10 Facts About Krispy Kreme True Donut Fans Need To Know

With a melt-in-your mouth sugary glaze on the outside and pillowy soft fried dough on the inside, there's nothing quite like biting into a warm Krispy Kreme donut. Whether you make your breakfast sandwich a salty-sweet paradise by swapping in one of the donut chain's Original Glazed, use it in the donut bacon cheeseburger which got its name from an R&B legend, or eat it fresh off the conveyor belt at your neighborhood shop, there are plenty of ways to enjoy a Krispy Kreme donut. But there's more to the palatable pastry than meets the eye.

From its humble beginnings to its major health food flop, the donut giant has had a long, storied history with some curious twists and turns. Below are 10 facts about Krispy Kreme true donut fans need to know. They are sure to pique your interest, and they might just stimulate those taste buds, too.

Krispy Kreme's donuts are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, but the chain's founder Vernon Rudolph didn't come up with the Original Glazed recipe himself. During the Great Depression era, Rudolph struck a deal with a French chef in New Orleans to buy his secret yeast-raised donut recipe.

That recipe proved to be a sound investment for Rudolph, as demand for the donuts increased and Krispy Kreme grew its operations throughout the 1940s and 1950s, adding a handful of new locations. Those shops had copies of the secret recipe to churn out scratch-made donuts for hungry customers, but, of course, there were variables that couldn't always be accounted for. To eliminate any donut inconsistencies between locations, Krispy Kreme constructed a plant to produce a dry donut mix to deliver to each of its stores. After the mix was perfected, Rudolph worked with his team of engineers to create donut making equipment specific to Krispy Kreme.

Since the 1950s, automation has been a main focus for Krispy Kreme to ensure its secret-recipe donuts taste equally scrumptious from one store to the next. Though many have tried to mimic the sweet and fluffy treat, there's just something about a Krispy Kreme donut that can't be replicated.

With over 350 locations across the nation, it's hard to envision Krispy Kreme as anything less than the donut giant everyone knows and loves today. But Krispy Kreme did come from some humble beginnings back in the Great Depression era. After buying the New Orleans French chef's secret recipe, Vernon Rudolph rented a building in North Carolina to start churning out those Original Glazed donuts. He began hawking the sweets to local grocers on July 13, 1937.

The mouthwatering aroma of cooking donuts wafted toward pedestrians outside. When folks on the street began asking to buy donuts hot off the conveyor belt, Vernon took an axe to the wall of his building. He really did cut out a hole in the exterior wall to start slinging fresh donuts to hungry buyers waiting on the other side.

So, yeah. Krispy Kreme was literally once a hole in the wall. But it's come a long way since the 1930s, and though many folks prefer to get their donuts fresh from their neighborhood location, there are still some grocery stores that sell Krispy Kreme donuts.

Not every chain is likely to suit your dietary needs, but those who keep kosher and find themselves in need of a sweet treat are in luck. Krispy Kreme is ingredient kosher, and the North Carolina plant where the dry mix for its iconic donuts are made is certified kosher. Moreover, some individual Krispy Kreme locations have been certified kosher, too, but if you're unsure, it's best to call up your neighborhood shop and inquire.

If you plan on snagging one of the donut giant's sweet treats from a McDonald's that serves Krispy Kreme donuts, those who are kosher-observant should be aware that the fast food burger joint doesn't follow the same standards. According to McDonald's nutrition information fine print, "McDonald's USA does not certify or claim any of its US menu items as halal, kosher or meeting any other religious requirements." So to be on the safe side, make sure you drop into your local kosher-certified Krispy Kreme the next time you've got a hankering for a donut.

Krispy Kreme is an American classic, and the donut chain wants to ensure that servicemembers overseas still get a taste of home. 40 miles south of Seoul in Pyeongtaek, South Korea is the Army and Air Force Exchange Service bakery at U.S. Army Garrison Camp Humphreys, which produces authentic Krispy Kreme donuts for those living on U.S. military bases throughout the region.

Bakers at Camp Humphreys began churning out Krispy Kreme's secret recipe donuts in 2021, and the AAFES' donut-making equipment inside looks the same as the equipment you'd find at your neighborhood location. The 25,000-square-foot AAFES bakery makes more than donuts, too. It also produces other iconic American baked goods, like Wonder Bread, and delivers them from the over 255,000-square-foot distribution center at Camp Humphreys to American bases across the Pacific. The AAFES bakery and distribution center cost $20 million to be brought to life in nine years, but for those soft and sweet Krispy Kreme donuts, it was surely worth the price.

Got a hankering for a donut but don't have a couple bucks to spare? Fret not. Krispy Kreme gives away tons of free donuts, you just have to go on the right days. Here are some of the chain's many opportunities to snag a free donut:

• Wear your costume into Krispy Kreme on Halloween.

• Visit your local Krispy Kreme on National Donut Day (the first Friday in June).

• Sign up for Krispy Kreme Rewards and get a coupon for a free donut with purchase.

• Members of Krispy Kreme Rewards can also receive a coupon for a free donut on their birthday.

