When I moved to Utah back in 2009, I thought the only donuts in Salt Lake City came from the grocery stores and gas stations. My poor little tastebuds were shocked.
There was NO way I was going to settle for stale, bland, store-bought, pre-packaged “donuts.”
Having been born and raised in Southern California, I was conditioned to be a donut snob. My local donut haunt is consistently ranked one of the top donut stores in California (check them out on Instagram @donutmanca). On those blessed Saturday mornings when we would wake up and go downstairs for breakfast…and find that magical pink box sitting on the counter…we knew it was going to be a great day, no matter how many chores we had to do.
In the interest of self-preservation, I abstained from donuts for a few years. But there was a part of my heart that was missing something: an icing-covered ball of carbs and grease. I heard rumors about a specialty glazed donut store. Whispers about a hole-in-the-wall place on State Street.
I slowly started to test the waters and found a few gems in the process. Holy Cow! There ARE great donuts in Salt Lake City…and NOT from the grocery store!
So I took it upon myself and a few willing friends to travel around and see if we could find the BEST donuts in Salt Lake City!
Donuts in Salt Lake City: Things to Keep in Mind
*I am not a professional food critic, food/mommy/lifestyle blogger, or seasoned baker. My friends and I are simply donut aficionados and love this kind of research.
* I’m fully aware that everyone has their own particular tastes and opinions about food. The cool thing about having my own website is that I get to publish my own opinions without having to apologize.
*None of the places we visited are national chains or grocery stores. We kept it local to Utah and particularly Salt Lake Valley, limiting to donut shops instead of including bakeries that sell poor facsimiles of donuts. We tried to keep our research to donuts shops in Salt Lake City, but a few are in neighboring cities and extremely accessible.
*There were pros and cons for each place we visited, whether they were location- or product-based. And while I will keep the article mostly positive, I will be keeping it real. I won’t recommend any place or product that I don’t love.
*This is not a sponsored post. I paid for every donut with my own money (which is also why I brought friends…it looked better ordering 6 donuts with a group instead of solo!). But honestly, do you really need an incentive to eat a lot of donuts?
Donuts in Salt Lake City: Our Findings
NOT ALL DONUTS ARE CREATED EQUAL! Can I shout it from the rooftops?
Most people tend to judge a donut shop by its maple bar or glazed donut. I judged by the quality of cake donuts. Does it crumble before I can chew more than once? Is it completely impregnated with grease, a sure sign that the oil wasn’t hot enough? Is it golden brown? How’s the icing?
My friends and I visited a handful of different donut stores in Salt Lake City and found it way too difficult to rank the stores in any kind of order.
So, without further ado…here are the BEST donuts in Salt Lake City in alphabetical order!
Banbury Cross
Address: 705 S 700 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 5am – 5pm; Sunday, 6am – 1pm
What to get: strawberry glazed, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles, cream filled
The takeaway: Banbury Cross is a Utah staple and for good reason. You ask any local where the best donuts in Salt Lake City can be found, and 9 times out of 10, you’ll hear Banbury Cross. And after a visit, you can see the appeal: the donuts are light and not greasy and the donut store has a drive-thru – perfect for all of those kid-filled minivans running to school.
Beyond Glaze – Best Glazed Donuts in Salt Lake City
Address: 177 W 12300 S, Draper, UT 84020
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 7am – 6pm; closed Sunday
What to get: Maple Bacon, Key Lime
The takeaway: Think Krispy Kreme, but lightyears better in flavor, texture, and variety. When you enter any Beyond Glaze donut store, you are presented with a beautiful display of highly decorated glazed donuts (and a few other varieties, but they’re not really worth mentioning – aside from the blueberry cake).
Beyond Glaze offers at least 2 dozen types of artisan glazed donuts. When you arrive, you have the option of getting a plain glazed donut. Or you can branch out and try key lime, very berry, evil Elvis, or, my personal favorite, maple bacon. That’s right – bacon on a donut. Some of my friends were a little apprehensive to try the maple bacon, but are now converted. Seriously, don’t knock it until you try it!
