We Went On A New Hampshire Donut Hunt And Came Back With 10 Absolute Favorites
Donuts don’t usually require research. But in New Hampshire, they absolutely deserve it.
Because this isn’t just a casual pastry run. It’s a full-on hunt.
Backroads, small-town counters, early morning bakeries where the air smells like sugar, oil, and something dangerously comforting. Every stop has its own personality.
Some lean classic and simple. Others go all-in on glaze, fillings, and “just one more” energy that never actually means one more.
You don’t realize how quickly it turns competitive, until you’re comparing textures, flavors, and that perfect balance between soft and slightly messy. And somehow, you don’t come back with a favorite.
You come back with ten.
1. NH Doughnut Co.
Walking into NH Doughnut Co. feels like stepping into a sugar-dusted wonderland where the rules of ordinary donuts simply do not apply. Located at 89 Fort Eddy Road in Concord, this family-run gem has built its reputation on fully customizable, made-to-order cake donuts that you design yourself.
You pick your icing, you pick your toppings, and what arrives is basically edible art.
The cake donuts here have a dense yet tender crumb that holds up beautifully under generous layers of frosting. Whether you go classic with a vanilla glaze or go full chaos with rainbow sprinkles and chocolate drizzle, every bite delivers.
The specialty coffees pair perfectly with whatever wild creation you build.
What makes this spot genuinely special is the made-to-order model, meaning nothing sits under a glass case getting stale. Everything is fresh, warm, and built for you specifically.
The Alice in Wonderland vibe of the space adds a playful energy that makes the whole experience feel like a little celebration. If you are road-tripping through Concord and you skip this stop, you are genuinely doing yourself a disservice.
NH Doughnut Co. proves that personalization and quality can absolutely share the same fryer.
2. Cider Bellies Doughnuts
Some donuts are good. Some donuts are legendary.
The cider donuts at Cider Bellies Doughnuts in Meredith belong firmly in that second category. Found at Moulton Farm at 18 Quarry Road, this spot has quietly become one of the most talked-about donut destinations in the entire Lakes Region.
The setting alone, a working farm surrounded by rolling New Hampshire countryside, makes the whole experience feel cinematic.
The cake donuts here are famous for a very specific reason: that perfect crunch-to-softness ratio that only happens when a donut is served genuinely hot.
The outside has this satisfying snap, and the inside is pillowy and warm with a deep apple cider flavor that tastes like autumn in edible form. Seasonal flavors rotate in throughout the year, which means every visit has the potential to surprise you.
Cider Bellies also understands that simplicity done right beats complexity done poorly. These are not donuts drowning in toppings or competing flavors.
The apple cider version is the star, and it earns every bit of that spotlight.
Plan your visit around a morning trip to the farm, grab a bag, and eat them while they are still warm. Cold cider donuts are fine, but warm ones are a completely different conversation.
3. Brothers Donuts
Brothers Donuts in Franklin operates on a schedule that respects the truly dedicated donut enthusiast. At 426 Central Street, this Franklin institution sometimes opens as early as 2 AM, which tells you everything you need to know about how seriously they take freshness.
By the time most people are hitting snooze, Brothers is already pulling trays of handmade donuts out of the oven.
The maple frosted variety is the one people drive out of their way for, and rightfully so. There is a depth to the maple flavor here that does not taste artificial or overly sweet.
It tastes like the real thing, like someone actually cared about the maple-to-frosting ratio.
The maple frosted creme filled version takes that same magic and adds a cloud of filling that makes the whole thing feel indulgent without being overwhelming.
Brothers also sells their donuts in several Concord locations, which means the love spreads beyond Franklin. But there is something about getting them at the source, still warm, in that small-town bakery atmosphere, that hits differently.
These are handmade donuts with a soul, the kind that remind you why the best food often comes from the smallest, most unassuming places. Franklin is not a destination most people plan around, but Brothers Donuts might just change that.
4. Muriel’s Donuts
Muriel’s Donuts in Lebanon has the kind of reputation that gets passed down like a family recipe. Located at 20 West Street, this spot is consistently called one of the best donut shops in the entire state, and after one visit, that claim stops feeling like hype and starts feeling like an understatement.
People in the Upper Valley talk about Muriel’s the way sports fans talk about a championship season.
The donuts here are unapologetically classic. No trendy toppings, no fusion flavors, no gimmicks.
What you get is a perfectly executed traditional donut that reminds you why the original formula became beloved in the first place.
The texture is spot-on, the glaze has the right sweetness level, and the overall experience feels warm and familiar in the best possible way.
Calling Muriel’s a donut goldmine is not an exaggeration. It is the kind of place where regulars show up early because they know the good stuff goes fast.
Lebanon is a charming Upper Valley town worth exploring on its own, but Muriel’s gives you one very compelling reason to start your morning there before doing anything else.
Sometimes the classics really do win, and Muriel’s has been proving that point for years without needing to reinvent anything.
5. What The Fluff Donuts
The name alone earns points. What The Fluff Donuts on 87 Amherst Street in Manchester arrived on the New Hampshire donut scene relatively recently, and the buzz around it has been completely justified.
Manchester is the state’s largest city, and it now has a donut shop that matches its energy: bold, fresh, and not afraid to have a personality.
What The Fluff makes everything fresh, and the pricing stays reasonable without cutting corners on quality. That combination is rarer than it should be.
The donuts are generously sized and come in flavors that feel current without trying too hard to be trendy. There is a confidence to the menu here that suggests the people behind it genuinely love what they are making.
