Top 15 Best Donut Shops in Illinois

Illinois is the birthplace of the famous Chicago pizza. But if that’s where you are, when your sweet tooth strikes, there are lots of other tasty treats too. And that includes some seriously good donuts.

We’ve got the lowdown on the best donuts in Illinois. And we’re going to tell you where to find them, and just what makes them so good.

So if you’re ready for the perfect pastry, step this way …

Best Donuts in Illinois

1. Gurnee Donuts

• 4949 Grand Avenue #9A, Gurnee, IL 60031
• Tel: 847 249 4757

Gurnee Donuts is situated right on the coast of lovely Lake Michigan. Here you’ll find delicious donuts made fresh on the premises every day.

The menu covers everything from glazed to filled donuts, rings to crullers and Long Johns. There are traditional flavors like Bavarian cream, and new and innovative options like ube. Other popular options include red velvet, blueberry, and maple bacon.

Some of the flavors are available only on weekends. And it’s a good idea to get there early – this is a popular spot, and they can sell out fast.

The shop is open for takeout only every day except Monday. Opening hours are 6am to 2pm.

 

2. Donut Drop

• 835 East Algonquin Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173
• Tel: 847 794 8709

The donuts at delivery specialists Donut Drop are made fresh by hand every morning. They’ll deliver you a great cup of coffee too. And there are also delicious breakfast sandwiches, tea, and espresso drinks on the menu.

The donut flavors include classics like strawberry iced rings, double chocolate cake, Boston cream and fruity pebbles. And there are specialties like Nutella s’mores, maple bacon, cherry pie and apple fritters.

They also make giant donut cakes, donut holes, mini donuts, and donuts in the shape of numbers. Ube cake donuts in a choice of glazed, coconut and iced can be provided with two days’ notice. And they’re about to start offering mochi donuts – sweet and chewy pastries made with rice flour.

You can order online for same day delivery. Note, though, that availability is constantly changing. If you want to secure particular flavors, it’s best to give them 24 hours’ notice.

You can dine in at the shop too, or order takeout with curbside pick-up. It’s open every day except Monday, from 6am to noon.

 

3. DB3 Donuts

• 1704 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201
• Tel: 847 859 2109

You can find DB3 Donuts in Evanston’s Central Station Apartments. They specialize in artisan donuts baked fresh in small batches the same day they’re sold.

The menu is divided into basic, fancy and featured donuts, a rotating selection of specials, some of which raise money for charities. The flavors include everything from chocolate and maple glazed to blueberry lemon and Boston Cream. And there are gluten-free options too.

Service is fast and friendly. And the prices are reasonable for the quality of the product.

The shop offers both takeout and delivery, but opening hours are rather restricted. It’s open from 8am to 2pm on Fridays, and 8am to 1pm on weekends.

 

4. Roll N Donut Café & Douangchay’s Kitchen

• 3907 West Algonquin Road, Algonquin, IL 60156
• Tel: 847 458 5255

Some say the donuts at Roll N Donut Café are the best they’ve tasted in their lives. So why not head to Algonquin to see what all the fuss is about?!

The donuts are baked fresh every day, and they’re very reasonably priced. If you’re on a budget, you can get leftovers from the day before too. The flavors rotate, so there’s always something new to try.

There’s also a good range of breakfast burritos, plus a tasty menu of Vietnamese food. Choose from options like spring rolls, steamed buns and chicken broth.

There’s a good drinks menu too, including decent coffee, boba tea and sweet Thai iced tea. And there are cold options like milk, Slushees and soda.

The café is open daily except Mondays, from 6am until midday. You can dine in, head to the drive through, or order your food to be delivered to your door.

 

5. Spunky Dunkers Donuts

• 20 South Northwest Highway, Palatine, IL 60074
• Tel: 847 358 7935

Spunky Donuts claim to make both the best donuts and coffee in the town of Palatine. So why not put them to the test?

Everything on the menu is made fresh and from scratch every day. That includes a range of donuts covering flavors like vanilla iced cake, toasted coconut, red velvet, sour cream, honeydew and lemon drop.

Head to the website, and you can also check out their “secret menu”. This includes goodies like caramel apple fritters, the giant Super Spunky donut, and the Tyler, a buttercream filled Long John iced with vanilla or chocolate.

It’s open for dine in, drive-through and delivery 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

6. Joe Donut

• 1025 Lehigh Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025
• Tel: 847 730 3853

All the pastries at Joe Donut are made from scratch and fresh the day they’re sold. And every element, from the dough to the frostings and drizzles, is made on the premises.

They also serve up great coffee, plus sandwiches, burgers and breakfast dishes.

But back to those donuts! The flavors include vanilla bean glazed, strawberry glazed, cinnamon sugar and classic jelly filled. And there are more creative options too – think salted caramel old fashioned with almond toffee, or pecan fritters.

The flavors rotate regularly, so call ahead if you have something particular in mind.

You can get takeout or have your order delivered to you at home. The opening hours are 7am to noon from Tuesday to Sunday.

 

7. Wheeling Donuts

• 729 W Dundee Road, Wheeling, IL 60090
• Tel: 847 419 9619

The focus at Wheeling Donuts is on classic donuts perfectly executed. And it’s a recipe that’s won them a legion of loyal fans.

Here you’ll find a menu that covers traditional favorites like chocolate ring donuts with sprinkles, raised pink donuts, twists and Long Johns.

You can also get donuts customized with your choice of theme to celebrate a special occasion. And head there on the holidays to find fun specials, like donuts decorated with spiders for Halloween.

