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Rows of doughnuts with different toppings pictured behind a glass case. A plant is to the right.
Dough Joy’s Capitol Hill location features a rotating lineup of all-vegan selections.
Dough Joy

Doughnuts You Should Know in the Seattle Area

Candy crumble toppings, mochi-doughnut hybrids, traditional old fashioneds, and more

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Dough Joy’s Capitol Hill location features a rotating lineup of all-vegan selections.
| Dough Joy

The humble doughnut is baking’s version of the three-chord power pop song: Perfected long ago, deceptively simple, always satisfying, and providing about three minutes of pure saccharine pleasure. Seattle is blessed with more than its fair share of doughnut varietals: creme brulee-filled wonders, candy-topped treats, ever-expanding vegan options, and everything in between. The joy of doughnuts is that even a “bad” doughnut is still a doughnut, but here are some of our favorites from across the Seattle metro area.

As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically. Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing seattle@eater.com.

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Larsen's Bakery

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It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the pastry case at this Ballard bakery, and we won’t shame you if you end up trying one of the shop’s many traditional Scandinavian treats. But our advice is to head over to the doughnut section and check out their cake variations in particular. The red velvet doughnut in particular is an amazing example of the form, glazed on the outside and moist on the inside, with that red velvet kiss of tartness.  

9th and Hennepin Donuts

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Named after a Tom Waits lyric, 9th and Hennepin is based out of a kitchen in West Seattle, serving doughnuts hot, as they were meant to be served. Eschewing the candy crumble genre of doughnuts, this Fridays-and-weekends-only operation serves an ever-rotating selection of flavors based on what’s in season at local farmers markets. Past standouts include a Yukon potato brioche long john, and honeycrisp apple and dried cherry fritter.

Good Day Donuts

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This wonderfully welcoming White Center shop is versatile. In addition to a selection of sweet classics, such as cinnamon twists, glazed cake doughnuts, and apple fritters (at inexpensive prices), it hosts pop-ups and features savory dishes as well, such as breakfast sandwiches and Italian subs.

Aurora Donuts

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This combination doughnut/ice cream shop has seen better days, and doesn’t look like much as you whizz by on Aurora. But don’t worry, the doughnuts lining the trays are reliable as they come — classic glazed and cake treats, wonderfully soft with just the right amount of resistance as you bite into them. There’s even an after 5 p.m. special offering six doughnuts for $7, or as we call it the Only God Can Judge Me Special.

Doce Donut Co

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Owners Damian Castillo and Claudia Monroy say they want to serve “elevated” doughnuts, and the experiments here are sometimes startling. The creme brulee doughnut is carmelized and crunchy on top, satisfying soft in the middle, and loaded with sweet fruit filling inside. These are dessert doughnuts as opposed to breakfast doughnuts — you’ll need two hands or a knife and fork to eat them, and you might need a nap afteward.

Four doughnuts topped with frosting and cookie bits. Harry Cheadle

Zuri's Donutz

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There’s no shortage of playfulness at this Black- and veteran-owned Lynnwood “dezzert bar,” which likes to experiment with different flavors and toppings, such as Lucky Charms on maple bars. There are dalliances with savory items — garlic chili chicken doughnuts — and an infinite number of flavor selections (mango chili, ube, horchata, and more) in the “Zuriverse” of sweets. There are plenty of gluten-free and vegan options as well.

Mochinut South Lake Union

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Mochi doughnut chain Mochinut offers plenty of inventive flavors. Made with rice flour, mochinuts have a chewy texture, setting them apart from traditional cake or yeast-raised doughnuts. The South Lake Union location has plenty of seasonal selections (recently mango puree, sesame balls, and churro with caramel), as well as boba tea and fried Korean rice hot dogs.

Dona Queen Donut & Deli

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It may not be the flashiest shop in the city, but this bakery tucked into a SoDo mini mall has a reliable array of glazed, filled doughnuts, fritters, and cinnamon twists. They work perfectly as a sweet complement to the spicy bulgogi and other savory items from the deli side of the operation, and hold up well, even later in the afternoon.

