Trader Joe's Raspberry Filled Donuts

Trader Joe’s Raspberry Filled Donuts are one of those products that look like they’re going to be a whole lot more exciting than they actually are. They’re an eye-catching shade of pinkish-red, dusted with a powdery coating, filled with raspberry, and come to us all the way from Belgium. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, not much, really. But also…not everything goes right.

These come frozen, so there’s no baking, frying, microwaving, or other culinary nonsense required. All you have to do is thaw them. A couple hours in the refrigerator and they’re ready to go. Easy enough.

And once thawed, the dough is perfectly fine. It’s soft, reasonably light and airy, and certainly donut-esque. It’s just not anything earth-shattering. It doesn't feel or taste fresh-baked in any way. I’ve had plenty of frozen Trader Joe’s pastries that have made me stop and say, “Hey, this is actually pretty darn good.” These didn’t quite get me there.

The raspberry filling, however, is delectable. Sweet, fruity and distinctly raspberry-ish, it’s easily the best part of the donut. It's nice and smooth. No little seeds to get stuck between your teeth. Unfortunately, there’s just not nearly enough of it. And this is where things get a little…rasp-barely.

Each donut is probably three or four bites, and if you’re lucky, one of those bites will contain a decent amount of raspberry filling. The rest is basically powder-coated dough. Which is fine if you really like dough, I suppose, but when "raspberry-filled" is, like, the name of the donut, you want there to be a good bit of raspberry filling—especially when it's so good compared to the not-so-memorable breading.

At $3.99 for six donuts, these aren’t exactly a tremendous value, either. They’re certainly convenient, and they’re perfectly edible, but there are only six of them and the most interesting part is frustratingly sparse.

They’re not bad donuts. They’re just donuts that leave me thinking they could have been so much better with a little more filling. And considering all the other sweet stuff competing for space in our freezer, I probably wouldn’t buy these again. The beautiful wifey will spring for a generous seven out of ten stars on Trader Joe's Raspberry Filled Donuts. I'll drop six and a half.

Bottom line: 6.75 out of 10.