Best Donuts in Atlanta

Whether you’re looking for classic glazed or something on the wild side, nothing hits quite like a perfect donut.

The crunch, the flavor, the shape…it’s an endlessly comforting treat, whether you’re eating it for breakfast, dessert, or just because you’re in the mood (the best excuse there is).

Donuts (or is it “doughnuts”…the world may never know) have a higher floor than just about any other food — even the worst one isn’t too shabby — so the ceiling must be sky high. There are plenty of donut spots around Atlanta that are floating around that top layer, so let’s explore some of the finest in town.

Trust us, you’re going to go nuts for these donuts.

Editor’s Note: This article was first written on December 20, 2021, and last updated on June 2, 2025.

The pride of the Outer Banks (eat your heart out, John B)

Duck Donuts

1281 Johnson Ferry Rd Marietta, GA, 30068| 3005 Old Alabama Road Alpharetta, GA, 30022|1720 Mars Hill Rd Ste 7 Acworth, GA, 30101

Straight out of the Outer Banks (the location, not the cheesy Netflix show), Duck Donuts has many locations, with a welcome addition to the donut scene. Their donuts are more old-fashioned and crunchy, featuring amazing toppings and other add-ons to the bare treats.

A personal favorite is the Blueberry Pancake, which has blueberry icing and a maple drizzle, topped with powdered sugar. As you would hope, it tastes like a fresh stack of blueberry pancakes drenched in maple syrup. Other winners were the Maple Bacon, with a MAPLE glaze and pieces of…you guessed it…BACON, and the Bare, which is a good control item that lets the donut speak for itself!

Five Daughters Bakery

1170 Howell Mill Rd, #100, Atlanta GA 30318 | 675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Suite N143, Atlanta, GA 30308 | 200 Avalon Blvd, Suite 200, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009

While Five Daughters began in Franklin, Tennessee, the locations at Ponce City Market, West Midtown and Avalon in Alpharetta have become local favorites. Their signature item is the 100 Layer Donut, a combination of a croissant and a donut. Repeat: a croissant AND a donut. It’s crunchy like a fresh donut but flaky and melt-in-your-mouth like a croissant. This juxtaposition leads to a perfect bite.

Less is more with the Pursuit, a simple 100 Layer Donut dipped in a vanilla glaze (top left). If this is your first foray into Five Daughters, this is your perfect order. But if you’re feeling adventurous… 

Bacon had quite a moment in the 2010s, being used in all kinds of things besides the usual breakfast sandwiches and WaHo All-Star Specials. Its overexposure has mostly subsided, but the King Kong donut (bottom left) is a perfect example of bacon being used just right. This donut is rolled in sugar, infused with vanilla buttercream, and topped with a maple glaze and candied bacon pieces. It has every taste and texture you could imagine, and they combine spectacularly.

A HEROic sight

Hero Doughnuts & Buns

33 Georgia Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Jeremy Chambers, of Jim and Nick’s fame, developed this Birmingham-based spot from a popup into a rapidly-growing phenomenon with locations in Charleston and Atlanta with upcoming new stores in Charleston and Chapel Hill (and many more to come).

These donuts stand out because they’re made with a brioche dough, offering a perfectly fluffy texture to complement the sweet taste. Staff writer Joey Weiss tried a wide variety, and each one was delicious. The stars for him were the strawberry (third one in the middle row), bursting with a surprisingly fresh fruit flavor, and the one with Cap’n Crunch on top (fourth one in the middle row), walking that fine line near overkill, but instead sticking the landing and turning out phenomenally. 

This same brioche dough is also used to whip up cloudlike buns for various sandwiches. Joey tried the Hero Burger topped with cheese, onions, and some fantastic house-made pickles (the world needs more simple but amazing burgers like this) and the Super Crunch and Breakfast Super Crunch sandwiches, the former consisting of a crunchy and juicy fried chicken breast, pepper jam, pickles, and house sauce, while the latter had egg and cheese as well. Every sandwich is elevated to a new level thanks to the incredible brioche buns. 

Donuts that’ll make you go, “Hell yeah!”

Hell Yeah Gluten Free

Who said being gluten-free means you can’t enjoy a donut? 

Alejandra Luaces was inspired by her own allergy and love for baking to open the door for patrons of all dietary restrictions (if any at all) to enjoy one of life’s greatest foods. Everything at Hell Yeah is gluten-free, not to mention dairy- and nut-free, and you surely won’t miss their absence once you try these donuts. Each one I tried was unique; my favorites were the maple miso (bottom left), which perfectly mixed sweetness with miso flavor, and the chocolate peppermint (bottom right), which tasted like a giant peppermint patty with a nice crunch.

In addition to donuts, Hell Yeah also serves savory treats and other tasty pastries, including stunning cakes. No matter the occasion, I can guarantee that these folks will take good care of you.

