The Hands-Down Best Grocery Store Glazed Donuts On The Market

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Glazed donuts are a classic choice that has become the barometer of a good donut shop. They're also the type of donut that most packaged brands offer. So if you want to skip the donut shop line and steep prices, you can find a wealth of glazed donut options at your local grocery store aisle. We sampled and ranked 9 grocery store glazed donut brands based on the flavor of the icing and crumb, freshness, softness, and density of their texture.

Of the numerous donuts we sampled, Clyde's won first place by a landslide. No other brand came anywhere close to the freshness, taste, and texture of Clyde's glazed donuts. In fact, if you saw these donuts piled on a plate, you'd think they came from a local donut shop or bakery. The glaze flaked off and melted in your mouth the way a fresh donut does, and the light, fluffy crumb is what everyone wants in a donut. The yeasty dough and sweet glaze provide the perfect, simple flavor profile. 

There was a lot to love about these donuts, but the freshness we tasted was unparalleled. Clyde's donuts are frozen and require being thawed before you can dig in, so perhaps the act of freezing donuts after frying them as part of the production process helps to preserve their freshness. You'll have to plan your morning ahead of time so that the donuts thaw in time for breakfast, but the effort has a huge pay off.

Not only did we love Clyde's glazed donuts, but customers across social media and retail platforms also wrote glowing reviews. One Reddit review called Clyde's donuts "one of the best glazed donuts I've had in a very long time," confirming that "these crush Krispy Kreme and they are so delectable." According to the Redditor, a mere 20 seconds in the microwave make these packaged donuts taste "like they just came out of the oven." 

An Amazon review gave Clyde's glazed donuts an A+, on par with the best donuts that "melt [in] your mouth and are perfectly sweet and doughy." Customers on Amazon thought Clyde's were restaurant-worthy, with one review proclaiming, "they are moist and squishy and taste like heaven on earth," while another customer said, "they are the best donuts I have found that didn't come fresh from a donut shop."

Clyde's donuts are certainly the best packaged glazed donuts you can find on grocery store shelves, according to our taste test and many glowing customer reviews. But the packaged donut aisle isn't the only place in the grocery store where you'll find donuts. Many grocery store bakeries crank out fresh donuts you can buy individually or in multi-packs. So, if you want a fresher option than Clyde's, check out our ranking of grocery store bakery donuts. We found that the best grocery store bakery donuts come from a family-owned chain in the Midwest.