The Top 30 Donut Shops In The USA

Are you a fan of yeast donuts? Whether you’re looking for a sugary breakfast or a dessert that will satisfy your sugar cravings, donuts are the best for both. Donuts came a long way, from a fried yeast-raised dough sprinkled with sugar to creative and artsy donut shapes with a sweet finish. Even though donuts have a history that resides outside the American continent, we can freely say that donuts are now considered a very American thing. If you want to eat the best donut in the USA, check one of the 30 best donut shops we listed below.

1. A Baker’s Wife (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

A Baker’s Wife
Image Credit: homesmsp

A Baker’s Wife is a very creative name for a donut shop, but it’s worth noting that it’s not only donuts that you’ll find in this bakery. The bakery specializes in all kinds of pastry and other sweet treats, but simply excels at donuts it makes in different shapes and flavors.

People around the country gather up to go to the bakery, where donuts with rich flavor and great popularity are being sold. One of my favorite dishes is those donuts with cinnamon sugar. The glazed donuts also taste great, but if you’re coming to Baker’s Wife, don’t forget to try cake donuts.

If you don’t feel like eating donuts at Baker’s Wife, as said earlier, there are other pastries worth trying out. Our favorite is the buttery croissant, but you can also try some of the cakes that they offer, such as the mini cheesecake or a fruit tart.

2. Barrio Donas (San Diego, California)

Barrio Donas
Image Credit: sandiegoreader

San Diego is known for its traditional, yet Mexican-like restaurants, where the two cultures find the perfect blend of spices and flavor, at least that’s what the locals say in reviews.

If you visit Barrio Donas, you won’t only taste all the beauty and depth of Mexican spices, you should go for Gansito, a traditional snack cake from Mexico, made out of strawberry and cream turned into a donut. Chocolate glaze flavor as coating gives it the extra depth and taste.

It’s a perfect breakfast if you are into eating donuts for breakfast. Still, if you are ever visiting San Diego and want to go for a donut breakfast, don’t forget to come early, as these donuts tend to go fast. You can find other Mexico-based desserts and snacks there, they will blow your mind away!

3. Blackbird Doughnuts (Boston, Massachusetts)

Blackbird Doughnuts
Image Credit: theverbhotel

Blackbird Doughnuts is one of the shops that stand out compared to other donut shops in Boston, Massachusetts. Every day, there are huge lines of people waiting to try out one of the mouth-watering donuts.

The selection of donuts is so vast, that people research the dishes and flavors before visiting, and gladly come back every time they visit Boston. But, even though there’s a range of vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, and chocolate-coated donuts with crunchy sprinkles, there are some other dishes that will awaken all your senses.

If you are into fruity tastes, you should try citrus lemon-lime, orange, or grapefruit glaze together on a cake donut. You can also buy a 50-donut package of mini donuts if you’d like to snack on them later. They also have seasonal flavors, which are worth trying out whenever a new season emerges.

4. Da Vinci’s Donuts (Atlanta Georgia)

Da Vinci’s Donuts
Image Credit: diatomics

Da Vinci’s Donuts is a relatively new patisserie and donut shop, but it brings a lot to the table. This is one of the most creative donut shops that you will want to visit. One of the reasons is that you can customize the donuts that you want to buy, or enjoy some of the most beautiful decorations.

Those with an extra sweet tooth can enjoy the heavy and layered toppings, especially, if you are a fan of chocolate donuts. You can go together with both smaller or larger donuts, each one of them has a savory and deep taste, with extra-rich flavor.

The donuts are gourmet, while the toppings are hand-dipped for extra-adjustable taste and a mix of your favorite flavors which you can customize.

5. The Donut Man (Los Angeles, California)

Da Vinci’s Donuts
Image Credit: californiatochicago

The Donut Man is one of the most favorite food attractions in LA, especially if you love to get a donut breakfast or a dessert after a busy day of exploring the city. It’s not for those who want to avoid crowds, because you’ll need a lot of patience to get your donut served, but don’t worry, the dozens of people who wait inside the lines are more than patient while waiting to savor pretty big donuts with sugary or chocolate finish.

