New Krispy Kreme Rainbow Crush Doughnut (Food Review)

Krispy Kreme UK have just launched a (mostly) new American tuck shop inspired range. The collection consists of three doughnuts: new-comers Rainbow Crush and Cookie Dream, and the returning Hershey’s Cookies and Kreme. The doughnuts launched in Krispy Kreme stores and cabinets on Monday 18^th June and are sticking around throughout the summer until July 29^th. I was pleased when I heard they would be introducing some new doughnuts as I have to admit, although I am a Krispy Kreme fan, I’ve been feeling a little bored with their selection as of late. My initial reaction to the new flavours was slight disappointment. I wasn’t hugely excited by the prospect of either of the newbies, and when I tried the Hershey’s the last time round I thought it was OK but not one of my favourites. However, after so long with no new KKs, I definitely wanted to give them a try and kept an open mind.

Today I am doing a review of the Rainbow Crush doughnut. This was the one I was most interested in trying and I managed to pick some up from the cabinet in my local Tesco. I got a box of three (which cost £5.35) for myself, my mum and my sister. I’ll include some brief thoughts of theirs after my review in order to give a slightly wider perspective. So, here we go…

 Lets start with Krispy Kreme’s own official product description. They claim the Rainbow Crush is “bursting with vibrant flavours” and describes it as being “coated in mouth-watering fruity icing and sprinkled with rainbow candy pearls.” The base consists of one of their original glazed ring doughnuts with a white chocolate-esque topping. This is not mentioned in KK’s product information, but I’d be willing to bet that this is a white chocolate flavour coating rather than actual white chocolate. The doughnut is topped off with zigzags of red icing on one half and multicoloured candy pieces on the other.

So, what did I think of it? Well, first off, I like the look of it. The colourful icing and candy make it visually appealing. The actual doughnut part is a win. I don’t think you can really go wrong with a Krispy Kreme glazed ring. There is a bit of an ambiguous ‘fruity’ taste when eating it. I couldn’t say exactly which fruit I was meant to be tasting but, then again, the only flavour KK mention is ‘fruity’ so perhaps that’s as specific as it gets. I thought initially the candy was responsible for the fruit flavour but, upon further investigation, it appears to definitely be the icing which is the fruity party.  This was a pleasant flavour and was not too overpowering. But did I think it was ‘bursting with vibrant favours’, as they claimed? Nah, I’d say they’ve overstated that one a bit. The candy pieces gave a bit of crunch but I don’t believe they added much in the way of flavour. There was the risk of getting in a bit of a mess as the solid chocolate topping did crack a fair bit and pieces would fall off when biting into the doughnut. Perhaps not a big deal, but I did find this mildly annoying. The chocolate (or chocolate flavour) toppings are not my favourite from Krispy Kreme. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I think it may be down to the very distinct hard and soft consistencies of the topping and the doughnut respectively. I usually enjoy a combination of textures in food, but there’s just something about this specific combo that I don’t find particularly pleasing to the palette. I much prefer their glazes and icings, and I think it would have improved my opinion of the Rainbow Crush had it been finished with one of these instead. At the end of the day, I just really wouldn’t choose a topping of chocolate on a doughnut, whether it be Krispy Kreme or any other brand. That being said, if you do love chocolate topped doughnuts, this very well could be your next favourite. I recommend giving at least one try.

Overall I’d say the Rainbow Crush was nice but not amazing. I did enjoy it and wouldn’t refuse if someone offered me one, but I wouldn’t be rushing back to purchase another one right away. It was nice to have a new Krispy to try and it does look pretty, so would be nice to put out for parties and the like. With doughnuts like this, which are essentially an original glazed with some added extras, I ask myself “has the original glazed been improved on?” I feel like this is a good way to determine whether it’s worth the extra cost or not. In this case I’d say my answer would have to be no, unfortunately. I don’t think the Rainbow Crush is an improvement, and I’d actually prefer to just have an original glazed.

My rating: 7/10

My sister’s opinion: “I liked it. It’s something a bit different and has a nice presentation. 8/10”

My mum’s opinion: “I thought it was very good. I would definitely buy it again. 8/10”  

Have you tried the Rainbow Crush yet? Let me know what you thought of it in the comments.