What is a Racine kringle?

A Racine kringle is a flaky, buttery Danish pastry shaped as a flat oval, filled with fruit, nuts or cream cheese and topped with icing. It is Wisconsin's official state pastry.

Where can I buy kringle in Racine?

The shops in this guide are O&H Danish Bakery on Douglas Avenue, O&H Danish Bakery on Durand Avenue and Bendtsen's Bakery on Washington Avenue. Lehmann's in Sturtevant, Larsen's and Racine Danish Kringles are also worth a look.

Can you ship kringle?

Yes, several Racine bakeries ship frozen, freshly made kringle anywhere in the US. Check each shop's shipping days before you order.

Why is Racine the kringle capital?

Danish settlers began arriving in the Racine area as early as the 1840s and brought the baking tradition with them. Racine bakeries were selling kringle as early as 1922, and the legislature named it the state pastry in 2013.

Racine Kringle: Where to Buy, Flavors and Storage

Q: How long does a kringle keep?

A December 2025 roundup says 5 to 7 days at room temperature, 10 to 12 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months frozen in the wax bakery bag.

A Racine kringle is a flat oval of flaky pastry, less than an inch tall, filled with fruit, nuts or cream cheese and finished with icing. Danish settlers brought the recipe to this part of Wisconsin, the legislature made it the state pastry in 2013, and Racine County is known as America's kringle capital.

The good news for a visitor is that the best way to understand it is also the easiest: walk into a bakery and buy one. Plan a morning of bakery stops and the rest of the things to do in Racine fall into place around it, from the lakefront to the museums. This guide covers the three shops worth knowing in town, the older family bakeries just outside it, which flavors to pick and how to keep or ship what you buy.

How the Danes made Racine the kringle town

Danish settlers began arriving in the Racine area as early as the 1840s. O&H Danish Bakery's own history page says that by 1920 the Census Bureau counted a Danish minority of 13.7% in the city, enough that Racine was being called the most Danish city outside Denmark. Racine bakeries were selling kringle as early as 1922, according to a historical marker dated 2025.

The original Danish pastry was twisted like a pretzel. Bakers here switched to the oval shape so it could hold more filling. That change is why a Racine kringle looks the way it does, and why the filling is the point.

The family names behind the counters go back a long way. Bendtsen's Bakery has been on Washington Avenue since 1934 and is still run by the Bendtsen family. Christian Olesen opened O&H Danish Bakery in 1949 after about 25 years learning the trade in a Racine bakery. Lehmann's, over the line in Sturtevant, has been baking since the 1930s.

Two dates turn the local habit into a story people repeat. On June 30, 2010, President Barack Obama stopped at O&H and bought pecan, cherry and cheese kringles. Then on June 30, 2013, Governor Scott Walker signed the state budget that named kringle Wisconsin's official pastry. One roundup notes that the cream puff nearly won instead. Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower were given a kringle in the 1950s, and they called it a favorite.

If you want the wider story of the city around the bakeries, the Racine Heritage Museum sits in a former Carnegie library and runs history exhibits and educational programs.

What goes into a kringle

Kringle means ring in Danish, which is how the pastry looks when you slip it out of the bag. The traditional method takes about three days. Bakers fold butter into the dough again and again, and the dough rests overnight before it is filled with fruit, nuts and spices.

Ask how many layers that makes and you get different answers. One roundup says about 30, another says more than 32, a third says 36, and Lehmann's says 48. Treat any single number as a bakery's claim, not a measurement. What matters at the counter is the texture: thin, flaky and buttery, with the icing and filling doing the rest.

Peter Oleson of O&H told Civic Media in 2024 that kringle is "hard to make, hard to replicate". O&H still turns out more than 10,000 kringles a day. Its kringles also reach Trader Joe's shelves. The Experience Wisconsin writer who covered the bakeries in February 2026 still says fresh-made beats the big box version, and that is the case for buying in Racine rather than in a freezer aisle.

Where to buy kringle in Racine

Three shops in town cover nearly everything a visitor needs, and the two O&H stores are separate buildings with their own counters and their own menus. The bakery's main store and café are at 5910 Washington Avenue, and a December 2025 roundup says it offers group tours, so call ahead if you want one.