Racks of doughnuts, from cruellers to glazed to colorful sprinkled versions, at Dona Queen in Seattle
Dona Queen is a hidden gem in SoDo.
Dona Queen Donut & Deli

Donut Factory

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Known for its over-the-top cookie doughnut sandwiches that have graced plenty of Instagram accounts, this U District bakery (with a Lynnwood offshoot) offer doughnuts topped with candy like Ferrero Rocher, Butterfinger, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and more. Those celebrating a special occasion can pre-order treats in the shapes of letters and numbers.

Dough Joy

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Dough Joy started as a Ballard-based food truck specializing in creative yeast-raised vegan doughnuts and has now expanded to Capitol Hill and West Seattle brick-and-mortars. Some of the more whimsical offerings include strawberry lemonade (a sticky tart treat), mango con chili, the glitter-coated Over the Rainbow, and an addictive everything bagel variety.

A doughnut with
Dough Joy’s Everything Bagel doughnut
Harry Cheadle

Raised Doughnuts and Cakes

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Can a doughnut be elegant? Because these doughnuts are elegant. Not too big, not too sweet, often made with seasonal fruit and containing nontraditional flavor combos like tahni-cranberry or strawberry-basil, the doughnuts at Raised seem like the next generation of doughnuts. It fits the vibe of Midtown Square, a very next-generation, new-Seattle development in the middle of the Central District.

The Flour Box

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Built from a pop-up favorite, owner Pamela Vuong’s Hillman City shop continually draws lines for its creme brulee doughnuts, everything bagel doughnuts filled with whipped chive cream cheese, decadent cinnamon rolls, and other rotating doughnut flavors. The popularity is well-deserved: Vuong was a James Beard Award semifinalist for outstanding baker in 2022.

King Donuts

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This Rainier Beach destination used to be a hybrid bakery, laundromat, and teriyaki restaurant, but recently dropped the latter two services due to limited resources and move a few blocks down Rainier. Luckily, the doughnuts are still here. Styles range from chocolate- and sprinkle-coated cake doughnuts to glazed or cinnamon sugar-coated rounds, available fresh daily.

A stack of frosted and sprinkled doughnuts.
Neighborhood favorite King Donuts offers a reliable selection of doughnuts daily.
King Donuts

There’s innovative stuff going on up in Mill Creek. Frost does all the standards — even a picture-perfect rendition of Homer Simpson’s famous pink frosted doughnut — but what makes this bakery stand out is the flavors it achieves without having to resort to gimmicks like bacon toppings. The salted caramel version of the old fashioned has an impressive caramel-like chew to it, and the Aztec Chocolate will expand your mind: It’s got real cayenne-style heat that perfectly cuts the richness of the chocolate cake doughnut. 

An old-fashioned doughnut
Frost’s Salted Caramel Old Fashioned
Harry Cheadle

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Larsen's Bakery

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the pastry case at this Ballard bakery, and we won’t shame you if you end up trying one of the shop’s many traditional Scandinavian treats. But our advice is to head over to the doughnut section and check out their cake variations in particular. The red velvet doughnut in particular is an amazing example of the form, glazed on the outside and moist on the inside, with that red velvet kiss of tartness.  

9th and Hennepin Donuts

Named after a Tom Waits lyric, 9th and Hennepin is based out of a kitchen in West Seattle, serving doughnuts hot, as they were meant to be served. Eschewing the candy crumble genre of doughnuts, this Fridays-and-weekends-only operation serves an ever-rotating selection of flavors based on what’s in season at local farmers markets. Past standouts include a Yukon potato brioche long john, and honeycrisp apple and dried cherry fritter.

Good Day Donuts

This wonderfully welcoming White Center shop is versatile. In addition to a selection of sweet classics, such as cinnamon twists, glazed cake doughnuts, and apple fritters (at inexpensive prices), it hosts pop-ups and features savory dishes as well, such as breakfast sandwiches and Italian subs.

Aurora Donuts

This combination doughnut/ice cream shop has seen better days, and doesn’t look like much as you whizz by on Aurora. But don’t worry, the doughnuts lining the trays are reliable as they come — classic glazed and cake treats, wonderfully soft with just the right amount of resistance as you bite into them. There’s even an after 5 p.m. special offering six doughnuts for $7, or as we call it the Only God Can Judge Me Special.

