Skip to Content

The Best Donuts in Dallas – a Local’s Guide to the Dallas Donut Trail

The Best Donuts in Dallas – a Local’s Guide to the Dallas Donut Trail

Looking for the best donuts in Dallas? “Donut” worry, I have you covered! Whether you are looking for a great local donut shop or a donut adventure, I will be your local guide to help you find the best donuts in Dallas. From Frisco to Lewisville, Addison, Richardson, Plano, Fort Worth, and more – I have created the ultimate donut trail in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. You are welcome.

Each donut shop has something special and unique to offer. In fact, today, you can find donuts shops popping up everywhere trying to create the next Instagram-worthy donuts. Some donut shops offer only cake donuts, whereas others have gourmet donuts, classic mom-n-pop style donuts, do it yourself donuts, and even custom orders that can spell-out your name! The options to enjoy your favorite donut are almost endless.

So whether you are looking for the next unique donut or a local shop that sells the best glazed donuts – my ultimate list of the best donuts in Dallas has it all. So get your Joey pants on, and enjoy my Dallas Donut Trail.

Please note this list of the best donuts in Dallas is not ranked in order. It is only listed alphabetically in order by category. For vegan donuts, look for an * under the location.

The Epic Dallas Donut Trail

Here is the ONE and ONLY Dallas Donut Trail that I have created. Going on this epic Dallas Donut Trail is one of the BEST things to do in Dallas. So, I hope you are ready for the sweetest adventure in Dallas!

An epic guide and infographic of the Dallas Donut Trail featuring all the best donuts in Dallas.



Best Classic Donuts in Dallas

Sometimes the best donut is just a classic glazed one. Yet, to be the best it has to be perfect! It has to be light and airy, golden and perfectly sweet. Moreover, chocolate glazed, long-john, and old-fashioned donuts are also some of the best classic donuts you can find. You can always find these classic donuts in Dallas at your local donut shop, but I have chosen some of the very best classic donuts in Dallas.


Max’s Donuts

Location: Allen

A sprinkle, glazed, and chocolate glazed donut on a plate from Max's Donuts.

If you Google or search in Yelp, “donuts in Allen”, you will see that no donut shop can compare to Max’s Donuts. Since 1981, Max’s Donuts has been winning the hearts and stomachs in the city of Allen. Though they have turned over a few owners throughout the years, the recipe for classic donuts has remained the same.

When we visited Max’s Donuts for our search of the best donuts in Dallas, someone overheard that it was our first visit into the shop – they could not believe it. They told us they had been coming to Max’s Donuts for over ten years and nowhere else because it is that good! So, the next time you are in Allen shopping at the Premium Outlets or looking to surprise coworkers with a box of glazed donuts – you definitely need to visit Max’s Donuts!

Must order: the Original Glazed and Chocolate Glazed.



Mustang Donuts

Location: Dallas

A close up of a red, white, and blue sprinkled donut with a girl in the background with a SMU sweatshirt.

Located just across the street from the Southern Methodist University, is Mustang Donuts. This delicious donut shop pays tribute to the university’s mascot by not just its name but also its flavorful donuts. Mustang Donuts has been producing the best donuts in Dallas to both locals and college students for the last 30 years.

Mustang Donuts is known for its soft as a pillow yeast donuts and sweet icing with sprinkles. More specifically, they are known for their red, white, and blue sprinkled donuts with an American flag. With that said, you can also find different colored sprinkled donuts throughout the year that correlate to the seasons.

Local Tip: Kids are almost always guaranteed two scrumptious donut holes when they visit Mustang Donuts! And do not forget to bring cash, they do not accept cards.

Must order: the USA Sprinkled Donuts, colorful Sprinkled Donut Holes, and Blueberry Donut.



Top Pot Doughnuts

Locations: Dallas and Richardson

A blueberry cake donut stacked on top of a lemon ol-fashioned donut with a cup of black coffee from Top Pot Doughnuts.

The new kid on the block is Top Pot Doughnuts with three different locations. Top Pot Doughnuts is a well-known donut-coffee shop that started in Seattle back in 2002. Since then, they have expanded the business to several more locations throughout the state of Washington. And as we know… all great things come to Dallas, so Top Pot Doughnuts recently opened three shops in different locations throughout the Dallas area.

Though Top Pot Doughnuts may not look like your typical classic mom n pop donut shop, they do excel at classic donuts. Moreover, Top Pot Doughnuts specializes in cake and old-fashioned donuts. In fact, there are at least seven different flavors of both old-fashioned and cake donuts including original, chocolate, raspberry glazed, maple icing, and more. The best part of all of these donuts, they contain zero grams of trans fat – so you can eat to your heart’s content without feeling guilty!

