The 21 Best Donut Shops In NYC

New York City is a donut lovers' dream destination (or doughnut, if you prefer). With hundreds of places to find your perfect donut within each of the five boroughs, there's no shortage of uniquely delicious varieties to satisfy New Yorkers and visitors alike, from Manhattan all the way to Staten Island. As Bill Hader's iconic character on "Saturday Night Live," Stefon, would say: "These donuts have everything." 

Maybe you're after an old-fashioned diner or coffee shop vibe, and you're craving a classic like a glazed donut, a nice cruller, or one of those gooey treats covered in rainbow sprinkles. Or perhaps you're searching for something unique, innovative, and truly over-the-top — the kind of donut masterpiece so gram-worthy you are sure to be the envy of all your followers. Whatever you seek, New York City's donut shops have the answers, so donut go away. (Sorry. With good donuts also come bad dad jokes).

For over 60 years, this family-owned old-fashioned pastry shop has served its classic donuts to Brooklynites and happy visitors alike. Located in the Greenpoint neighborhood, the bakery is known for the type of staples that harken back to the '50s, like crullers and sour-cream glazed donuts. Peter Pan opens at 4:30 a.m. on weekdays, so early birds can flock to the spot for the daily ritual of a donut and coffee, served by a wait staff dressed in classic-looking pink and green uniforms.

Despite its longevity, Peter Pan Bakery also has more modern flavors, such as toasted coconut or S'More. It's also known for its creative collaborations with local chefs. A recent collab featured on the Peter Pan Bakery Instagram account was the "La Ensenada donut." This special donut has a guava jam filling, cream cheese, and lemon frosting, and is a collaboration with chef Luis Guayaba of Brooklyn eatery Ensenada.

Vegans of the Brooklyn area, rejoice! Dun-Well Doughnuts is here to provide vegans with the tastiest donuts in the borough. Taking its namesake from its two founders, Dan Dunbar and Christopher Hollowell, Dun-Well Doughnuts was a revolutionary bakery of sorts. 

The shop was the first all-vegan donut shop to open in New York back in 2011. Its flavors are astoundingly indulgent, perfect for a special occasion or a pick-me-up after a long, hard day. Try the bourbon frosted doughnut, which comes with crushed chocolate cookies, pecans, smoked sea salt, and — get this — bourbon brownie batter filling. Delicious! Another favorite is the cinnamon roll doughnut, which is a spiral-cut vegan donut with buttery cinnamon glaze and cream cheese frosting.

This authentic Italian cafe in Brooklyn has all the charms of Italy, but features some specialties sure to please American donut fans. As you sip your espresso and pretend to be in a Roman piazza, do yourself a favor and order the bomboloni. 

Bomboloni are little, perfectly-sized Italian donuts. These tiny wonders are filled with a mascarpone and espresso mixture, and the taste is outstanding, almost as if someone took tiramisu and magically transformed it into a donut. It also serves frittelle, which are fried, savory little dough balls inspired by the flavors of cacio e pepe, the favored pasta in the city of Rome.

This is a love story straight out of a Netflix rom-com. Back Alley Bread is owned by bakers Autumn Moultrie and Brian Villanueva, who are not only both from Los Angeles, but are also a couple! Even though the two went to rival high schools, they never met in California. Instead, they both grew up to be chefs and met in New York City at a Giada De Laurentiis pop-up restaurant. They've shared their love and love of cooking and baking ever since. 

When COVID-19 hit, the couple started baking, and Back Alley Bread was born out of their Brooklyn apartment. The business boomed, and the pair have gained a devoted following on social media. A stand-out item is the "Angel Donut." Crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside, it conjures all the glory of a beignet with the soft interior of a donut.

This historic Upper East Side bakery was founded in 1916 on 78th Street in the Yorkville area of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Established by the Orwasher family after immigrating from Hungary, the bakery originally served the Eastern European immigrant community, focusing on high-quality rye, black, and grain breads reflecting the traditions of these new New Yorkers' homelands. To this day, it remains a popular stop for New Yorkers and visitors alike. 

It's a true oasis for donut lovers, especially those who want an individualized experience. Behind Orwasher's pastry counter is a row of large, plastic syringes, ready and waiting to fill jelly donuts. Customers can choose their own adventure with these donuts. Pick a chocolate-glazed or sugar-coated base, and then choose from one of six different jams.

Founded in 1994, Manhattan's Sullivan Street Bakery started with "the belief that good bread should be available and affordable for everyone," according to the website. Founder Jim Lahey couldn't find bread in New York that lived up to what he ate in Italy while traveling there as a student and sculptor, so he opened Sullivan Street Bakery with a mission to produce Italian-style, high-quality bread shaped by hand. The bakery boomed, and it now has locations in Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea. 

Its donuts are a hit, and come with three choices of filling: tart raspberry jam, fresh vanilla-flecked custard, or extra silky chocolate ganache. It also features specials, like the apricot bomboloni with homemade apricot jam.

In Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, the word mahzedahr describes the essence of food's taste, its flavor, and according to West Village bakery Mah-Ze-Dahr's website, the "magic that makes it delicious." The signature dense brioche doughnuts are the all-star here, filled with vanilla cream and then dusted with sugar. 

At Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery, you get more donut for your money: It includes the donut hole extracted from the center of the donut with your order, sitting right on top of the finished product. It often innovates for special occasions and holidays, and previous concoctions have included the bakery's brioche doughnut with bourbon caramel for Father's Day and its brioche doughnut filled with Bailey's Irish cream for St. Patrick's Day.

Calling all social media influencers! Supermoon Bakehouse in Manhattan is known far and wide for its photogenic creations, perfect for eating and also for posting that killer 'gram. The menu changes often, but some of the recent creations include the award-winning matcha cream and blueberry jam doughnut, hand-rolled with fried brioche and filled with both a matcha milk crème pâtissière and a homemade blueberry jam. 

Oh, and don't forget to try the signature cruffins, which include flavors like the mouth-watering banana pudding cruffin, which is filled with a banana crème pâtissière, cream, and homemade vanilla wafers, and then finished with a banana glaze. Or for you chocolate lovers out there, try the Ferrero Rocher cruffin, filled with hazelnut praline and a hazelnut crème pâtissière, then topped with cream and dipped in rich chocolate and crushed hazelnuts.

If mochi is your jam, this cafe near Columbus Park in Manhattan is your dream come true. One of the first donut shops to feature mochi donuts in the area, Alimama Tea's mochi donuts blend traditional ingredients with modern flavors. 

The black sesame mochi donut is a winner, made with a homemade nutty rich black sesame glaze topped with black sesame powder, creating a nutty, satisfying taste with every bite. Or try the cereal mochi donut, a gluten-free mochi donut that comes with a milk glaze and toasted cornflakes. It also offers matcha donuts, vegan donuts, and overstuffed cream puffs so big you may need to eat them in two shifts.

This New York chain located in Queens has been such a success that it has shops all over the city, including in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The chain is known for its gooey donuts and creative flavors, which rotate every month. 

Doughnut Plant is a great place for lovers of the cake donut. Some of the greatest options include a strawberry cake donut and also a chocolate chip cookie cake, which is made with pecan dough dipped in Valrhona chocolate and cookie crumbs. It also features a unique item called a "sourdoughnut," a sourdough donut made with a wild yeast starter. Sourdoughnut options include such creative flavors as dark Valrhona chocolate, vegan strawberry, and cacio e pepe, which is made with parmesan, black pepper, and butter and is inspired by the classic pasta dish.