Can You Freeze Dunkin' Donuts? How To Ward Off Staleness Longer

The thought of freezing your favorite donuts from Dunkin' might sound a little odd, but there are times in life when the craving hits and you either can't get to your local Dunkin' or there isn't one around to begin with. Next time you find yourself traveling to a place without a Dunkin' in sight or simply want to have some of their iconic donuts on hand, you can freeze them to buy yourself some delicious longevity. 

Nothing will ever replicate the delightful freshness of popping a Dunkin' donut into your mouth before you've even left the premises. However, freezing your donuts is fairly easy and worth at least trying. First, make sure your donut is at room temperature. As a rule of thumb, it's not good to freeze warm or hot food because it invites harmful bacteria, lowers the temperature of your freezer, and can mess with the texture of your defrosted dish. Luckily, the donuts Dunkin' serves are not usually hot or even that warm, but it's always good to be cautious with food storage.

Next, we recommend you lay out your sugary loot on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving gaps between each donut. This will freeze them faster and ensure that they won't accidentally freeze together due to the sticky glaze. Once the donuts are frozen, which shouldn't take more than an hour, you can toss them into an air-tight container to free up more room in your freezer, and then stick them back, somewhere you won't forget them.

Like with most frozen goods, we don't recommend you keep your donuts in the freezer beyond three months. Even though your donuts won't likely "go bad" their freshness, taste, and quality decrease the longer they're in the freezer. To help yourself out, we recommend writing a "best by" date on the label. Or, if you want to be super extra, set a reminder on your phone when it's time to defrost and eat those babies. Keep in mind that some types of donuts lend themselves better to freezing than others. We recommend freezing donuts that either have no glaze or an extremely light one and it's best to avoid filling jelly or custard-filled donuts simply because they're best enjoyed fresh.

When you're ready to dig into your donuts, defrosting them is the easiest part of the process. All you need to do is pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge for several hours. Or you can thaw them on the countertop for 10 to 15 minutes, but don't let them sit out all day or they may go bad. The microwave is also an option, but if you reheat your donuts too quickly you're at risk of drying them out, so only heat them for 5-second increments until they're at the right temp and texture for you.

I'm writing to you from Oregon, one of the six states that don't have a Dunkin'. Luckily, it's perfectly fine to fly with snacks, even frozen ones at that. Next time I find myself in a state with a Dunkin', you know I'll be tossing a few doughy rings in the freezer to bring back home.