A guide to the best donuts in Asheville
Donut lovers rejoice! You have found our official guide to the best donuts in Asheville! This guide tells you everything about our favorite donuts in Asheville (and probably a little bit more than you actually need to know.)
In true When In Asheville fashion, we have gone into all of the details about the best donuts around. Why, yes, we do think it’s important to know whether a donut shop is worthy of your Instagram feed!
Each Asheville donut shop has its own unique vibe and we tried to capture that in the donut guide below. Whether you’re a fan of gourmet doughnuts or sprinkle galore, local to Asheville or just visiting the area, you definitely need to try one (or all!) of these amazing donut spots.
Overview of the best donut shops in Asheville
Our best of Asheville guides can get rather long and this donut shop one is no exception. To make things easy for you, we thought we’d first include a list of all of the donut shops mentioned so that you can easily jump around.
- Map of the best donut shops in Asheville
- Hole Doughnuts (West Asheville)
- Vortex Doughnuts (South Slope)
- Geraldine’s Bakery (North AVL)
- Stay Glazed (Downtown AVL)
- Ava’s Doughnuts (South AVL)
- Duck Donuts (North AVL)
- Ivory Road Café and Kitchen (South AVL)
- Bargello (Downtown AVL)
- Bonus! Velvet Cup Food Truck (Pisgah Forest)
Map of the best donut shops in Asheville
Before we get to all of the donut details, we thought we’d share a map so that you can easily see the closest donut shop in Asheville.
1. Hole Doughnuts (West Asheville)
Hole Doughnuts is an enchanting place where the shop and doughnuts look like they jumped right out of a magazine. And the doughnuts taste as good as they look. They don’t have an extensive array of flavors, but you can rest assured that the ones they do have will be excellent. We always see this on the must-do lists for Asheville and agree 100%!
About Hole Doughnuts
Availability: open Wednesday-Sunday 8am-1pm (they sometimes sell out!)
Location: 168 Haywood Road // West Asheville
Local vs. chain: Local (and pssst… owned by the actress who played Annabel Fox on You’ve Got Mail…)
Flavor assortment: Hole has 3 daily flavors (Vanilla Glazed, Toasted Almond Sesame Cinnamon, and Cinnamon Sugar) and one weekly flavor. If you are looking for a gourmet doughnut in Asheville, Hole is the place for you!
Coffee and other drinks: Locally sourced coffee and Nitro Cold Brew from PennyCup. They also have orange juice, tea from Asheville Tea Company and Farm to Home milk (chocolate and whole.)
Other menu items: None
Dietary Options: None
Pricing: All donuts are $2.75. If you’re buying for a crowd, their baker’s half dozen (7) is $15 and baker’s dozen (13) is $30.
Instagram-ness: Hole Doughnuts is one of Asheville’s most charming gems. Their cottage-style store is beautifully decorated and landscaped. Oh, and don’t miss their blue vintage doughnut truck in the parking lot.
Award: Best hot and fresh donuts in Asheville. They are made to order, after all! Hole also gets my Most likely to be featured in a Nancy Myers film award! Seriously, it’s precious and I get real It’s Complicated vibes when there.
2. Vortex Doughnuts (South Slope)
Located in the South Slope neighborhood of Asheville, Vortex Doughnuts boasts a wide range of flavors in two different types of dough. Some of our favorite flavors are cinnamon sugar, vanilla (especially when it’s still warm!), vanilla apple fritter and anything with cream cheese. Oh, and the filled doughnuts. Ok, all of them. They are all good!
About Vortex Doughnuts
Availability: closed Mondays
Location: 32 Banks Ave // South Slope (a few doors down from Buxton Hall BBQ and next to Catawba Brewery)
Local vs. chain: Local
Flavor assortment: 15+ daily in both yeast and cake doughs! Vortex posts their weekly flavors on Instagram.
Coffee and other drinks: Excellent coffee brewed with 1000 Faces! They also have a full espresso menu as well as specialty drinks and bottled milk.
