There may be no other pastry that captures our hearts like the donut, not to mention the variety of flavors they can come in: glazed or iced with chocolate, or maybe heaped with marshmallow cereal or crumbled cookies, on a cake, yeast or even brioche base. No matter which kind you’re craving, there are numerous bakeries and donut shops throughout Greater Cincinnati that can whip up a dozen of these sweet treats for a morning pick-me-up in the office breakroom or a quick Saturday breakfast with family. Keep scrolling to see our readers’ top 10 favorite spots for donuts, as voted on in our Best of Cincinnati® Readers Poll.
Editor’s Note: North College Hill Bakery placed No. 5 on the overall list, but has since closed. As a result, we adjusted the rankings accordingly.
No. 10 Donuts: Emerson’s Bakery
7606 Dixie Highway, Florence; 8459 Highway 42, Florence; 3411 Dixie Highway, Erlanger; 4147 Madison Pike, Independence; 3612 Decoursey Ave., Covington
Must-Try Donut: The Red Velvet cake donut, when available.
No. 9 Donuts: Golden Hands Bakery
6016 Wooster Pike, Fairfax
Must-Try Donut: The Strawberry Shortcake or Oreo crumble donuts.
No. 8 Donuts: Hurts Donut Co.
12110 Mason Road, Symmes Township
Must-Try Donut: Cookie Monster: A yeast donut with blue vanilla frosting and Oreo cookies.
No. 7 Donuts: Graeter’s Ice Cream
Multiple locations
Must-Try Donut: Year-round? The cinnamon twist. But every spring Graeter’s also releases its Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip donut for a limited time, and it’s always worth a special visit.
No. 6 Donuts: Peace, Love, and Little Donuts
3440 Edwards Road, Hyde Park; 156 Barnwood Drive, Edgewood; 8640 Haines Drive, Florence
Must-Try Donut: Their tiny size makes these donuts ideal for trying a bunch, but our top flavor picks would be Banana Split, Choco Pancake, Lemon Blueberry, PB&J and Saigon Cinnamon.
No. 5 Donuts: Marcella’s Doughnuts & Bakery
545 Clough Pike, Mt. Carmel; 29 W. Main St., Amelia; 960 Kennedys Landing, Eastgate
Must-Try Donut: The Cinnamon Crumb: A soft yeast doughnut with cinnamon sugar crumble.
No. 4 Donuts: Starlight Doughnut Lab
4603 Carter Ave., Norwood
Must-Try Donut: Raspberry Rings: This staple menu item features a 48-hour raised brioche donut ring dunked in a vegan raspberry glaze.
No. 3 Donuts: Busken Bakery
2675 Madison Road, Hyde Park; 2895 Alexandria Pike, Highland Heights; 370 W. Kemper Road, Springdale; 956 Old State Route 74, Batavia; (Walk-up window) 2675 Wasson Road, Oakley
Must-Try Donut: Grab either a classic glazed yeast donut or one topped with chocolate icing (and sprinkles, of course).
No. 2 Donuts: Moonrise Doughnuts
3718 Winston Ave., Latonia (no longer a brick-and-mortar business, but they still serve from their donut truck, which is parked outside this location)
Must-Try Donut: The Homer: A yeast donut topped with strawberry icing and sprinkled with rainbow sprinkles.
No. 1 Donuts: Holtman’s Donuts
1399 State Route 28, Loveland; 9558 Civic Centre Blvd., West Chester; 214 W Main St, Williamsburg
Must-Try Donut: The Blueberry Cake Donut.