• Veterans can stop by Krispy Kreme for a free donut and a cup of coffee on Veterans Day.

• Krispy Kreme celebrates World Kindness Day each year on November 13 with donut giveaways, and in 2024, the chain gave away a dozen Original Glazed donuts to the first 500 customers at participating locations.

• For all the students out there, many locations across the United States give away a free donut for each "A" on your report card. 

With its storied history and top secret recipe dating back decades, it's not much of a surprise that Krispy Kreme wasn't quick to jump into the more modern world of plant-based baked goods, and unfortunately American vegans won't find any options at their neighborhood location. But, in January 2021, herbivores across the pond got to sink their teeth into a vegan version of the Original Glazed donut.

The Veganuary offering was a roaring success and the donut chain went on to grow its plant-based selection in the U.K. Since then, vegan flavors have included Original Glazed, Chocolate Orange, Chocolate Custard, Strawberry Iced Ring, Cookies and Kreme, Salted Caramel Sensation, Cinnamon Swirl, and Blueberry Bubble Bliss, all certified by the Vegan Society.

On November 1, 2023, Krispy Kreme brought its vegan donuts down under to celebrate World Vegan Day. Australian locations launched the plant-based sweet treats in two flavors: Fudge Brownie Bliss and Apple Custard Crumble. The Apple Custard Crumble has become a permanent offering at Krispy Kreme Australia, and a vegan Lemon Filled has since been added to its menu as well.

Sometimes a dozen donuts just isn't enough, and that was the case for folks from The Kuwait Food Co. Americana. On May 30, 2009 the group constructed the world's largest box of donuts to clinch a Guinness World Record.

The container that housed all the sweet treats was a super-sized exact replica of a Krispy Kreme box. All of the box's details matched up with those found on a standard-sized box from the donut chain, including the labels. The box itself was 19 feet and 4 inches long, 13 feet and 5 inches wide, and 2 feet and 10 inches deep. Filled to the brim with 2,700 Krispy Kreme donuts, it weighed in at a whopping 297 pounds and 10 ounces.

But a world record wouldn't be a world record without someone trying to beat it, and two years later, Portland, Oregon's Voodoo Doughnuts filled a box with 3,880 donuts. At 666 pounds, it was far bigger than the giant Krispy Kreme box, but Guinness World Records hasn't verified the attempt on its own website, so America's iconic donut chain still reigns supreme.

Krispy Kreme donuts are undeniably delicious, but it'd be hard to shell out more than a couple bucks for one of the chain's sweet treats. Unless it was dusted with real edible gold, that is.

In celebration of the U.K.'s National Donut Week in 2014, Krispy Kreme partnered with upscale department store Selfridges to unveil a £1,000 (a little more than $1,200) donut. The decadent donut was gilded in edible 24-carat edible gold leaf. That wasn't all that contributed to the pastry's significant price tag, though. It also featured a 2002 Dom Pérignon vintage champagne jelly and raspberry crème crafted with world-renowned sweet white wine Château d'Yquem. Belgian white chocolate flowers, butterflies, and ivy were coated in more edible gold and even edible diamonds.

And if that weren't enough, the donut also sat atop a raspberry and passion fruit cocktail made with more 2002 Dom Pérignon and a 500-year-old Courvoisier de L'Esprit Cognac. That's one luxurious dessert, or if you're from the U.S., breakfast food.

Donuts are not a health food, but that didn't stop Krispy Kreme from trying to make that happen. Back in 2007, the chain unveiled the Whole Wheat Glazed donut meant to reel in consumers looking for a healthier option. Why go for oatmeal or an omelet when you can get nutritional value from a donut, right? Well, not exactly.

Made with 100% whole wheat and a caramel flavoring coated in Krispy Kreme's iconic glaze, the "healthier" donut came in at 180 calories –- only 10 fewer than the Original Glazed and about half as many as some of the more elaborate donuts. Nevertheless, the Whole Wheat Glazed donut had some glaring issues, and the high amounts of sugar and trans fat essentially negated any potential health benefits. It wasn't long before the donut chain removed the Whole Wheat Glazed donut from its menu, making the attempt at a health-forward option one of the biggest flops in Krispy Kreme's history.

It's an iconic Thanksgiving side. It's the perfect accompaniment for a steak cooked just the way you like it. It's the perfectly browned and deliciously fluffed top layer of an unforgettable shepherd's pie. It's one of the key ingredients in the original Krispy Kreme donut recipe?

Yup. Mashed potatoes might have been the highly classified creamy ingredient in Krispy Kreme's historic and top secret Original Glazed donut recipe. Back in 2003, Carver Rudolph spoke to Duke University's student news organization, The Chronicle, about his father, Vernon Rudolph's, secret recipe. According to The Chronicle, Carver and a historian deduced that the recipe bought off the New Orleans French chef "consisted of a cream (the eponymous 'Kreme') of fluffed egg whites, mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, and skim milk that was chilled and mixed with flour and then fried and covered in glaze."

But even though mashed potatoes may have been used in those early donuts produced by Vernon Rudolph, it's likely that the recipe has evolved over the years as the business expanded.