Doce Donut Co

Owners Damian Castillo and Claudia Monroy say they want to serve “elevated” doughnuts, and the experiments here are sometimes startling. The creme brulee doughnut is carmelized and crunchy on top, satisfying soft in the middle, and loaded with sweet fruit filling inside. These are dessert doughnuts as opposed to breakfast doughnuts — you’ll need two hands or a knife and fork to eat them, and you might need a nap afteward.

Four doughnuts topped with frosting and cookie bits. Harry Cheadle

Zuri's Donutz

There’s no shortage of playfulness at this Black- and veteran-owned Lynnwood “dezzert bar,” which likes to experiment with different flavors and toppings, such as Lucky Charms on maple bars. There are dalliances with savory items — garlic chili chicken doughnuts — and an infinite number of flavor selections (mango chili, ube, horchata, and more) in the “Zuriverse” of sweets. There are plenty of gluten-free and vegan options as well.

Mochinut South Lake Union

Mochi doughnut chain Mochinut offers plenty of inventive flavors. Made with rice flour, mochinuts have a chewy texture, setting them apart from traditional cake or yeast-raised doughnuts. The South Lake Union location has plenty of seasonal selections (recently mango puree, sesame balls, and churro with caramel), as well as boba tea and fried Korean rice hot dogs.

Dona Queen Donut & Deli

It may not be the flashiest shop in the city, but this bakery tucked into a SoDo mini mall has a reliable array of glazed, filled doughnuts, fritters, and cinnamon twists. They work perfectly as a sweet complement to the spicy bulgogi and other savory items from the deli side of the operation, and hold up well, even later in the afternoon.

Racks of doughnuts, from cruellers to glazed to colorful sprinkled versions, at Dona Queen in Seattle
Dona Queen is a hidden gem in SoDo.
Dona Queen Donut & Deli

Donut Factory

Known for its over-the-top cookie doughnut sandwiches that have graced plenty of Instagram accounts, this U District bakery (with a Lynnwood offshoot) offer doughnuts topped with candy like Ferrero Rocher, Butterfinger, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and more. Those celebrating a special occasion can pre-order treats in the shapes of letters and numbers.

Dough Joy

Dough Joy started as a Ballard-based food truck specializing in creative yeast-raised vegan doughnuts and has now expanded to Capitol Hill and West Seattle brick-and-mortars. Some of the more whimsical offerings include strawberry lemonade (a sticky tart treat), mango con chili, the glitter-coated Over the Rainbow, and an addictive everything bagel variety.

A doughnut with
Dough Joy’s Everything Bagel doughnut
Harry Cheadle

Raised Doughnuts and Cakes

Can a doughnut be elegant? Because these doughnuts are elegant. Not too big, not too sweet, often made with seasonal fruit and containing nontraditional flavor combos like tahni-cranberry or strawberry-basil, the doughnuts at Raised seem like the next generation of doughnuts. It fits the vibe of Midtown Square, a very next-generation, new-Seattle development in the middle of the Central District.

The Flour Box

Built from a pop-up favorite, owner Pamela Vuong’s Hillman City shop continually draws lines for its creme brulee doughnuts, everything bagel doughnuts filled with whipped chive cream cheese, decadent cinnamon rolls, and other rotating doughnut flavors. The popularity is well-deserved: Vuong was a James Beard Award semifinalist for outstanding baker in 2022.

King Donuts

This Rainier Beach destination used to be a hybrid bakery, laundromat, and teriyaki restaurant, but recently dropped the latter two services due to limited resources and move a few blocks down Rainier. Luckily, the doughnuts are still here. Styles range from chocolate- and sprinkle-coated cake doughnuts to glazed or cinnamon sugar-coated rounds, available fresh daily.

A stack of frosted and sprinkled doughnuts.
Neighborhood favorite King Donuts offers a reliable selection of doughnuts daily.
King Donuts

FROST

There’s innovative stuff going on up in Mill Creek. Frost does all the standards — even a picture-perfect rendition of Homer Simpson’s famous pink frosted doughnut — but what makes this bakery stand out is the flavors it achieves without having to resort to gimmicks like bacon toppings. The salted caramel version of the old fashioned has an impressive caramel-like chew to it, and the Aztec Chocolate will expand your mind: It’s got real cayenne-style heat that perfectly cuts the richness of the chocolate cake doughnut. 

An old-fashioned doughnut
Frost’s Salted Caramel Old Fashioned
Harry Cheadle

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