Other menu items: You’ll only find donuts, coffee and espresso drinks here! They also sell Vortex merchandise and 1000 Faces coffee.
Dietary Options: Vortex has a ton of vegan donuts! Most of their menu is actually vegan– they mark the donuts that aren’t vegan as NV. Vortex also offers gluten-sensitive doughnuts (not vegan) but they don’t make any claims for gluten-free doughnuts.
Pricing: Donuts range from $2 each (old-fashioned) to $3.75 each (apple fritters, filled doughnuts). You can get a 4 count for $11, a 6 count for $17 or a baker’s dozen (13 donuts) for $28.
Instagram-ness: 100. Vortex’s doughnuts are beautiful and colorful and magical and, yeah, belong in your stories or on your feed.
Award: Most Instagram-worthy donuts! Best Vegan Donuts! And (shh don’t say this too loud…I don’t want the other donut shops to hear…) Best All Around!
3. Geraldine’s Bakery (North Asheville)
Ok, here’s one we can’t get enough of. If you are venturing into North Asheville it’s definitely worth a stop at the family-owned Geraldine’s Bakery. You won’t find any frills, but instead an authentic bakery with fresh and delicious donuts, as well as cookies, cakes, pies, and savory treats. One of our favorite donuts at Geraldine’s is their Boston Cream donut– it’s filled to the brim with a delicious custard. SO MUCH CUSTARD.
About Geraldine’s Bakery
Availability: open Wednesday to Sunday from 7am to 1pm. Asheville hours strike again!
Location: 840 Merrimon Ave // North Asheville
Local vs. chain: Local
Flavor assortment: Geraldine’s offers delicious yeast doughnuts in traditional flavors. You’ll find a variety of donuts (Glazed, Sprinkled, Sliced Almonds, Coconut, Bismarcks, Boston Cream, Cinnamon Bun) as well as apple fritters and other pastries.
Coffee and other drinks: Dynamite Roasting Co drip coffee poured out of perfectly on brand old-school diner-style round coffee pot. Geraldine’s also has a beverage cooler with bottled drinks.
Other menu items: Apart from donuts you’ll find a ton of other pastries and baked goods. Their danish assortment is top-notch (cinnamon, cheese, fruit, guava.) They also have chocolate eclairs, pastry cigars, sprinkle cookies, hamantaschen, bagels (plain and everything) and croissants. They also have breakfast sandwiches (egg and cheese on your choice of croissant or bagel and a variety of protein options) and hashbrowns!
Dietary Options: Not many vegan or gluten-free baked goods options, but they do have an amazing vegan chocolate pecan cookie!
Pricing: Donuts are $1.50. Danish, pastries and eclairs are $3.95.
Instagram-ness: Really cute in an old-school bakery kind of way. See note about the diner-style coffee pots above. It’s nothing fancy but definitely has a New York bakery vibe!
Award: Best Boston Cream donut!!! Please, please, please try one.
4. Stay Glazed (Downtown Asheville)
If you’re into funky foodie flavors then Stay Glazed is the doughnut shop for you! They come up with the most unique and interesting flavors and boy do they deliver. Everything is small-batch, hand-cut and made fresh! And you better catch them quick– they are known to sell out!
About Stay Glazed
Availability: open Wednesday-Sunday (and they are known to sell out!)
Location: 22 S Pack Square // Downtown Asheville — They’re located in a cool underground spot just a few doors down from French Broad Chocolate Lounge.
Local vs. chain: Local
Flavor assortment: Their flavors are INSPIRED! You’ll find things like miso maple and bacon, raspberry sriracha, dirty pumpkin chai, sweet potato curry and strawberry cookie butter. And a strawberry Simpson’s donut! You know, like… the Simpson’s donut…
Coffee and other drinks: You can grab a coffee, espresso drink or hot tea.
