101 E. Buchanan St.

The team behind Creampuff is better known for its high-end cocktail bars and restaurants, including downtown’s Wren & Wolf and Carry On and Tempe’s Filthy Animal. With Creampuff, they shifted the focus to daytime sweet treats. The doughnut shop resides just south of downtown Phoenix in the warehouse district, connected to a Church of the Valley location. Its menu includes a selection of traditional brioche options, of which we love the not-too-sweet creme brulee doughnut, and layered croissant-style doughnut hybrids. These layered rounds rise tall and are topped and filled with decadent frostings and spreads. Try the cookie butter version, stuffed with cookie butter cream and topped with the thick, buttery spread. The shop sells a selection of other pastries as well as creative coffee and tea options.

7325 E. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., #103, Scottsdale

Chin Up Donuts is unlike other doughnut shops in the Valley — in fact, the concept for the two Scottsdale locations seems more like a trendy coffee shop than a traditional bakery. Cute decor and vintage furniture decorate the brightly colored spaces. Behind the pastry case, unusual doughnut flavors come to life. The texture of these doughnuts falls somewhere between your classic cake doughnut and its fluffy yeast counterpart — they’re almost breadlike and have a weight to them. These satisfying rounds make the perfect base for toppings such as strawberry shortcake crumbles, Lucky Charms marshmallows or even pepperoni. Unusual offerings, including the pizza doughnut, chicken and waffles doughnut and the macaroni and cheese fritter, routinely pop up on the menu. For a great entry point into the world of savory-inspired sweets, try the popular Everything Bagel doughnut.

1152 N. Power Road, Mesa

Our pick for Best Doughnut in the 2023 and 2024 Best of Phoenix, Dutch Donut Factory keeps its menu classic. With beautiful, pillowy raised doughnuts, expertly fried apple fritters and moist, tangy old-fashioned buttermilk bars, there’s no need to add unnecessary frills — what’s there is stunningly simple, made flawlessly and delicious. On the more savory end of the bakery’s selections, you’ll find croissants and kolaches, but if you’ve made the voyage to the family-owned shop in east Mesa, you should indulge in a glazed donut. If you time it right, you may arrive while they’re still warm.

2161 E. University Drive, Tempe

The punny doughnut shop imported from Missouri is here for all your last-minute pastry needs, operating 24/7, with an Emergency Donut Vehicle on hand for deliveries. Hurts Donut Co. opened in Tempe in 2017 and, since then, has provided an array of yeast and cake options, drawing on playful and nostalgic flavors from s’mores to Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies. While these confections can be enjoyed anytime thanks to the shop’s round-the-clock hours, they fall into the decadent dessert world, with eye-catching glazes, candy bar crumbles, cereal toppings and roasted marshmallows galore.

914 E. Camelback Road, Suite 4A

There are multiple chain spots around the Valley that serve unique bubbly mochi doughnuts. But the locally owned MochiDot is our favorite spot for this special treat. Mochi doughnuts are typically made with rice flour, which gives them their characteristic bounce and chew. Their bubble shape, usually six or eight balls connected in a ring, makes them perfect for splitting and sharing, allowing you to try multiple flavors. At MochiDot, the flavors rotate with the seasons, but favorites include Oreo, bright purple ube and Lotus Biscoff.

104 W. Main St. #103, Mesa

What do you get when you cross a doughnut with a croissant? Outcast Doughnuts in Mesa has the answer. Its “layered doughnuts” are moist, flaky and delightful. These buttery rounds make the perfect base for an array of toppings, with flavors ranging from Cheeky Monkey with Nutella and bananas to the Drop Kick with Irish cream and espresso powder. These treats lean more into the realm of dessert, and the shop also doubles as a bar, making it the perfect after-dinner stop in downtown Mesa.

Multiple locations

When Los Angeles-based Randy’s Donuts made its Phoenix debut in April 2024, cars lined up around the tiny shop to snag a first taste of the famous chain’s treats. Since then, Randy’s has rapidly expanded throughout the Valley, opening shops in Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale. That’s great news for fans of sweet, fluffy treats in classic and creative flavors. You can go through the drive-thru, but we recommend popping inside to take a look at the shining case filled with colorful options. We’re fans of the maple cake and cinnamon crumb cake options. For a unique treat, try the bright green matcha tea raised doughnut.

7435 W. Lower Buckeye Road #112

Sweet Cream Donuts Coffee and Smoothies, as its name suggests, offers many breakfast-time staples, in addition to ice cream. Among the range of offerings, the doughnuts are the star at this family-owned west Phoenix shop. The doughnuts lean classic, with yeast and cake varieties as well as tried-and-true “fancy” confections, such as apple fritters and bear claws. The risen rounds are light and bouncy, and the filled options are numerous. We loved the vanilla cream-filled version studded with toasted coconut.

3213 Hayden Road, Scottsdale

Tucked into a shopping center next to brunch restaurant The Eleanor, this tiny doughnut shop churns out major flavor. The Local Donut‘s menu is split into categories that include Classy, Fancy and Schmancy Donuts, three names that aptly describe the creative concoctions behind the counter. Among the unusual flavors, the Creme Brulee is a winner. A soft, pillowy yeast doughnut is filled with a cool vanilla cream. The doughnut is glazed and then torched to achieve that crackly creme brulee topping. The Local Donut also makes excellent cake doughnuts, fritters, seasonal treats, pastries and mochi doughnuts, meaning it’s a one-stop shop for all your doughnut dreams.

15834 N. Cave Creek Road

The Original Rainbow Donuts makes sure its customers can tell it apart from the rest. Both its website and doughnut boxes prominently say, “We are not affiliated with other Rainbow Donuts/franchise/donut shops.” But the doughnuts themselves are what makes this little shop stand out. “Fluffy,” “fresh” and “not too sweet” are all words that come to mind after your initial “yum.” Most of the flavors are classics, and the menu includes yeast and cake doughnuts, maple bars, yeast twists, fritters, crullers and cinnamon rolls. We’re fans of the Tiger Tail, a striped creation made with chocolate and vanilla dough twisted together and glazed.  – more at phoenixnewtimes.com