Inspired by a poll I saw on here, what do Americans these days view donuts as?

Yes, they are sweet fried dough and definitely classify as a decadent dessert, but have American tastes changed to eat them after a meal, or is the preferred method still a purely breakfast item in the US?


32 comments

  4. My wife likes to eat them at breakfast.

    I like to eat them when I want a doughnut, there’s just a bonus of it being acceptable at breakfast too

  7. Breakfast dessert.

    It’s a treat. It’s not even trying to be healthy or masquerade as a good breakfast. It’s junk that is sometimes chosen in the morning.

    If you have leftovers, they become all day treats.

  10. They’re primarily for breakfast or a late night snack in my experience. But if the Krispy Kreme “Hot Now” light is on all bets are off.

  11. They are great with coffee, so great for breakfast. But I will eat them any time of day. That said, I don’t get them often for that reason 😂 And I don’t like to load up on sugar and fat first thing in the morning. But like if I’m having coffee with a friend? Donut, no matter what time of day. I don’t consider them “dessert” in terms of having them after a meal like I might a piece of pie after Thanksgiving. But we don’t do “dessert” for any meals other than special holidays anyhow. Donuts are junk food. Delicious any time, but best eaten rarely as a result.

  12. You’re more likely to see them eaten in the morning, but it wouldn’t be weird to have one any time of the day.

  13. Donuts for breakfast is bad. I know they pair well with a coffee though…. let’s just say I feel lucky I can’t eat donuts anymore LOL I’d be a lot bigger

  14. For whatever reason all the donut shops close at like 10 am so I can only have a fresh donut for breakfast.

  15. I would say either a breakfast food, or more commonly a snack. I don’t really think of them as a dessert.

  17. I would crash in an hour if I ate fried sugar bread for breakfast, so I put them firmly in the “snack” category.

  20. For me they’re more of a snack, I’ve never had a donut for breakfast or dessert.

  23. Generally I think Americans think of them as breakfast. I can’t eat them at breakfast though, I have to start with savory. So to me they are an occasional snack and I’ll usually only eat 1/4-1/2 of a donut.

  26. They are a sweet treat. You can have a sweet treat for breakfast once in a while, but really it’s more of a dessert

  28. If the French call pain au chocolat a breakfast food, we’re allowed to call a donut one.

  29. It’s an after-breakfast dessert. I remember Sunday breakfast, we would have them after the eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns.

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