The Best Donuts in Chicago

You may be wondering why a running travel blog is writing about donuts. Well donuts = carbs and runners love carbs, so donuts fit right in here. It’s also quite easy to run to a number of donut shops in Chicago – which I did with a group of friends for my birthday a few years ago, and I detail the route at the end of this post.

If you follow me on the ‘gram, you know that I’ve been doing “Donut Friday” for quite awhile now. I’m not sure how my love for donuts started, as I’ve always been more of a savory gal than a sweet gal, but it’s become a thing for me.

Below I present to you the best donuts in Chicago, categorized by type. Note that all of these donut shops are actually IN Chicago, not the suburbs, and relatively easy to get to [by walking or transit] if you’re visiting and staying downtown. I also want to note that I haven’t been to ALL donut shops in the city, especially those that are further out, but I will update this post as needed!

Without further ado, the best donuts in Chicago!

Best Cake Donuts: Dip and Sip Donuts

Without a doubt, Dip and Sip Donuts in Roscoe Village makes the best cake donuts in the city. Cake donuts can be hit or miss – I’ve had many dry cake donuts in my time. But not these – they are incredibly moist and fresh, and they are freshly dipped when you order them. They have your basics glazed, as well as fun signature flavors such as Groovy Pebbles and Mexican Hot Chocolate. They also do custom orders and special holiday flavors regularly.

It's a small ma and pa shop, so there’s not really any space inside to hang out. Roscoe Village is a quieter, more family oriented neighborhood in Chicago, with a lot of beautiful homes so you can grab a donut or two and then walk around if it’s a nice day.

Dip and Sip is located at 2256 W Roscoe St.
[edit: this location closed in the fall and they’re relocating to Glenview, IL]

*John Lemon Pistachio at Dip and Sip Donuts*

Best Vegan Donuts: Beacon Doughnuts

Located in an alley in Lincoln Park, you would never guess that Beacon Doughnuts are vegan. But they are indeed, and they are one of my favorite donut shops in the city. You really can’t go wrong with any of them, but my favorites are the Blueberry Pancake and Chocolate Glazed. There’s a few seasonal ones that aren’t always on the menu that I also love.

I highly recommend ordering ahead – even if it just a few donuts – as they sell out of popular flavors early on the weekends, and there’s often a long line. Ordering ahead lets you skip the line and ensure you get what you want. They are also open Mon-Wed mornings for walk up orders only [which I didn’t know until recently], and I’ve found a number of coffee shops in the city that carry them as well!

Beacon Doughnuts is located at 810 W Armitage Ave [enter through the alley off Armitage]

Best Yeast Donuts: Firecakes Donuts

This was a tough category, as there are a lot of donut shops that make great yeast donuts. I’m going to go with Firecakes on this one, though. They consistently make fluffy and delicious yeast donuts. The Tahitian Vanilla Iced is a good classic, and they always have a lot of seasonal flavors to choose from. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Birthday Cake donut, which is essentially two yeast donuts stacked and decorated. I got this my first birthday in Chicago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

There are a number of locations in the Chicagoland area, as well as Billy the Truck popping up in different neighborhoods around the city. While most locations are open until late afternoon, I recommend going early on the weekends or ordering ahead if you want to ensure you get your desired flavors.

Firecakes Donuts has multiple locations in Chicago, including 68 W Hubbard St and 2453 N Clark Ave.

Best Old Fashioned: Doughnut Vault

There are other places on this list that make good old fashioned donuts, but Doughnut Vault is consistently the best. They are known for them, in fact, and have quite a few options on the menu. I love the lemon poppyseed and pistachio the most.

You’ll want to order ahead or go early, as this place sells out of the popular items early. It’s a small shop in the Loop and only fits a handful of people inside at one time. It’s easy to miss, so look for the big sign out front! Their donuts can be found in some cafes around the city, such as Dom’s, and they recently started popping up in Fulton Market on Thursday-Sunday.

Doughnut Vault is located at 401 N Franklin St.

Best donuts in downtown Chicago — *Doughnut Vault in downtown Chicago*

Best Overall: Doughnut Vault, Beacon Doughnuts, and Voodoo Doughnut

When people ask me about the best donut shops in the city, these three are the winners. While I have my favorites at each spot, they both do all donuts well – I’ve never had a bad one. Voodoo Doughnut [located at 945 W Randolph St in Fulton Market] is new to the Chicago donut scene, opening in December 2023.

Doughnut Vault and Beacon Doughnuts can be found at coffee shops around the city, but otherwise have just one physical location. Voodoo is a chain that started in Portland, Oregon, but the quality of the donuts is not compromised.

Honorable mentions:

Downstate Donuts: Located in the Uptown neighborhood, these donuts are unique because they’re made from potatoes. There are a variety of fun flavors to choose from and they’re extremely moist.
Do-Rite Donuts: Good, quality donuts. They’ve never stuck out to me as a favorite, but they do donuts well. I also really like their breakfast sandwich. They have a few locations in the Chicagoland area.
Mini Donut Factory: Located in the Lakeview neighborhood, this is a great spot if you want to bring donuts to a brunch or party [or try a bunch of flavors like me]. You get them in quantities of 6 and 2-3 mini donuts = 1 regular donut, so they are perfect for snacking. They fry and put the frosting on fresh when you order them. There are many different toppings to choose from, as well!
Donutistry: Found primarily at the South Loop Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, these donuts are vegan and delicious! I had a pistachio cream filled donut, dusted with sugar, and hope to try the other flavors soon!
GLZD Donuts & Coffee: This is new spot [as of summer 2023] in Lincoln Park. They have some fun flavors and the classics, as well. I thought the donuts were really good, but the specialty donuts are a bit pricey compared to other spots in the city [at least $1+ more per donut]. The owner said it was because the ingredients are organic/more expensive, but I don’t think they are $1 more/donut better than my other favorite spots.

Downstate Donuts in Chicago — *Donuts from Downstate Donuts*

Running [or walking] route to go to multiple donut shops listed above:

If you want to combine running AND donuts, it is pretty easy to do that in Chicago! Now, if you have a sensitive stomach, maybe bring a running backpack to carry the donuts and eat later, but if you go with friends, you can easily share some donuts at each spot without upsetting your stomach tooo much.

This is the route I did with friends a few years ago on my birthday. It’s about 6 miles and it ends in a different spot than it starts. Start at Firecakes on Clark, run to Beacon on Armitage, run to Dip and Sip in Roscoe Village, and then run to Do-Rite near Wrigley Field. Do-Rite has a place to sit and eat, so we got sandwiches, coffee, and donuts to end the run. You could also change it up and run south and go to Doughnut Vault and Donut Slut instead. Let me know if you try it out!

*Donut Fun Run in January - second stop at Beacon Doughnuts*

Finally, some of you [who know Chicago] may be wondering, “why did she not include Stan’s Donuts on this list?” Well that’s because I don’t think Stan’s is very good. If you want average, over-priced donuts, go to Stan’s. I’d rather go to Dunkin’ Donuts and spend less because the donut will probably be better. I’ve really tried to like Stan’s but every time I go, the donut is stale tasting and lacks the flavor of other good donuts in the city. It is a chain with many locations downtown [so easy to get to], but if you want better donuts, go to one of the shops I’ve listed above.

If you live in Chicago and want to join Tammy on a run at one of these donut shops, sign up here to get emailed about the next monthly TW Donut Run.