9 Grocery Store Glazed Donuts, Ranked

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In a world of stress and bills and constant to-do lists, it's always nice to have comfort in the form of food. There's something so familiar and pleasant about a plain ol' glazed donut. It doesn't need bold flavors or vibrant sprinkles to be palatable; it's delicious and charming on its own. There's a time and place for an over-the-top donut, but a glazed isn't one of them. 

I wanted to see if store-bought donuts could live up to the fresh ones I can find at donut shops near me — truth be told, it was harder than I thought, but there's ultimately one donut that's probably the best store-bought one you can find. I ranked my nine donuts by taste (flavor and icing) and texture (freshness, softness, and density) to find the best. I'm confident you'll like my No. 1 pick if you're able to get your hands on it.

Admittedly, I don't eat many Target bakery goods, but I was surprised by just how much I disliked these donuts. They're dense and not airy as they should be, almost like they were underproofed. They're chewy rather than soft and overall strange. The icing feels wet and sticks to your fingers as you grab the donut. It's like it never fully set. I wouldn't get these again, and I can't recommend them to you either. 

I'm glad I got the six-pack because 12 would be far too much and would be wasteful. I couldn't bring myself to eat this beyond the first couple of bites as I sampled it. Miraculously, though, it didn't get much worse over the next few days, which shows just how unpleasant they were from the start. Reviews on Target's website are pretty mixed, which goes to show this isn't a standalone problem. One person goes so far as to call them "nasty."

Based on a previous Tasting Table taste test of Favorite Day baked goods, it's almost 50/50 on what to buy and what to skip, so it doesn't seem to have an overwhelming number of great products. The only donut on the list, old-fashioned cake donuts, was deemed an item to avoid because they were so dry.

These Entenmann's Pop'ems glazed donut holes come in boxes of around 28 holes, and they had an odd aftertaste, like they were made with old oil. It contains palm oil and vegetable oil, but it's hard to say if that's exactly what I'm tasting. Like the Favorite Day glazed donuts, they seem a tad old and dry, but not in a good crumbly cake-donut kind of way. They contain buttermilk to give them a bit of depth, but they still don't quite hit the old-fashioned donut hole it appears to be aiming for. 

The glaze is lackluster as well; it's sweet, dimensionless, and isn't evenly dispersed. Some of the little pockets lack icing, which is arguably what gives them the best flavor. I suppose, by name only, you're supposed to feel so inclined to pop them in your mouth one after another. However, after my initial taste test of the donut hole, I wasn't too keen to try it again (although I did eat a couple more over the next couple of days for journalistic purposes). They're certainly better than the Favorite Day donuts, but I would not want to eat them again.

Little Debbie is a household name for quick sweets, and luckily, the glazed mini donuts aren't too terrible. It comes with approximately 20 mini donuts and is a step up from the previous two. It's considerably moister and easier to eat, but it doesn't have much depth of flavor. It mainly just tastes sweet with nothing else going for it. Therefore, they're on the bland side. 

The icing is only dunked on half of the donut; it's definitely a sweet treat, but it doesn't taste much like any donut or mini donut I've had from a shop. I personally would not buy or consume them again, but they are not nearly as dry as the Entenmann's donut holes, so I'd say they're slightly better. It gave me a little bit of hope about what to expect from other donuts. Pricing wasn't a factor in my ranking, but these are about half the price of the other two, which could be enticing for consumers.

I definitely remember Entenmann's being much better when I was a kid; it's hard to say whether the quality changed, or if my taste buds did, but I wasn't too enthralled by the brand's 8-count of glazed buttermilk donuts. They're a bit more successful than the donut hole version from Entenmann's, just because the glaze seems more evenly distributed and the donuts taste a little cakier and have a slightly moister texture. 

Overall, they are the most flavorful and interesting of the previous three, but certainly not good enough to rank any higher. They left a funny flavor on my tongue; I can't really pinpoint anything in the ingredients that might have caused it, but alas, it did. And I don't catch much of a buttermilk flavor either. I tried a selection of Entenmann's snack cakes and found them considerably more flavorful, moist, and interesting, so perhaps I'll just stick with those if I want to buy anything from the company.

The Freedom Foods glazed old-fashioned doughnut minis have around seven donuts, and they were better than I would have thought. These are unique because they are dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free. Overall, the flavor is more multidimensional and balanced than Entenmann's donuts. While this Freedom Foods option is very soft, it absolutely does not remind me of an old-fashioned donut, so they don't deliver on that front.  

However, it is still the best-tasting and best-textured of anything so far. It has a rice flour base, which gives it a gummy, mochi-like texture that's fun to chew on. They are incredibly soft and include ingredients such as lime juice, avocado pulp, cinnamon, nutmeg, and molasses. I don't necessarily pick up on any of these individually, but they do contribute to a more interesting, complex flavor that seems more authentic than some of the strange aftertastes of other donuts mentioned earlier. They are most similar in size and appearance to the Little Debbie's mini donuts, but they are far more enjoyable to eat. The glaze isn't amazing, but I'd be happier to have a few bites of these donuts compared to a few bites of anything else so far.