If you don’t want to eat donuts with holes, this is the place to come. The glaze over the full donuts truly feels much richer, especially with some added chocolate sprinkles. Fruit lovers can also enjoy the donuts made with fruit glaze and strawberry and peach chunks on the top.

It’s also a great place to visit regardless if you want to eat donuts or not, there are plenty of desserts that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

6. Dottie’s Donuts (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Dottie’s Donuts
Image Credit: mapquest

Vegan-friendly donuts can be hard to find, but if you ever find yourself in Philadelphia looking for a tasty, vegan-friendly, and savory dessert, you better sprint to Dotie’s Donuts. As it’s often busy and you’ll likely have to wait in a big line.

Dottie will show you how real donuts are made, and regardless of being vegan, the donuts are super juicy and delicious. This donut shop has a couple of signature toppings, and one of the most popular ones includes the Cookie Butter Glazed donuts which are deep in flavor and will leave you craving more. There are also donuts with chocolate chip cookie dough, as well as matcha pistachio topping.

7. Dough (New York, New York)

Dough
Image Credit: theletmeeatcake

When it comes to donuts and bagels, New York City may be one of the best places to eat them with the same taste as your granny makes them. Don’t forget that the city of Apple is a blend of different cultures, so, at Dough, this cultural mix may be more than prominent. You should try the Mexican Hibiscus donut, which is a signature dish at Dough.

Whether you are looking for traditional yeast doughnuts or vegan donuts, there’s no better place to come. Keep in mind that there are also seasonal flavors that are more than worth trying. Additionally, you can try both chocolate and fruit flavor that will tickle your senses.

Finally, you should try some other dough specialties, but it’ll take a lot of time as there are numerous flavors to explore and try out. It’s one of the pricier restaurants, but all the dishes are well-worthy of the price.

8. Federal Donuts (Philadelphia Pennsylvania)

Federal Donuts
Image Credit: phillymag

There are more than 11 locations of Federal Donuts across Philadelphia, and strangely enough, all of them are busy. This is one of the most popular donut shops you’ll want to visit, and that is all for a good reason.

There is a large selection of cake donuts, which are one of the most popular dishes to eat in the restaurant. There are two main options you’ll want to choose from – Hot Fresh with sugar coating or Fancy, with rich and deep toppings, dips, and frosty glaze.

9. Five Daughters Bakery (Nashville, Tennessee)

Five Daughters Bakery
Image Credit: sarahruthtoday

The name Five Daughters sounds like some novel title that Jane Austen wrote, but this bakery is more than real, and recently it opened another location in Nashville. It’s one of the busiest donut shops you will want to visit, but it’s definitely worth visiting.

There is a popular specialty called “cronut” which consists of 100 layers. Only the earliest birds get to grab them as they’re quite popular in the town. Nevertheless, other dishes are also worth trying out. The vanilla flavor is one of the favorites because the taste is richer, deeper, and pretty much, gives vanilla bean a new name!

10. General Porpoise Doughnuts (Seattle, Washington)

General Porpoise Doughnuts
Image Credit: gpdoughnuts

General Porpoise is one of those donut shops you feel at ease when visiting. The aesthetics and overall interior design feel as if you’ve come home. The doughnuts are largely thanks to the yeasty dough used for the frying. You can get donuts with creams, crème Brulee, plum, chocolate marshmallows, and much more.

11. The Holy Donuts (Portland Maine)

The Holy Donuts
Image Credit: tucsonfoodie

The most vocal donut fans surely dare call them the holy dessert. Many people claim that these donuts have a more savory flavor thanks to the secret ingredient that the shop doesn’t reveal to anyone. However, the only secret is the mashed potatoes.

Regardless of the taste, you pick on your donut, coffee is an unavoidable extra you want to take with your donuts. Also, if you’re visiting, don’t forget to try lemon glazed donuts, they’ll change the way you feel about citrus donut glaze.

