A Quest for the Best: Apple Cider Donut Review Across New England

Photo byOlivia BausoonUnsplash

As the crisp autumn air begins to set in, there's nothing quite like biting into a warm, freshly made apple cider donut to celebrate the season. In our quest to find the best apple cider donut, we traveled to several beloved farms, bakeries, and even a few unexpected locations across New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Here's our review of each stop along the way:

Butternut Farm - Farmington, NH

Rating: 9/10
At Butternut Farm, we were greeted with warm, well-made apple cider donuts. These donuts had a delightful crust and a classic apple cider flavor with a hint of buttery caramel. The warmth certainly elevated the experience, making this one of the top contenders for best cider donut so far.

Cider Hill Farm - Amesbury, MA

Rating: 5/10
Though we had high hopes for Cider Hill Farm, these donuts left something to be desired. They had a peculiar flavor that reminded us of a corndog, and the aftertaste was hard to shake. Not quite what we were expecting from a cider donut.

Tender Crop Farm - Dover, NH

Rating: 6/10
The donuts here are on the smaller side and available year-round. While they are passable and satisfy the craving for a cider donut, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about them. They’re decent but didn’t stand out.

Applecrest Farm - Hampton Falls, NH

Rating: 8/10
Applecrest Farm delivered a pleasant experience with fresh, warm donuts (if you're lucky enough to catch them at the right time). The flavor was clean and the texture just right, making it one of the better stops on our journey.

Congdon's Doughnuts - Wells, ME

Rating: 7.5/10
Congdon's is well-known for its top-notch doughnuts, and their apple cider version didn’t disappoint. The flavor was great, but the donuts weren’t served warm, which took away some of the magic that comes with fresh-from-the-farm cider donuts. A solid offering, but something was missing.

Spiller Farm - Wells, ME

Rating: 4/10
Spiller Farm’s donuts were dense and overly cakey. Unfortunately, they had a plastic-like flavor, possibly due to being bagged while still warm. This gave them an artificial, almost play-dough taste that we couldn’t get past.

Dunkin Donuts (Rochester, NH Location)

Rating: 3/10
Dunkin’s apple cider donut felt like a missed opportunity. It was essentially their plain donut dusted with cinnamon and sugar, lacking the depth and freshness of a true apple cider donut. There’s nothing special here, and we’d recommend skipping it if you’re looking for that authentic cider donut experience.

McKenzies Farm Stand - Wakefield, NH

Rating: 6.5/10
We picked up McKenzies’ donuts toward the end of the day, and while they were mid-range in flavor and quality, we suspect they would be better fresh. We plan to revisit and try a freshly made version soon.

Demerrit Hill Farm - Lee, NH

Rating: 5/10
Demerrit Hill Farm has a reputation for high-quality donuts, but this year’s batch was underwhelming. The flavor and quality have noticeably declined from past seasons, leaving us disappointed.

Windy Hill Orchard - North Haverhill, NH

Rating: 7/10
Windy Hill’s donuts were fresh from the store when we bought them, and their flavor was good. While they were a bit on the cakey side, they still had a nice balance and were enjoyable overall.

Market Basket (Multiple NH Locations)

Rating: 8/10 (warm), 6/10 (cold)
Market Basket was a surprise find. Their warm apple cider donuts from the hot foods section were surprisingly delicious, offering great flavor and texture. However, their pre-packaged cold donuts were dense and less flavorful, making the warm version far superior.

Final Thoughts

So far, Butternut Farm in Farmington, NH takes the lead in our search for the best apple cider donut, followed closely by Applecrest Farm in Hampton Falls, NH. We were pleasantly surprised by Market Basket’s warm donuts, while a few other stops, like Cider Hill Farm and Spiller Farm, left us wanting more.

This is just the beginning of our donut adventure. We plan to visit more locations and will update this article as we discover additional contenders. Stay tuned as we continue our quest for the ultimate apple cider donut experience!

The information for this article was obtained by personal experiences and observations.