Other menu items: Stay Glazed has more than donuts on the menu! You’ll also find things like a build-your-own breakfast sandwich and breakfast burrito. On Sundays they only have coffee and donuts, though.
Dietary Options: Their mochi dough is gluten-free!
Pricing: Doughnuts range in price from $2.50 to $3.50 or $15 per half dozen and $30 per dozen.
Instagram-ness: The flavors alone are Instagram-worthy! And it’s kind of fun going down the stairs to what feels like it could be a dungeon. Instead, you’ll find FRUITY PEBBLE DONUTS! And you’ll also feel like you are in your friend’s parent’s basement, board games and all!
Award: Best donut flavors in Asheville!
5. Ava’s Doughnuts (South Asheville)
When you find yourself in South Asheville in need of a doughnut fix, Ava’s Doughnuts is a great place to stop! Their doughnuts are huge (specifically, tall) and are always fresh. We love to pick them up on our way of town and always remark how they keep fresh all day. And compared to all the other doughnut shops in town, you can’t beat their prices.
About Ava’s Donuts
Availability: open Tuesday-Saturday (6am to 6pm) and Sunday (6am to 2pm.)
Location: 26 Carl Alwin Place // South Asheville near Biltmore Park
Local vs. chain: Local
Flavor assortment: Ava’s specializes in the classic doughnut flavors (think: cinnamon sugar, glazed…) with a few specialty flavors mixed in (cookies and cream! Red velvet!)
Coffee and other drinks: Nothing fancy but you can grab a hot cup of coffee! It’s also located next to a Starbucks if you need a fancy drink (though to be honest that’s not the When In Asheville style!)
Other menu items: None
Dietary Options: None
Pricing: The doughnuts range from $0.99 for a glazed (!!!) and up to $1.89 for a specialty doughnut. They offer an assorted mix by the half dozen for $7.99 and by the dozen for $15.99.
Instagram-ness: The donuts are pretty cute! It’s just a standard donut shop but it feels nice inside and is always clean! But does it have a blue vintage truck out front a la Hole Donuts? Sadly, no.
Award: The donuts most likely to stay fresh all day! Ok, they really do stay fresh all day!! We like to bring these with us on road trips because they don’t need to be consumed immediately (unlike the freshly fried ones at Hole!) We don’t know Ava’s magic is but we’re obsessed!
6. Duck Donuts (North Asheville)
Duck Donuts is unique on our list for two reasons: Well, first of all, Duck Donuts is the lone chain on our list. I know, I know. But hear me out– it’s a North Carolina chain! So that’s local, right? Enough of that, let’s focus on reason number two! Like Hole Doughnuts, Duck makes their donuts to order. But instead of only having a few daily flavors, the sky is the limit! They have so many toppings and you can choose from a list of flavors or design your own creation.
About Duck Donuts
Availability: closed Mondays
Location: 182 Merrimon Ave // North Asheville
Local vs. chain: The one and only chain we are featuring. But only because it’s a North Carolina chain!!
Flavor assortment: Duck Donuts fries their donuts right up front and then decorates them to order. You can choose from a menu of flavors (ex. blueberry pancake, maple bacon, lemon with raspberry drizzle, s’mores…) or create your own. The donut dough itself is pretty cakey and crispy from the fryer.
Coffee and other drinks: Duck Donuts has hot coffee, cold brew, iced coffee, iced tea and hot chocolate. They also have bottled Pepsi drinks available.
Other menu items: In addition to donuts you can grab a breakfast sandwich with sausage or bacon on a bagel. Duck Donuts also has milkshakes and even an ice cream sundae donut!
Dietary Options: None.
Pricing: Donuts are $2.05 each. A half dozen is $9.85 and a full dozen is $17.95.
Instagram-ness: Ehh… it’s a chain. I don’t know. The shop itself isn’t uniquely Asheville but the donuts are certainly happy and colorful!
