like chocolate cake, jelly, and crullers, plus newer flavors like Oreo and Chips Ahoy. Is there anything better than an original glazed donut, hot off the conveyor belt? We found out.

25

Traditional Cake

Food, Fruit, Plant, Peach, Produce, Persimmon, Drupe,
Krispy Kreme

Coming in last place: The traditional cake donut. It's just too plain and dry, though maybe if you get one right off the press it's a little better. As one editor put it, "It's like pound cake that's been left out too long."

24

New York Cheesecake

Food, Cuisine, Dish, Ingredient, Snack, Produce,
Krispy Kreme

Disclaimer: We thought this was Key Lime Pie. It was not. Regardless, no one liked this tart, cream-filled donut besides Sam, who also likes Nickelback.

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23

Glazed With Kreme Filling

Sphere, Peach, Food, Ball, Fruit,
Krispy Kreme

For some reason, Kreme filling tastes odd inside a glazed donut. Powdered donuts we can get on board with, but more on that later.

22

Chocolate Iced With Kreme Filling

Bossche bol, Chocolate, Praline, Food,
Krispy Kreme

There's a very important distinction that separates the Kreme filling (Krispy Kreme was apparently way ahead of the Kardashians) and custard. Few people were a fan of this one, and compared the inside to not-sweet-enough whipped cream.

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21

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Brown, Food, Ingredient, Cuisine, Recipe, Sweetness, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack, Dish,
Krispy Kreme

You'd think this Chips Ahoy-topped donut would be a favorite, but according to Delishers, the donut to chocolate ratio was off, and the cookies and cream filling was way too sweet. People gladly ate the cookies off the top, though.

20

Cinnamon Apple Filled

Plant, Food,
Krispy Kreme

I wanted this to be a winner, but the filling was way too gelatin-like. One editor wanted it to be sweeter, while another thought it had a weird aftertaste. Overall, not a winner.

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19

Glazed Lemon Filled

Peach, Sphere, Food,
Krispy Kreme

Another surprising letdown, the lemon filling just tastes off inside a glazed donut. Some wished the inside would be creamier and more like a curd, and the general consensus was it needs a stronger lemon flavor.

18

Oreo Cookies and Kreme

Food, Cuisine, Dish, Dessert, Baked goods, Ingredient, American food,
Krispy Kreme

How can you go wrong with Oreos? Apparently by making it "sickeningly sweet." Sam redeems herself here: "I get enough Oreo from the crumble on top and would have rather just had pureness."

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17

Powdered Cake

Doughnut, Food, Bagel, Cuisine, Peach, Cider doughnut, Baked goods, Dish, Pastry,
Krispy Kreme

It's fine. You're not mad at it. But like, would you order it yourself? Probably not. This is the "there's a few leftover donuts from this morning's meeting and I need something sweet" donut.

16

Chocolate Iced Cake

Orange, Food, Caramel, Praline, Baked goods, Doughnut, Cuisine,
Krispy Kreme

While the chocolate icing gives it more flavor than its plain counterpart, and more points than the powdered sugar-covered one, it still earned a "meh" rating. It reminds one editor of the eclipse donut, with its ganache-like glaze, without being quite as flavorful.

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15

Apple Fritter

Food, Cuisine, Dish, Ingredient, Churchkhela, Produce, Nut, Praline, Brittle, Pecan,
Krispy Kreme

This donut is thick, doughy, and equal parts apple flavored and cinnamon-y. It's almost in a different category than the other donuts, but as far as flavor, it's solidly in the middle.

14

Strawberry Iced

Doughnut, Pink, Ciambella, Glaze, Food, Pastry, Baked goods, Bagel, Dessert, Cuisine,
Krispy Kreme

Despite being Homer's favorite, these were thought to be too medicinal tasting, as well as "a thousand times sweeter than you want it to be."

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13

Strawberry Iced With Sprinkles

Doughnut, Ciambella, Food, Wheel, Pink, Sprinkles, Baked goods, Pastry, Automotive wheel system, Glaze,
Krispy Kreme

Fully the same as above, but it has sprinkles, so it gets an automatic boost.

12

Dulce de Leche

Food,
Krispy Kreme

Alright, on to the ones Delish actually liked. This powder donut has dulce de leche filling, which was creamy and not overly sweet. The one complaint: not enough filling.

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11

Glazed Cruller

Doughnut, Food, Cruller, Pastry, Cuisine, Baked goods, Bagel, Dish, Glaze,
Krispy Kreme

It might be plain, but this cake donut take the traditional lightyears ahead with Krispy Kreme's famous glaze. Pro tip: Dip it in coffee for an even better experience.

10

Glazed Sour Cream

Food, Doughnut, Cider doughnut, Cuisine, Dish, Baked goods, Bagel, Pastry, Ciambella, Glaze,
Krispy Kreme

People were mostly surprised that Krispy Kreme had this donut, and while the taste was subtle, it was pretty enjoyable. Testers found it more moist (sorry) than the traditional cake flavor too.

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9

Glazed Raspberry

Peach, Sphere, Ball, Food, Fruit,
Krispy Kreme

Can't go wrong with a classic. Krispy Kreme's glazed raspberry filled was a favorite for many, minus those who don't like jelly, for obvious reasons. One editor did call for a better distribution of jelly, which is fair.

8

Chocolate Iced Raspberry Filled

Red, Spiral, Chocolate, Praline,
Krispy Kreme

What could improve on the glazed raspberry? A layer of chocolatey glazed goodness, of course. We could do without the swirl on top, but all in all, it's a solid donut.

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7

Cake Batter

Food, Sprinkles, Baked goods, Sweetness, Cuisine, Confectionery, Dessert, Nonpareils, Candy, Dish,
Krispy Kreme

Personally I thought this was even sweeter than the Chips Ahoy, but a lot of other editors were into it. The filling tastes like actual cake batter, and the sprinkles don't hurt.

6

Chocolate Iced With Custard Filling

Bossche bol, Chocolate, Chocolate truffle, Food, Praline,
Krispy Kreme

Let's circle back to the filling issue: While few people were into the Kreme filling, both in the powdered and glazed donuts, custard filling was a winner. This Boston Cream-like donut is a go-to for a handful of Delishers.

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