Review: Krispy Kreme's Winter Seasonal Collection Is A Sweet Start To A New Year

Krispy Kreme had quite the 2025, adding a dash of sweetness to the year and, in some cases, oversweetening it. There were creative collaborations and seasonal snacks that ran the gamut from Pop-Tarts plopped on top of doughnuts, Hershey's Kissed ones, and some Harry Potter-themed treats that cast a theatrical magical spell. As the calendar turns to 2026, Krispy Kreme's opening salvo seems to be taking the volume down a notch from 11 and instead delivering doughnuts that seem more focused on taste than wowing the eyeballs. The first collection of the year is called Krispy Kreme's Winter Seasonal Collection, which includes the quartet — a Caramel Dulce Doughnut, Chocolate Truffle Doughnut, Cinnamon Sugar Cake Doughnut, and Raspberry Cheesecake Doughnut.

These new Krispy Kreme doughnuts sound like real straight-shooters, but will they hit the target of tastiness or shoot total blah-blanks? The Takeout went to its nearest Krispy Kreme location to take out a dozen, size them up, and then scarf them down to see where the truth lies. Cozy up with a warm blanket as we reveal all this and more in this chew-in review!

Krispy Kreme has baked up plenty of holiday-themed doughnut collections over the years, and 2025 was no exception, with lovely ones during Valentine's Day, as well as St. Patrick's Day desserts that made eaters lucky to have them. In 2026, Krispy Kreme is taking a different approach with a new series of seasonal doughnut line-ups. There will be five in all (one for each season) and a final one to usher in the winter holidays at the end of the year.

This new series launches with the Winter Seasonal Collection, with four doughnuts in it. The Caramel Dulce Doughnut is an Original Glazed doughnut dipped in caramel icing with a salted caramel dulce drizzle. The Chocolate Truffle Doughnut is an unglazed doughnut filled with chocolate truffle-flavored Kreme, dipped in chocolate icing, piped with chocolate icing drizzles, and topped with chocolate chips. The Cinnamon Sugar Cake Doughnut is an Original Glazed cinnamon old-fashioned cake doughnut. Last but not least is the Raspberry Cheesecake Doughnut, which is an unglazed doughnut dipped in raspberry-flavored icing and graham crunch and topped with cheesecake-flavored buttercreme.

The new Winter Seasonal Collection arrives at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme locations starting January 6. They will remain in stores for an unspecified limited time only. They are available to order anytime Krispy Kreme is open for business, while supplies last.

The four new doughnuts — Caramel Dulce Doughnut, Chocolate Truffle Doughnut, Raspberry Cheesecake Doughnut, and Cinnamon Sugar Cake Doughnut — can be ordered individually or as a dozen. Price will vary by location, but at my Manhattan location, the Caramel Dulce and Cinnamon Cake Doughnuts sold for $2.59 each, and the Chocolate Truffle and Raspberry Cheesecake ones went for $2.99 each. Or you can build your own dozen starting at $23.49.

Orders can be placed in-store at the counter, kiosk, or drive-thru, where available. Advanced orders for dine-in, carryout, and delivery can be placed on Krispy Kreme's app. Prices and additional fees may apply for delivery or for orders placed through third-party apps.

One Caramel Dulce Doughnut contains 250 calories, and 100 of those are from fat. It has 11 grams of total fat (6 grams being saturated fat), 120 milligrams of sodium, and 35 grams of total carbohydrates, including 22 grams of sugar. The Cinnamon Sugar Cake Doughnut holds a bit more at 270 calories, 145 of which come from fat. It has 16 grams of total fat, 29 milligrams of cholesterol, and 260 milligrams of sodium. There are 29 grams of carbohydrates, including 14 grams of sugar.

Much higher than the two previously mentioned sweet treats, the Chocolate Truffle Doughnut comes in at 370 calories. 180 of those calories are from fat, with 20 grams of total fat, 180 milligrams of sodium, and 45 grams of carbohydrates, including 26 grams of sugar. A single Raspberry Cheesecake Doughnut nets 300 calories (140 of which are from fat). It has 15 grams of total fat, with less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 135 milligrams of sodium, and 38 grams of total carbohydrates, including 24 grams of sugar. All four doughnuts contain the common allergens of wheat, milk, egg, and soy.

Out of the four doughnuts in this new Winter Seasonal Collection, the one that looked the simplest was the Caramel Dulce. It had a standard tannish glaze further decorated with stripes of caramel drizzle. A quick whiff revealed it smelled like an ordinary glazed doughnut. I cut the Caramel Dulce Doughnut in half and saw that there's nothing flashy within, just spongy-looking cake.

I took my serrated knife to pick at a bit of the caramel drizzle to have a taste. It was mild, not overly sweet, and didn't seem to have any of the promised saltiness as outlined in its description. I next carved off a bit of the caramel-glazed top, and my mouth instantly fell for its velvety sweet flavor. Taken together in one bite, including the doughnut itself, it combined to form a truly pleasurable treat. It's essentially a standard glazed doughnut but elevated by its comely caramel coating. Be careful, though — it looks like a clean doughnut, but one's fingers will easily get sticky from the drizzle stripes when bringing it closer from box to mouth. People, these are good problems to have!

