Regional Donuts You Need To Try At Least Once

When it comes to donuts, we often think of the classic glazed or chocolate-frosted varieties — or maybe Homer Simpson's pink-glazed ring with sprinkles. But bakeries across the United States light up every morning to churn out regional delights that'll make you want to plan a donut-themed road trip. The trip will likely also need a plane or boat, since Hawaii's malasadas are a must-try donut.

From the beaches of the Aloha State to the potato fields of Idaho, and from the heart of the South up to some historical stops in New England, we're embarking on a flavor-filled (and sometimes jelly-filled) journey. We'll discover how different regions have put their own spin on the humble donut, creating unique flavors and textures that reflect local ingredients, tastes, and traditions. Whether you're a donut connoisseur or just someone who appreciates a good sugar rush, let's explore 12 regional donuts that are well worth the trip.

As it says on New Orleans buses, "Laissez les bons temps rouler" — let the good times roll! While the famous beignet may not roll (being delightfully square and conspicuously lacking a hole), it certainly brings fun and flavor. Pronounced "ben-yay," this puffy French-style donut is made of deep-fried dough and generously blanketed with powdered sugar. Standing proud as Louisiana's official state donut, beignets are available around the clock at many bakeries, cafés, restaurants, and grocery stores.

Traditionally served in threes, beignets are best enjoyed alongside a steaming cup of café au lait at the world-famous Café du Monde. Having first opened its doors over 160 years ago in the bustling New Orleans French Market, Café du Monde has since expanded with multiple locations in the New Orleans metropolitan area. 

But fair warning: attempting to eat these sugar-coated delights without making a mess is a fool's errand. Embrace the inevitable powdered sugar shower — it's not a successful beignet if you aren't wearing a bit of it!

When Portuguese immigrants arrived in Hawaii to work on the sugar plantations, they brought their delicious doughnut recipes. The process involved a yeast-leavened dough ball, deep fried until crispy on the outside and miraculously fluffy on the inside, and then lovingly rolled in sugar. That's a malasada, now a Hawaiian icon.

Unlike its holey mainland cousin, a malasada is proudly hole-less. Who needs a hole when you can have more dough? Malasadas are traditionally unfilled, but innovative bakers have stuffed them with everything from vanilla and Nutella to an explosion of tropical custard flavors like coconut, guava, passionfruit, and pineapple. Along with sugar, today's malasadas roll around in cinnamon sugar, dried plum powder, and other creative coatings.

To truly experience malasada magic, time your visit for Fat Tuesday, known locally as Malasada Day. It's a pre-Lenten tradition when these sugary treats truly shine. But don't worry if you miss it — malasadas have become a year-round treat, available at bakeries, cafés, and food trucks throughout Hawaii.

Idaho: it's not all about potatoes — but it's also kind of a lot about potatoes. And if you have an ingredient handy, why not use it? That's where spudnuts come in. They look like traditional donuts, but they have Idaho's staple crop as a not-so-secret ingredient. Some recipes use potato flour and others add in actual mashed up potatoes.

Spudnuts are glazed, topped, and/or filled with all the usual suspects, but the potato enhances the flavor and texture in all the right ways. You might enjoy a glazed donut that's surprisingly light and fluffy or opt for a cinnamon sugar donut that's moist on the inside with just the right amount of crispness on the outside.

In Idaho, making spudnuts at home is a great way to use up a bumper crop of potatoes. But fear not — visitors can also find potato-powered donuts in local bakeries. Amazing Glaze Donuts in Pocatello uses a proprietary recipe that includes real Idaho potatoes. The bakery churns through about 600 pounds of potatoes every week! That number is growing with a new Amazing Glaze Donuts kiosk at Idaho State University and plans for continued expansion throughout the state. Baker's Dozen in Idaho Falls is another potato donut hotspot. Celebrated for spudnut raised donuts, Baker's Dozen is also in expansion mode, with another shop opening in Rexburg. Over in Boise and Eagle, Guru Donuts offers gluten-friendly potato donuts in creative flavors like Sea Salt Chocolate and Strawberry Champagne. Cheers to spudnuts!

The origins of the Luther Burger are as murky as the glaze on its donut buns. Legend has it the burger owes its name to the soulful crooner Luther Vandross, either as a favorite of his or possibly even his own invention. However, like many culinary mysteries, the truth is hard to pin down. The trail of crumbs leads Mulligan's, a once-beloved bar in Georgia. Here, the Luther Burger came to life with a bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between Krispy Kreme donuts as buns.

Celebrity chef and Georgia native Paula Deen adds a dash of Southern charm to the donut burger's lore, dubbing her version "The Lady's Brunch Burger." It's a beef patty topped with bacon and a fried egg, all sandwiched between glazed donuts. Deen did tell NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" that the donut burger comes with a catch — you only get "one serving per lifetime."

