The Best Doughnut Places Across The U.S.

Doughnuts are a fun treat to enjoy for breakfast or dessert that everyone, no matter their age, can get excited about eating. From sprinkled, to powder sugared, to glazed, each doughnut lover has their ultimate favorite.

Gone are the days of doughnut shops and bakeries serving up just your classic glaze. Indeed, doughnuts are far from basic anymore. These sweet, round goodies have transitioned from a traditional coffee companion to fun, trendy confections with a wide array of flavors and looks. As a matter of fact, doughnuts can be found in many places, from your local shop to an elegant, Pinterest-worthy wedding in a spectacular doughnut board dessert display. 

If we've got you in the mood for a delicious treat to eat right here and now, donut fret. Our team at Tasting Table has put together a list of doughnut shops to check out wherever you may be located or traveling to in the United States.

If you didn't think a doughnut could be gourmet, think again. Blue Star Donuts is serving up gourmet doughnuts without artificial preservatives, flavors, sugars, or oils. Their dough and fillings are homemade daily, too. In fact, they partner with local communities so they can come up with tastes that are inspired by particular areas, like their blueberry bourbon basil doughnut which includes an amazing local bourbon. 

Serious Eats proclaimed Blue Star to be serving up "OR's Best Doughnuts," so whether you're a local or traveling through the area, this is a sweet pit stop you don't want to miss. Blue Star's flavors include uniques tastes like the Valrhona chocolate crunch doughnut, which stars a brioche yeast shell that's filled with vanilla custard. The creation is coated in French dark chocolate, topped with toasted puffed rice, and covered with even more chocolate.

If you're not planning on traveling to Oregon or SoCal in the near future (Blue Star has three locations in Portland and three in Southern California), fear not. Blue Star Donuts ships to quite a few states and plans to add more locations to their list. And not only are they a great snack to enjoy yourself, but they make a thoughtful gift for someone special.

If your taste buds are intrigued by the thought of "life-changing donuts," then you need to check out Purvé Donut Stop in Honolulu, Hawaii. Not only will you love Purvé, but you will also love this sweet company's involvement in their community. They collaborate with organizations that make the world a better place for children, including Make A Wish, Ronald McDonald House, and the Shriners Hospitals.

Purvé's Ubae doughnut may just be the best doughnut in Hawaii, according to some. And if that's not enough to convince you, Purvé's Umpa Lumpa Moist Dreamcicle doughnut is, well, a total dream, with a vibrant orange glaze covered in cream cheese. And their Smurf Balls really do resemble Smurfs, complete with mixed berry glaze and a Captain Crunch and cream topping. And don't forget to check out the Weekly D, which is the shop's new flavor of the week that comes out each Monday.

With the first bite of your treat, we guarantee you'll be hooked and want to stay at Purvé Donut Stop to chill a while ... and maybe order even more doughnuts. (That's never a bad thing.) The coolest part is that all doughnuts are made to order, so you can watch your sweet delights being prepared before your very eyes.

Doughnuttery in New York City is a complete and utter game-changer. Their fresh, hot, and adorable mini doughnuts are absolutely to die for. Choose from a wide selection of flavored treats, like Flower Power (hibiscus, honey, rose petals), Paris Time (lavender, pistachio, vanilla), PB&J (peanut butter, grape jelly), and more. Of course, completing your order with some of Doughnuttery's dipping sauces (Raspberry Balsamic or Beer Caramel, anyone?) is obviously not mandatory, but we highly suggest doing so.

And that's not all. You can order a box of doughnuts that comes with glaze and toppings and decorate them yourself. Or, you can order or purchase your very own homemade doughnut kit and make your own doughnuts fresh in your own kitchen. As a matter of fact, Doughnuttery offers virtual doughnut-making classes so you can have fun with a class on your own or with friends or family. We can't recommend the class enough — it's so much fun, a completely unique experience, and the end result will have you in sugary doughnut heaven.

