Krispy Kreme Is Giving Out Free Doughnuts to Celebrate Its Expanded Partnership With McDonald's

Attention Krispy Kreme fans: There will soon be a brand-new place where you can score your favorite sweet morning treat.

On Thursday, Krispy Kreme announced a brand-new promotion to honor the anticipated arrival of its doughnuts at participating Chicago McDonald’s restaurants starting Tuesday, Oct. 15. This, the brand added, is a little tease for its phased rollout to McDonald’s locations across the nation by the end of 2026. 

“The top request we receive from consumers is for more access to our delicious, fresh doughnuts," Josh Charlesworth, the CEO and President of Krispy Kreme, shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine. "Having Krispy Kreme doughnuts under the Golden Arches is golden for our fans."

To celebrate this new partnership, Krispy Kreme is giving a free Original Glazed doughnut to anyone who shows their cashier a McDonald’s paper or digital receipt dated between Oct. 10 and 14 at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme shops. (Limited to one per customer and only between Oct. 10 to 14.) This offer, the company added in its press release, is a "sweet way to satisfy doughnut lovers in Chicago, as well as fans all over the country, eagerly awaiting the chance to enjoy this treat at their local  McDonald’s." 

As for the rollout to Chicago shops, Krispy Kreme noted that it will be delivering three of its most popular flavors to participating locations every day. But if you want one, you better get there early, as odds are they will run out fast. 

The three flavors, it added, include the Original Glazed Doughnut, which it describes as a "melt-in-your-mouth doughnut covered in Krispy Kreme’s signature glaze. The doughnut that started it all." There's also the Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles Doughnut, a "chocolatey twist on the original, dipped in chocolate icing and covered in rainbow sprinkles," and the Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled Doughnut, made with a "light, fluffy dough and filled with a smooth Kreme™ filling then dipped in chocolate icing."

Krispy Kreme says it expects to send out doughnuts daily to more than 1,000 McDonald’s restaurants by the end of this year and 12,000 restaurants by the end of 2026. But for now, you'll just have to settle for this little taste.