10 Indiana Donut Shops That Look Plain But Taste Legendary
Indiana doesn’t dress up its donut shops. They sit in strip malls, hide behind beige siding, or lurk near tractor supply stores. But these places? These are pastry portals.
They don’t care about neon signs or influencer lighting. They care about fry oil, powdered sugar, and whether your face looks grateful enough. If you’re judging by aesthetics, leave now.
But if you’re ready to bite into something that tastes like childhood’s chaotic cousin, this list is your golden ticket. Each spot looks humble. Each bite is ridiculous. Indiana knows how to fry in silence.
1. Rise’n Roll (Middlebury And Multiple Locations)
The smell alone has been known to convert skeptics. Step inside and it’s quiet, too quiet for what’s about to happen to your mouth.
The signature is the Amish Peanut Butter Cinnamon Caramel donut. It’s soft, it’s sticky, it’s probably illegal in some nutritional circles. One bite and your fingers are frosted for the day.
Started in Middlebury, this bakery grew legs fast. Now it sprawls across the state, delivering chaos in tidy boxes. Get a half-dozen. You’ll regret getting less.
2. Long’s Bakery, Indianapolis (Haughville & Southport)
Cash only. No website. No frills. Just a building so beige you’d mistake it for storage.
The yeast donut is their icon, airy, slick with glaze, still warm in the bag. Cake donuts pack heft and texture. Apple fritters crackle on the outside, then melt like cinnamon fog.
Haughville opens at 5:30 a.m. and there’s already a line. You’ll see suits, nurses, teenagers, all pretending not to crave the same thing. Parking is a battle. Plan ahead and bring paper money.
3. Titus Bakery, Westfield & Lebanon
The pink boxes don’t prepare you. They’re too innocent. Inside is donut mayhem wearing a polite face.
Their Pershing is the local obsession, cinnamon roll meets donut, drenched in icing that tastes like Midwest generosity. Maple bacon bars arrive chewy, smoky, slightly dangerous.
A family-run bakery that’s been rolling since the ’80s. Lebanon’s original spot feels cozier, but both deliver consistently. Donuts are affordable. Sandwiches are unexpectedly good. People in line talk like they’re already sugar-drunk.
4. Square Donuts, Terre Haute
A box of these looks like geometry homework gone rogue. No holes, just soft squares stacked like buttery bricks.
Glazed yeast donuts win every time. They stretch, bounce, then dissolve. Jelly-filled versions have just enough resistance to make you smirk.
Don’t go looking for atmosphere. It’s tile floors and red chairs. You’re not here to sit. You’re here to leave with a dozen and wonder why you didn’t get two.
5. Carl’s Donuts & Bakery, Avon
This place looks like a break room that learned to bake. Plain walls. Humble chairs. No one’s here for the décor.
But the blueberry cake donut? Soft, dense, flecked with real fruit and finished like a goodbye hug. Apple fritters are thick as bricks and twice as satisfying. The glaze drips sideways. Let it.
Carl’s opens early, sells out fast, and never explains itself. Regulars leave with boxes full and powdered sugar on their sleeves. Bring cash and low expectations. They’ll be shattered.
6. Hilligoss Bakery, Brownsburg
Hilligoss smells like 5 a.m. church basement energy and deep-fried promises. The lights buzz. The staff nods. The magic is in the case.
Yeast rings shine like they’ve been brushed with nostalgia. Long johns go heavy on filling. The maple bars? Sticky enough to slow your entire day.
Family-owned since 1974, and it shows in the predictably unpredictable hours and quiet confidence. Don’t ask what’s fresh. Everything is. Come early. They close when the racks are bare, and that happens fast.
7. White House Donut Shop, Westfield
Not a single donut pun in the name. Just white walls, white boxes, and glazed rings that should be on magazine covers.
The plain glazed is absurdly good—chewy in the middle, crackled on the edges. Chocolate cake donuts pack cocoa with shocking force. I once saw someone eat four before speaking.
This is a no-frills shop with hours that change like the wind. Locals don’t check the schedule. They drive by. If the lights are on, you’re in luck.
8. Pana Donuts & Boba Tea, Avon
Bright lights. Bubble tea. Donuts that look like they were designed by a colorblind architect with a sugar addiction.
Here, the donuts are plush, almost too soft to hold their own shape. Try the matcha-glazed twist or the Oreo cream bomb. Also: the Thai tea is a sleeper hit.
Don’t judge it by the strip mall vibe. The crowd is young, loyal, and rarely quiet. Prices are kind, variety is wild, and if you leave with only one donut, you’ve failed.
9. Taylor’s Bakery, Fishers
Glass cases so clean you’ll question reality. Shelves packed like a mid-century dream of baked goods. There are rules here, and sugar is one of them.
Donuts lean traditional: old-fashioned, cake, jelly, all dialed to exact sweetness. But the standout is the maple nut roll, crispy edges, warm center, walnut chaos.
Family-owned since 1913. It’s more than a bakery, it’s a timeline. The Fishers location gets busy, especially on holidays. Go early, and leave room in your trunk.
10. Jack’s Donuts, New Castle & Other spots
The logo screams retro diner. The interior whispers donut empire. It’s all chrome, coffee, and pink glaze dreams.
Tiger tails twist cinnamon into submission. Bavarian cream donuts hit like a secret you weren’t supposed to know. Their vanilla iced cake? A sleeper pick with dangerous crunch.
Started in 1961, now with locations statewide. Each shop feels slightly different, but the menu keeps things grounded. Open late, open early, always open to making your day start weirdly sweet.