The Best Donuts In NYC

While there aren't a ton of bad donuts out there, there are some that stand out as the very best. These are the donuts you'll think about eating late at night, right when you wake up, and all the hours in between while you're sleeping.

THE SPOTS

Kora

Unlike most of the places on this list, Kora doesn’t have a physical storefront (but it's in the works). In order to get a box of their Filipino-inspired donuts, you have to visit their website, when orders open on Saturdays at 6pm, then pick up your desserts the next Saturday at their makeshift window in Long Island City. The process is kind of a hassle, but it’s 100% worth it. At $37.50 for a box of five, the donuts aren’t the cheapest in the city—but you aren’t going to mistake this place for Dunkin’. Past highlights have included a brioche donut with a whole flan embedded in the middle, and a perfect, sticky ube donut stuffed with ube custard.

Little Flower Cafe

The firni donut at Little Flower Cafe in Astoria is a transcendent experience. It’s fluffy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and has delicate, lightly floral, and nutty flavors that make it the most unique filled donut we’ve had in recent memory. It’s not too big and not too sweet, so we recommend that you don’t plan to share it.

Wildair

Getting your hands on the donuts at this Lower East Side restaurant will take a little planning. They’re only available on Saturdays at noon sharp, and you’ll have to check their Instagram to see what flavor they’re offering. They might have three kinds, or just one, but whatever’s available, get some. We recently had a fantastic Maldon salted caramel and chocolate glazed donut stuffed with fluffy pastry cream. We suggest arriving at around 11:45am to get in line, as they usually sell out within 30 minutes.

Gigi's Doughnuts

The vegan donuts at this turquoise-painted East Harlem shop appear simple and homemade, dripping casually with glazes in colors that have never seen the inside of a dye bottle. Yet each one is a marvel of yeasty, springy dough, with a light-yet-chewy bounce and glazes that, while generous, don’t feel excessive. They’re available in small batches of seasonal flavors, like strawberry or lemon, and though you’ll typically find plain glazed donuts and holes, pick up something fruity if you can. A blueberry cheesecake donut is an indulgent jammy treat—enjoy it in nearby Marcus Garvey Park with a strong cold brew or iced chai.

Cloudy Donut Co.

Yes, the completely vegan donuts at Cloudy Donut Co. in Brooklyn Heights are incredibly cloudlike. Besides being fluffy, airy, and downright dangerous, they come in 40 different flavors that rotate every week. We’d take their grapefruit mimosa donut—which has a grapefruit champagne glaze topped with brûléed grapefruits and a pipette of champagne—over a birthday cake any day. Get to the shop early as they tend to sell out fast, or visit their second location in Nolita.

Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop

Ask anyone who knows their Brooklyn food bonafides where to get the best donuts, and they’ll tell you Peter Pan. If they don’t say Peter Pan, they’ll say Moe’s (more on that below). This Greenpoint spot has been open since the 1950s, and their donuts are old school, but still draw a line that's usually out the door. Order a box (make sure this includes the apple crumb) or sit inside and pair your donut with a breakfast sandwich and a coffee.

Moe’s Doughs

Moe used to work at Peter Pan, which is why you’ll often hear people talk about these two spots in the same sentence (they're also a seven-minute walk away from each other in Greenpoint). Some people have strong opinions about which one is better, but we think they’re pretty much equal. At Moe’s, though, you probably won’t have to wait in a long line like you will at Peter Pan, so you're that much closer to a blueberry donut if you opt for a Moe's visit.

Doughnut Plant

We wake up at least once a week thinking: “Doughnut Plant sounds good today.” The hefty yeast donuts, with their slightly dense, spongy, and chewy texture, made this place well-known. But don’t ignore their other types like the sourdough, cake, and mini filled ones. Some of our favorites are the coconut cream, tres leches, and the crème brûlée, which gets the brittle, somewhat bitter caramelized top layer just right. They have multiple locations throughout the city, but we prefer their original spot on the Lower East Side.

Yellow Rose

Yellow Rose may very well have the best flour tortillas in NYC, which is already an accomplishment. In a move that's almost unfair (to all other restaurants), they do donuts just as well. At this Tex-Mex spot in the East Village, donuts are only available during brunch on the weekends, and they’re incredibly light and fluffy. The chocolate one tastes a little bitter, like dark chocolate, and the hominy sugar one is mostly savory with just a hint of sugar.

Supermoon Bakehouse

Supermoon on the Lower East Side does all pastries perfectly—that’s kind of their schtick—and donuts are no exception. Like the rest of their menu, the flavors change on a weekly basis, but expect an incredibly light yeast donut with fillings like honey goat cheese and pistachio cream. They're all a lot without being too much.

Alimama

Mochi donuts are everywhere now, but Alimama in Chinatown was one of the first spots where you could get these crispy, chewy treats in NYC—and we think they’re still the best. The donuts are extremely consistent, and the flavors tend to be modern takes on Asian-inspired flavors, like roasted black sesame, and matcha.

Fan Fan Doughnuts

You can’t leave this Clinton Hill spot without ordering at least one of their namesake fan-fan donuts. They look like a mashup between a long john and an eclair, and our favorite flavor comes filled with fluffy cream cheese and topped with a tangy guava glaze and crumbled graham crackers. The denser dough can stand up to a variety of fillings, so lean towards versions like the chocolate-glaze topped with churros and the Danny Boy with salted brown butter caramel and nuts.

Shaikh's Place

We’ve never had classic donuts quite as light and airy as the raised sugar-coated donuts at Shaikh’s Place in Sheepshead Bay. The prices here are extremely reasonable, and Shaikh’s also makes our favorite chocolate cake donuts in the city.

Super Nice Coffee And Bakery

Don’t be fooled by Super Nice’s unassuming takeout window. This East Harlem spot (with locations on the UWS and Chelsea) is beloved by neighborhood residents for their coffee, pastries, and donuts with flavors like strawberry lemonade and mango chili. If you’re having trouble deciding, go for their glazed loganberry with just the right amount of sweetness, or a beautiful pistachio creation that gets some oomph from a crumble with a heavy dose of cardamom and star anise. They often have afternoon deals if you sign up for texts.