Let’s get one thing straight; donuts are not just something to be enjoyed at the fairground or eaten by police officers on break.
In fact, as far as I am concerned, donuts can be eaten at any time, night or day. The question is, however, where can you find the best donuts in Houston?
Many spots serve up amazing donuts in Houston, many of which are the big brands you probably see on every corner. But the ones I am more focused on, on the small-time cafes and boujee pastry bars.
Where to Find The Best Donuts in Houston, TX
So, I was lucky enough to head off around Houston to test out some of the best donut joints in the area, and out of everywhere I tried, I narrowed it down to this list of my top picks.
As well as judging the quality and flavor factor of donuts, I also checked out what other qualities the spots had in terms of menu, seating, and niches, to see what made them stand out.
I also checked out the price and tried to choose a selection of places ranging from budget to higher end.
Regarding dietary requirements, of course, it can be pretty hard to get your hands on gluten-free donuts, but I’ve done my best and tried to rally up something to suit everyone’s likes and dislikes.
So, let’s look at the best places serving the best donuts Houston.
1. Home Cut Donuts
| Address: | 6807 Stewart Road, Galveston, TX 77551 |
| Tel: | 409-744-8887 |
| Website: | www.homecutdonutsfacebook.com |
My Recommendation: Toasted Coconut Donut
If you’re looking for a great selection of donuts, then this is one place you will want to head to.
Imagine the pick-and-mix wall when you go to the movies. Well, now imagine it being full of all the different flavored donuts you can think of, and that’s what it’s like in this little donut shack.
I was spoilt for choice when I walked in here, and let’s face it, there is only so much a girl can eat in one sitting, but I did my best for research!
As well as just donuts, they had plenty of other sweet goods, too, such as cinnamon twists and strawberry strudels.
I know this place isn’t located precisely in Houston, but it’s near enough and worth the twenty-minute drive.
Regarding dietary requirements, nothing stood out to me as aimed explicitly at gluten-free; however, if you ask, they may be able to help out. It was pretty busy when I visited, so I couldn’t do much digging.
I was also pleasantly surprised at the low cost of all the pastries here, considering everything is baked fresh each day and made to a very high standard.
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2. Hugs & Donuts
| Address: | 1901 N Shepherd Dr. Ste 4, Houston, TX 77008 |
| Tel: | 713-485-6443 |
| Website: | www.hugsanddonuts.com |
My Recommendation: Biscoff Cookie Butter
A place for any donut lover’s dream, this shop makes all their pastries in-house using the freshest ingredients in town.
You may have already eaten from this team of cooks before, as they have other venues across Houston, such as the pop-up birdhouse and H-Town StrEATS, which is their cool food truck.
What I love the most about Hugs and Donuts is how often they rotate their specials. It means they’ve usually got something new to try each time you visit. However, they always keep the staples on the menu, such as glazed donuts, cake donuts, fritters, and sprinkles.
They have some unusual flavors of donuts here, such as apple cider and green coconut tea. Overall I settled for one of my top flavors at the moment, the biscoff cookie butter, which didn’t disappoint.
One thing I will advise is that the seating here is minimal, although you should usually be okay to find a table should you need one, as customers take their meals to go.
I thought the prices were fair, at $1.50 for a regular flavor and $2.50 for the more adventurous varieties. They also have a vegan choice but no gluten-free options.
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3. Glazed Donut Cafe
| Address: | 1333 Old Spanish Trl 100-E, Houston, TX 77054 |
| Tel: | 346-718-2846 |
| Website: | www.eatglazed.com |
My Recommendation: Glazed Breakfast Sandwich
Okay, for starters, anywhere that serves donuts 24 hours a day deserves a place on any list discussing the best donuts in Houston. But, aside from that, you must try some special donuts on this menu.
My advice, if you try one thing after reading this guide, try this! Firstly, it has the expected window of colorful donuts ranging from glazed and raspberry coconut to the dirty zebra and pineapple upside down, which are all fantastic.
However, when I found out I could get my bacon and egg breakfast sandwiched between a warm glazed donut, my jaw nearly hit the floor, and I just had to have it.
Some of the other unique selections on the menu were a french toast donut, grilled cheese on a glazed donut, and glazed beef burgers.
Regarding the prices, they ranged from $1.50 to $3.59. Of course, the higher the costs, the more extravagant flavors, such as the death of chocolate and smores.