While everything else so far was found in the bakery section, the 6-pack of Katz gluten-free glazed donuts was in the freezer aisle, so they require a bit of prep time. The box suggests heating them for a little bit, so I did just that. Let me start with how they fared after they were thawed: It was pretty good. In this case, they were slightly heavy and needed moisture, but they still felt pretty donut-adjacent. The glaze is sweet and slightly wet. These are made with a gluten-free flour blend made from corn starch, white rice, flour, and tapioca starch. This blend offers a complex texture. 

It's not quite as airy as your average bakery-fresh wheat-based yeast donut, but it isn't nearly as dry as some of the previous options on this list either. The glaze offers sweetness without being too much of a distraction. After trying it thawed, I also tried it heated in the microwave for 10 seconds, and this resulted in a really lovely dessert. It didn't seem particularly donut-forward, but it was pleasant nonetheless. 

Since flavor is the most important factor here, this gets the fourth-place spot above Freedom Foods. The gluten-free base is still tasty and successful. Generally, I'm pretty pleased with both gluten-free options I tried. They don't have a traditional donut texture, but they still offer a flavorful and interesting option for those with food sensitivities, which I think is imperative. They are also nut-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. Katz offers many other flavors, so I encourage you to try them if you want a gluten-free option.

Little Debbie's donut sticks turned out to be a surprise win. I thought they'd be uninteresting like the brand's glazed mini donuts, but these were quite good. You'll get six sticks per box, and as the packaging states, these are a good option for dunking (in coffee, hot chocolate, something like that) because they're dense and can hold up with the liquid. They hit on the cakey donut base texture, better than anything previously mentioned on this list. 

However, it's still a bit denser and drier than a typical old-fashioned donut. On the plus side, the icing brings a nice level of sweetness to balance the cakey foundation. And it is completely dry, whereas many others left a sticky residue. These are also the only individually packaged donuts on the list, so they don't exactly scream "fresh-baked," but I found them a happy high-ranking option. These are great to keep in the pantry until you need them, whereas other donuts have a ticking clock of freshness once opened. Are they the best donuts out there? Definitely not. But they're decent for packaged food and had the better flavor, texture, and icing than Katz's gluten-free glazed donuts going for them.

I'd heard great things about the Trader Joe's sour cream glazed donut – it's supposed to be better than Krispy Kreme donuts – but it let me down. Or perhaps I can blame it on my expectations. I was greatly looking forward to trying these, but they seemed old, which is kind of the case. I bought the freshest I could find, and that turned out to be a best-by date only two days out. I totally understand that donuts don't typically have a long lifespan, so it's hard to tell whether this is a subpar batch or if I was making them out to be something they weren't.

These TJ's donuts are a bit dry and don't hit the spot like an old-fashioned donut usually does — it's my favorite donut type. Typically, I expect a cakey and crumbly crumb, but this just seemed slightly dense and dry. I'd say these aren't comparable to a donut shop donut, but are decent for a store-bought one. I like that the icing isn't wet, so it feels like a ready-to-eat pastry. 

That all said, they're certainly the most successful old-fashioned donut of the ones I tried, despite their issues. These could be good to buy for family or guests for part of breakfast or an afternoon snack with tea, particularly if they're as fresh as possible. I think my expectations were way too high, but they still taste better than Little Debbie donut sticks and have a better, moister texture, too.

There's Clyde's glazed donuts, and then there's everything else. This 6-pack is the only comparable option to buying fresh; I was shocked, honestly. There is absolutely no comparison; this is the best glazed donut I tried for this taste test by many, many miles. Interestingly, these are frozen, and you simply thaw them before serving, which preserves their freshness just like you got them from the bakery. 

After thawing, these are fresh and light with a yeast donut base, very similar to what I get at donut shops. If you put the six donuts on a plate, I'd assume you got them from some donut shop. The dough is airy and fresh, while the icing is sweet and crackly, something I didn't find in any other donut. As you take a bite, the icing crackles and flakes off just like a fresh-baked donut. I've never seen Clyde's donuts before this, even though it's over 100 years old. But now that I am aware, I will sing my praises from here on out. 

I bought this from Amazon Fresh, so I have no idea where this even came from. I haven't seen the brand anywhere near me, and even on the company's location finder, the closest store that sells it is about 40 minutes away. If you can find these, Clyde's is an easy winner above the rest. Bonus points that they are cheaper than several items on this list.

I went to several grocery stores to pick up a selection of donuts, including Target, Albertsons, Sprouts, and an Amazon Fresh delivery, and tried all the donuts in one afternoon. Then I tried them again a couple more times — once the next day and once more a couple of days after that — so I included some insights on how they aged where relevant. Typically, a donut shop donut is best that day. It starts degrading shortly thereafter, so it was interesting that some were just as good/bad the next day and beyond. 

I primarily judged them on their flavor and freshness. If it were a yeast donut, I wanted a light, fresh donut. If it were an old-fashioned donut, I was looking for a denser, yet still moist, cakey base. As for icing, I wanted it to be sweet and serve as a balance to the donut rather than overshadowing it; it shouldn't be wet. Although I did not expect the donuts to be as good as a fresh one from my local donut shop, I used that as my baseline.

If you're looking for chain donut shop glazed donuts, or even grocery store bakery donuts, never fear, there are taste tests and insights for those, too.