The 7 Best Donuts in Minneapolis & St. Paul, According to Twin Cities Locals

When I first moved to Minneapolis, I was surprised how hard it was to find delicious donuts in the Twin Cities.

Thankfully, after trying nearly every donut shop in Minneapolis & St. Paul, I’ve uncovered several awesome places that always hit the spot.

Of course, that exact spot can vary. Sometimes you want a classic glazed, and other times you feel like experimenting with a wild, flavor-filled, artisan concoction.

That’s why I enlisted Lily’s help (she’s lived in the Twin Cities her whole life) to declare our choices for the best donut shops in Minneapolis & St. Paul. Organized by what you’re in the mood for!

Map of the Best Twin Cities Donut Shops

1. Our personal favorite: Cardigan Donuts (Downtown Minneapolis)

Are craft donuts a thing? Because if they are, Cardigan might be the Twin Cities’ undisputed king of that category.

Every week, they launch 3-4 new flavors on their donut schedule. Ever wonder what a PB Stout Donut using Castle Danger Beer tastes like? Now you know…

But despite all the experimentation, we keep coming back for the classics. Their Old Fashioned could very well be my personal vote for the best overall donut in the Twin Cities. It’s made with greek yogurt and it shows – the result is a dense, sweet, and creamy piece of heaven.

Lily feels just as passionate about their French Cruller, which the menu describes as “part donut, part souffle.”

In any case, despite our conflict, there is one thing the two of us can agree on. Cardigan Donuts are at the top of our personal list of best donuts in the Twin Cities.

You can find the full monty of Cardigans at their two flagship locations downtown, in the City Center and IDS Center. And while we used to battle downtown parking constantly for these gems, thankfully for us, Cardigan has also expanded with several partners. You can now find their donuts at several FRGMNT Coffee Shops, Gray Fox Bakery Cases, and even a leather shop in St. Paul. (Minnesota Leather Works) And on weekends, they even do pop-ups at Getaway Motor Cafe in Carver. 

• Website: Cardigan Donuts
• Address 1: 40 S 7th St #207, Minneapolis, MN 55402
• Address 2: 80 South 8th St. #226 Minneapolis, MN 55402

2. Most popular donuts: Bogart’s Doughnut Co. (Minneapolis)

Anne Rucker was a lawyer who happened to love donuts, so she opened a Farmers’ Market stand and got to work on the weekends. Pretty quickly, she realized her donuts were popular enough that she quit her job and opened a full-time brick-and-mortar donut shop in Uptown.

Since then, Bogart’s popularity keeps growing. Bogart’s now includes a downtown Minneapolis location as well as a St. Louis Park spot.

What makes Bogart’s so popular? If I were a betting man, I’d put good money on their unique take on the glazed donut (you can get one with an awesome brown butter glaze here) or their simple yet wonderful filled choices (their vanilla bean is a classic, and their nutella filled is exactly what it sounds like.)

• Address #1: 904 W 36th St, Minneapolis, MN 55408
• Address #2: 5003 Excelsior Boulevard, St. Louis Park 55416
• Website: Bogart’s Doughnut Co.

3. Best filled donuts: Glam Doll Donuts (Minneapolis)

Looking for less of a traditional donut and more of a delicious work of art? Then you want Glam Doll Donuts.

From the moment you walk into Glam Doll’s bright pink storefront, you begin to suspect you’re at a donut shop unlike any other. When you see the gals working the counter (Glam Doll is woman-owned) put their art-like donut sculptures, which are usually topped with something you’d never expect to see on a donut, into a matching pink box, your suspicions are confirmed.

For us, Glam Doll’s specialty is definitely their gooey filled donuts. These absolutely delicious beauties cover the whole gamut. There’s the Femme Fatale (one of the few menu staples) that’s filled with raspberry curd and vanilla icing and topped with an edible heart – all the way to the PB Hot Fudge Sundae. (That’d be a peanut butter filled donut with chocolate icing, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top, of course…)

• Website: Glam Doll Donuts
• Address: 2605 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408

4. Best classic style in Minneapolis: A Baker’s Wife (Minneapolis)

A 3-decades-old family run business, A Baker’s Wife is sort of shop you love to support. 

Here, they have all the classic raised donut styles at affordable prices. But again, they didn’t make our best donuts list because of price – the donuts are fantastic, regardless of cost.

From my unscientific strategy of standing in line and paying attention to what 90% of the customers seem to be ordering, I suspect their “State Fair Donut” might be their specialty. This is basically a giant version of the famous mini donuts sold by vendors at the Minnesota State Fair. Unfortunately, unlike the mini versions, I can’t eat a dozen of these on my own, no matter how much I want to.

• Website: A Baker’s Wife
  
• Address: 4200 S 28th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55406

5. Best brioche donuts: So Yen (St. Paul)

Located next to the St. Paul Farmers Market, So Yen burst onto the scene with their wildly creative and hugely popular brioche donuts.

If big, puffy, dough-balls of greatness weren’t enough, how about loading them up with delicious fillings?? 

That’s exactly what So Yen does, with each donut oozing their seasonal fillings. We’re talking everything from caramel apple whipped cream with caramel sauce in the Fall, to ube banana or strawberry shortcake come Summer. There’s a reason this place has a line down the block every weekend. 

• Website: So Yen
  
• Address: 275 4th St E, St Paul, MN 55101

5. Best of the suburbs – Puffy Cream Donuts Plus (Eagan)

We like to think of Puffy Cream as a bit of a hybrid shop. The menu looks like a classic donut shop, and yet, the donuts here taste so good that we suspect these folks might be using more unique techniques than they lead on.

In any case, this unassuming location in Eagan gets our vote for the best donuts in the suburbs. Located in a strip shopping center (because… suburbs, remember?) these are totally worth going out of the way for.

• Website: Puffy Cream Donuts
  
• Address: 3390 Coachman Rd, Eagan, MN 55121

6. Best of suburbs #2: YoYo Donuts (Minnetonka)

“#2” only because it’s a late addition. We tried Yoyo donuts at the urging of our readers, and we can confirm that it lives up to the hype!

You notice that hype as soon as you arrive. Typically, this shop in Minnetonka has a line out the door, filled with people eager to try YoYo’s fun and unique flavors.

In fact, YoYo might have the widest selection of donuts in the Twin Cities. Our visit saw creme brulee donuts, maple donuts topped with bacon, S’mores donuts, and everything in between. For the less daring, don’t be afraid. YoYo does the classics great, too.

• Website: YoYo Donuts
• Address: 5757 Sanibel Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55343

7. Best cronut: Maplewood Bakery (Maplewood)

Cronut = croissant + donut. And if that’s not one of the greatest achievements in human history, I don’t know what to say. 

Even more amazing, there’s an unassuming local shop out in Maplewood, MN that bakes these beauties to perfection. They’re light, airy, and perfectly glazed, and I have been absolutely obsesses with them ever since my first bite. 

Hurry though, these guys sell out! 

• Website: Maplewood Bakery
• Address: 1351 Frost Ave #3, St Paul, MN 55109

7. BONUS: Mini Donuts at the State Fair

What, you thought we’d make a list about donuts in the Twin Cities without including the Minnesota State Fair’s legendary mini donuts?

Mini donuts are some of the most classic Minnesota State Fair Food. We’re not saying you should plan an August trip to Minnesota just to eat some of these piping-hot, bite-sized cinnamon and sugar pieces of heaven. But you should at least consider it…

P.S. – We’ve tried all of the fair’s mini donut stands. Tom Thumb is the best. 🙂