Share
Photos by Andre Baranowski
Glazed, sprinkled, filled with jelly, or loaded with crazy toppings, the doughnuts at these spots will have you ordering a baker’s dozen.
With additional reporting by Lindsey Smith and Molly Reinmann
Duck Donuts
805 Mamaroneck Ave, Mamaroneck; 914.825.9722
393 Tarrytown Rd, White Plains; 914.219.4811
Yes, it’s a chain with 127 locations spread across five countries and 26 states. Nonetheless, we’re into this customizable spot. Vanilla cake doughnuts are fried throughout the day, then topped to order with some of the 10 glazes, toppings, and 12 drizzles.
While the mix is totally customizable, a menu of OBX Originals (named for North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where the chain began), includes the toppings and glazes from when they first opened. The signature assortment includes customer-favorite combos like s’mores-inspired chocolate icing with graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow drizzle, chocolate icing with peanuts and shredded coconut, and blueberry pancake.
If You Only Order One: The Bacon in the Sun (maple icing, chopped bacon, salted-caramel drizzle) is one of the best iterations of this sweet-savory combo we’ve had in Westchester.
Galloway’s Bakery
69 Harney Rd, Scarsdale; 914.725.4074
Blueberry glaze, mini-marshmallows, Oreo crumbs, bacon, and the like have never found their way onto a Galloway’s doughnut. Open since the 1950s, the Scarsdale bakeshop is owned by the third generation of the Galloway family, who specialize in the smells-like-sugar-and-yeast sweets that take you back to your grandparents’ day.
The process to make doughnuts starts at 1:30 a.m. (one of the reasons the bakery is only open Friday through Sunday) to maintain Galloway’s commitment to making each one by hand, whether it’s a plain cake doughnut; plush, yeast-raised glazed doughnut; or trays of mini, black-raspberry jelly doughnuts, tossed in powdered sugar.
If You Only Order One: The puffy jelly doughnut (most Galloway’s doughnuts come in regular and doughnut-hole sizes) is the one to get, but if you insist on a reprise, the plain old-fashioned is a sleeper hit.
Beascakes Bakery
575 Main St, Armonk; 914.273.3612
Classic American sweets (chocolate chip cookies, now and forever) have always been the bread and butter at this Armonk bakery. Case in point: the display lined with petite, not-too-heavy cake doughnuts, topped with caramel and coconut, fudgy chocolate, cinnamon-sugar, pink strawberry glaze, and almost-too-many rainbow sprinkles (as if that’s even possible). Stop by on Fridays and Saturdays to try some of the mini-doughnuts, too, which skew a bit more creative, with flavors like cookie butter, strawberry-Nutella, s’mores, and Fruity Pebbles.
If You Only Order One: Go for the best-of-both-worlds black-and-white, glazed half in vanilla, half in chocolate.
Enrico’s of Hartsdale
214 E Hartsdale Ave, Hartsdale; 914.723.0340
The Bronx original opened in 1959, and the Westchester location, which opened in 2007, feels as if it might have been transplanted straight from the original neighborhood. The doughnuts are similarly old-fashioned, including classic glazed; puffy, chocolate-topped Boston cream; and traditional iced doughnuts. But this old dog has some new tricks: On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the counter is also lined with sheet pans of Kronies, Enrico’s version of a Cronut, tall rounds of buttery, laminated croissant dough filled with flavored creams and finished with a swirl of raspberry jam, chocolate and nuts, Nutella, or dulce de leche.
If You Only Order One: It’s got to the be the much-lauded, old-fashioned, yeast-raised, raspberry jelly doughnut rolled in granulated sugar.
Sunshine Bagels
717 Saw Mill River Rd, Ardsley; 914.674.6417
The sign outside this unassuming shop may read “Bagels,” but we come here almost exclusively for a doughnut fix. A whole wall of shelves is dedicated to the sugary treats — all of which are big enough to share — from marble frosted to bowties and Boston cream. In our minds, there are only two correct orders: the chocolate glazed, a perfect mix of rich chocolate cake doughnut and sugary glaze that insinuates each craggy nook and cranny, and the toasted coconut, the county’s best iteration of the doughnut-shop staple.
If You Only Order One: Grab a few of the misshapen-in-a-homey-way chocolate doughnut holes.
Ossining Bakery
50 N Highland Ave, Ossining; 914.941.2654
Sticky, sugary fingers might as well be the mantra at this stalwart, where an entire section of the wall is dedicated to all things glazed. For the sweet-averse, there’s a plain, rust-colored cake doughnut, and the pillowy jelly doughnut, filled with a modest amount of jam and rolled in sugar, that also doesn’t skew too sweet.