All the donuts here are homemade and super light, so you don’t feel quite so guilty about eating more than one (or two or three).
Another reason to visit here is that you can watch the donuts being made while sitting inside. However, the seating is limited, so you might have to wait a while if you want to eat.
My only downside with this place was that the decor inside wasn’t very welcoming; it felt a little drab and unfinished, but it didn’t take away from the tasty donut experience.
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4. VooDoo Doughnut
| Address: | 3715 Washington Ave, Ste A, Houston, TX 77007 |
| Tel: | 346-802-3138 |
| Website: | www.voodoodoughnut.com |
My Recommendation: Ring of Fire
The Voodoo Doughnut company originated in Portland after the founders saw a gap in the market due their not being a single donut shop in the area. The whole idea behind their brand is bright colors, themed décor, funky recipes, and offering top-notch hospitality, which comes across in all of their stores.
They now have stores located all over the U.S, serving class and unconventional homemade donuts, which are baked in-house every day. You may have even seen one of their stores on TV, as they have been featured on shows such as the Cooking Channel, The Today Show, and Access Hollywood.
I love anything that stands out regarding themes, bold names, and unusual decor, so this place was already right up my alley before I even tried the donuts.
On the menu, you’ll see some quite unorthodox names for their menus, such as Grape Ape, Viscous Hibiscus, Guava Colada, Ring of Fire, and Marshall Mathers.
Being a lover of all things spicy, I couldn’t choose the Ring of Fire, and I’m glad I did. It was like no donut I’d had anywhere before, flavored with cinnamon, sugar, cayenne pepper, and dried red chili. It was really unique.
This is another shop which is open 24 hours a day, but only Thursday to Sunday, Monday to Wednesday they close at 11:00 pm.
The pricing ranges quite a lot, but on average, if you want to try an exclusive donut, it can be anywhere from $2.00 to $4.00.
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5. Mochinut
| Address: | 9798 Bellaire Blvd, Ste E, Houston, TX 77036 |
| Tel: | 832-930-7759 |
| Website: | www.mochinut.com |
My Recommendation: Black Sesame
This is a whole new spin on donut-making, and I just love it! If you’ve eaten at a sushi bar, you may have tried mochi desserts there and already have an idea of what these will be like.
Mochinut is a donut that originated in Hawaii initially. It is a combination of Japanese mochi and American donuts, and when I first tried them, I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t found out about them earlier!
They are becoming increasingly popular across America, mainly because of their diverse shape, fantastic texture, and chewy filling.
The difference between these and regular donuts is that they are made with rice flour, which forms a stretchy, gooey texture when eaten, which might not be to everyone’s taste, but personally, I love it.
As well as the donuts, this restaurant has a great selection of unique corndogs. Some of which are coated in diced potato or hot Cheetos.
The restaurant is a modern little joint, with bright lights on the walls in the shape of corn dogs, and the kitchen is in view, so you can see the staff working behind the scenes.
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6. River Oaks Donuts
| Address: | 3601 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77027 |
| Tel: | 713-961-9458 |
| Website: | www.riveroaksdonuts.com |
My Recommendation: Pumpkin Spice Donut
After a lot of searching, I managed to hunt down a great donut shop serving various gluten-free donuts.
The menu here was huge, and I was spoilt for choice. They didn’t have many quirky and diverse selections I came across in other places, but that didn’t matter because there were so many to choose from.
I went for the cherry donut with sprinkles and the Pumpkin Spice donut holes (my first pumpkin spice item of the year; I had to.) Both were delicious and fresh, and the flavors and texture were incredible.
Out of all the places in my guide, this was probably the lowest regarding pricing. At only $1.29 to $2.09, you could really go crazy in here. Or, if you want more of a selection for your money, the donut holes are only .45c each.
They had a specific section for anyone needing a gluten-free option, and it had plenty of choices, such as powdered sugar, blueberry, and others, including seasonal flavors.
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To Sum Up
Overall, I think I have to say that the Korean mochinuts were my top pick out of everything I tried, and I highly recommend giving them a go, especially if it’s not something you’ve tried.
I hope that this guide has given you some helpful insight into where to find the best donuts in Houston. If you’ve found this helpful, you should look at some of my other tops picks for places to eat across Houston, such as 6 Best Persian Restaurants in Houston for Authentic Persian Food and 7 Best Places To Have Thai Food in Houston | 2022.