Before Voodoo Doughnut graced Portland, Oregon with its sweet delights, there apparently was not even one doughnut spot in the downtown area. So these savvy entrepreneurs opened their doors with a combo of traditional and unique doughnuts and then got even more creative.

Voodoo Doughnut has quite the selection, including Strawberry Fields, which is dipped in vanilla frosting, lemon powder, and a drizzle of strawberry icing. Or, order up the Old Dirty Bastard, which boasts chocolate frosting, peanut butter, and Oreo cookies. The Voodoo Bubble actually has a wrapped bubble gum center, and the Voodoo Doll looks like — you guessed it — a voodoo doll. These are just a few of the amazing confections at this doughnut shop, which is the birthplace of the iconic Bacon Maple Bar.

Not only is Voodoo here for lots of yumminess, but they pride themselves on making a difference in their communities. One example is their work with The Replenish Foundation, which helps to build healthy communities and address food insecurity.

With a total of six stores located in Florida and Texas, The Salty Donut makes the kind of delights that are a doughnut lover's dream. This artisan doughnut shop is family-owned, with small batches of doughnuts made completely from scratch

We're not exaggerating — just listen to the description of their hazelnut + chocolate doughnut. It's a "24 hr brioche," and it's stuffed with hazelnut-infused chocolate, has a chocolate ganache glaze (yum), and then it's covered with candied hazelnuts and crushed hazelnut cookies (double yum). And as far as unique goes, hear us out as we describe their guava + cheese doughnut. It also features brioche stuffed with cream cheese and swirled guava and topped with a cream cheese glaze and puff pastry streusel topping. They even currently have a vegan blueberry crumble on their seasonal menu. 

You don't have to just take our recommendation, either. As a matter of fact, Food & Wine claims that The Salty Donut has the best doughnuts in Florida. According to their website, The Salty Donut has also been dubbed "top donut shop in the country" by Business Insider, Thrillist, and Zagat, among many other media outlets.

If you're a coffee and doughnuts lover, do yourself a solid and check out Stan's Donuts for a pretty-in-pink box of sweets and a warm cup of joe. You won't be disappointed — but you will have some serious regrets if you don't go to Stan's. The shop is dishing out some ridiculously delicious flavored doughnuts, including a Lemon Pistachio Old Fashioned, Maple Long John, Caramel Marshmallow Pocket, Toffee Cake, and plenty more. Of course, you can count on Stan's to have the classics as well, from Powdered Sugar Cake to Boston Cream. If you're gluten-free or vegan, don't fret, because Stan's has you covered with delights, too.

Stan's received a 4.5 overall rating on TripAdvisor, along with plenty of awesome reviews. A five-star reviewer called Stan's Red Velvet doughnut "the BEST donut I've ever had!" They continued their compliment by saying, "Cake donut that is super moist with cream cheese in the middle," and that certainly got our attention!

Any doughnut shop that's serving up 10 craft doughnut flavors daily, in addition to a rotation of 200 seasonal flavors, deserves your undivided attention. District Donuts in New Orleans, Louisiana offers glazed, cinnamon sugar, chocolate glazed, chocolate with sprinkles, and, of course, their rotating doughnuts to choose from. The best part about this sweet spot is that the doughnuts, sprinkles, pastry creams, and fillings are made entirely from scratch.

If you're picking up a box of assorted doughnuts to share with the house (or devour all by yourself — we won't tell!), you should most definitely grab a Joe To Go, like District's Cold Brew Growler or the Vietnamese Iced Coffee Growler that you can enjoy all weekend long with your treats. According to District's website, "We source and roast our own beans through our own brand," Cool Kids Coffee Roasters.

District Donuts was chosen as one of "The 31 Best Coffee Shops In America" by Thrillist, so you know that's a prime sign to head on over ASAP for a box or two of delights.