Dutch Monkey Doughnuts

3075 Ronald Reagan Blvd Suite 502, Cumming, GA 30041

Dutch Monkey Doughnuts is located OTP in Cumming, but it’s well worth the drive if you’re not from around town. Founders Martin and Arpana know their donuts, having won the very first episode of Food Network’s Doughnut Showdown in 2013. If I were a judge, I would’ve made the same call on these decadent treats.

One of the stars of the Dutch Monkey lineup was the Caramel Apple Fritter, which was perfectly sweet and tart with a nice, dense bite (not pictured, as it may or may not have been eaten before the photo). There’s also the chocolate iced donut (second row, middle), dusted with even more cocoa so you’re getting a super chocolatey bite that isn’t overwhelmingly rich. Their signature item, however, is the Dutch Monkey (third on the top row), which is topped with bananas and chocolate and is just what the donut doctor ordered.

And again, they offer gluten-friendly cake Doughnuts for those with allergies.

Sublime Doughnuts

Have you ever seen donuts shaped like this?

Donut City

1880 Mountain Industrial Boulevard, GA 30084

For Donut City owner Bill Comedy, the time to make the donuts is while the rest of Tucker sleeps. He’s mixing dough and frying his handiwork at 1:00 a.m. every morning, and the quality certainly shows.

These light, airy donuts include bear claws, apple fritters, and other classic varieties. They also offer an exceptional menu depth, serving breakfast sandwiches on croissants, breakfast burritos, and fresh smoothies.

Sarah Donuts

Locations in Suwanee, Johns Creek, Decatur, Norcross, Cumming, Roswell and now Lawrenceville

Sarah Donuts has been a favorite of many since 1988. Today, it has seven locations throughout the metro-Atlanta area, making it a local staple. It doesn’t hurt that they have a wide swath of fabulous donut types: raised (made with yeast), cake (leavened with baking powder), and specialty types. They even have sausage rolls, so get both your sweet and savory fix next time you go.

Dough in the Box

5650 Fulton Industrial Blvd Atlanta Ga 30336

Famed Atlanta food aficionado Alton Brown said it best: “The perfect day—maybe my last day on earth—would have to include a Dough in the Box apple fritter.”

Add that to the over 45 different California-style donuts they have, plus a croissant for good measure, and it’s impossible to walk away from Dough in the Box feeling anything other than ecstatic. Check out their locations in Marietta, Austell, and Fulton Industrial.

Ray’s Donuts

2106 Candler Rd, Decatur, GA, United States, Georgia

Purely rooted in Georgia, Ray’s Donuts is a staple option. Their most popular location in Marietta, GA, stands out from their old-school classic donuts. Whether you’re diving into a gooey red velvet donut, savoring the crispy edges of an apple fritter, or crunching into a maple bacon masterpiece, every bite will fill you with sugary joy. With friendly faces behind counters, trays piled with colorful toppings, and glaze dripping goodness. And just in case you needed a sign: their box offers an inspirational saying of “YOU DESERVE A DONUT”. Trust Ray’s, you do deserve that donut.

The Salty Donut

124 Krog St. NE Suite A120 Atlanta, GA 30307 | 1050 Howell Mill Rd. #101 Atlanta, GA 30318 

With Salty’s first-ever shop being rooted in Atlanta, this place has all the vibes from coffee to donuts. There are currently only two shops, with one more opening soon. Each location has a vintage diner-inspired themed interior to set the mood for the best donuts. These donuts are bursting with flavor; they have almost every dessert donut you could think of. They also include gluten-free choices for those wanting an allergy-friendly donut. A personal choice would be the Samoa Cookie Donut featuring 24 24-hour brioche bottom crusted in dark chocolate, coconut caramel glaze, and topped with coconut flakes. Who wouldn’t want a Girl Scout Cookie in donut form?

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

The granddaddy of them all.

It’s hard to even qualify a fresh Krispy Kreme donut as a solid food because as soon as you put it in your mouth, it dissolves into a magnificent cloud of everything right in the world. While the “Hot Now” sign is a welcoming beacon that your donut is about to be even fluffier and tastier than usual, don’t sleep on the surprisingly amazing results of microwaving your donut for 8-12 seconds.  

The iconic location, which has been on Ponce De Leon Avenue since 1965, made headlines in 2021 when it caught fire not just once, in February, but again in July. Now reopened to the public since October 2nd, 2023. With Shaq’s words: 

“We will bounce back better than ever – Shaq”

And so they have, thank you, Shaq.

In addition to these premier donut places, here are a few others to enjoy:

• Revolution Doughnuts (massively popular despite having only two locations; emphasizes doing everything by hand)
• Scream’n Nuts (an Alpharetta-based donut and ice cream shop that combines the two in drool-worthy ways)