Manchester has been having a real moment as a food city, and What The Fluff fits right into that rising tide. The shop has a brightness to it, both in its aesthetic and in its flavors, that makes walking in feel like a good decision before you even order.
If you are exploring the Queen City for any reason, this stop belongs on your itinerary. What The Fluff Donuts is the kind of newcomer that quickly starts feeling like it has always been there, which is honestly the highest compliment a donut shop can receive.
6. Goody Good Donuts
Goody Good Donuts in Laconia has earned local landmark status, and one look at the donuts explains why. Sitting at 235 Union Avenue, this spot is known for producing donuts that are genuinely large, the kind of size that makes you reconsider whether you need a second one before you even finish the first.
Spoiler: you will want the second one anyway.
The apple cider donuts here are among the most popular in the Lakes Region, which is saying something given the serious cider donut competition in New Hampshire.
The cream-filled with sprinkles variety has developed its own devoted following, with people showing up early specifically for that one. Early is not a suggestion here, it is a strategy, because the best options sell out before most people have finished their morning coffee.
Laconia sits right on the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee, which means a Goody Good donut run pairs beautifully with a morning lakeside walk. The freshness here is non-negotiable, and you can taste the difference that makes.
These are not donuts that have been sitting around waiting for someone to notice them. Goody Good operates with the kind of purpose that turns a simple donut shop into a community cornerstone, and the line out the door on weekends is the proof.
7. Leavitt’s Country Bakery
Conway is the kind of town that already has a lot going for it, sitting at the gateway to the White Mountains with scenery that does not quit.
Then you add Leavitt’s Country Bakery at 564 White Mountain Highway, and suddenly Conway has an argument for being one of the best morning stops in the entire state. This bakery has been a fixture in the Mount Washington Valley for years, and its reputation is well-earned.
Leavitt’s operates with the energy of a place that genuinely enjoys feeding people. The donut selection is broad, the quality is consistent, and the overall experience feels like the kind of wholesome New England morning you came to New Hampshire for in the first place.
The baked goods here go well beyond donuts, but the donuts are absolutely worth the trip on their own.
There is something deeply satisfying about grabbing a box from Leavitt’s before heading into the mountains. Whether you are planning a hike up to Diana’s Baths or just cruising through the Kancamagus Highway, starting with a fresh donut from this bakery sets the tone perfectly.
Leavitt’s has that rare combination of quality and comfort that keeps people coming back every single time they pass through Conway. It is the kind of place that becomes part of your White Mountains ritual.
8. Tori’s Place
Getting to Colebrook requires commitment. It sits in the far north of New Hampshire, the kind of place where the trees outnumber the people and the pace of life feels genuinely different.
But Tori’s Place at 3 Pleasant Street makes that drive feel like the most reasonable decision you have ever made. This is North Country hospitality in bakery form.
Tori’s Place is the kind of spot that carries an entire community on its shoulders without making a big deal about it.
The donuts are homemade and honest, built with the kind of care that you can actually taste. There is no pretension here, no elaborate flavor combinations designed to impress food bloggers.
What you get is a genuinely good donut made by people who know what they are doing.
Colebrook itself is a fascinating corner of New Hampshire that most people never explore, sitting near the Connecticut River and the Canadian border. Tori’s Place gives you one very compelling reason to venture up there and discover what the North Country has been quietly offering all along.
The best hidden gems in food are often found in the places you least expect, and Tori’s is exactly that kind of discovery. Once you find it, you will wonder why it took you so long to make the trip.
9. Lovebirds Donuts
Portsmouth already punches well above its weight as a food city, and Lovebirds Donuts at 33 Vaughan Mall is a big reason why donut lovers specifically make the trip to the Seacoast.
The shop has a whimsical, Alice in Wonderland quality to its atmosphere that makes the whole experience feel like you stumbled into something delightfully unexpected. The donuts match that energy completely.
Lovebirds is celebrated for its amazing vegan donuts, which is a category that often gets dismissed until someone actually tries one and realizes the gap between expectation and reality is enormous.
The cruller here has developed a devoted following and for good reason. It is airy, perfectly textured, and delivers on flavor in a way that makes the vegan label feel completely beside the point.
Portsmouth is worth a full day of exploring, and Lovebirds fits perfectly into a morning spent wandering the historic downtown and Market Square area.
The creative flavor combinations rotate regularly, which means repeat visits always offer something new to discover. Lovebirds proves that a donut shop can have a genuine point of view and execute on it brilliantly.
Every detail here, from the decor to the toppings, feels intentional.
That level of care is what separates a good donut shop from an unforgettable one.
10. Klemm’s Bakery
Forty-plus varieties of donuts. Let that number settle in for a moment.
Klemm’s Bakery at 29 Indian Rock Road in Windham is not messing around, and the sheer scope of their donut program is one of the most impressive things happening in southern New Hampshire right now.
This is a traditional bakery in the truest sense, the kind that has been doing things right for long enough that it does not need to chase trends.
Klemm’s is cash-only, which feels appropriately old-school for a place this committed to the classics. The selection covers everything from simple glazed to filled varieties to seasonal specials, and the consistent quality across all of them is genuinely remarkable.
Maintaining excellence across forty different donuts is not easy, and Klemm’s makes it look effortless.
Windham sits in the southern tier of New Hampshire, close enough to the Massachusetts border that it draws visitors from both states.
Klemm’s has been consistently praised as one of the best bakeries in the region, and the donut selection is the crown jewel of an already impressive operation. Bring cash, bring an open mind about which variety to try first, and maybe bring a friend so you can sample more options without judgment.
Klemm’s is the kind of place that makes you realize forty choices is actually not too many at all.