Dunkin' Donuts, Ranked From Worst To Best

The Sugared donut is a Dunkin' item you may have overlooked, as it's plain in appearance. The donut kind of looks like a naked version of the glazed one. Without the shiny covering of icing, there's nothing but a thin layer of sugar crystals — and the crystals don't look like much. The donut itself tends to look flimsy and unstructured.

This Dunkin' donut is a staple part of the fried dough offerings at the chain. According to Verywell Fit, it's the "most nutritious" donut on the menu. Per Dunkin', it has 210 calories, 5 grams of sugar, 24 grams of carbohydrates, and 11 grams of fat. It doesn't exactly scream health-conscious. However, the sugared donut has fewer calories than more popular Dunkin' items, including the Glazed Donut or the Powdered Donut. It's not because of this that the Sugared Donut is dead last, but it doesn't help it, either.

The Sugared Donut is far too boring to place higher on the list. To start, the flavors are nearly nonexistent. There is a measly amount of crunchy sugar on the outside covering a flimsy donut underneath. Additionally, it's not very creative. It seems like they took a classic like the Powdered Donut and made it worse. Plus, it's not satisfying in the slightest. After eating this donut, you'll either need to eat another donut or get a large Dunkin' iced coffee to wash down the dry, flavorless mess that is the Sugared Dunkin' donut.

The Powdered Sugar donut has earned its placement due to it being one of the more dry Dunkin' donuts, but it's still a step up. Where the Sugared and Toasted Coconut donuts are mostly bland options for those looking to avoid decadence, this selection will most likely leave you with a satisfied sugar-high. You may receive a little kick of energy after eating this donut.

The Powdered Sugar donut is Dunkin's version of the classic. It's a plain-flavored donut coated in the aforementioned topping. This baked good doesn't look the most exciting one in the Dunkin' lineup, but it's still clear from the jump what it's going to taste like. At least what you see is what you get.

Spoon University said of the Powdered Donut at Dunkin', its "confectionary, fluffy texture provides a simple elegance in its taste. It's not heavy, nor bombarded with artificial colors — it's just a donut, in its most simple and delicate form." There are still a few downsides, however. For one, this donut is extremely messy. We don't recommend grabbing one in the drive-thru — eating one in the car could spell trouble. Additionally, it's still on the more boring side of the menu. There is only one flavor going on here, and it's sugar. We expect more from Dunkin'.

According to Dunkin', the Brownie Batter is a plain, heart-shaped donut with "rich, chocolatey brownie batter-flavored buttercream filling." It can come with either vanilla or chocolate filling and will be topped with sprinkles. It appears similar to the Cupid's Choice donut, aside from having different colored frosting.

Once you take a bite, you'll be able to taste the difference between the 2 donuts. Inside of the Brownie Batter donut is a delicious chocolate filling that immediately takes you back to the times you've licked a bowl of brownie batter. A Dunkin' representative even told The Daily Meal nostalgia was what the company had in mind while making the Brownie Batter donut. No need to worry about those raw eggs — it's just icing in there. The filling is very successful, even if it does make for a pretty messy donut.

The Brownie Batter Donut came into the hearts and minds of the public at the same time as Cupid's Choice. That being said, it may have won over more Dunkin' fans than its pink counterpart. One reviewer said of the donut, "The brownie batter flavored buttercream filling was just super tasty." However, the donut still has its critics. HuffPost called it, "intensely sweet," warning that it "may send you into an uncomfortable sugar shock." For this reason, its messiness, and its seasonal quality (that makes it hard to try), Brownie Batter stays near the bottom of this list — but it's better than Cupid's Choice.

According to Dunkin', a bismark is a donut that "includes more dough, filling and topping due to its rectangular shape." Essentially, the Bismark is the Bavarian Kreme donut, except instead of a powdered sugar coating, it has a topping of chocolate icing. It's the same components of the Boston Kreme donut from Dunkin' but comes in a long, rectangular shape.

Without the powdered sugar, it is less messy and has a better texture than the Bavarian Kreme. Unfortunately, the name and recipe of this donut can change depending on which location you frequent. Per Dunkin,' "Down South, this may be called a Long John and could be unfilled and tossed in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. In the Northeast, it can be similar to a Boston Kreme with chocolate icing and Bavarian Kreme filling, resembling an Éclair." That leads to some inconsistencies we would like to avoid.

The Bismark donut has a lot of fans, but it tends to let them down. This Dunkin' donut can be hard to find, according to some who have sought it out at the chain. One reviewer on TripAdvisor wrote, "I love going to Dunkin' for the Bismarck doughnut but can rarely get it. It is always sold out...If I were the owner I would definitely increase my stock of what seems to be the most popular item on the menu." We think overall the components of the Bismark make it better than the Bavarian Kreme, but not as good as the Boston Kreme.