In addition to the classic old-fashioned and cake donuts, Top Pot Doughnuts also features fantastic coffee. Of course, that is to be expected with a donut shop based out of Seattle. Top Pot Doughnuts selects the finest beans from around the world and hand-roasts them to perfection in small batches. The result is delicious!

Must order: a Classic Old-Fashioned, a Lemon Old-Fashioned, and a Blueberry Cake Donut.



Best Gourmet Donuts in Dallas

Though there is nothing wrong with a good ole classic donut, the gourmet donuts have taken by storm all over the United States. Donut owners are getting more and more creative every day perfecting not only their dough but their flavor combinations and presentation. From maple bacon to creme brûlée and fruity pebbles – the flavor combinations are endless! Moreover, the donuts look more delicious than ever! Some of these donut shops have become so creative you will not want to bite into your perfect donut of art.


Detour Doughnuts and Coffee

Location: Frisco

An array of gourmet donuts from Detour Donuts. Pictured is a green Key Lime donut, a red apple donut, a donut with peanuts, and more.

Whether you live in or out of Frisco, you will want to make a quick detour to get some of the best donuts in Dallas. Detour Donuts has the most unique flavor combinations I have ever seen on a donut. From sweet combinations such as strawberry cheesecake to something a little more savory such as mascarpone and fig – your taste buds will be delighted with every bite you take. Moreover, the menu changes with the seasons. Previous donut creations include wasabi chocolate, beet and ricotta, apple crumb cake, peppermint bark, and more.

In addition to wonderful flavor combinations, what I love about Detour Donuts is their variety. You can find beautifully decorated gourmet donuts and themed donuts. From an apple and pencil donut to celebrate Teacher Day to Harry Potter and Star Wars character donuts – you never know what you will find at Detour Donuts. Moreover, you can always ask for special donut orders to match your party theme! I guarantee the donuts will be the hit of the party!

Must order: the flavors are always changing but a few of my favorite donuts have been Key Lime, Marscapone and Fig, and Pistachio.



Donut Kitchen

Location: McKinney

A picture of some of the best donuts in Dallas from The Donut Kitchen. A Texas Sheet Cake, Key Lime, and Caramel Coconut donut.

Donut Kitchen is much more than just a donut shop. It is a fabulous restaurant because they specialize in gourmet cake donuts and offer a vast menu of breakfast and lunch entrees. From frittatas to sandwiches, wraps, salad, and more – there is something for everyone to enjoy at Donut Kitchen.

The gourmet cake donuts at Donut Kitchen are absolutely amazing! Very few donut shops only focus on cake donuts and the Donut Kitchen is one of them. They create soft and delicious cake donuts in a variety of flavors. From classic vanilla to chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, red velvet, and seasonal flavors of pumpkin, carrot cake, and apple spice. Then each flavored cake donut has different icings and toppings to create one of the best gourmet cake donuts in Dallas! You can find a vanilla cake donut with caramel coconut, a chocolate cake donut with peanut butter, a blueberry cake donut with cream cheese, and more. So many cake donuts, so little time.

Must order: Vanilla Cake Key Lime Pie, Vanilla Cake Caramel Coconut, and Chocolate Cake Texas Sheet Cake.



Duck Donuts

Location: Addison

Powdered sugar and glazed cake donuts with little yellow rubber ducks next to the donuts. A cardboard box background with Duck Donuts on it.

Duck Donuts started in Duck, North Carolina in 2007 and has quickly become a duck dynasty – no I am not talking about the show, I am talking about a nationwide donut franchise. Since 2007, Duck Donuts has opened countless donuts shops along the East Coast and more scattered across the nation. Now the Dallas-Ft. Worth area finally has a taste of Duck Donuts located in Addison. The Duck Donuts in Addison opened in the summer of 2019 and has quickly become one of the best donuts in Dallas.

Duck Donuts is known for several things – delicious cake donuts, create your own donuts, and the amazing giving back programs they partake in. The cake donuts are absolutely divine. Every donut has a crisp golden brown exterior with a soft-cakey interior for a perfect contrast of texture. More importantly, Duck Donuts has a great company mission to support and donate to special causes. Every month, each Duck Donut shop across the nation picks a non-profit to support and creates a special donut for it. Then when visitors purchase the special donut, the proceeds go to the non-profit. Amazing!

Must order: the Boardwalk, Neopolitan, and always order the Donut of the Month to support the local cause.