Though Mulligan's has shut its doors, the legend of the Luther Burger lives on in the South and beyond. You can get your lifetime serving of a donut burger at places like Cashman's in Macon, Georgia, or find it at fairs — by now it's considered classic fair food in southern states like Alabama and Mississippi. For the skeptics out there, Sublime Doughnuts in Atlanta offers a sweet twist by offering a different type of donut "burger" — it's actually an ice cream sandwich using donuts as "buns." It's all the fun, none of the beef.

Back in 1856, at the grand opening of Boston's Parker House, they served a sponge cake filled with vanilla custard and covered in chocolate icing. At the time, it was called "Chocolate Cream Pie." It's now known as "Boston Cream Pie," an iconic New England treat and the official dessert for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Boston cream donut is essentially a portable and breakfast-approved version of Boston cream pie. It's a round yeast donut with no hole, filled with vanilla custard, and topped with a chocolate frosting. Some might say that this donut has surpassed its pie predecessor in popularity. It's certainly much easier to grab a donut on the go than to lug around a Boston cream pie.

Thanks to its on-the-go charm and general deliciousness, the Boston cream donut was crowned the official state donut of Massachusetts in 2003. Though you can find Boston cream donuts all over the world, there's something special about enjoying one right in its home state. So, when in Massachusetts, be sure to sink your teeth into the state donut — it's as rich in history as it is in taste.

If you spot a hot dog on the menu at a bakery in West Virginia, don't worry — you haven't mistakenly stumbled into a fast food joint! Instead, you've discovered one the state's favorite desserts, the infamous hot dog pastry. It's a long donut, sliced down the middle, and brimming with a creamy filling. This sweet treat has nothing to do with meat — it just looks like a hot dog.

You'll find the original hot dog donut at Spring Hill Pastry Shop, a family-run bakery serving South Charleston since 1948. They make fresh hot dogs every day, in classic plain or with chocolate drizzle. Thanks to its scrumptious success, Spring Hill has inspired plenty of hot dog pastries across the state.

Depending on where you go, you might encounter these tasty treats under different names. For example, Rock City Cake Company in Charleston serves up "Long Johns" in both plain and fudge varieties, and they look like delicious hot dogs. Other places, like Camden Corner in Huntington, just stick with the name "hot dog donuts."

Maine produces over 95% of the country's wild blueberries, also known as "lowbush blueberries." These aren't your ordinary, supermarket blueberries — wild blueberries differ from normal blueberries in size and taste. They tend to be smaller and sweeter with a more intense blueberry flavor, making them great for baking. With blueberries in abundance, you'll find local chefs incorporating them into every food and drink imaginable, from pies to pancakes and smoothies to sodas. And, of course, donuts.

A blueberry donut takes a perfect fruit and makes it even more irresistible by combining it with fried dough and sugar. Sometimes it's even topped with a blueberry glaze. The Holy Donut, which has multiple locations in Maine, creates a summer seasonal blueberry menu including a blueberry donut made of blueberry dough, a blueberry lemon donut with fresh blueberries and lemon flavors, a blueberry cinnamon sugar donut, and even a "Blueberry Holy Cannoli" covered in sweet blueberry glaze. But it's not just The Holy Donut that's in on the action. All over Maine, blueberry donuts take center stage in an array of forms — blueberry crullers, blueberry fritters, and blueberry-filled donuts that are literally oozing with wild blueberry flavor.

New England's fall colors offer a picturesque setting for a perfectly moist and delicious apple cider donut. Some of the best come from apple orchards that use their own cider to make the donuts hot and fresh on-site.

Recipes for apple cider donuts vary, but most are buttermilk donuts with apple cider added right into the batter. This makes for a moister donut with just the right amount of sweetness. Fall's favorite spices, cinnamon and nutmeg, usually join the batter — and some bakers even add apples right into the dough. Once fried to perfection, these donuts are usually rolled in cinnamon sugar, adding a delightful crunch with each bite. But it's not always cinnamon sugar — you might find an apple cider donut frosted in caramel, chocolate, maple, or even a hot apple cider glaze.

Apple cider donuts are best enjoyed freshly made — not just cooked that morning, but so fresh they're still warm from the orchard's fryer. If circumstances lead you to a room-temperature apple cider donut, zap it in the microwave for 10 seconds to mimic that just-baked taste. And if you're visiting New England outside of leaf-peeping season, you're still in for a treat — some farms and shops keep apple cider donuts rolling year-round. You might even see them in major chains and grocery stores, but for the full experience, grab a warm donut in one hand, a cup of steaming cider in the other, and take in New England's fall colors.

