Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts for St. Patrick’s Day today. But you have to wear the right thing

The doughnut chain that hardly needs an excuse to give away free doughnuts is, you guessed it, giving away more free doughnuts today.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day 2026, America’s favorite doughnut chain, Krispy Kreme, is giving away green doughnuts to those wearing the right colors. Here’s what you need to know.

Get green for green

Krispy Kreme usually has fun holiday-themed doughnuts for holidays throughout the year, and today, Tuesday, March 17—aka St. Patrick’s Day—is no different.

The doughnut chain has been selling a selection of assorted St. Patrick’s Day-themed treats for the past week. But today, customers can get a Patty’s Day-themed doughnut at no cost, provided they meet certain requirements.

The free doughnut to be had is the company’s iconic Green O’riginal Glazed Doughnut, which Krispy Kreme releases every year at this time.

But in order to get a free green glazed, you’ll need to meet some requirements.

First, the free doughnut offer is available only to customers who shop in-store or at a store’s drive-thru.

It is not available to those using the Krispy Kreme app or online ordering service. And that limitation is understandable when you find out the second requirement:

In order to get the free Green O’riginal Glazed doughnut, you’ll need to be wearing something green. Krispy Kreme doesn’t specify how much green is required, so it’s reasonable to assume that a green shamrock pin or a green hat is just as good as a green sweater.

Krispy Kreme St. Patrick’s Day full lineup

Of course, one of the reasons why Krispy Kreme gives away so many free doughnuts is because the company knows you’re likely to buy other items when you come in for your free treat.

And Krispy Kreme has other Patty’s Day-theme doughnuts ready to tempt you today.

Those doughnuts include:

• the Shooting Shamrock, a glazed doughnut with vanilla-creme-filled flavoured icing
• the Over the Rainbow, a creme-filled doughnut with shamrock rainbow sprinkles
• the Plaid Party, a glazed doughnut with green icing drizzles
• the Chocolate Iced with St. Patrick’s Sprinkles, a glazed doughnut with chocolate icing

All doughnuts are available at participating Krispy Kreme locations through March 17.

DNUT stock is seeing red

While Krispy Kreme may be embracing green today, the company’s stock price is more familiar with the color red lately.

Shares in Krispy Kreme Inc. (Nasdaq: DNUT) are down more than 14% year-to-date. Over the past 12 months, the company’s share price has declined more than 35%.

The company is facing struggles on many fronts, including a failed McDonald’s partnership, high debt loads, and the popularity of GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs, which many see as a threat to companies whose business models rely on the consumption of high-sugar treats.

As of yesterday’s closing bell, DNUT shares were trading at $3.44, which was up over 5% for the day. However, that price is a far cry from the above $10 range that the company’s shares traded at before 2025.