Award: Best for kids! Not only can your kids customize their own donuts, but they can also watch the donut making and decorating process from start to finish. Bonus: since their donuts are freshly made on the spot, you can rest assured that Duck Donuts won’t run out of the sprinkle one (or whatever your kiddo has their heart set on!) before you arrive.
7. Ivory Road Café and Kitchen (South Asheville)
We’re going to sneak this one in here even though they only offer doughnuts on Saturdays. But we love their unique flavors (think: Muscadine, London Fog and Pumpkin Spice) so much that we wanted to include them. Plus, their breakfast and lunch menu is excellent!
About Ivory Road Café
Availability: Donuts are only available on Saturdays
Location: 1854 Brevard Rd // South Asheville
Local vs. chain: Local
Flavor assortment: Ivory Road offers a couple of unique flavors every Saturday! They typically post the day’s flavors on their Instagram so check there first.
Coffee and other drinks: Coffee and espresso drinks on tap! They also have beer, cider, wine and smoothies.
Other menu items: Ivory Road is most known for their breakfast and lunch. They have great quiche, paninis, salads and soups. Ivory Road also caters!
Dietary Options: Their donuts aren’t vegan or gluten-free, but a few of their breakfast + lunch menu items are. They have gluten-free bread that can be subbed for $.50 and several menu items that can be made vegan.
Pricing: Pricing varies but donuts are typically in the $2.00 to $2.50 range.
Instagram-ness: Their outdoor seating and Little Library are
Award: Best place to grab lunch with your donut! But only on a Saturday for donuts!!
8. Bargello’s Donut Holes (Saturday and Sunday only!!)
Bargello has the most amazing donut holes in town and I couldn’t finish this list off without sharing them. The caveat is that these donut holes are only available during their weekend brunch!! But, if you are in need of brunch and want the best donut holes in town– Bargello is your place!
About Bargello
Availability: donuts are only available on their brunch menu (Saturdays and Sundays)
Location: 7 Patton Avenue | Downtown (located at the Kimpton Hotel Arras)
Local vs. chain: Local
Flavor assortment: One flavor! Rosewater Glaze & Pistachio Dukkah. Amazing.
Coffee and other drinks:
Other menu items: Full brunch menu
Dietary Options: None.
Pricing: $12
Award: Best gourmet donut holes in Asheville!
9. BONUS! Velvet Cup mini doughnuts (Pisgah Forest)
While not Asheville, The Velvet Cup is the perfect stop when venturing into Brevard or Pisgah National Forest. Velvet Cup’s mini donuts are such a treat (especially if you like funnel cakes!) Always parked in front of The Hub, the Velvet Cup coffee trailer has a doughnut fryer on board so you can get piping hot mini doughnuts by the half dozen or dozen. We typically opt for a dozen (6 powdered sugar and 6 cinnamon sugar) and grab a latte or iced latte depending on the weather. And then we head over to Sycamore Flats!
About Velvet Cup
Availability: open all week!!
Location: 11 Mama’s Pl (The Hub’s parking lot!) // right at the Brevard entrance to Pisgah National Forest
Local vs. chain: Local
Flavor assortment: Velvet Cup has four classic flavors (cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, salted caramel and salted chocolate) and one seasonal flavor.
Coffee and other drinks: Velvet Cup is primarily a coffee truck, so you’ll find tons of coffee and espresso options as well as cold brew. They also have hot chocolate and steamed milk for the kiddos.
Other menu items: Velvet Cup has a protein shake and fruit smoothies on the menu.
Dietary Options: None. Their donuts contain gluten and are not vegan.
Pricing: $3.20 for a half dozen mini donuts and $5.20 for a full dozen. They really are mini, so we always opt for a full dozen. You have the option for two flavors with a full dozen and one with a half.
Instagram-ness: Velvet Cup is just a small coffee trailer but it’s AT THE ENTRANCE TO PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST! Grab a latte and a dozen mini donuts and hop on over to Sycamore Flats for some picture-perfect shots. Or you could drive a bit further to Looking Glass Falls!
Award: Best donuts in Brevard!