Crullers are many things to many people. Whether you call it a cruller, kruller, or crawler, these treats come in an astonishing variety of shapes, tastes, and textures. Take the French cruller — light and delicate, crafted from Choux pastry and piped into charming ring shapes. A Milwaukee-style cruller is almost nothing like that. Birthed from hearty German and Dutch recipes, this dense, cake-like treat boasts a crunchy exterior. Unlike its French namesake, it skips the hole and goes for an oblong puff with ample surface area begging for glaze or other toppings.

Grebe's Bakery, a fourth-generation family business, may have helped make the Milwaukee-style culler famous. Baking crullers since the 1930s, Grebe's was one of the first bakeries in the country to sell baked goods to gas stations and grocery stores. Today, you can find Grebe's famous crullers at various locations in Milwaukee and throughout the state of Wisconsin. Look for the signature Milwaukee-style crullers in glazed original and chocolate dipped, along with seasonal cruller bites like apple crisp and pumpkin spice.

But don't limit yourself to Grebe's Bakery. When Mashed compiled the best donut place in every state, the Wisconsin nod went to Greenbush Bakery in Madison. Here, the "Rabbi's Delights" crullers come in strawberry, chocolate raspberry, chocolate caramel, and double chocolate. Also, check out Cranky's near Milwaukee — when chef Alton Brown visited, he raved about the dreamy crullers.  

Paczki (pronounced poonch-kee) aren't your average donuts. They're a little rounder, a lot richer and denser, filled with delicious jellies and creams, and dusted in sugar. Originating in Poland centuries ago, these donuts were baked and eaten before Lent to use up ingredients like butter and sugar that would soon be off-limits while fasting.

With large populations of Polish Americans settled in the Midwest, paczki have become a Mardi Gras must-have in cities like Chicago and Detroit. Bakeries prepare months in advance to produce tens of thousands of paczki, customers form long lines before the crack of dawn, and the donuts even inspire pre-Lent eating contests in Chicago. In some Midwest cities, Fat Tuesday is better known as Paczki Day.

Nowadays, you don't have to wait for the pre-Lent rush to enjoy these delicious donuts. Midwestern bakeries and grocery stores stock paczki as early as a month before the big day. And even outside of Paczki Day, some places keep them on the menu all year round. You'll find paczki filled with endless flavor options — apple, lemon, raspberry, custard, and chocolate cream. Who says you need to wait for a special occasion to treat yourself?

Minnesota isn't just known for its 10,000 lakes. With the largest population of Norwegians and Swedes outside of Scandinavia, it's also the unofficial Scandinavian capital of the U.S. These Nordic roots come through in the state's cuisine — and that includes donuts!

Take a trip to Lindstrom Bakery, smartly named after its charming hometown, Lindstrom, This spot is famed for its Scandinavian donuts. These aren't just any donuts — they're cake donuts with a crispy outside, fluffy inside, and a touch of Nordic magic. Made with egg-enriched dough, they come in usual donut flavors like glazed, chocolate-frosted, and cinnamon-sugared. Or just opt for plain and enjoy some Scandinavian simplicity.

All across Minnesota, you'll find bakeries offering even more Nordic delights. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Taste of Scandinavia Bakery & Café offers up made-from-scratch Scandinavian treats. Krown Bakery & Eatery in Minneapolis likewise prides itself on creating Nordic-inspired goodies from scratch. And The Finnish Bistro, an authentic European cuisine and bakery, serves up donut-adjacent treats like Finnish Cardamom Iced Pulla Braid and Pulla Cinnamon Rolls made with Scandinavian pulla dough. So, next time you're in Minnesota, follow the sweet scent of cardamom and cinnamon — it's basically a trail map to some of the best Scandinavian treats this side of the Atlantic.

Somewhere between a shortbread and a sugar cookie lies the biscochito (also spelled bizcochito). This crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth delight is flavored with anise and dressed up in a cozy cinnamon-sugar coat. Biscochitos are New Mexico's favorite holiday cookie and often the life of the party at weddings, anniversaries, and just about any occasion that deserves a sweet treat. These cookies are so beloved, they've earned the title of New Mexico's official state cookie.

Given the biscochito's status and irresistible flavor, it's no surprise the cookie serves as a muse to creative bakers. Adaptations include everything from chocolate chip to green chili biscochitos. But the cookie jar couldn't contain the creativity! Throughout New Mexico, you'll find biscochito-themed treats like ice cream, shakes, popsicles, and biscochito-flavored coffee. And what would go better with biscochito-flavored coffee than a fresh-baked biscochito donut?

One of New Mexico's largest coffee roasters, Piñon Coffee House, bakes (not fries!) heavenly biscochito donuts at locations in and around Albuquerque. And because waste not, want not, Pinon Coffee House also uses leftover biscochito donuts to whip up "Biscochito Bites," a version of donut holes. You'll also find biscochito donuts beyond Piñon Coffee House, especially in December, when biscochito shines as the star of the season in New Mexico.