Best Dunkin’ Donuts: Top 7 Iconic Flavors Most Recommended By Experts

Have you ever noticed how people seem to come out of the woodwork when a box of donuts from Dunkin’ lands in the break room? Oh, the joy of sinking your teeth into one of the best Dunkin’ donuts. It’s almost like a mini celebration to kick off your day. The real challenge, though, lies in the decision-making process. Faced with a box brimming with Dunkin’ delights, it’s a sweet dilemma: do you reach for the timeless elegance of a classic glazed or succumb to a rich, chocolate frosted? Or perhaps both? Dunkin’ is known for its huge selection, from its airy, sugar-dusted jelly donuts to the seasonally inspired specials and everything in between. Which is your favorite?

If you opt for a chocolate donut, it may not be as bad as you think. Researchers in Boston found swapping out eggs and bacon for some chocolate leads to burning more fat and lowering blood sugar levels throughout the day, but only in post-menopausal women. (Sorry, guys!) But there’s a catch. The women ate the chocolate within an hour of waking up, so eating a chocolate-laden donut at the office probably doesn’t count. You could always opt for something lighter like a munchkin. (But who can eat just one?)

Although it is important to be conscious of your sugar intake, grabbing a sweet treat from Dunkin’ every once in a while, is a harmless indulgence. When you reach the display case full of glossy donuts lined up behind the counter, the choice can be overwhelming. That’s where we come in.

Ready for a sweet treat? For this article, we will focus solely on the best Dunkin’ donuts, and we have plenty to choose from since there are 22 classic donut flavors, not to mention all the holiday and specialty ones. Which donuts at Dunkin’ reign supreme? Find out below and comment on the one you like the most!

Dunkin Donuts box
Dunkin’ Donuts box (© Longfin Media – stock.adobe.com)

The List: Best Dunkin’ Donuts, According to Foodies

1. Glazed

The classic glazed donut is the one that rises to the top of the list. According to The Daily Meal, “Simplicity goes a long way, and this donut is nearly sticky sweet perfection — the absolute best way to consume a yeast donut from Dunkin’.”

Glazed donut
Glazed donut (Photo by Paul Neil on Unsplash)

Delish adds, “It has a nice distribution of glaze, a fluffy texture, and is not too greasy.”

According to Mashed, “The Glazed donut at Dunkin’ is the right amount of fluffy, sweet, and savory. Most locations you visit will have a pretty similar Glazed donut across the board. It’s an appealing pastry that you won’t want to stop eating once you’ve started.”

2. Chocolate Glazed

Now for my favorite! Experts love this delicious donut, and I couldn’t agree more. Chocolate glazed all the way. But, I must admit they taste better in the Northeast, where the weather is cooler and the glaze doesn’t melt. How do you make the glazed donut even better?  “Make it chocolate,” writes Delish. “That pedigree plus the extra bonus of this guy’s cakey texture makes it seriously difficult to pass by the bajillion Dunkin’ locations we walk by every day.”

Chocolate glazed donut
Chocolate glazed donut (Photo by Nicholas Piccillo on Shutterstock)

“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,” writes The Daily Meal.

The editor at Mashed writes, “I’d argue it’s the perfect donut, especially if you’re a chocolate lover.” (Pro tip: Refrigerate this baby. The cool crunch of the icing as you bite into the fluffy chocolate center will be a game-changer.)

3. French Crullar

You have to get to a Dunkin’ early before this popular donut sells out. Delish calls it, “perfectly sweet with a great texture.”

French cruller donut
French cruller donut (Photo by Duntrune Studios on Shutterstock)

Shopfood adds, “The airy center and crunchy exterior make this one of the best donuts at Dunkin’.”

“It’s a great donut overall that is simple enough to go with coffee,” states Mashed.

4. Jelly

You either love or hate jelly donuts. “Though it’s perhaps the single messiest donut you can consume, every bite is pure, childlike joy,” according to Tasting Table. “We wouldn’t have it every day, but whenever there’s one in the donut box, we suddenly recall a need for more jelly donuts in our everyday life.”

Jelly donuts
Jelly donuts (Photo by The Influence Agency TIA on Shutterstock)

Restaurant Clicks says, “It’s nearly identical to the standard glazed donut but with a gooey and fruity surprise in the center. The exterior is soft and a little bit crispy, and the raspberry filling is soft and gooey.”

According to Eat This, Not That!, “Dunkin’s sugared jelly has the perfect jelly-to-donut ratio, which can be hard to find.”