And if they’re out of a particular type of glazed donut that you had your heart set on, they can create one for you. That’s the beauty of having a standard base for your donuts!
Darla’s Donuts
Address: 2278 S Redwood Rd, Salt Lake City, UT 84119
Hours: Monday – Friday, 5am – 2:30pm; Saturday, 7am – 12pm; Sunday – Closed
What to get: apple fritter, blueberry crumble
The takeaway: Walking into Darla’s Donuts is like walking into your mom’s kitchen. Family pictures, an intimate setting, and Darla herself smiling behind the counter.
While there wasn’t a lot of space to eat inside the donut shop, the flavor of the donuts and the atmosphere made you forget. The only downer was we ordered a cream-filled donut…and had to eat 3/4 of the donut before we found what little cream we could.
Donut Boy
Address: 2194 W 3500 S, West Valley City, UT 84119
Hours: Monday – Closed; Tuesday – Thursday, 6am – 1pm; Friday, 6am – 5:30pm; Saturday, 6am – 1pm; Sunday, 7am – 1pm
*Note: hours subject to change around the holidays. Check out their Instagram for updates @donutboywvc.
What to get: s’mores, strawberry cheesecake, old fashioned
The takeaway: Donut Boy was voted Best Donuts in Utah by locals in 2019, and it is a well-deserved accolade. Even if you don’t like donuts, GO to Donut Boy to chat with the owner. He had us laughing the entire time we were ordering and eating.
Not only are the donuts delicious, the variety was incredible. Who thinks of having “kids donuts” at a donut shop? Aren’t they all kid-friendly? Donut Boy goes above and beyond.
Donut Star
Address: 213 E 12300 S #H1, Draper, UT 84020
Hours: Open 24/7
What to get: Cronut, pink-frosted jelly-filled star
Takeaway: Finally a 24/7 donut store in Utah! Although I do have to warn you: when a 24/7 bakery isn’t constantly in high demand, the product tends to sit and get stale. We visited in the early evening and were a little disappointed with the service and quality of most of our donuts. The staff members were arguing and didn’t really pay any attention to us or the other customers.
Some of the donuts we ordered tasted stale, like they’d been sitting out for a while. When we entered the shop, our eyes were instantly drawn to an apple fritter with raspberry jam, which happened to be the size of my friend’s head. I honestly thought it looked like roast beef (dark brown with a little ribbon of red). After tasting it, one of my friends said “it’s not bad: it’s just disgusting.” On the flip-side, the cronut was fresh and absolutely divine, so it’s pretty obvious which donut is the local favorite!
Fresh Donut & Deli – My Favorite Donuts in Salt Lake City
Address: 2699 State Street, South Salt Lake, UT 84115
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 5am – 5pm; Sunday – Closed
What to get: sprinkled cake donuts, maple bar
Takeaway: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover! If you’re looking for the best donuts in Salt Lake City without the frills, you need to visit Fresh Donut & Deli.
You know a place is good when there is constantly a line and always has fresh donuts in the window. This place really speaks to me: small interior, boxes stacked to the ceiling, constant restocking of popular items, little tables crowded in with the customers…perfection.
The Big O Doughnuts – Best Gourmet Donuts in Salt Lake City
Address: 248 W 900 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Hours: Monday – Friday, 7am – 3pm; Saturday – Sunday, 9am – 3pm
What to get: blueberry and lavender, white-frosted cake with rainbow sprinkles
Takeaway: Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Does Salt Lake City have vegan donuts?” No? Yeah, me neither. But guess what? Salt Lake City has vegan donuts and they’re DELICIOUS!
I thought it was a little weird that a donut shop would open later on the weekends, but the donuts were worth the wait. I couldn’t believe how scrumptious the donuts were – light and airy, didn’t taste like dirt, with flavors that kicked you between the teeth. There’s a reason The Big O Doughnuts have been voted the best gourmet donuts in Salt Lake City!
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