You can dine in at the shop, order takeout for curbside pick-up, or choose delivery to your doorstep. The shop is open from 5am to 4pm Monday to Friday, from 5am to 3pm on Saturdays, and from 6am to 1pm on Sundays.

 

8. Mini Donut Factory

• 1067 East Lake Cook Road, Wheeling, IL 60090
• Tel: 224 676 0593

If you want to try lots of different flavors, mini donuts could be the answer. And there’s nowhere better to get them than Wheeling’s Mini Donut Factory.

The donuts here are cute, fresh and finished with a great range of toppings. Choose from options like the Royal donut with caramel sauce, and the Blue Dream, a vanilla cake donut with blueberry icing and strawberry drizzle.

Everything is served warm, and you can accompany it with a scoop of delicious ice cream too. Yum!

You can dine in at the shop, pick up your takeout curbside, or get your order delivered. The shop is open seven days a week, from 7am to 2pm on Mondays, 7am to 6pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, and 8am to 3pm on Sundays.

 

9. Country Donuts

• 181 West Virginia Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014
• Tel: 815 455 2028

Country Donuts has been running for more than 40 years – so they know a thing or two about making great donuts!

The menu covers regular handmade donuts, fancy donuts and muffins. And you can wash your selection down with a good cup of coffee.

The fancy options include coffee rolls, cinnamon twists and sugar twists. Amongst the customer favorites are the chocolate Long John, red velvet cake donut and sugar-coated paczki.

There’s a drive-through that’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And you can get delivery any time of day or night too.

 

10. Doughboys Donuts

• 3451 North Main Street, Rockford, IL 61103
• Tel: 815 877 8720

At Doughboys Donuts, the pastries are always made fresh that day. And there’s a great range of different flavors to choose from.

Customers’ top picks include the chocolate frosted with toasted coconut, blueberry cake and donut holes. All the donuts are light and fluffy, and the pricing offers good value for money too.

You can dine in at the shop, order your takeout and pick it up curbside, or get delivery to your doorstep. The opening hours are 5am to 4pm on weekdays, and 5.30am to 2pm on weekends.

 

11. Duck Donuts

• 111 School Street, Libertyville, IL 60048
• Tel: 224 433 6505

If you want a customized donut that’s as fresh as it gets, head to Duck Donuts in Libertyville.

The moment you place your order, a vanilla cake donut is popped in the fryer for you. You then decide how you want to customize it. There’s a wide range of coatings, toppings and drizzles to choose from.

There’s also a selection of what’s known as “fan favorites”. These are tried and tested combinations you can turn to if you’re finding it tough to choose. And just like the bespoke creations, these will be made on the spot the moment you order.

Duck Donuts offers the option of dining in, getting takeout, or having your food delivered to your door. It’s open from 6.30am to 4pm Sunday to Thursday, and from 6.30am to 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

 

12. Sister’s Donuts

• 12015 Maple Avenue, Hebron, IL 60034
• Tel: 815 403 5139

Some say that the donuts at Sister’s in Hebron are the best they’ve tasted in their lives.

The menu covers traditional favorites and exciting new options. There are chocolate and white iced Long Johns, Bavarian creams, sugar raised donuts and old fashioned.

Plus there are fancy options like twists, Bismarks, fritters and coffee rolls. From time to time, you can also get delicious Polish paczkis.

This is a takeout only venue. It’s open with varying hours every day except Monday.

On Tuesdays it’s open from 7am to 1pm, on Wednesdays from 6am to 1pm, on Thursdays from 6am to 2pm, and on Fridays from 6am to 5pm. On Saturdays the hours are 7am to 2pm, and on Sundays, they’re 7.30am to 11.30am.

 

13. CJ’s Coffee House

• 2352 Sheridan Road, Zion, IL 60099
• Tel: 847 731 2208

CJ’s offers a great combination of freshly brewed coffee and donuts that are made and decorated in-store.

Among the favorites with customers are the apple fritter, iced Bavarian cream, buttermilk and vanilla cream. They’re a little more expensive than some other places, but the quality here is top notch.

Dine in and enjoy great service, or get takeout or delivery. The opening hours are 5am to 4pm every day.

 

14. By the Dozen Bakery

• 8324 North 2nd Street, Machesney Park, IL 61115
• Tel: 815 636 0668

By The Dozen Bakery has a truly astonishing range of pastries. Alongside a vast selection of donuts, you can find brownies, muffins, cookies, cupcakes and turnovers.

When it comes to the donuts, you can choose from flavors including chocolate and almond, blueberry, cherry, cinnamon sugar, glazed, peanut, and powdered sugar. There are different varieties of Long Johns as well.

You can dine in or get takeout, but there’s no delivery option here. The shop is open from 6am to 2pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays.

 

15. Peterson’s Tasty Delight Bakery

• 1720 West Algonquin Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
• Tel: 847 358 9918

Peterson’s offer a great range of donuts, Danishes and coffee cakes. Everything is made fresh on the premises. And if you’re after a custom design, give them a call. They can usually give you what you’re looking for.

The everyday donut flavors include options like banana cream filled with chocolate, fresh strawberry and cream cheese, coconut cream and Key lime.

The prices are very reasonable, and the service is great too. Head to the bakery for takeout only. It’s open from 6am to 3pm only from Tuesday to Friday, and 6am to 4pm on Saturdays.

 

It’s Donut Time!

That brings us to the end of our look at the best donuts in Illinois! Are you in the mood for a pastry yet?!

If so, why not head to one of these great shops and pick one out right now? Whether you’re looking for something traditional or contemporary, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Enjoy your donut search – and bon appetit!