Here’s good news and bad news when it comes to donuts in Kansas City. The bad news: LaMar’s Donuts and Coffee, debatably our city’s most iconic and historic donut shop (it opened in 1963), is one of the most expensive spots in town for the sugary pastries; you can easily spend more than $30 for a run-of-the-mill dozen. That being said, that damn glazed donut is still one of the softest bits of dough you’ll ever pop in your mouth.
The good news, however: Donuts on the lower end of the price spectrum are equally delicious throughout KC, and these are the spots I found myself coming back to as I built this list. Some of the spots below are real holes-in-the-wall (pun intended), with little but a cracked linoleum floor and a display case packed with long johns, twisted crullers and fritters.
From tried-and-true classics to innovators bringing us a new age of glazed confections, here are the best spots to grab a twisted cruller or a cronut, a classic glazed donut or a sourdough one—and even one painted with ube glaze.
Slow Rise
11228 W. 135th St., Overland Park. slowrise.co.
Thursday–Friday, 8 am–11 am; Saturday, 9 am–11 am.
It’s been quite a few years since we’ve seen any metro donut shop offer anything other than the traditional yeast and cake donuts. The last shakeup was the introduction of the mochi donut—a tasty cross between a traditional American-style donut and Japanese mochi—by Blackhole Bakery and Mr. D’s Donuts.
But that changed when Slow Rise came on the scene as an Overland Park Farmers Market pop-up. Slow Rise slings one kind of donut only—sourdough—filled with various creams and jams inspired by owner Jessica Dunkel’s Indonesian heritage (sweet-filled breads are common in Indonesia). Dunkel’s new-ish storefront offers 20 different flavors each morning.
And if you thought Slow Rise’s move from a pop-up to a brick and mortar in south Overland Park meant less waiting in literal hour-long Farmers Market lines, you’re (kind of) correct.
Slow Rise’s tangy, sugar-coated donuts are still glorious (which is really unfortunate for those of us who’d rather not fight for morning pastries), so I recommend getting your fix as soon as the store opens. I arrived there on a Thursday morning at 9:30 am and there were only six flavors left. I’m sure they sold out just a few customers later. While Slow Rise technically shuts its doors at 11 am, there never seem to be donuts left at closing time.
Know that it doesn’t matter whether you think you like filled donuts or not. Slow Rise exceeds all expectations. After trying one, you’ll like filled donuts—I promise. With flavors like earl grey chocolate, strawberry milk, biscoff cookie butter and salted miso caramel, there is something to please most any palate. Slow Rise’s sourdough creations have definitely become one KC’s must-try donuts.
But Dunkel will be the first to tell you to eat the donuts immediately. They are best enjoyed within an hour of getting your hands on one, so dig in.
Fresh Donuts
Multiple locations. Tuesday–Sunday, 5 am–1 pm.
Several places in the metro boast about their delicious cronuts, but it’s the Northland’s Fresh Donuts on Barry Road that serves the best. Think of a cross between a croissant and a donut, with layers and layers of dough deep-fried and glazed. Biting into these square-shaped confections delivers a delicate crunch.
The Northland business, which opened during Covid and quickly expanded to the Legends and Parkville, serves the usual cake and yeast donut varieties, but for this time of year, I recommend the pumpkin spice cake donut. It was just as I expected, tender, crumbly and perfect after such a heat-drenched summer.
Donut King
2320 Armour Road, North KCMO. donutkingkc.com.
Monday–Sunday, 5 am–8 pm.
My dad is a truck driver, and throughout my childhood, he would get off work at the crack of dawn, just in time for Donut King to open. I wondered if the Northland shop would live up to my childhood memories, and all I can say is Donut King remains the truth for any and all donuts.
Along with LaMar’s, Donut King is one of Kansas City’s oldest donut shops and has one of the largest donut selections in the city. The bright-pink and purple shop is great if you’re up earlier than you want to be, when the sun hasn’t fully risen and you need something to take the edge off. It’s also open later than almost any other donut shop in town if you want a late-night fix.
Might I suggest a classic glazed, a long john or the cherry cake donut?
Fox & Bull Baking Co.
10510 Grandview Road, KCMO. foxandbullkc.com.
Thursday–Sunday, 7:30 am–1:30 pm.
Available on Fridays and Sundays only, this artisan bakery sitting just outside Grandview fries up sourdough brioche donuts. Come early for a lemon blueberry, key lime pie or peanut butter and jelly donut. Whatever the flavor of the week, it’s sure to be soft as a cloud (and worth the drive).
Johnny’s Donuts
4424 Prospect Ave, KCMO. Wednesday–Sunday, 4:30 am–3:30 pm.
Just a block southeast of Ivanhoe Park is Johnny’s, one of those hole-in-the-wall neighborhood joints that only accepts cash for its donuts, cheeseburgers and catfish sandwiches. The latter two menu items are strictly lunch items. As for breakfast, start with a classic glazed donut, or, if your arteries can handle it, get the chicken, bacon and cheese donut sandwich.
Hana’s Donuts
2131 S. 34th St., KCK. hanasdonuts.co.
Wednesday–Friday, 5:30–noon; Saturday–Sunday, 6:30 am–noon.
Out of all the donut displays, Hana’s is the most scrumptious-looking. From the cherry-glazed heart donuts beside the lemon lace pastries to the perfect tier of Homer Simpson donuts above the strawberry knots, each intricate and uniquely filled pastry adds to the display case’s sense of fantastical wonderment. Luckily, they taste good, too.
The strawberry knot is sizable, it almost looks like the bow on a christmas wreath. The cashier recommended it as a customer favorite. Even with its large size, it’s fluffy, with mellow layers of a strawberry preserve that make for a luscious tang. However, it must be said that the old-fashioned, with its crisp edges and crumbly bite, might be one of the best I’ve ever had.
Hot tip: The staff will fill a donut upon request.
Blackhole Bakery
5531 Troost Ave., KCMO. blackholebakery.com.
Tuesday–Friday, 7 am–2 pm; Saturday–Sunday, 8 am–2 pm
You might be tired of seeing Blackhole Bakery’s mochi donuts continually make our “best of” lists throughout the years (and yes, the bakery’s gravy-filled croissant just made our Best Biscuits and Gravy list in August), but it’s a civic duty. The slightly-smaller-than-a-baseball donuts are made with rice flour and therefore have a delicate chewiness that’s hard to find anywhere else in town.
They come in flavors like horchata, hibiscus lime and root beer float, but the chocolate—aka, the Blackhole—is a menu staple and a must try.
Mr. D’s Donuts
11222 W. 75th St., Shawnee, KS. mrdsdonuts.com.
Tuesday–Sunday, 5:30 am–noon.
It’s hard not to love the mom-and-pop feel of Mr. D’s dining room, with its mint-green and butter-yellow countertops and stools bolted to the ground. The Shawnee strip-mall shop feels vintage, and the donuts are made daily, including the popular mochi donuts.
Unlike Blackhole Bakery’s mochi donuts , Mr. D’s are served as rings, like the more traditional versions of the pastry. Skip the ones dressed like Patrick Mahomes or the Cookie Monster and order the ube, a purple yam native to Southeast Asia, and frosted animal cracker flavors.