5. Old Fashioned

Mashed likes this flavor the best saying, “This donut is still sweet, despite not having a glaze. Dunkin’ describes it as having ‘a mild vanilla flavor with a slight nutmeg finish,’ meaning there are complex flavors going on below that surface. The donut is sweet, crunchy, and savory.”

Old fashioned donut
Old fashioned donut (Photo by Brent Hofacker on Shutterstock)

According to The Daily Meal, “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.”

Delish admits “This donut is begging for a dunk, but despite any built-in dryness, it’s still pretty damn tasty. It reminds us of visits to the donut shop when we were kids, the warm memories probably affecting the taste.”

6. Glazed Blueberry

Mashed writes, “The Glazed Blueberry is the same as the Glazed Chocolate, only with a blueberry-flavored cake base underneath. This Old Fashioned pastry does taste better in the blueberry incarnation than the chocolate one. We don’t care that it’s not made with real blueberries or that Dunkin’ was sued for this very matter.”

Glazed blueberry donuts
Glazed blueberry donuts (Photo by P Maxwell Photography on Shutterstock)

Tasting Table says, “These donuts taste more breakfast-y and less dessert-y thanks to the blueberries alone. It’s still a donut, and the blueberries are quite fake indeed, but there’s a lovely, warm, wholesomeness to it that reads as sunshiny long mornings.”

According to Eat This, Not That!, “I appreciate that the baked good doesn’t overwhelm my taste buds the way the strawberry frosting does, but I wouldn’t be mad if they tossed some extra chunks of those blue gems to amplify the berry flavor.”

7. Boston Creme

Most reviewers at Delish ranked this the best of the creme donuts. Why? “It definitely gives you the chocolate-custardy flavor of the classic Beantown dessert.”

Boston Creme donut
Boston Creme donut (Photo by CanuckStock on Shutterstock)

Eat This, Not That! raves, “The custard filling is like vanilla pudding, and the chocolate frosting to dough ratio is perfection.”

According to Shopfood, “The Boston Kreme is the best donut at Dunkin. The custardy vanilla-flavored filling is perfectly complemented by the fudgy chocolate icing on top. It’s sweet, but not nearly as sweet as Dunkin’s buttercream-filled donuts.”

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Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.

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About the Author

Amy Chodroff

Amy Chodroff is a recovering Morning Radio Show Host and award-winning broadcaster who recently retired from DFW’s Morning News on KLIF in Dallas. Fondly known as the “Chief Googler” by her friends, it was a seamless transition for StudyFinds to enlist her expertise for their “Best of the Best” franchise. Amy has an innate curiosity and a penchant for thorough research before any purchase and she’s constantly on the hunt for top-notch products. Outside of her digital explorations, Amy loves to explore the world with her husband and is the proud mother of two adult daughters. You can also find Amy on the pickleball court, perfecting her dink and drop shots.

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Comments

  1. I’m pretty sure cruller would be #1 if anyone who wakes later than 7am had ever tried them.

    They’re harder to buy than Hamilton tickets, for goodness sakes.

    They can’t make more?

  2. What ever happened to the “Dunkin”?(The wonderful cake donut with the handle used for dunking?) That was my favorite.

  3. They left out the best donut ever created….Nut Persian (or Pershing): a cinnamon roll with frosting and chopped peanuts on top. Absolute perfection

  4. The only doughnut I want is the Dunkin doughnut and they stopped making it it’s crazy you can’t get a Dunkin doughnut at Dunkin doughnuts.

  5. Unless they changed the recipe, the blueberry cake donuts always used apple chunks, food coloring, and flavoring.

  6. Theres two “chocolate frosted” donuts.. the chocolate frosted CAKE is my favorite. Then coming in second is my childhood favorite, the Bavarian Cream. Back in the day when the donuts were made in store, my sister & I would watch Fred make the donuts through the glass and he’d always bring us the most freshest Bavarian Creams and for my parents, hot & fresh Cinnamon Rolls. We were everyday customers and sat along with the 17th District CPD. The 70’s and early 80’s were great for us kids!

  7. GLAZED STICK–the most underrated, way more texture than standard cake types, and a nice buttermilk tang to balance the sweet glaze!! WHY not sold in California shops?? I moved back to Bay Area from North Shore in 2010, still craving this donut, lol.

  8. Sour Cream Donut should have been in ranking.. a Customer of3-4 times weekly
    having a Sour Cream Donut, sipping a Coffee and reading a book is a pleasure at Dunkin

  9. They dont make my faves anymore…curlers, dunkins, and toasted coconut….cut down on my Dunkin time😢


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