12. Hugs & Donuts (Houston Texas)

Hugs & Donuts
Image Credit: onlyinyourstate

It’s no secret that Texans are crazy about donuts, especially those made with chocolate and vanilla pudding, marshmallow, or even salty tastes like the pepper parmesan which is the signature taste of this donut shop.

If you have a gourmet taste, then Hugs & Donuts will feel warm and homey the more you visit it. Besides the typical donuts, a dish you must try is the cheese-glazed donut sandwich for cheese lovers. Don’t forget to try the sandwiches made with eggs, bacon, and other flavors. All the donuts are deep and rich and flavorful, and they’ll do more than amaze you!

13. New Palace Bakery (Hamtramck, Michigan)

New Palace Bakery
Image Credit: readgrandcircus

New Palace is one of the most popular bakeries in Hamtramck, or Detroit if you want to cover a larger range. It’s home to denser donuts, more traditional than European Donuts. Nevertheless, the savory and deep flavors are awaiting at this bakery. Boston cream is one of the most popular flavors to take.

Still, there are also the apple fritter, cherry, strawberry, and rose hip donut flavors. The peanut butter donuts are also quite popular, along with the best custard in town. You can also try simple sugar-coated donuts, but they won’t impress you as much as the flavors we mentioned earlier.

14. Pink Love Donuts (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

Pink Love Donuts
Image Credit: sun-sentinel

If you want to have a blast from the past, then visit Pink Love Donuts’ dishes from the 80s. While we can’t openly say that Pink Love Donuts reinvented the wheel with the bold ingredients, we must say that the gourmet donuts are full of cream, along with some classic flavors and vegan-friendly options.

If you’re after the idea to profess love to someone or surprise your significant other for their birthday, we suggest ordering letter-shaped donuts to surprise them.

15. The Salty Donut (Miami Florida)

The Salty Donut shop
Image Credit: miabites

The Salty Donut is a must-visit doughnut vault when you are in Miami, Florida. There are several locations that you can visit, but beware, there’s always a line of people patiently waiting to get served their favorite donuts.

There are a plethora of flavors, including the seasonal ones, so no matter when you’re visiting Florida, there’ll always be something to tickle your taste buds. It also combines sweet flavors with maple bacon, cheese, and salt, hence the Salty Donut name.

16. Whoo’s Donuts (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Whoo’s Donuts shop
Image Credit: diatomics

Lemon, chocolate, pistachio cake, and many others are the flavors that make the traditional Whoo’s Donuts one of the most delicious donuts ever. Nevertheless, you can choose other flavors that are always available and seasonably.

If you want to limit your sweet tooth, you can also try one of the less sweet flavors made with blue corn. There are numerous other pastries worth trying out, but the donuts are number one if you’re on a visit.

17. Blue Star Donuts (Portland, Oregon)

Blue Star Donuts
Image Credit: dessertsurveillance

Portland is known to host many donut shops, both bad and those worth visiting. The Blue Star Donuts is a popular donut shop that is worth visiting at any time of the year. The bakers at Blue Star use the special brioche dough for extra flavor. Don’t miss the chocolate flavor combined with the Valhrona chocolate crunch.

Steven Smith tea is another option that many people visit this donut store for, but if you’re vegan, rest assured that you’ll find the taste that will satisfy all your sugar cravings, and much more.

18. District Donuts, Sliders & Brew (New Orleans, Louisiana)

District Donuts, Sliders and Brew
Image Credit: thrillist

District Donuts is a popular donut shop where you can get a bit of everything. However, if you’re looking for some special donut flavors, the glazed donuts are the best. The airy dough makes the donuts juicy, savory, and exciting to eat.

Berries are a popular cream that you can choose. Additionally, if you’re not into the creams, you can try the cinnamon sugar donut which goes perfectly with the airy dough. Fruit options are also popular, especially when paired up with alluring vanilla cream.

19. Paula’s Donuts (Buffalo, New York)

Paula’s Donuts shop
Image Credit: wivb

Paula’s Donuts has been around for more than 26 years making its name as one of the best donut shops in America, and are available in different cities in New York, and other locations. You can try plenty of pastry, from peanut sticks and stick cakes, to quite delicious donuts topped with crushed peanuts.