The Apple Fritter is a lumpy, glazed treat. It appears brown-orange in color and is typically bigger than other donuts at Dunkin'. Sometimes, it comes as a filled donut. Other times, it's not filled. The fact that you have to roll the dice when buying it is a huge source of frustration among Apple Fritter fans.

On Reddit, one user wanted an unfilled donut. They asked the question, "How have I had approximately 25 Dunkin' Apple Fritters in my lifetime and only now encountered one with the apple filling?" On TripAdvisor, one fan was begging for the donuts to always have filling, writing, "Dunkin' Donuts Corporate Office should audit all their shops to make sure the Apple Fritters are being made correctly." This donut is another Dunkin' offering where people are passionate enough to ask for a specific version.

The problem with this donut is something similar to what happens with the Bismark. As Julie's Dining Club explains of the Apple Fritter, "Any Dunkin' Donuts location that finishes the donuts on-site fills them...But if you visit a location that gets them pre-made, they are the traditional style." That "traditional style," means unfilled, at least to Julie. However, it's clear to some Dunkin' fans that the filled version is the classic. That makes it hard for Dunkin' to standardize one version of the donut over another (in addition to manufacturing hurdles). Despite this inconsistency, the Apple Fritter at Dunkin' tastes more exciting and textured than the previously mentioned donuts.

The double chocolate donut at Dunkin' has an Old Fashioned (sometimes also known as cake) base. The introduction of this quality marks a change in the list. It's the first time — when looking at the donuts that have been ranked lower — that this texture has had an opportunity to shine. The mouthfeel is much more substantial than the base used for most of the filled donuts, earning the Double Chocolate a place above the rest, based on texture alone. With this donut, though, you get much more than a deliciously crumbly, cakey base.

Not only is the base Old Fashioned-style — it's chocolate-flavored. The flavor of this cake isn't overly sweet and the chocolate itself is satisfyingly nostalgic. On top of that delicious chocolate base, things get even better. There's a yummy layer of chocolate icing. Dunkin' is pretty good at this part. The icing makes it a sweet donut that's a good option for chocolate lovers.

However, as some have said with Dunkin' donuts (especially with the cake ones), the donuts tend to taste heavy on the oil. Per Cooking Light, it could be because they are made with palm oil. Although this may be a cheap manufacturing option for Dunkin', the oil can taste "savory and earthy," according to Healthline. All that heaviness isn't helped by the extreme chocolate factor of this donut. Because of the intensity of this donut, we can't recommend it to everyone.

The Maple Frosted Donut is on par with the Marble Frosted. These donuts are alike in presentation and quality, and they are also clearly not the most popular types of frosted donuts at Dunkin'. We would still take Strawberry, Vanilla, or Chocolate Dunkin' donuts over these any day.

Like the Marble, there are 2 parts to the Maple donut: a plain base and icing. With the maple, the icing is a yellowish-brown color. If you've ever seen a maple candy, that's what the icing looks like. The flavor of the maple icing is also a little predictable (if possibly underwhelming). It's classically sweet Dunkin' icing with a hint of maple syrup. The sweet, nostalgic flavor of this donut warrants it a place above the Marble Frosted. It's like getting a plate of fresh pancakes with your hot Dunkin' coffee. The downside is that it's still not the most exciting donut in terms of concept, flavor, or texture.

The Maple Frosted donut has a passionate fan base. It's so popular that some Dunkin' customers once created a petition to promote its return to stores. The petition's enthusiastic creator wrote of the donut, "It helps me run on Dunkin." Granted, you don't need to worry about this today because the Maple Frosted Donut is available at the chain. You can find nutritional information about it on the Dunkin' website. Another fan of the Maple Donuts on TripAdvisor also recommended them, saying "I love their coffee with a maple frosted donut!"

The Chocolate Frosted with Sprinkles donut is more of the same. It's a plain base, with a top layer of chocolate icing, and colorful sprinkles. This donut only differs from the aforementioned vanilla in the flavor and color of its frosting. It's even similar in nutritional qualities — per My Fitness Pal, there are around 300 calories in this treat.

Because the only difference is the icing, we are ranking this donut higher based on that factor alone. Of course, some people may hate chocolate and they will never prefer this flavor over vanilla. However, we think that the taste of the chocolate is better. The flavor is less than just sweet, and it's milder and authentic-tasting (for as much as a Dunkin' donut can be those things). Overall, the icing makes this donut a little more satisfying than the Vanilla Frosted with Sprinkles. Also, it's more of a classic flavor than the Marble or Maple Frosted donuts.

