The Twin Cities' best doughnuts, according to Axios readers
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Two of the 30+ Twin Cities doughnuts we taste-tested. Photo illustration: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Kyle here. I recently asked Axios readers to share your favorite doughnuts in the Twin Cities — the suggestions … do-nut disappoint.
The big picture: Taken together, your recommendations are a guide to the metro's most beloved doughnuts.
- I tried more than 30 creations from the places you suggested just to make sure. (Tough assignment, I know.)
Taking the cake: More readers name-drop Minneapolis skyway favorite Cardigan Donuts (8 votes) than any other spot.
- Right behind it are Bogart's (7), Minnetonka's YoYo (7), Golden Valley's Funner Brothers (6), and Minneapolis mainstays Mel-O-Glaze (5) and Glam Doll (4).
The fluffy middle: Prestige doughnut-makers get a lot of reader love, but so do simpler bakeries where a dozen generally costs less than $20:
- Donut Hut (7 votes) is a big deal in Little Canada. Megan M. is one of several readers to warn us it regularly sells out fast.
- Jeff D. says the buttercream at Northeast's Sarah Jane's Bakery is "otherworldly."
- Bloomington's Sunrise serves "classic, simple doughnuts … with excellent execution," Zach D. tells us.
The gooey intrigue: As I suspected, nearly a dozen readers swore the metro's best doughnuts are at grocery stores or gas stations.
- Kowalski's, Lunds & Byerlys and Almsted's Market in Crystal all got multiple votes.
What we're all (secretly?) saying: "I frickin' love me a good Holiday crème filled long john!" writes Katie M.
Best bites: My faves from your recs
Here are the 10 reader-recommended baked treats I can't stop thinking about.
What I did: I visited 15 bakeries — every doughnut spot in the metro that at least two readers recommended, minus the big chain grocers and gas stations.
- At each place, I bought at least one specialty treat — not always a doughnut — and one staple variety like a plain glazed or a chocolate-frosted cake doughnut.
What I found …
Cardigan's old fashioned doughnut (Minneapolis): "There is only one correct doughnut answer," as Ashley J. recommends. Creamy consistency, pleasant almond finish, strong church basement vibes. $2.85
Bogart's brown butter (Minneapolis & St. Louis Park): Rich toffee notes and fluffy pastry. The fresher the better, so get to the bakeries in St. Louis Park or Minneapolis early. $3.50
The Heights Bakery's raised glazed (Columbia Heights): A springy, brioche-like crumb that manages to be moist without being oily. $1.60
- Plus: The blueberry Bismarck is worth trying just for the fresh-tasting fruit filling.
Funner Brothers' giant doughnut hole (Golden Valley): Frying a ball of dough this massive to get a soft golden exterior and a delicate interior without a hint of doughiness feels like a real achievement. $1.50
Dufner's chocolate with sprinkles (Plymouth): Well-raised dough, golden crust and frosting that balances sweet and bitter cocoa. $1.89
Puffy Cream Donuts Plus' chocolate Bismarck (Eagan): Rena R. is right to dub them "drive-worthy doughnuts." Finished with powdered sugar, this creation's heart is its silky, whipped filling. $2.59
Donut Star's almond buttercream bar (Burnsville & Lakeville): As decadent as a slice of cake, but light enough for the breakfast nook. $2.50
Donut Hut's chocolate with nuts (Little Canada): The best of the cake doughnuts I tried. Vanilla notes in the dough, savory notes in the nuts. $1.95
- Honorable mention: The chocolate-and-nuts from Sunrise Donuts.
Mel-O-Glaze's apple fritter (Minneapolis): I came into this taste test thinking Mel-O-Glaze was overrated for drowning interesting flavors in sugar.
- But gosh darnit, their apple fritter was just as Kent K. describes — "big, apple-y and wonderful" — and the glaze wasn't overpowering. Credit where it's due! $3
Baker's Wife's American tea cake (Minneapolis): Not a doughnut, but the treat I could've kept eating all day. A croissant-like roll frosted with sugar — but not a "cronut." $4.25
- Their doughnuts aren't to be missed either, which Jesslyn F. loves because they're sold "at old school bakery prices!"
The fine print: More sweet spots
I focused on spots that at least two readers recommended — which means some worthy places got snubbed from my taste test.
Here are the rest of readers' nominations:
- Angel Food, Dahlia, Dorothy Ann, Grocers Table, Hannah's Homemade Heavens, Hans Bakery, Jensen's Market, Luna Donuts, Maplewood Bakery, Mu Mu Mochi, Sun Street Breads (Wednesdays only!), Uffda Donuts.
Editor's note: This list of reader nominations has been updated to remove a link to Granny's Donuts in West St. Paul, which is now closed.