But the cream of the crop is the classic glazed: A light, yeast-raised specimen that’s a blast from the past. (Though, we wouldn’t kick the marble cruller, with its vein of chocolate, craggy edges, and, of course, more glaze, out of bed, either.)
If You Only Order One: It should probably be the glazed, but we can’t stop thinking about the giant, glazy, plate-sized honey bun that’s swirled with cinnamon. It’ll put Dunkin’s coffee roll to shame.
MAD Donuts
Inspired by NYC’s trendy doughnut shops, self-taught baker Matthew Moore launched MAD Donuts at the White Plains Farmers’ Market in 2018. A stylish shop opened in The Westchester during the 2019 holiday-shopping rush, with a #Basic menu of classics and a slate of seasonal specials. MAD can currently be found at pop-ups throughout the county.
Unsurprisingly, considering his inspiration, Moore’s creations are highly Instagrammable: the blueberry cheesecake doughnut filled with cheesecake cream and topped with jam and a graham cracker crumble; the raspberry cardamom jam bun filled with freshly made jam; and the classic bourbon vanilla bean glazed. Made with butter and eggs from New York State farms, the small-batch doughnuts can also stand on their own without the bells and whistles.
If You Only Order One: The apple fritters don’t have Moore’s trendy aesthetic, but they’re chock full of Granny Smith apples, coated in cinnamon glaze, and big enough to share.
The Kneaded Bread
181 N Main St, Port Chester; 914.937.9489
Weekends and Thanksgiving (when owner Jeffrey Kohn’s father typically distributes them to waiting customers for free) are the only times you’ll find doughnuts at The Kneaded Bread. After many years of braking for doughnuts on road trips, Jennifer and Jeffrey Kohn developed their own ideal recipe for sour-cream cake doughnuts that are tender and rich, with golden-yellow interiors.
Fried throughout the day, with leftovers historically being donated to food service nonprofits, there are only three options: plain, cinnamon-sugar, and powdered sugar. Get one of each — ideally, when they’re fresh from the fryer — and thank us later.
If You Only Order One: With only three options, we’re not sure why you’d discriminate, but cinnamon-sugar is never a bad idea.
Related: Sweet and Salty Queens Bakes Gluten-Free, Vegan Doughnuts in Peekskill
Side Door Donuts
121 Myrtle Blvd (Side Door, naturally), Larchmont; 914.909.5290
It’s no secret that Billy & Pete’s Social dishes up some knock-out, Detroit-style grilled pizza, but if you knock (three times, maybe?) on the side door on weekend mornings, you’ll score one (or many) of the homemade, almost-still-secret, bite-sized doughnuts. Light, crisp, and airy, these wee rings of joy can be topped with almost anything your little heart desires, from fruity pebbles to bacon, making them a true can’t-stop-at-one indulgence.
If You Only Order One: Luckily, since they’re mini-doughnuts, this is never a concern. Spring for tray of three, box of 12, or party pack of 64 (pre-decorated or DIY with toppings on the side) and just go to town. We’ll always recommend a good PB&J, though.
Photo by Maria Labriola
Grey’s Donut Truck
Contact them through their website for events
The renowned Westchester food truck, the Waffle Box, has a brother! Named after Christina and Jeremy Sanz’s son Grey, this up-and-coming truck is serving up fresh doughnuts for events throughout Westchester. Grey’s serves four types of designer doughnuts: the campfire; Nutella & chill; the ohhh g; and funfetti. Planning an upcoming event? They can customize the doughnuts any way you would like. When you stop by the truck, make sure to bring your furry friend along and ask for a treat inspired by Grey’s mascot, Mia the dog.
If you only order one: With only four options, you truly can’t go wrong, but we can’t stop thinking about the delicious, Instagrammable campfire doughnuts (mini marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate glaze).
View this post on Instagram
Sweet and Salty Queens
922 Main St, Peekskill
If you’re a vegan or gluten-free Westchesterite whose mouth is watering after reading this list, don’t worry: Sweet and Salty Queens has got you covered. This queer-owned bakery is the brainchild of Terri Dreisbach and Leah Guarino, two veteran pastry chefs with a hunger for entrepreneurship. The shop is based in Peekskill, but the plant-based, gluten-free treats can be found at coffeehouses and farmers markets around the county. Eliminating gluten and animal products doesn’t kill Sweet and Salty Queens’s creativity: From the chocolate chip doughnut with cacao and mint tea to the vegan chocolate beetroot doughnut, these are sure to knock your dietary-restriction-friendly socks off.
View this post on Instagram
