What are the ingredients of Krispy Kreme doughnuts?

November 9, 2025 •

2 min read

Krispy Kreme has been crafting its famous doughnuts since 1937, and the secret to their melt-in-your-mouth texture is a carefully balanced recipe. Delving into the details reveals precisely what are the ingredients of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, encompassing the rich dough, the iconic sugary glaze, and the various additives that help maintain consistency and freshness.

Quick Summary

An exploration of the components that make up a classic Krispy Kreme doughnut. The article details the specific ingredients used in the yeast-based dough and the signature sugary glaze. It also provides a breakdown of common allergens and key additives that contribute to the product's unique qualities.

Key Points

Dough is complex: The dough for the Original Glazed® includes enriched wheat flour, yeast, sugar, eggs, milk, and various vegetable shortenings and oils.
Glaze is a simple sugar mix: The famous sweet glaze consists mainly of sugar, water, corn starch, palm oil, and stabilizers like agar, guar gum, and locust bean gum.
Additives ensure consistency: Numerous stabilizers, emulsifiers, preservatives, and leavening agents are used to ensure product consistency, freshness, and optimal dough rise.
Key allergens are present: Traditional Krispy Kreme doughnuts contain wheat, soy, egg, and milk. Vegan options exclude eggs and milk but are not guaranteed allergen-free due to cross-contamination risk.
Vegan alternatives exist: A vegan version of the Original Glazed® and other flavors is available in some regions, formulated without animal by-products.
Manufacturing caution advised: Due to shared equipment, Krispy Kreme advises customers with allergies to nuts, milk, eggs, or other major allergens that cross-contamination is possible.

Deconstructing the Original Glazed® Doughnut

The beloved Krispy Kreme Original Glazed® doughnut owes its distinctive taste and texture to a blend of both familiar and highly specific food-grade ingredients. This iconic treat is composed of two primary parts: the doughnut dough itself and the shiny glaze that coats it.

The Dough: More Than Just Flour and Water

At the heart of the Krispy Kreme experience is the light, airy, and slightly chewy doughnut dough. Key ingredients in the traditional dough include enriched wheat flour, yeast, sugar, dextrose, vegetable shortening (palm and soybean oils), eggs, milk, and various emulsifiers, stabilizers, preservatives, and acidity regulators to ensure consistent texture, freshness, and proper rising.

The Iconic Glaze: A Sweet Coating

The thin, sugary glaze is arguably as famous as the doughnut itself, drying to a delicate shell that melts on the tongue. Its main components are sugar and water, thickened with corn starch, and smoothed with palm oil. Plant-based stabilizers like agar, guar gum, and locust bean gum help the glaze set, while natural and artificial flavors provide the distinct vanilla notes, balanced by salt.

A Comparison of Original vs. Vegan Doughnuts

To cater to a wider audience, Krispy Kreme has introduced a certified vegan option that omits animal by-products like eggs and dairy. This table compares the core ingredients of the traditional and plant-based Original Glazed® Doughnuts.


Ingredient Category	Original Glazed® Doughnut	Vegan Original Glazed® Doughnut
Flour	Enriched Wheat Flour	Wheat Flour
Fat	Palm Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil	Palm Oil
Yeast	Yes	Yes
Dairy	Nonfat Milk Powder, Whey	Excluded
Eggs	Dried Egg Yolks	Excluded
Glaze	Sugar, Water, Corn Starch, Palm Oil, Agar, Flavors	Sugar, Water, Stabilizers, Flavors (no dairy or egg)
Emulsifiers	Soy Lecithin, Mono- and Diglycerides	Soy Lecithin and other plant-based emulsifiers

Important Allergen Information

Krispy Kreme is transparent about the allergens present in its facilities and products.

Wheat: Found in the enriched wheat flour.
Egg: Included in the original dough recipe.
Milk: Dried milk powder is in the traditional recipe.
Soy: Soy flour, lecithin, and soybean oil are listed ingredients.
Tree Nuts and Peanuts: While not in Original Glazed®, cross-contamination is possible due to shared equipment.

Conclusion: The Formula for Freshness

The signature flavor and texture of Krispy Kreme doughnuts result from a precise formula balancing standard baking ingredients with food additives. The ingredients of Krispy Kreme doughnuts include enriched wheat flour, yeast, and multiple oils for the dough, while the famous glaze uses sugar, water, and stabilizers. Awareness of eggs, milk, and soy is vital for those with allergies. The availability of vegan options in some markets demonstrates the brand's ability to adapt its iconic recipe while preserving core qualities.

Frequently Asked Questions

There is no single 'secret' ingredient. The unique qualities of Krispy Kreme doughnuts come from a combination of specific ingredients and their processing. The blend of enriched flour, vegetable shortening, and yeast, combined with the signature hot sugar glaze, creates the distinctively light and airy texture.

Traditional Krispy Kreme doughnuts contain both eggs and milk, making them suitable for ovo-lacto vegetarians but not for vegans. However, in some regions, Krispy Kreme offers a separate line of vegan doughnuts that omit these animal products.

Yes, the traditional Original Glazed® doughnut recipe includes dried milk powder and dried egg yolks as core ingredients. Only the certified vegan doughnut varieties are made without these animal by-products.

Krispy Kreme uses a variety of vegetable shortenings and oils for frying. Official ingredient lists confirm the use of palm oil and soybean oil, with some versions containing partially hydrogenated versions.

No, Krispy Kreme cannot guarantee that any of its products are free from nuts. Due to shared manufacturing facilities and equipment that also process peanuts and tree nuts, there is a risk of cross-contamination.

The signature shine and stability of the Krispy Kreme glaze come from a blend of ingredients. Stabilizers like agar, guar gum, and locust bean gum are used to create the delicate, quick-setting, and shiny coating.

No, the Original Glazed® doughnut is not gluten-free. Enriched wheat flour is a primary ingredient in the dough, and all products are made in facilities that process wheat, making them unsuitable for those with a gluten-free diet.