11 Store-Bought Glazed Donuts Ranked From Worst To Best

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Dessert trends may come and go — cupcakes, colorful macarons, pints of savory ice creams — but the simple pleasure of a tender and sweet donut never goes out of style. A hot, fresh donut served straight out of the glazer is about as close to a bite of pure bliss as one can get — and one reason why Krispy Kreme is so delicious. But the pastries don't have to be warm to taste good. There's an abundance of store-bought options available when a trip to Dunkin' or your local donut shop isn't quite as convenient.

Available in a wide variety of styles, flavors, and sizes, store-bought donuts are easy to pick up on your next grocery trip or snack run, and are acceptable treats any time of day. From yeasted to cake and old-fashioned, I tasted 11 store-bought glazed donuts to find which are worth grabbing on your next shopping trip and which you should pass on. From worst to best, here's how these store-bought donuts rank.

Donuts are generally split into two categories: cake and yeasted. Cake-style donuts are made with a chemical leavening (like baking soda) instead of yeast. Old-fashioned donuts are also considered cake-style and usually include sour cream or buttermilk (or both) and have a more rustic finish. All styles were included in this ranking to provide the largest sample of glazed store-bought donuts I could taste at once.

The biggest considerations when ranking each treat were the freshness and texture — regardless of style — and the flavor of the dough. Where available, I opted for an unflavored glazed donut for easier comparison across the board, and I kept the focus on the texture and flavor.

While basic nutrition information is included for each pick, nutrition was not a major consideration in the ranking. Nevertheless, any standout ingredients were noted if they obviously impacted the flavor.

Not to be confused with maple-flavored donuts, Maple Donuts is an independent manufacturer based in York, Pennsylvania, that supplies treats to stores up and down the East Coast. Here in New York City, Maple Donuts are on the shelves of practically every grocery store in my neighborhood, leading me to believe they must be popular enough that everywhere stocks boxes of the brand's glazed donuts for a reason.

Unfortunately, that reason did not present itself to me while I was tasting them. The immediate issue with the box of Maple's glazed donuts I purchased was that they tasted incredibly stale straight out of the box. I'm comfortable with a day-old or even a two-day-old donut, but no amount of glaze (of which there was an average amount) could hide the fact that these were likely made a week ago — and still had three days to go before their sell-by date.

Additionally, these glazed donuts are made with a noticeable amount of cinnamon in the dough, which surprised me since they weren't labeled as such. If you're into cinnamon donuts, you're in for a nice surprise, but I would have preferred a maple syrup surprise instead. Each treat has 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.

There's no shortage of brands making packs of mini donuts, often in a variety of flavors from sugared to cinnamon. So it's no surprise to see several mini donut offerings from Little Debbie as well. The snack company offers flavors like glazed, powdered, Strawberry Shortcake (a strawberry-flavored donut with pink icing), Zebra (white frosting with chocolate stripes), chocolate frosted, and Fudge Rounds (chocolate donuts with chocolate frosting). For easy comparison, I picked up a bag of Little Debbie Mini Glazed Donuts, even though the mini Fudge Rounds were incredibly tempting.

The glaze covers the top and sides of these bite-sized donuts, which don't have any standout flavors, but are plenty tender and sweet enough to satisfy a quick sugar craving. After eating a few glazed donuts, it felt like there was a thin, waxy coating in my mouth. It dissipated quickly, but could likely be avoided with the powdered donut variety instead of the glazed. Four mini glazed donuts have 250 calories, 11 grams of fat, 35 carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein. They are currently available in single-serve packs of six and family-pack bags of about 20 mini donuts.

I'm no stranger to a sleeve of Hostess Donettes Powdered Mini Donuts, but was surprised to see just how many variations of the recognizable mini donuts the brand offers. Marketed as "breakfast snacks," Donettes are offered in Old Fashioned (glazed), powdered, churro, chocolate frosted, double chocolate, crunch, honey bun, and Apple Cinnamon Fritter Rings. Jumbo Donettes are also made in classic glazed, glazed blueberry, and glazed strawberry flavors.

The glaze on the Hostess Old Fashioned Donettes is noticeably thinner than on the Little Debbie Mini Glazed Donuts, and unsurprisingly, a bit less sweet than a powdered donut. But don't worry, they're still plenty sweet, and the reduced glazing makes it easier to taste the flavor of the actual donut, which tastes a lot like yellow cake. As with the Little Debbie mini offering, these donuts also have a slightly waxy mouthfeel, but it fades quickly.

