The simplicity of a glazed donut is timeless – The soft and sweet taste cures all cravings and provides endless satisfaction for your tastebuds. From the consistency of the bread, the thickness of the frosting, and the overall appearance, there are plenty of ways for one donut to stand out from the crowd. To find out which store masters the treat, I, along with Emery senior Jake Pinsky, chose to review glazed donuts from H-E-B, Dunkin Donuts, and Shipley Do-Nuts. To give each store a better chance to shine, we also reviewed their “best” donut according to the cashier. After indulging in the comprehensive list below, you can get a better idea for yourself which donuts do or do-nut deserve your praise.
H-E-B
While the store is not considered a donut shop, H-E-B is the staple grocery for so many Texans, and their bakery section always leaves me impressed. Since so many supermarkets sell donuts, I thought including one in my review would be a way to test whether or not a grocery store bakery can compare to an authentic donut shop.
Glazed:
When the H-E-B donut looked soggy and sticky coming out of its packaging, I could feel my appetite shrinking. The mound of glazed frosting ruined the treat’s aesthetic, but I was hoping the pastry’s sweet taste would distract me from my first impression. Taking the first bite was like taking a sip of flat soda. Even though there was clearly a lot of glaze on the donut, for some reason, the flavor felt more lacking than overwhelming. If a donut is going to look that sugary, I’d rather taste the expected sweetness than be disappointed by its lack thereof. Unlike my perspective, Pinsky enjoyed the donut and appreciated how it wasn’t “obsessively glazed or flakey. It’s pretty adequate.” While an “adequate” donut might cut it for Pinsky, I have higher standards, and unfortunately, the H-E-B glazed donut gets a do-nut need to try again for me.
White donut with sprinkles:
This H-E-B donut looked almost too pretty to eat. The bakers blew other donut shops out of the water with their perfect sprinkled donut aesthetic. The white frosting looked like a fresh blanket of snow, and the rainbow sprinkles added a pristine pop of color.
It’s a shame that the pastry’s flavor couldn’t compete with its outer appearance. As soon as my knife cut into the donut, the white icing lost its beauty. The topping cracked and completely fell off of the donut, making it nearly impossible to take a proper bite of the delicacy. With the frosting entirely breaking apart, this donut became a circle of bland bread. The only positive about this donut is that it allowed Pinsky and I to come to an agreement. The frosting and sprinkles were acceptable but “any donut place can do that, and H-E-B couldn’t even manage to get the frosting to stick to their donut,” said Pinsky.
I’ll cut H-E-B some slack as their specialty is not a donut; however, their average performance of a classic frosted confection leaves me disappointed and discouraged from future tastings of store-bought donuts.
Dunkin Donuts
Since its grand opening in 1948, Dunkin Donuts has opened over 9,000 locations across the United States. The donut shop offers a wide variety of pastries for affordable prices and is very popular amongst my generation, but I’ve never been a huge fan Dunkin’. In my experience, every donut has the same distinct, bready taste, and it takes away from the intended flavor of the desert. But for the sake of this review, I was excited to give the shop another chance.
Glazed:
Trying this glazed donut made me think second chances are overrated. Just like every other Dunkin donut, the thick bready taste was impossible to ignore and overwhelmed any possible hint of a glazed flavor. I can acknowledge that donuts with a stronger savory taste are optimal for breakfast and please many customers, but I just don’t fall into that fanbase. I can’t ever see myself craving a glazed Dunkin donut again as the bread was not only dry, but also flaky, making the pastry’s texture less than ideal. After a donut so underwhelming, Pinsky expressed how our next donut had to “carry its weight. The shop is on thin ice.” I couldn’t agree more.
Boston Creme:
The Boston creme donut was the remedy that cured my disappointment from the previous Dunkin donut. As someone who has never considered themselves a Boston creme connoisseur, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this flavor.
“I lowkey like it,” shared Pinsky. “I could rock with a Boston creme donut any day.”
The chocolate frosting was just the right amount of rich, and the vanilla filling inside the pastry helped balance the strong bread taste of the donut. Because the donut is so filling, it doesn’t feel like a grab-and-go item. If you eat the whole treat, I can imagine there being a chance you will feel sick after. Consumer discretion is advised, but from my experience, this donut is definitely a do-try.
Shipley Do-Nuts
Knowing my hometown is the birthplace of Shipley Do-Nuts makes me an even prouder Houstonian. Unlike Dunkin, Shipley has just over 360 locations open around the United States, but don’t let that smaller number fool you. The donuts and kolaches at this store cannot be equaled. Shipley Do-Nuts has always been my go-to donut shop, and I expected my opinion to remain the same after this review.
Glazed:
One of the reasons I was so excited about this article was because it gave me an excuse to buy a Shipley glazed donut. The donut looked like a soft pillow tempting my sugar-craving body to take a bite. The smell of the donut was recognizable from across the kitchen and brought back sweet childhood memories. Taking a bite of this donut after trying the other two glazed pastries was such a relief. Finally, I had a glazed donut that I wholeheartedly enjoyed! The hints of vanilla seeping through the donut added the perfect touch to the glazed flavor and set the standards for all other glazed pastries.
To my surprise, Pinsky admitted to liking the H-E-B glazed donut better. “I just prefer the bread of the H-E-B one,” shared Pinsky. “This donut has the most distinct glazed flavor, but it’s no H-E-B donut.” While I respect Pinsky’s opinion, we are going to have to agree to disagree on this review. For me, the Shipley glazed donut is the treat I advise you most to try out of all the other donuts in this article. Other donut shops simply can’t compete with Shipley’s perfection.
Blueberry cake:
Blueberry muffins are my kryptonite, so when the cashier told me her favorite donut was the blueberry cake flavor, I bounced with excitement. The donut’s appearance was classy and simple. The hints of blue made me excited about the blueberry flavoring, but the subtle brown tint of the donut assured me the flavor wouldn’t taste extremely artificial. This donut did not disappoint. It was like enjoying a much easier-to-eat blueberry muffin! The taste of blueberry was not too overwhelming but had just enough presence to make this donut stand out from all other flavors. Once again, Pinksy and I shared different outlooks on this treat.
“I’m hesitant about this one,” admits Pinsky. “It reminds me too much of an acai bowl.”
While there were certainly fruity elements in this donut, I think Pinsky’s comparison to an acai bowl was extreme. The donut tastes exactly like a vanilla cake with blueberry flavoring, so if that wonderful taste entices your taste buds, this donut gets a total do-try from me!
