Krispy Kreme Holiday Doughnuts Review: Which One Wins?
We went to conduct a Krispy Kreme holiday review. So, we tried all three Krispy Kreme holiday doughnuts. One surprised our whole group, one was very good, and one had too much going on.
Yesterday, we published our news story on the Krispy Kreme Holiday Doughnuts, and we made two predictions. We said the Hot Cocoa Doughnut looked like the safest crowd-pleaser, and the Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Doughnut was the one we were most curious to try. A few hours, one pink box, and several napkins later, we have answers. One prediction landed. The other one tripped over its own toffee crunch.
If you missed the news, Krispy Kreme closed out its year of five seasonal drops with a three doughnut holiday lineup and a new Sugar Cookie Latte at participating U.S. shops. It also arrived the same day as the Dunkin’ Avengers: Doomsday menu, so the doughnut wars are officially on. Our job today was simple: eat all three Krispy Kreme holiday doughnuts and tell you which ones deserve a spot in your holiday box. By the way, we have a review coming of the Dunkin’ Marvel-themed doughnuts coming out later today.
Krispy Kreme Holiday Review: What We Ordered and What It Cost
We went with the 3-Count Holiday Seasonal box, which includes one of each holiday doughnut. Our total was $8.39, or about $2.80 per doughnut. Prices vary by shop, so yours may land a little higher or lower. We tried the doughnuts as a group, which is the best way to settle doughnut arguments and the worst way to get the last bite.
Hot Cocoa Doughnut: The Surprise Winner of Our Krispy Kreme Holiday Review
The Hot Cocoa Doughnut starts with an Original Glazed doughnut, then gets dipped in chocolate icing and topped with a frosting made with GHIRARDELLI Hot Cocoa, marshmallow bites, and a final sprinkle of GHIRARDELLI hot cocoa.
We expected to like it. We did not expect our whole group to like it this much. This was the doughnut that we wished we had purchased four of them!
The frosting is the star. It works well with the chocolate icing instead of piling on top of it, and it tastes like the good part of a mug of cocoa. The Ghirardelli elements are what elevate this doughnut. That cocoa dusting gives it a richer, more grown up chocolate flavor than a standard chocolate iced doughnut, and the marshmallow bites add just enough fun to keep it festive.
Verdict: Our favorite of the three and the one we would tell you to buy if you only buy one. It is cocoa in doughnut form, minus the burnt tongue.
Sugar Cookie Doughnut: Holiday Flavor Without the Sugar Coma
The Sugar Cookie Doughnut is an Original Glazed doughnut dipped in vanilla flavored icing and finished with a holiday sugar cookie topping. It is the most classic looking doughnut in the lineup, and it tastes exactly like it looks, in a good way.
This one was very good. It brings a nice holiday flavor without being overwhelming, which is harder than it sounds. Sugar cookie anything tends to go straight from “festive” to “dentist appointment,” but Krispy Kreme kept this one balanced. The vanilla icing and cookie topping taste like the holidays, and the Original Glazed base still gets to be itself.
Verdict: A very close second. If you want something cheerful that will not knock you over, this is your doughnut. It is also the easiest one to share with the relatives who “do not really like sweets” and then eat three.
Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Doughnut: Too Much Going On
This was the doughnut we were most excited about. It is an unglazed shell doughnut filled with Cheesecake Kreme, dipped in caramel icing, coated in toffee graham flavored crunch, and finished with a caramel drizzle. On paper, that is a holiday dessert table in a single doughnut.
In practice, it was the weakest of the three. There is simply too much going on without a powerful flavor anywhere. The caramel, the toffee, the graham crunch, and the filling all show up to the party, but nobody takes the microphone. Each bite tastes sweet and busy, and then it is over before you can tell what you just ate.
The Cheesecake Kreme filling was nice on its own. It just was not robust enough for this combination. With all that caramel and crunch on top, it needed a bolder, tangier cheesecake flavor to cut through. In our Voodoo Doll Doughnut review, we praised a filled doughnut that commits to the bit. This one commits to several bits at once and does not land any of them.
Verdict: Not bad, just forgettable. If you love caramel and cheesecake, you may still want to try it, but go in with expectations set to “nice” rather than “new favorite.”
Our Krispy Kreme Holiday Doughnut Rankings
- Hot Cocoa Doughnut: The group favorite and the clear winner, thanks to that Ghirardelli frosting.
- Sugar Cookie Doughnut: Very good, festive, and balanced. A strong second place.
- Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Doughnut: The most ambitious and the least memorable.
Is the Krispy Kreme Holiday Three Pack Worth It?
At $8.39 for three doughnuts, the 3-Count Holiday Seasonal box is a fair way to try the whole lineup without committing to a dozen. Two out of three is a winning record in most sports and in most doughnut boxes.
If you already know what you like, though, we would skip the box and buy the Hot Cocoa and Sugar Cookie doughnuts separately. Also, if you are feeding a crowd, the Holiday Seasonal Dozen gives you three of each holiday doughnut plus three Original Glazed, so the Original Glazed can quietly cover for the Caramel Toffee Cheesecake.
We did not try the new Sugar Cookie Latte on this visit. Based on how well the Sugar Cookie Doughnut balanced its sweetness, we are curious, and we may circle back.
Know Before You Go
- Where: Participating U.S. Krispy Kreme shops, for a limited time while supplies last.
- What we paid: $8.39 for the 3-Count Holiday Seasonal box. Prices vary by location.
- Ordering: In shop, drive thru, or pickup and delivery through the Krispy Kreme app and website.
- Find a shop: Krispy Kreme shop locator.
- Perk: Krispy Kreme Rewards members earn points on purchases and get a free doughnut for signing up.
- Full lineup details: See our Krispy Kreme Holiday Doughnuts news story for the complete menu, the Sugar Cookie Latte, and the holiday party bundles.
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