McDonald’s will soon sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts nationwide

Joseph Lamour
Updated ·3 min read
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Two giants of deep-fried industry are making things official.

On March 26, McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme announced a partnership for the ages: Krispy Kreme will soon supply fresh doughnuts daily at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide.

The Golden Arches says that customers with a serious sweet tooth can expect to find Krispy Kreme doughnuts in their local McDonald’s in the latter half of 2024 year, as part of what the brands call a phased market rollout across the country.

Starting this summer, you might just see those golden circles of joy served alongside a “dinner box” on your local McDonald’s menu. However, everyone will be able to order Krispy Kreme donuts at participating Mickey D’s restaurants by the end of 2026.

Which Krispy Kreme doughnuts will be sold at McDonald’s?

Krispy Kreme (McDonald's)
Krispy Kreme (McDonald's)

The house of Ronald will carry three of Krispy Kreme’s most popular doughnuts, which will be delivered fresh to McDonald’s restaurants every day. The treats will be sold individually or in boxes of six starting at breakfast while supplies last:

  • Original Glazed Doughnut: The OG, literally. Covered in Krispy Kreme’s signature glaze, the chain says this is the doughnut that started it all.

  • Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles Doughnut: This doughnut is a chocolatey upgrade to the original, getting dipped in chocolate icing and finished off with a spattering of rainbow sprinkles.

  • Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled Doughnut: This light and fluffy doughnut is filled with cream filling dipped in chocolate icing.

Krispy Kreme and McDonald's storied history

As surprising as this partnership may be, it's actually been in the works for years. Krispy Kreme announced in Oct. 2022 that it would offer doughnuts at 160 McDonald’s restaurants in the Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky areas.

McDonald’s says that this test was a successful one, noting that “consumer excitement and demand exceeded expectations.” Lucky sluggers in those areas can rest assured that those pilot restaurants will continue to serve Krispy Kreme doughnuts during the nationwide rollout.

“The top request we receive from consumers, every day, is, ‘please bring Krispy Kreme to my town.’ Partnering with McDonald’s on a national scale will provide our fans and doughnut lovers unprecedented daily access to fresh doughnuts and the joy that is Krispy Kreme,” said Josh Charlesworth, Krispy Kreme’s President and CEO.

Charlesworth also noted that by making Kreme Krispy accessible to fans nationwide through McDonald’s stores, the company expects to more than double its points of access by the end of 2026. Krispy Kreme has been preparation for this partnership by improving its supply chain and support team, adding technology and new equipment and more.

Krispy Kreme is giving out free doughnuts today

Krispy Kreme, who love giving out free doughnuts for reasons as myriad as shoddy cell service to Random Acts of Kindness Day, are of course giving out free doughnuts to celebrate.

On Tuesday, March 26, the chain will give one free Original Glazed Doughnut to all guests who visit its U.S. Krispy Kreme shops between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com