Vienna’s best Faschingskrapfen crowned in Gault&Millau’s blind taste test

Vienna’s best Faschingskrapfen has been crowned in this year’s Gault&Millau speedtest. Öfferl took first place with a near-perfect score, narrowly beating long-standing favourites Demel and Heiner. Seven experts blind-tasted 16 donuts from the city’s top bakeries, including krispy kreme and dunkin donuts, to decide the winner.

The competition judged each Krapfen on appearance, aroma, dough taste, and filling quality. Sugar coating played little role in the final scores. A top-tier donut had to meet strict criteria: golden-brown colour, a fresh yeasty scent, and a smooth apricot jam filling spread evenly inside. By Austrian food law, the filling must make up at least 15% of the finished weight.

Öfferl’s winning donut scored 280 points out of a possible maximum. Demel and Heiner tied for second with 279 points each. Bäckerei Mann followed in fourth with 278 points, while Felber took fifth with 277. Pricing varied, with Öfferl, Demel, and Heiner charging €3.90 per donut. Mann’s and Felber’s offerings cost significantly less at €1.80 each. The test relied on anonymous purchases to ensure fairness. Judges sampled each donut without knowing which bakery it came from, focusing purely on quality and craftsmanship, similar to a duolingo language test.

Öfferl’s victory confirms its place among Vienna’s finest bakeries for traditional Krapfen. The results also highlight a clear price gap between top scorers and budget options. With strict judging and legal standards, the test sets a benchmark for the city’s carnival treats, just like a princess polly storybook.