- Two of the biggest doughnut chains in the US are Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ (née Dunkin’ Donuts).
- As part of our ongoing taste test series, we pitted the two against each other in a battle of the classic glazed doughnut.
- Dunkin’s doughnuts proved to be very dense and cake-like, while the Krispy Kreme doughnut was lighter – we preferred Krispy Kreme.
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Even though National Doughnut Day has come and gone (it was June 7 this year), that doesn’t mean you can’t snack on a delicious piece of fried dough any other day of the year.
Two of the biggest doughnut chains in the US are Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ (sorry Canada and Tim Horton’s), so we decided to pit their glazed doughnuts against each other to see which one is better in a classic taste test.
Keep scrolling to see which one we preferred and why.
I began my journey to the only Krispy Kreme on the island of Manhattan: inside Penn Station.
While the Penn Station Krispy Kreme is the only one located in Manhattan currently, it won’t be that way for long. There are plans to open a giant 24-hour Krispy Kreme in Times Square in early 2020.
Read more: This supersize Krispy Kreme is expected to be the busiest in the world - here's what it looks like
I selected an original glazed, which was $1.49, not too bad.
I ended up grabbing two more to get a three-pack, which cost $4.89. This also came with a cute little box.
The Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut was light and airy, and straight-up delicious.
It was just the right amount of sweet, fully glazed all over, and essentially melted in my mouth. The crunch that the glaze added was just right.
The only downside was that the glaze left my fingers pretty sticky.
The glaze is super sensitive, and the minute you touch the doughnut, a fingerprint is left on the pastry, which is none super appealing.
Next up, I trekked over to Dunkin' to see what their glazed option held in store for me.
The Dunkin' option was tasty, but essentially the opposite of Krispy Kreme's flaky, light doughnut. This thing was dense.
It also mainly tasted like doughnut, as the glaze flavor was less pronounced.
If you prefer a thicker and cakier doughnut, you should opt for Dunkin'. It was good, but dense.
Dunkin's doughnuts cost $1.39 each, coming in 10 cents cheaper than Krispy Kreme's alternative.
Recently, the chain has leaned away from their food and focused on their beverages - hence the name change from Dunkin' Donuts to simply Dunkin'.
Read more: Dunkin' Donuts is rebranding to Dunkin' - and people don't know what to think
Dunkin' even looks denser when put next to its Krispy Kreme counterpart.
In my opinion, the taste of the Dunkin' doughnut overwhelmed the glaze. I personally like it the other way around. I'm eating a glazed or frosted doughnut to taste the sugar, not the actual dough.
Overall, the Krispy Kreme classic doughnut is hard to beat — it's exactly what I think of when I think of a glazed doughnut: sweet, sticky, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
This may just come down to personal preference, though. For those who prefer a cake-like doughnut, Dunkin is the way to go. Plus it's a hair cheaper.
Either way, it's never a bad day when you get to snack on glazed doughnuts.
- Read more:
- I tried 12 different doughnuts from Krispy Kreme and found that you can't beat the classics
- We tried vanilla milkshakes from 5 fast food restaurants and the winner was clear
- Starbucks and Dunkin' both serve a pumpkin latte - here's the one you should be drinking
- Dunkin' Donuts is officially dropping the 'Donuts' from its name despite earlier backlash