From drive-thru chains like Krispy Kreme, Tim Hortons, and more, donuts are one of America’s favorite sweet treats.
But if you have dietary restrictions for one or more reasons, you may be wondering whether or not there’s milk in donuts.
Most doughnut products contain some form of milk - whether that’s skim milk or simply a milk protein. It’s also difficult to avoid other forms of dairy in donuts since they often contain butter and dairy-based icings.
Keep reading our guide to learn which types of donuts contain milk and other dairy ingredients.
You’ll also learn to achieve milk-free and dairy-free donuts if your diet requires it.
Is There Milk In Donuts?
Most donuts are made with some amount of milk in them, especially if they are cake donuts. It’s also worth noting that the toppings and fillings found in certain donuts may also contain milk - like cream fillings and vanilla icings, for example.
According to the Dunkin’ Donuts menu and allergens portion of their website, the classic Glazed Donut contains milk, eggs, wheat, and soy.
The Krispy Kreme Original Glazed contains the same allergens.
Milk Content In Donuts
Consider the following milk/dairy content in popular donuts sold at US chains:
| Dunkin’ Donuts Glazed | Krispy Kreme Original Glazed | Dunkin’ Donuts Maple Creme | Krispy Kreme Dulce De Leche |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Milk Content | Whey, nonfat dry milk, and sodium caseinate | 2% or less dried milk powder | Whey, nonfat dry milk, sodium caseinate, buttercream filling | 2% or less dried milk powder, nonfat dry milk, and butter |
Is There Dairy In Donuts?
Milk is the primary form of dairy found in most doughnut recipes.
But did you know that many donuts contain butter as the main ingredient?
Butter is a fat source derived from churned cream or milk.
Furthermore, most donuts are topped with icing or glaze that may contain some kind of cream or butter, as you’ll see in the above table.
Donuts Without Dairy/Milk
If you’re against consuming animal products and by-products, or your body can’t tolerate dairy, you need a better alternative.
You can make simple at-home donuts with recipes that substitute ingredients with non-dairy milk.
You can even whip up your own icings with almond milk or soy milk combined with some powdered sugar and vegan butter.
I recommend this recipe from Make it Dairy Free for vegan baked donuts!
Unfortunately, there aren’t any vegan donuts on the Dunkin’ Donuts or Krispy Kreme menu.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been wondering, is there milk in donuts, then hopefully, our guide has cleared things up for you.
Most doughnut recipes, whether cake donuts or fried donuts, do contain some amount of nonfat milk or milk protein.
They also include other forms of dairy like butter or cream for fillings and toppings.
While most doughnut chains in the US don’t currently offer dairy-free doughnut options, you can make your own.
The Internet is ripe with recipes that use non-dairy milk products instead of traditional ingredients.