FunkyTown Donuts

Location: Fort Worth
*Vegan Donuts

A close up of a maple glazed donut with bacon on top. Two pink donuts are in the background.

FunkyTown Donuts is Fort Worth’s best donuts in town. In fact, it is worth the drive from anywhere in the DFW area to visit FunkyTown Donuts and enjoy their scrumptious donuts. This family-owned bakery is dedicated to creating handcrafted donuts with a funky twist. Furthermore, they also strive to make everything from scratch. From the fresh dough to the glazes and fillings – you will taste the love and passion in every bite.

The freshness does not stop there. Every week FunkyTown Donuts provides guests with different flavors. So you will never get tired of enjoying their funky donuts! In fact, you can plan your entire month around FunkyTown Donuts’ flavors because they provide their weekly menu up to four weeks in advance! In addition to the weekly flavors, FunkyTown Donuts also offers guests with gluten-free and vegan options every Wednesday and Sunday. Lastly but certainly not least – every month, FunkyTown Donuts creates a special donut that helps raise money to a charity.

Must order: though the menu changes weekly, you can sometimes find these delicious donuts on rotation – Maple Bacon, Strawberry Shortcake, and Lemon Drop. And always order the Charity of the Month donut!



Hurts Donuts

Locations: Frisco and Fort Worth

A variety of six of the best donuts in Dallas from Hurts Donuts. There are donuts with cinnamon sugar, a blue donut with chocolate cookie crumbs, a caramel icing, pink icing with sprinkles, Fruity Pebbles, and chocolate cookies covered on top.

We actually had Hurts Donuts for the first time in Bentonville, Arkansas with our best friends Kallsy and Logan from Pages of Travel. Then we learned that Hurts Donuts originated in Springfield, Missouri where Adam went to college. And now, there are TWO Hurts Donuts in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area! With that said, Hurts Donuts opened doors in 2013 and has since opened 20 more locations throughout the country with more coming soon.

What makes Hurts Donuts special is their oversized donuts with over 70 different unique flavors. Though the donuts are huge and packed with goodies on top, do not let the name fool you. You do not leave this donut shop feeling hurt by the number of donuts you just consumed. On the contrary, the donuts are very light and perfectly balanced with sweetness, which is why Hurts Donuts is one of the best donuts in Dallas if not the country!

Must order: Jesus, Cookie Monster and Homer.



Hypnotic Donuts

Location: Dallas
* Vegan Donuts

Two donuts from Hypnotic Donuts. A chocolate cake donut covered in espresso icing and a yeast donuts covered in peanut butter, bacon, and bananas.

Hypnotic Donuts is one of the first donut shops to bring gourmet donuts to the Dallas area. The first location opened in Denton back in 2010 and relocated to Dallas next to their sister property, Hypnotic Emporium – where they have nostalgic candy and churn milkshakes with some of the best ice cream in Dallas. In addition to being one of the first gourmet donuts in Dallas, Hypnotic Donuts is also one of the first shops to offer vegan donuts. Hypnotic Donuts is also known for its donut fritters. You can find s’mores, apple, blueberry, and a seasonal fitter donut in the daily case.

You will be hypnotized by all the different types of donuts offered at Hypnotic Donuts. From gourmet donuts to fritters, old-fashioned, cake, classic glazed, vegan, and more. So whether you are looking for adventurous or classic donuts – Hypnotic Donuts has it all. Every donut is light and perfectly balanced with texture, flavor, and sweetness. Furthermore, they also offer chicken biscuit sandwiches that are absolutely delicious!

Must order: Holy Cannoli, Evil Elvis, Espresso Yo Self, S’mores Fritter, and Guerrilla Warfare (only available Fri – Sun).



WOW Donuts and Drips

Location: Plano

A plate full of colorful donuts from WOW Donuts and Drips - one of the best donuts in Dallas. There is also a tall glass of strawberry lemonade.

WOW is right! I literally said WOW three times in less than two minutes when I walked into WOW Donuts and Drips. This donut shop will literally make your mouth drop in awe and change your entire donut experience. So yes, WOW Donuts and Drips definitely has some of the best donuts in Dallas. Moreover, they also have incredible coffees, teas, and lemonades. In fact, I do not like black coffee and yet, I was able to drink black coffee at WOW Donuts and Drips because of their special technique and beans. The coffee beans come from around the world such as Kenya, Columbia, Ethiopia, and Peru. Then their secret is brewing the coffee at a perfect temperature to bring out the flavor of the beans – the coffee is truly unbelievable.