The Hostess mini glazed donuts have a slightly more pronounced cake flavor than the Little Debbie equivalent, perhaps because they include actual sweet cream and vanilla extract, whereas the former does not. Three glazed mini donuts have 250 calories, 13 grams of fat, 32 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. You can find Hostess Donettes practically everywhere, and the Old Fashioned mini donuts are available in bags with about 15 pieces.

Eschewing the familiar ring shape, Little Debbie also makes donuts in stick form. The Glazed Donut Sticks are available in regular glazed and apple cinnamon flavors, and can be found in single-serve and multipack boxes. One look at these donut sticks, and it's not hard to imagine dipping them into a cup of coffee. The cake-style donuts very much resemble white cake, and while the crumb is tender, the donuts are just slightly on the dry side.

The slightly dry texture is ideal if you actually plan on dipping them into coffee, but if you aren't big on coffee-soaked donuts, it isn't the most satisfying donut experience in this lineup. With that said, it's not so dry that it's hard to chew or crumbles in your hands, and can just as easily be enjoyed with a cup of coffee (no dunking) or a glass of milk. 

Little Debbie's Donut Sticks might not be the most impressive donuts on this list, but they get extra points for being individually packaged, making them more convenient than a partially eaten, opened package to toss into a bag or purse for a snack. One donut stick has 270 calories, 16 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. Little Debbie Donut Sticks are currently available in single-serve packages, six-count family packs, and 12-count big packs.

Entenmann's sells a variety of cake-style donuts and donut holes, but if you're strictly looking for a regular glazed, you'll have to pick up Entenmann's Classic 8-piece Variety Pack. Even then, the variety pack only includes two glazed donuts alongside four chocolate-frosted and two Crumb Topped. It's a good thing Entenmann's donuts are so good — otherwise, it might not be worth it.

Arguably, the best treats in the variety pack are the Crumb Topped donuts, but the buttery, soft, and cakey texture of the glazed is just as appealing. These are noticeably sweeter than many of the other full-sized donuts on this list, but that's part of what makes them so irresistible. Each glazed donut in the variety pack has 240 calories, with 14 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. If you're a fan of all of the flavors in this box, it's definitely worth picking up. But if you'd rather skip one of the other flavors, it's not really worth it, even though the glazed one is enjoyable (hint: read on to see an even better Entenmann's choice for glazed donut lovers).

It might be hard to believe, but yes — you can now buy donuts from a tech brand. But given that you can already order just about anything online and have it delivered to your front door, it was only a matter of time before the company that made the convenience of quick delivery the new standard nationwide would start selling its own brand of groceries too. Amazon Grocery launched in October 2025, with a lineup of over 1,000 private-label grocery items, including the Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts, available with a Prime membership for $4.99 before tax.

The plastic clamshell package includes six large cake-style donuts, which have been fried just past golden brown but don't taste overcooked. The tanginess is far more noticeable than in any of the other old-fashioned or sour cream donuts tasted, with a light glaze coating the top and sides of each donut. Cinnamon appears at the very end of the ingredients list, and while it's relatively light compared to the Maple Donuts Glazed Donuts, I wasn't personally crazy about the additional flavor. Otherwise, I appreciated the size, notable tangy flavor, and tenderness of Amazon's offering. Each donut has 230 calories, 11 grams of fat, 31 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.

While yeast donuts may be one of the most popular types of donuts, and many people (including me) prefer their taste and texture, they tend to lose their freshness faster than cake varieties. Even so, I'm not embarrassed to say that I'll gladly enjoy a day-old Krispy Kreme donut without a moment's hesitation, even if it is slightly less tender than a fresh one. And if you're buying prepackaged yeast donuts, you should be prepared for them to taste slightly stale.

In the best way possible, Clyde's Glazed Donuts taste like delicious day-old donuts that aren't quite as pillowy soft as they probably were at one point, but they're still pretty good, and you'll still want to eat the whole thing. It's worth noting that I purchased a six-pack online and had them delivered, but if you find them in a grocery store, there's a chance they may be slightly fresher. The donuts are smaller in diameter than some of the other options, but thicker and covered with a good ratio of glaze. They have a delightful yeasted flavor, and a few seconds in the microwave or air fryer will make them taste like you just picked them up at a shop. Each treat has 230 calories, with 12 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.

