What Flavor Is The Jelly In Dunkin's Jelly Donuts?

Like most chain restaurants today, Dunkin' has developed a cult following across the country, with fans instinctively lining up in the drive-thru each day to order their favorite coffee drinks and morning pastries. The New England chain has been serving donuts and other sweet pastries since it opened its first store in Massachusetts in 1948, and today, it serves over 75 different types of donuts that keep fans coming back. One of the best donuts at Dunkin', which Tasting Table awarded third place in its ranking, is the jelly donut; its soft, sugar-coated dough and tart, crimson-colored jam make for a messy but delicious experience. But even if you're a superfan of Dunkin, you may have never wondered what type of jelly is inside each of these classic pastries. It turns out that it's not what you might think. Instead of a typical strawberry or raspberry jam, Dunkin's jelly donuts are infused with an apple-raspberry jam for the perfect sweet-and-sour combo.

That's right; unlike Krispy Kreme, whose glazed raspberry donut holds true to its name, Dunkin's jelly donut isn't filled with 100% raspberry jam. In fact, Dunkin's jelly donut doesn't contain any real berries at all. It does contain apple juice concentrate, but there are no traces of real raspberry jam beyond the subtle taste that's possible thanks to natural and artificial flavoring. 

This news may not be too surprising to some. Dunkin' is a chain, after all, and we know that its donuts can't be all that fresh or healthy because of the processed ingredients in them. These processed ingredients are more shelf-stable, meaning that the ingredients that make up the jelly are sure to last longer — and inevitably be cheaper — than a 100% natural jelly donut. Dunkin's glazed blueberry donut is similarly quite artificial. It contains "blueberry flavored bits" which are made from ingredients like artificial color and flavor, sugar, and corn syrup. Its French apple donut, on the other hand, contains some evaporated apples, making it one of the more natural donut offerings.

This isn't to say that we're going to stop eating Dunkin's legendary donuts. Sometimes an unhealthy treat is a necessary pick-me-up during the day. However, if this news completely dissuades you from eating at Dunkin' again, we have a solution.

If you've got some extra time on your hands, throw together a batch of our strawberry jelly donuts. Replace the strawberry for some homemade apple-raspberry jam, or order some old-fashioned blackberry, elderberry, apple, and raspberry jam from Amazon. We think they're just as good, and we know you'll feel even better knowing exactly what's in them.