Krispy Kreme and the Hot Light

A recipe from New Orleans

Vernon Rudolph bought a yeast-raised doughnut recipe from a New Orleans chef and, in July 1937, started making doughnuts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, selling them to local grocery stores. People smelling the doughnuts asked to buy them hot, so he cut a hole in the wall to sell straight to customers.

How the Original Glazed is made

Krispy Kreme doughnuts are yeast-raised, so the dough is proofed in a warm, humid cabinet until light and airy. They float through hot oil, flip halfway, then pass under a waterfall of glaze while still warm, which is why they are so soft and sweet. Many shops let customers watch through a window.

The Hot Now light

In the 1990s shops added a red neon Hot Now sign, now often called the Hot Light, that turns on when fresh doughnuts are coming off the line. Fans plan detours when they see it glowing.

Doughnut science

Yeast-raised doughnuts like the Original Glazed are light and chewy. Cake doughnuts use baking powder and are denser, closer to a muffin. Both are fried, so they are treats rather than everyday food: check the chain's nutrition information for exact values.

Today Krispy Kreme sells doughnuts through its own shops and through grocery stores and petrol stations, delivered fresh daily from hub shops in many countries. The Original Glazed remains the core of the brand nearly 90 years after the first batch in Winston-Salem.

Menu guide

Beyond the Original Glazed, Krispy Kreme sells chocolate iced, filled doughnuts such as Kreme-filled and raspberry, cake doughnuts, seasonal specials and coffee drinks. Many shops sell doughnuts by the dozen, often in its distinctive green-dotted boxes, and offer limited editions for holidays. Some customers buy boxes for fundraisers, a long tradition for schools and clubs.

Did you know? The Krispy Kreme doughnut-making line has been on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, which collected equipment from the company in the 1990s. Freshly glazed doughnuts are warm for only a short time, which is why the hot light causes such excitement.

← Dunkin': Coffee and DoughnutsStarbucks and the Coffee Shop Boom →