Now let’s get back to the donuts. WOW! I know I have said it before but that is how I felt during my entire experience inside this donut restaurant. I say restaurant because every donut is made fresh to order and provides guests with a true experience. There is a glass display of every donut flavor from classic to gourmet. Then once you pick your donut (or two or three), the donut artists create it in the kitchen and bring it to your table. See… WOW! The flavor options are very unique and creative. Some of the flavors include Orange Creamiscle, German Chocolate, Blueberry Cobbler, Pistachio Praline, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cherry Limeade, and more.

Must order: Everything! But our favorites are Creme Brûlée, Honey Lavender, and Luscious Lemon.



Best Unique Donuts in Dallas

This section features the best unique donuts in Dallas. Whether it is a custom order, a beautiful galaxy, or a croissant donut – these are some of the most unique and creative donuts I have enjoyed in Dallas.


Earnest Donuts

Location: Lewisville

Donuts that spell out

Yuna is the genius and owner of Earnest Donuts. She took her two passions of creative design and donuts and opened Earnest Donuts on National Donut Day in 2015. Since opening, Yuna has created some of the best donuts in Dallas by using her parent’s donut recipe and imagination. Moreover, everything at Earnest Donuts is fresh and made in house.

What makes Earnest Donuts the best in Dallas and special from the rest, is the custom designs. Though Earnest Donuts was not the first to start creating donut letters for customers, they certainly perfected it. Earnest Donuts can create the most amazing donut designs you have ever seen. From company logos to letters wishing you Happy Birthday, or pizza and sushi that look so real it’s hard to believe they are donuts – each donut design is a true form of art. So make sure you order Earnest Donuts for your party. I guarantee they will be the hit of the party – they were for mine! In addition to custom donut designs, Earnest Donuts also has delicious gourmet and classic donuts.

Must order: a special custom order for your next party! Or the too pretty to eat sushi donuts, and gourmet donuts flavors such as Honey Citrus, Coconut Cream Pie, and Pistachio Lemon.



Jarams Donuts

Location: Dallas

A plate full of some of the best donuts in Dallas. These scrumptious looking donuts include croissant donuts covered in peanut butter and jelly, and strawberries. Then there are Halloween decorated donuts that have a Twinkie mummy and a green skeleton. These donuts can be found at Jarams Donuts.

Have you heard of a cronut? It is a croissant donut invented by Dominique Ansel from New York City. It is absolutely amazing. So when I say that Jarams croissant donuts are better… well that says it all. Dallas locals can rejoice that we do not have to travel all the way to NYC because Jarams Donuts has perfected croissant donuts! Moreover, there are several different flavors of croissant donuts including Nutella & strawberry, cream cheese & strawberry, maple & bacon, PB&J, and croissant donut holes. My mouth is watering just remembering every flaky, buttery, and sweet bite of the croissant donut. I guarantee that once you have a croissant donut, you will never enjoy a classic glazed donut the same.

The croissant donuts at Jarams are the biggest reasons why they are the best unique donuts in Dallas. However, Jarams Donuts is also wonderful at producing gourmet donuts, character donuts, and custom orders. Needless to say, Jarams Donuts has it all! Likewise, their seasonal donuts are some of my favorite because they are so festive and creative.

Must order: the Original Croissant Donut, Cream Cheese & Strawberry Croissant Donut, and any Seasonal Donut on display.



Sweet Daze Dessert Bar

Location: Richardson

A black and white galaxy with sparkly sprinkles and a pink donut with unicorn horn on top of yeast donuts from Sweet Daze Dessert Bar.

Sweet Daze Dessert Bar is Dallas’ go-to spot for Instagram-worthy dessert photos. When you walk into Sweet Daze Dessert Bar, it is like walking into a whimsical Willy Wonka Factory. This dessert shop includes unicorn cakes, decorative seasonal cake pops, cereal pops, cheesecake bars, soft-serve ice cream, and of course, donuts! Moreover, the owner of Sweet Daze Dessert Bar, Holly Nguyen, recognized the need for a fabulous dessert shop in the Dallas market. Trust me when I say, you will not find another shop quite like this one.

As briefly stated, Sweet Daze Dessert Bar features all things sweet. For my purposes though, I am focusing on the donuts! Sweet Daze Dessert Bar features some of the best donuts in Dallas with its unicorn and galaxy donuts. All of the donuts are a simple yeast donut that is very light and spongy, but the special treat is the design. The pink unicorn donut with sparkly sprinkles is every little girl’s dream donut. In addition, there are also several different galaxy-themed donuts. Every day the donut artists use a mix of different vibrant colors to create the galaxy icing. Some galaxy donuts include a marble of black and white, rainbow colors, and pink and blue. Additionally, other fancy decorated donuts include a geode and Dallas Cowboys-themed donut.