O&H Danish Bakery

O&H Danish Bakery on Douglas Avenue is the north-side shop at 4917 Douglas Avenue. Its menu lists almond, Harvest and Cinnamon Roll kringles, filled donuts such as chocolate Bavarian cream and lemon custard, fresh bread, sandwiches and coffee by the bag.

One reviewer called the Harvest kringle the best they had eaten, and another traveling from Kentucky recommended the cream cheesecake and almond and told people to order the Hamlet. One reviewer found the sandwich good but not extraordinary and suggested going for the pastries instead. The shop has a free parking lot, a wheelchair-accessible entrance and counter service.

If you are working your way south, the other O&H is on the south side of town.

O&H Danish Bakery

O&H Danish Bakery on Durand Avenue is at 4006 Durand Avenue, about 6 miles south of the Douglas Avenue shop. The company opened its second Racine store on Durand Avenue in 1982. It bakes kringles in flavors such as Cinnamon Roll and Summer Berry Crumble, and the cases also hold fresh donuts, custom birthday cakes, hot sandwiches and cold drinks, with seasonal gifts on the shelves.

Reviewers mention a large selection of donuts and kringles, fast service and a smell as you walk in. One out-of-state visitor bought four Summer Berry Crumble kringles to carry home. Parking is a free lot, and the entrance and restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

The third stop is a small family counter.

Bendtsen's Bakery

Bendtsen's Bakery sits at 3200 Washington Avenue in West Racine, about 1.6 miles north of the Durand Avenue O&H and about 4.5 miles south of the Douglas Avenue one. It describes its Danish kringles as handmade across generations, with almond, pecan, cherry and raspberry varieties finished with icing, and it is closed on Sundays. Its own tagline is "Taste the Hand Rolled Difference."

A reviewer in September 2026 called the pecan kringle the best they had had in Racine, and an earlier reviewer described the shop as the place to get the original kringle in town. Parking is on the street, and Google shows it as paid. Reviews are mixed on mail orders: one buyer this year described a package of crumbled pieces, and an earlier reviewer complained about thin filling.

Bendtsen's kringles are also sold at Danny's Meats and Catering, according to the February 2026 Experience Wisconsin roundup. A few more family bakeries are worth knowing if you are heading out of town. Lehmann's at 9117 Durand Avenue in Sturtevant is described as Racine's oldest continuously operating kringle maker, with raspberry as a best-seller and free guided tours by phone arrangement. Larsen's has been in the Hutchinson family since 1969, is open Wednesday through Saturday, and in a December 2025 roundup was listed as now housed at Lehmann's facility, with vegan kringles on the menu. Racine Danish Kringles, a third-generation company, sells mostly wholesale and by mail order, according to the same roundup.

Which flavor to buy

Pecan is the best-selling flavor, according to a December 2025 roundup, with almond, raspberry, cherry and apple as the other classics. If you are new to kringle, pecan or almond is the safe order, and a fruit kringle is the lighter one. O&H's Wisconsin Kringle, made with Door County cherries, cranberries and cream cheese, is the local-ingredient pick.

Seasonal flavors change through the year. Roundups mention pumpkin caramel in fall, eggnog and peppermint brownie at the holidays, and key lime in summer, so check what the case holds the day you go. Bendtsen's lists almond, pecan, cherry and raspberry.

Keeping it, freezing it and shipping it

A December 2025 roundup gives storage times: 5 to 7 days at room temperature, 10 to 12 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months frozen in the original wax bakery bag. The same roundup says to thaw a frozen kringle for 6 hours at room temperature or 12 hours in the fridge, and that room temperature shows off the layers best. To warm it, put it unwrapped on a cookie sheet at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes. Cut it into slices an inch or two wide and one kringle serves about 10 to 14 people.

Several Racine bakeries ship frozen, freshly made kringle anywhere in the US. Order ahead from the shop if you want one shipped as a gift. Trader Joe's and Aldi stock kringles in season, and the December 2025 roundup warns that they sell out fast. Hours and shipping days change, so call before you drive across town for a particular flavor.

Which bakery should you pick?

Pick O&H if you want the widest flavor list, a donut case and a sandwich with your pastry, and choose the Douglas Avenue shop or the Durand Avenue shop by whichever side of town you are on. Pick Bendtsen's if you want a small family counter and a traditional pecan or almond kringle. Either way, the thing you are buying is the same flat oval, less than an inch tall, that a Racine bakery was selling as early as 1922, and it still tastes best when it is bought fresh.