As a general fan of most things Trader Joe's makes, I especially looked forward to trying the grocery store's Glazed Sour Cream Donuts. The treats are sold in boxes of six, with a clear view of the generously glazed donuts inside. Lured in by the thicker puddles of glaze that pooled up in the wells on top of the donuts, I excitedly bit into one and waited for that sugary dopamine boost to hit. While the glaze did not disappoint, the cake-like donut itself left me somewhat unimpressed. The donuts were a little too thick and a touch too dry for my liking, but I couldn't help but feel like maybe I just wasn't getting it somehow. So I did a quick Reddit search and took the recommendation of one user to pop my TJ's donut in the air fryer for two to three minutes — and that made all the difference.

After a quick trip through the air fryer, Trader Joe's Glazed Sour Cream Donuts regained noticeable tenderness and moisture, the glaze became more delicate with that perfect shattering finish, and a little warmth gave them a freshly made vibe that made them a real treat. With that said, don't let these donuts sit around for long, as they'll lose their freshness quickly. One glazed sour cream donut has 370 calories, 17 grams of fat, 52 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein.

As mentioned previously, Entenmann's cake-style donuts are especially delicious, thanks to their tender crumb, buttery flavor, and perfect level of sweetness. But the variety pack can be a little bit of a letdown if you don't love every flavor in the box. Instead, pick up a box of Entenmann's Glazed Buttermilk Donuts, which are just as delicious as the regular glazed donuts in the variety pack, if not more so.

Yes, they are slightly different than the glazed donuts and really are made with buttermilk (which the standard version is not). Not to mention, they taste fresh straight out of the box and maintain that same soft texture for several days, assuming they make it past the first day. One Entenmann's Glazed Buttermilk Donut has 210 calories, with 10 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. The treats are available in six and eight-count boxes, but do yourself a favor and get the eight-pack. Additionally, if you find you prefer the Crumb Topped or frosted donuts in the variety pack, you can also find single-flavor packs of those as well.

7-Eleven might be known for its Slurpees, Big Gulps, coffee, hot dogs, taquitos, and pizzas, but if you've been sleeping on the famous convenience store's fresh donuts, you're missing out on one of the best things 7-Eleven has to offer. Large, soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet, these yeasted treats are probably the closest you'll get to freshly made donuts outside of an actual shop. With that said, 7-Eleven doesn't own its own commissary bakery, nor does every store sell the same sweets nationwide. The convenience store sources its donuts from local and regional wholesale bakeries, which are then delivered fresh to stores. But that is also one of Dunkin's untold truths, so it isn't entirely different than how other large donut chains operate. Glenn Wayne Bakery is the donut and fresh pastry supplier to 7-Eleven stores across New York state.

The fresh donuts can usually be found in a self-serve pastry case just past the register in many convenience stores. Alongside glazed donuts are usually a selection of frosted and sugared yeasted donuts, as well as cake and old-fashioned sour cream donuts. A simple glazed donut has about 260 calories, although the exact nutrition information will vary depending on location and which bakery supplies your local store's donuts.

Wegmans is commonly considered one of the country's best grocery stores — in large part due to its deli, produce, and bakery sections — so my hopes were high even before tasting its glazed donuts. Cake donuts are perfectly delicious, but if given the opportunity, I'd reach for a yeast donut every time, and Wegmans offers a selection of both glazed and flavored in-store baked donuts.

A four-pack of glazed donuts costs about $5.50 and contains some of the largest and fluffiest donuts I had the pleasure of tasting for this comparison. The glaze is minimal, lighter than I'd prefer as someone with a highly developed sweet tooth, but the soft, yeasty flavor is a little bolder than the 7-Eleven glazed donuts, and rivaled only by a freshly fried donut. The flavor is similar to what you'd expect from a Dunkin' glazed donut, but fresher-tasting and without the cornstarchy finish.

One glazed donut has 290 calories, 13 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbohydrates, and 5 grams of protein. They're available in four-packs and also individually, along with a variety of other flavors and fillings, in the bakery section of the massive grocery store.