Must order: any spectacular donut design that fits your personality. My favorites are the Dallas Cowboy, Geode, Galaxy, and Unicorn donuts.



Urban Donut

Location: Dallas

A red velvet cake donut topped with Oreos and a yeast donut top with pink icing, sprinkles, and a circus animal cookie.

Urban Donut is home to the first design-your-own-donut-bar making this one of the most unique and special donuts shops in Dallas. Visitors can either purchase gourmet and classic donuts or have fun creating your own donut right in front of your eyes.

If you design your own donut, which I highly recommend, you will choose your donut base first. The donut base options include a classic yeast donut, long john, bismarck, apple fritter, and cake donut (red velvet, chocolate, vanilla, blueberry). You can even choose a cinnamon roll or brownie! Then you pick your tasty frosting, icing, and filling and cover your unique donut with toppings of candy, chocolate or fruit. The creative options are endless!

If you are not feeling creative, you can pick one of the many delicious gourmet donuts that all have a Dallas reference. Almost every donut is named with a Dallas theme behind it. For example, McKinney Avenue, M Streets, Highland Park, Reunion Tower, and more.

Must order: create your own donut! We created a red velvet cake donut with cream cheese frosting and Oreos. And our favorite gourmet donut is the Urban Circus!



Best Savory Donuts in Dallas

During my search to find the best donuts in Dallas, I ended up finding some amazing savory donuts. I realized shops are starting to utilize donuts to create savory dishes. The result is mind-blowing! I never imagined a donut being used as a sandwich bread or pizza crust, but it works…if not better. So here are a few donut shops inventing new ways to create savory donuts.


Hypnotic Donut – Fried Chicken Donut Sandwich

A fried chicken donut sandwich stacked on top of each other from Hypnotic Donuts in Dallas.

Hypnotic Donuts is known for both its gourmet donuts and fried chicken biscuit sandwiches. The fried chicken is made from a fresh piece of chicken breast, marinated for 24 hours, and fried to order. The fried chicken itself is absolutely delicious! In fact, this is one of the best and juiciest fried chicken breasts I have ever enjoyed. The fried chicken biscuit menu consists of six different variations but the one you MUST TRY is JIM.

The Jim sandwich has panko breaded and seasoned fried chicken with pancake syrup sandwiched between a glazed donut. The sweetness from the pancake syrup and the glazed donut is balanced with the crispy and tender fried chicken – pure perfection.



The Donut Kitchen – Monte Cristo

A Monte Cristo donut sandwich with a side of raspberry sauce from The Donut Kitchen.

As stated before, The Donut Kitchen is a restaurant because they serve fresh gourmet cake donuts and a full menu of breakfast and lunch entrees. Though there are so many delicious entrees to choose from, there is one breakfast item that stands out from the rest – the Monte Cristo.

Smoked ham, roasted turkey, and swiss cheese are sandwiched between two soft and crispy cake donuts then pressed together to create a unique and sweet take on the French classic. Once pressed, powdered sugar is dusted over the cake donut and served with a side of raspberry glaze. This creative twist on the French classic sandwich using cake donuts is a perfect match-made-in-heaven. When you take a bite, you taste the juicy meats first and then get a kick of sweetness from the cake donut and raspberry glaze. It is absolutely divine and very filling!



Urban Donut – Pizza Donut

A pizza donut from Urban Donut. It is a donut topped with cheese, pepperoni, bacon, and tomato sauce.

I think Urban Donut has cooked up (pun intended) the next big thing in Dallas if not the world. So without further ado, let me introduce you to the Pizza Donut! I “donut” (yes, I did it again) know about you, but pizza and donuts are two of our favorite things and Urban Donut has combined our two loves to create a masterpiece.

Urban Donut uses its yeast donut as the pizza crust base and smothers it with tomato sauce, pepperoni, bacon, cheese, and Italian seasoning. Then they bake it till the cheese melts into the donut and viola, you have a pizza donut! This pizza has converted me from a thin-crust to donut based lover. The donut is so warm and soft with the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the rich and salty toppings. I guarantee once you have a bite of this pizza donut, it will change your pizza life forever!




I hope your mouth is watering and you have enjoyed my grand list of the best donuts in Dallas! Did your favorite donut shop make it to my list? If not, please comment below. I am always looking for another sweet adventure!

The Ultimate Weekend in Dallas Itinerary - Lone Star Travel Guide

Tuesday 24th of August 2021

[…] Donuts is widely considered to have some of the best donuts in Dallas, and once you’ve tasted them, we doubt you’ll […]