Any doughnut shop that comes up with special flavors of the month like Abuela's Hot Chocolate or Mama's Tres Leches is working hard to please the masses with sweet deliciousness. Just know that they come with a cheeky message that says, in part: "WARNING: OUR DOUGHNUTS ARE KNOWN TO CAUSE HUGE FREAKING SMILES AND EXCITEMENT."

At Pinkbox, customers can even place an order for their own custom doughsicles — yes, we did just say doughsicles, which are doughnuts on a stick like a popsicle — choosing everything including the base, coating, topping, drizzle, and filling. And when we say fillings, Pinkbox is not talking about your typical doughnut fillings. Their centers include scrumptious choices like Butterfinger, key lime, marshmallow, and even Chocolate Oreo Whip.

Pinkbox Doughnuts were deemed the "Best in Las Vegas" from 2017 — 2020, via the Las Vegas Review Journal, and we're not surprised. Whether you choose to fill up your pink box with their OG classics, good fellas, fancy pancys, doughcros, show offs, or a combination, you're in for a treat.

Wallingford, Connecticut is the home of New York-style Neil's Donuts, which are prepared fresh daily. This adorable bakery has been nationally recognized for its large selection of tasty delights. It's easy to see why Food & Wine picked Neil's Donuts as Connecticut's winner for "Best Donuts in Every State" in 2020. Insider also dubbed Neil's as having the best doughnuts in Connecticut in 2020. Moral of the story? If you're in or around Wallingford, you won't regret stopping at Neil's Donuts for a treat.

Neil's offers 30 great-tasting doughnut flavors to choose from, including vegan donuts such as the Samoa, a raised doughnut with a caramel icing that's then covered with toasted coconut and a chocolate drizzle. And if you're a chocolate lover, you'll be sure to love Neil's Reese's Peanut Butter Crumb doughnut. This raised doughnut has a vanilla buttercream frosting that's smothered with a Reese's Peanut Butter crumb topping.

You can buy one of your favorite doughnuts or buy a dozen and mix and match everything that looks good — although we're positive it'll be quite the difficult decision choosing just one of these sweet delights!

The award-winning Union Square Donuts in Boston and Somerville, Massachusetts is simply looking out for their customers. You can place an order of sweet delights and pick it up in 10 to 15 minutes. Now that's some quality service!

"The kind of donuts you dream about" sounds a little something like this: a Blueberry Coffee Cake Donut, complete with a vibrant purple wild blueberry glaze and pieces of cinnamon streusel coffee cake. Or maybe you'd prefer a Sea Salt Whiskey Caramel Donut made with Union Square's signature caramel glaze infused with American whiskey from Bully Boy Distillers in Roxbury, Massachusetts and topped off with flakes of sea salt. Or how about the Pineapple Upside Down Donut? That's chock-full of homemade pineapple preserves and chopped maraschino cherries, which is then coated in a dreamy caramel glaze and topped off with a pineapple chip. 

Gear up, because these just may be the most unique doughnuts you've ever tasted. Boston Magazine even declared Union Square Donuts to have the best donuts in Boston, and we'd have to agree.

Sweet Coloradough was voted "Best Doughnuts in Colorado" by Travel + Leisure and widely beloved in the Centennial State and beyond. We can't say we're surprised. The only problem we have with Sweet Coloradough is the ability to make up one's mind as to what doughnut treat to indulge in first. 

So you can fully understand our concern, you need to know just how many categories there are. First, there are Coloradough's Semi Super Awesome Doughnuts, which include twists, bars, and crème filled Bismarcks. Up next for your consideration are the 11-Layer Croughnuts (a croissant-doughnut hybrid with flakiness and crispiness in all the right places). And before you think you know what you want, we aren't finished quite yet. There are also RADiculously Awesome Doughnuts, which are the eatery's "best and biggest." And lastly, within the Awesome Doughnuts category include traditional cake-like doughnuts, old-fashioned sour cream cake doughnuts, and handmade sweet yeast-raised doughnuts.