If you are looking for a donut shop that will offer you so many flavors you won’t be able to decide, Paula’s Donuts are worth visiting, as Paula will offer you 30 different donut flavors daily. Chocolate icing tastes great, especially when accompanied by sprinkles and sugary flavor. You should also try the donuts with angel cream, but the other pastry is worth coming for also.

20. Pinkbox Doughnuts (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Pinkbox Doughnuts shop
Image Credit: bakemag

Pinkbox doughnuts offers a great selection of donut treats, packaged in a cute pink coat for better décor. What’s original about the Pinkbox doughnuts is that the donuts are colored in pink velvet color. However, if you’re not a fan, you can test your taste buds against other flavors that there are.

There are plenty of different flavors, chocolate, vanilla, and fruit flavors, along with the colored pieces of cereal that are used as coating and a sprinkle. Keep in mind that this doughnut shop is a bit pricier compared to the other ones, still, the price warrants the quality, and you’ll also enjoy a friendly and relaxing ambient all to yourself.

If you love artsy and creative-looking donuts that you want to show off on Instagram or TikTok, it’s guaranteed that you’ll see artisan donuts that both look and taste great. If you’re looking for fashionable donuts to try out, know that the Pinkbox doughnuts are the fashion icon among donuts.

21. Habit Donut Dispensary (Denver, Colorado)

Habit Donut Dispensary shop
Image Credit: 5280

Habit Donut Dispensary makes the most beautiful and flavorful donuts in the whole of Colorado. The artists at this donuts have done a great job by making donut designs that are easily more unique than most donuts we’ve seen in the past, and the taste keeps up with the look.

There’s a range of different looks and flavors that you can choose from, along with some extras. The workers are helpful and courteous, as well as patient with your needs in the order. In addition to extreme kindness and coziness in the shop, the workers will offer you to inject the donuts you pick with CBD oil or an alcoholic drink of your choice, as long as you won’t be driving afterward.

Many people opt for whiskey-injected donuts, but there are also other pastries you may want to choose over donuts in case you don’t feel like eating them today, such as cinnamon rolls.

22. Brider (Denver, Colorado)

BriDer Rotisserie & Kitchen shop
Image Credit: arch11

Brider is not an exclusive donut shop or a restaurant. You’ll find plenty of other dishes there that aren’t donuts like fried chicken. But, the donuts they make at Brider are so good, that you’ll be left wondering why they didn’t open a donut shop additionally as they’d sell great.

If you’re looking to experiment with flavors, we suggest trying their signature Brioche donut, which is covered in caramel sauce that will melt in your mouth. The caramel flavor is rich and deep, and it’ll blow you and your sugar cravings away.

23. Allie’s Donuts (North Kingstown, Rhode Island)

Allie’s Donuts
Image Credit: bostonmagazine

If you’re making a stop at Rhode Island, Allie’s donuts are worth trying, as they will not only help you feed, but also allow you to get to know some flavors you didn’t know about before. Allie makes glazed donuts that have a creative and tempting look, but their taste warrants all the temptation.

What’s also interesting about this restaurant is that here you can make custom-made donut cakes, which are everyone’s favorite. The flavor is so deep and vibrant that it will reawaken your inner child and satisfy all the sugar cravings you ever had. Allie’s donuts have been here for decades, so we can freely call this donut shop a classic.

24. Hole Doughnuts (Asheville, North Carolina)

Hole Doughnuts shop
Image Credit: candacelately

Hole doughnuts are huge, but often have a strange shape that can’t be attributed to that of a donut. This donut restaurant may have a modest offer of doughnuts to try out. However, the seasonal options are what make this donut shop stand out.

The donuts at Hole Doughnuts are made using organic stone ground flour, which gives them a more airy look, but also a richer and deeper taste. They are shaped by hand once you make the order and then deeply fried just to later be customized to your needs. That being said, you can enjoy hot and fresh donuts at any time, and choose one of four modest flavors.