I've seen a lot of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts over the past few years, and the new Chocolate Truffle one seems to look like many of those that have crossed my path. As a creme-filled one, it's hole-free and has a wider surface to paint a fancy canvas. This one has a straight chocolate icing that's adorned with a chocolate, ribbon-like bow that's further topped with a cute pile of tiny chocolate chips. After slicing this one in two, the interior revealed that it was loaded with a plentiful amount of the chocolate truffle-flavored Kreme.

The creme had a surface that reminded me of brownie icing, and it tasted like chocolate mousse. I then tried the rest of the toppings, which ran the gamut of chocolatiness. The drizzle had a grainy, sugary aspect to it. The melty glaze had a nice chocolate flavoring, and the chocolate chips were darkly bittersweet. Taken together in one bite, those individual levels of chocolate didn't stand out on their own beyond their varied textures, but they did come together quite lovely in what is essentially a chocolate lover's dream come true.

On paper and to the eye, the Cinnamon Sugar Cake Doughnut seems pretty rudimentary. I wasn't able to analyze the vast catalog of every doughnut Krispy Kreme has made, but I find it hard to believe it has never baked up a cake doughnut with a cinnamon flavoring. Taking a peek at its ingredients, the namesake sweet spice is included, as well as brown sugar, coffee, and other unspecified spices.

As I picked this baby up, I was shocked at how girthy it was. Give it a few days, and it could work wonders as a rock-hard paperweight. I raised it to my nostrils, and as I inhaled, the thoughts of a cinnamon-spiced apple pie came to mind, although I know no apples were included within. I almost wanted it to be served piping hot, but alas, I tried it as given — room temperature. The glaze covered the entirety of the doughnut's top and some of the bottom as well, but a bit of cake was left uncovered below.

I'm a sucker for an old-fashioned cake doughnut, and this one by Krispy Kreme easily worked its charms on me. It's a bit heavy on the cinnamon spice side, but then again, shouldn't it be? Just below the top glaze, there seemed to be a bit of coffee cake-like streusel hiding. The more I chewed on this doughnut, the more I realized this thin, streusel-like layer was its secret weapon for flavor.

The other doughnuts all hailed from brown town, and standing out like a pretty flower in this sandy desert was the dainty-looking Raspberry Cheesecake Doughnut. This, too, had a very familiar look to it, as perhaps we met before in some previous taste-testing life. I looked up the Dolly Parton and Krispy Kreme collab to jog my memory, and this new doughnut appeared to be a physical amalgamation of the four, with a pretty-in-pink glaze, a pile of crumble rubble, and a flowery creme all along for the colorful and textual ride.

I thought for sure this one would be creme-filled on the inside, but the creme here is mainly filling the doughnut hole's void. That is where I started for my taste test. The creme was more solid than creamy, with a cheesecake taste that came off more akin to icing than actual cheesecake. I next sampled some of the graham crumbles, which had a hard time separating themselves from the strong flavoring of the raspberry glaze that they were embedded in. That glaze did not pass the smell test. Raspberry is a more acquired berry taste, and here, in glaze form, it had a super artificial smell and taste. I was not a fan from the moment the two of us made contact. Eating the doughnut as a whole, the creme and the crumbles tried their best to distract me from the off-putting raspberry flavoring, but I couldn't stomach more than a few bites before waving the pink flag on this one. I guess looks aren't everything.

The Raspberry Cheesecake Doughnut was the final one I tried, and it left such a bad taste in my mind. I feel like this doughnut was a waste of a cheesecake idea, and so I started borrowing its remaining, untouched creme and spreading it over the other three doughnuts I liked in this collection. I also happened to order the newish New York Cheesecake Filled Doughnut and immediately became infatuated with it. The super delicious creme inside hit the exact cheesecake flavor notes I was looking for, making me even more disappointed in the raspberry version.

Overall, beyond that artificial raspberry doughnut that I'd no longer like to speak of, I'd say the inaugural Winter Season Collection by Krispy Kreme is a success. Three out of four ain't bad, right? The Caramel Dulce and Chocolate Truffle ones were pretty on par with one another in terms of goodness, and I'd say pick the one that most aligns with your sweet tooth — caramel or chocolate. When all was eaten and done, the one I couldn't detach myself from was the Cinnamon Sugar Cake. Yes, its hefty dose of cinnamon may be off-putting to some, but the doughnut itself is just so darn great. I also ordered an Original Glazed Cake and had a little taste test comparison between the two. Turns out, the Cinnamon Sugar Cake was a step up from the standard bearer. Krispy Kreme is starting the year off on a good note. Here's hoping there's more deliciousness in simplicity in the Seasonal Collections to come in 2026. Happy New Year!