There's also a downside to think about with the frosted donuts at Dunkin'. These treats tend to neglect the quality of their bases. You can sometimes end up with a donut that's sweet on top, but flavorless and flimsy on the bottom. However, this is an issue with all the frosted donuts — not just chocolate.

The Coffee Roll is one of the more unique pastry options at the chain. Instead of the typical fried dough with a hole in it, you're going to get a delicious swirl-shaped treat. The design is similar to that of a cinnamon roll, but there are a few changes. There's icing on pretty much the whole thing, not just the top. Also, the cinnamon flavor isn't that strong, and neither is the coffee flavor. This makes sense because there isn't any coffee flavoring included in Dunkin's list of ingredients for the Coffee Roll.

While this may seem like an out-there pick, we're not the only ones who appreciate the Dunkin' Coffee Roll. Ron Rosenbaum wrote at length on his preference for the pastry above all others from the chain. The blogger pondered, "What is it about his pastry? Perhaps it's the subtle swirls of cinnamon sugar syrup sneakily insinuated into the interior spirals of the flying saucer swirls of glazed cake." We agree that both the shape and the flavor of this donut are hard-to-beat.

The texture of the pastry itself is another reason why this donut is great. The cake itself is typically Old Fashioned-style, meaning there's a great variety of textures happening. However, it's not as easy to get (meaning sometimes you won't find it among the Dunkin' donuts racks) or as easy to eat (you might make a mess if you eat this in your car) as other options.

The Glazed Chocolate donut is simply a chocolate-flavored donut made in the cake style with plain icing. Like other top-ranking Dunkin' donuts, it's a pastry that you can get from most other classic donut shops, meaning you don't have to go to Dunkin' to get this. However, Dunkin's version is particularly well-liked. It's rare for one of Dunkin's items to be considered better than other donut shop's products.

Dunkin's version is great because it ticks off a lot of boxes. You get a subtle chocolate flavor from the cake. The cake itself is the Old Fashioned style texture (which is better at Dunkin' than their yeast donuts). The icing itself can work well, in this scenario: with the plain flavor bringing out the subtle sweetness in the chocolate cake.

However, customers have reported inconsistency issues with the glaze on this particular donut. One TripAdvisor reviewer had such an experience, writing, "The only glaze was this tiny 1/4 inch or so where the donut hole is supposed to be. Only it fell out when I bit into the donut, and I found absolutely no glaze whatsoever." Without the glaze, this donut becomes too dry and unsweet, making it fall apart. Even with it, it's not as delicious as other Dunkin' donuts.

The French Cruller is a Dunkin' treat that looks like a golden, swirled crown. It's been described by the chain as in a category all its own. Per Dunkin', there are yeast donuts (Bismarks and Coffee Rolls, for example), cake donuts (Glazed Chocolate and Glazed Blueberry), and then there are French Crullers. As Dunkin' explains, this third texture is its own thing. They wrote, "A French Cruller has a soft, airy texture with a pleasant light 'egg-like' flavor. The center of the French Cruller is wet with a crunchy exterior." This unique experience warrants the French Cruller a spot very high up on the list.

Dunkin's customers seem to love French Crullers as much as the chain itself. They are usually compared to funnel cakes in taste and texture (especially when heated up), as shown by this Reddit user. One customer loved them so much they made a copycat recipe for creating the donuts at home, saying, "I [was] completely obsessed with its fancy crumb and sweet taste."

The French Cruller is typically glazed on the outside, adding a crunchy and sweet layer of complexity to this upscale-seeming donut. It's a great donut overall that is simple enough to go with coffee. It's ranked below two other classic and crowd-pleasing donuts for the egg flavor that Dunkin' advertised. Some may prefer it, but others find it a little distracting from an otherwise simple pastry.

Now, for the winner: Dunkin's Old Fashioned donut. The pastry is an unglazed cake-style base. It's usually a darker orange-brown color, compared to other donuts. The color makes it stand out as having a fried-looking appearance.

It doesn't usually look like Old Fashioned donuts from other pastry shops (which tend to have a taller ring of donut surrounded by spiked or bump-looking edges, via Dawn Foods). The Dunkin' donut is also different from the chain's hard-to-find Sour Cream donuts, which also look more wrinkled. Both of these similar types have icing. The Old Fashioned does not, but that turns out to be a good thing.

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. It's not so hard to eat because there is only one component to worry about: meaning only one type of crumb to anticipate. The lack of sweetness speaks to its refinement, but the oil reminds you of why you came to Dunkin' in the first place. You came to get coffee but ended up getting a donut along with it (and sometimes decided to call that breakfast). That's why it topped this ranking.