Since we brought on this stressful decision, we're here to help you sort it out in a reasonable fashion. We suggest that you get one or more of every single option. Then, take a few for the team, and indulge in these babies one doughnut at a time. In addition to Glenwood Springs, Sweet Coloradough has locations in Snowmass, Carbondale, and Rifle, Colorado.

Whether you're in the mood for classic cinnamon or powdered sugar doughnuts, or some island-infused tasty delights like hula honey, strawberry surf, or apple tiki, Mahalo's Coffee & Mini Donuts should be your next stop ... in Iowa. You may be wondering how Hawaiian-inspired doughnuts came to be in West Des Moines, Iowa, so we're going to let you in on a pretty great story.

The owners of Mahalo opened their shop after traveling to Waikiki and falling in love with Waikiki Beach, the islands, and the entire aloha vibe. According to their website, the "aloha spirit" inspired owners Julie and Troy to develop Mahalo's Coffee & Mini Donuts, which includes their cinnamon lava doughnut that's complete with vanilla glaze, caramel glaze, and cinnamon sugar.

You can even enjoy coffee made from coffee beans that Mahalo's Coffee "hand select[s]" from Hawaii. If you've never been to the Hawaiian Islands and savored a cup of Kona coffee, then you are in for a real treat. Everyone knows that doughnuts and coffee go hand-in-hand, and we know your hands will be quite happy if they're holding Mahalo's Coffee and doughnuts.

Included in the many awesome reviews for Mahalo's on TripAdvisor, one reviewer wrote, "Really great find in West DesMoines! Coffee is really good – and the mini donuts are so unique!"

It's no secret in Austin, Texas that Gourdough's has "big fat doughnuts." Well, they also have donut holes, too, of course ... like their blueberry-filled doughnut holes with delicious blueberry cream cheese icing. Or you can check out the super baked CBD doughnut. This specialty item is made with marshmallow créme, brownie batter filling, brownie and cookie dough bites, Graham crackers, potato chips, and a brownie batter drizzle. You can also grab a doughnut sandwich or doughnut burger to make the experience a full meal.

As if Gourdough's tasty bites weren't enough goodness for a lifetime, you will love what we're about to tell you. Gourdough's can also provide made-to-order doughnuts right at your private party, wedding, or special event. They even have a trendy vintage airstream trailer for that purpose. The shop was even named as one of the best doughnut shops in Texas you need to road trip to by Only In Your State.

Local diners are one of the absolute best parts of a hometown or city, but how many local diners also make fresh, homemade doughnuts? Lakeside Diner in Stamford, Connecticut most certainly does, and it absolutely deserves a spot on your doughnut bucket list.

According to Patch, the current diner started out serving up food out of a trailer when they opened up back in the 1950s, but shortly after, they moved into their current storefront location. It's no surprise that customers line up each and every weekend to pick up fresh cinnamon-sugar doughnuts. But rather than grabbing a box of doughnuts and heading out, we encourage you to stay awhile. You will love the dreamy stacks of doughnuts piled high on plates on the countertop, and will completely fall in love with this quaint spot even more when you take a bite of your very own doughnut. As if that wasn't enough to coax you to visit, you'll be served a side of beautiful lakeside views while you're enjoying your doughnut treat.

Dubbed "California's best doughnut shop" by Food & Wine, you know you have to give Sidecar Doughnuts a visit. From sweet seasonal flavors like Susie's Blueberry Pancake and Rainbow Berry Pop-Tart, to daily flavors like Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Huckleberry, it's clear Sidecar knows how to make their customers happy. As a matter of fact, they believe that the only way a doughnut should be enjoyed is "hot and fresh.". Not only that, it should be coupled with an amazing cup of java, and service with a smile is a given here. Clearly, this doughnut destination knows what's up.

Located in Costa Mesa, California, Sidecar started out with a warehouse, a bakery truck, and a dream of turning into a cool place for the community, filled with scrumptious doughnuts. Now, how's that for a doughnut love story? Sidecar has been featured on Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate, and also Cooking Channel's Unique Sweets.