WHAT IS IT ABOUT DONUTS?
"They make me happy. Whenever I travel I always seek out a local doughnut shop to eat a few. For a long time now, I've been on the hunt to find the nation’s best raised glazed doughnut. Donut-hunting is no longer just a passion, it’s a calling." - Daniel Richards
What Makes a Perfect Raised Glazed Donut?
When I rank donut shops, I’m looking for mastery of five fundamentals. A great raised glazed donut isn’t about gimmicks, it’s about technique. Usually why old school shops have the best ones... they know it doesn't have to be flashy to be the best!
- Light, Structured Dough - The dough should be strong enough to rise properly, but tender enough to stay pillowy — never chewy or bready.
- Well-Managed Fermentation - Proper yeast fermentation creates lift and subtle flavor. Too little and the donut is flat; too much and it collapses or tastes sour.
- Thin, Set Glaze - The glaze should be smooth and delicate, applied while the donut is hot so it sets into a light, crackly shell — not a thick icing.
- Texture Contrast - The best donuts have a faint exterior crispness and a soft, airy interior that compresses and springs back.
- Clean Fry, Not Greasy - A correctly fried donut is light and crisp on the outside, with minimal oil absorption. Greasiness is a temperature or proofing failure (super common, this one).
-- Current Top 5 --
Ted's Bakery, Oahu HI | Sandy's, Grand Rapids MI | Randy's, Englewood CA
Twister Donuts, Olympia WA | Banbury Cross, SLC UT
250 raised glazed donuts = Bliss! Alberston’s - Meridian, ID
Breakfast of Champions at Top Pot Donuts - Seattle, WA
Foxs Donut Den - A Nashville Classic
Randy's Donuts - Practically an LA icon, this was an incredible donut. Easily a top 5!
A fun assortment, a present from Tammy on her first day! Such a great start :-) Dapper Doughnut — Boise, ID
Classic raised glazed, unbelievably good! Top 5 for sure: Sandy’s — Grand Rapids, MI
A pair of half-eaten beauties: Rose Donuts — San Diego, CA
The Oprah Doughsant(croissant donut), Legendary Doughnuts - Tacoma, WA
Donut Nook, Vancouver, WA - great flavor, but not enough fluff!
Bearscat Donuts, Bismarck, ND
"An unexpected top ten entry… delicious flavor in this raised glaze. Also a fun name and concept for their chocolate cake donut."
VOODOO Donuts - Portland OR
This quest wouldn't be complete without a stop here. Good, but not the best.
An impressive spread at this local franchise. Can't argue with the quality or the creativity! But not raised, only cake :-(
Duck Donuts - Columbia, SC
This was a very impressive donut, especially the locally picked meyer lemon glaze (Oliboli Donuts - Tustin, CA)
Beiler's - Philly, PA - this handmade penn-dutch is a classic and the Reading Terminal Market where they make them fresh is one of the coolest city markets I've ever seen.
Annie's - Roseway, OR - Classic shop with a hometown feel(i.e. same decor for 50 years)
Twister Donuts - Olympia, WA - absolute fire! perfect raise, perfect glaze, perfect texture, and a sassy owner who's been flipping rings for 30 years. Advances to the medal round for sure.
Teds Bakery, Oahu, HI
- Super impressed with the little hole-less glazer. Great texture, glaze, and dough flavor. If you haven’t been to this Sunset Beach staple, get there soon.
Leonard’s Malasadas are pretty famous and delicious so they have to be mentioned. Not a competitor for best raised glazed, but these Portuguese-origin donuts filled with Bavarian cream or dobash chocolate are super good.
Napoleon’s Bakery - Pearl City, HI
- My daughter enjoyed the way this bakery took advantage of a hole, filling it with chocolate! A nice donut as well, fluffy and light.
Rainbow Donuts, North Phoenix, AZ
- a really great donut, many would argue that Bosa Donuts is better. I'm not buying it.
Country Donuts, Boise, ID
- definitely a great local donut and Boise staple
Manna's Donuts, Boise ID
This food truck donut shop is unreal! I'll need many more trips before it can enter the top 5 ;-)
Nords's Bakery, Louisville KY
Tucked away in the 100-year old neighborhood of Schnitzelburg is this perfectly quaint, unassuming bakery. One of the lightest glazers I've ever had.
The Dirty O.G. — Donut + Dog, Nashville, TN and Meridian, ID
Donut Vault, Chicago, IL
Better get there early, these babies sell out fast. A fantastic fluffy glazer!
Banbury Cross Donuts, Salt Lake City, UT
This Salt Lake City staple has been doing it "Joan's way" since 1986. These are amazing!
The chocolate doussant...no glazed donuts so I had to improvise! Vosen's - Salt Lake City, UT
Krispy Kreme pics, Winston-Salem, NC
Not my favorite glazed donut, but had to pay homage to the original location (and the longest standing location) and Vernon Rudolph's contribution to spreading donut love
Join Our Mailing List
We provide peace of mind to practice owners by giving them real-time data in a format that makes sense, so they can make intelligent and well-informed decisions in their practice.
Quick Links
Contact Info
776 East Riverside Drive, Suite 208 Eagle, ID, 83616
"Comprehensive Business Support Services for Dental Practices" -Financial Services Review
© 2026 All Rights Reserved | CFO Dental Partners
Website Designed & Managed by Morningdove Marketing