25. Gourdough’s Big Fat Donuts (Austin, Texas)

Gourdough’s Big Fat Donuts
Image Credit: pinterest

When it comes to Austin, or pretty much any other place in Texas, nothing about donuts should surprise you. Just as the name suggests Gourdough brings the fattest and biggest donuts to the table, with colorful, yet tasty decorations that look so good, that you feel a little bit of guilt for eating them.

Needless to say, the doughnuts on the menu are so big that in case you choose to sit in and eat them, you’ll be given a fork and a knife to cut them open and eat. Otherwise, you’ll have the filling and glaze all over yourself. While you definitely won’t get fat from eating a donut, you will want to share it with someone because they’re that big.

There are so many tastes to pick from, if anything, we suggest you close your eyes and pick any, as you won’t be disappointed!

26. Red’s Donuts (Monterey, California)

Red’s Donuts
Image Credit: foursquare

There are plenty of places and attractions to visit in Monterey, but one place you shouldn’t miss on our Red’s Donuts which is a popular stop for all donut lovers who want to try something different. There are plenty of recipes worth trying out, but something you should not miss is the donuts with maple frosting.

All the donuts are fresh, savory, sweet, and simply delicious. Another donut worth trying out is the chocolate yeast donuts and you can also top them with honey. The unique recipe will tackle your sweet tooth without a question.

27. Mighty-O Donuts (Seattle, Washington)

Mighty-O Donuts
Image Credit: seattlemet

If you’re looking for a delicious and energizing donut and coffee combo, then Mighty-O donuts are worth visiting. The donut shop has been around for more than 20 years and has gathered the liking of people who are into vegan-friendly and generally healthy donut recipes.

That being said, if you ever wanted to try an organic donut or gluten-free donuts, try Mighty-O Donut’s award-winning donuts, and don’t forget the coffee!

28. Doughnuttery (New York, New York)

Doughnutter
Image Credit: mortarr

Doughnuttery crafts amazing mini donuts that everyone who likes to snack on mini donuts occasionally will love. If you live in Manhattan or came for a stop, this is the place that you have to visit. The mini donuts are coated in sugar, while you can add a coating for extra flavor.

The most popular flavors include Salted Caramel, Apple Cider, and Paris Time, but there are other flavors that you can use with these bite-sized donuts. They’re always fresh as the employees always make them right in front of you!

29. Pip’s Original Donuts (Portland, Maine)

Pip’s Original Donuts
Image Credit: onlyinyourstate

Pip’s Original Donuts offer serving options that will tickle all your senses, especially if you come in the morning. Nevertheless, Pip’s donuts are always fresh and they also get prepared as you wait for your order.

There are many flavors to choose from. However, the customers always return for Nutella & Sea Salt in combination with Cinnamon Sugar. Some people will also go for candied bacon mixed with maple, but you can get more creative and experiment with different flavors. Don’t forget to take a coffee or tea, as that will enrich the already rich flavor of donuts.

30. Voodoo Doughnut (Portland, Maine)

Voodoo Doughnut
Image Credit: katu

Voodoo Doughnut is another donut store worth visiting in Portland, especially if you want to compare the taste to other donut shops we listed here. There are other locations around the USA, but this one awakes the warmest memories since the store started working in 2003.

There are plenty of yeast-raised donuts along with artisan donut cakes that you can customize. Some of the donuts feel more naughty, but that’s exactly what adds to the savory flavor. There are many flavors to consider, but you shouldn’t miss the vanilla frosting on Marshall Mathers cake, as well as the signature Voodoo Doll yeast-raised donut.

Conclusion

There are many great donut shops across the whole USA. It was quite hard to list them all so we stopped at 30. If you like testing new flavors, as well as artisan creative donuts, all of these donut shops are worth visiting. The list contained both large donuts and those in small batches. There are also great donut shops in Somerville, Memphis, Indiana, Honolulu Hawaii as well as Alabama and Kansas City, but unfortunately, this list isn’t big enough.  What’s your favorite donut shop and why? Let us know in the comments!

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