This mom-and-pop shack on the side of the road with yeasty doughnut delights and pies doesn’t seem like much visually, but the doughnuts and pastries make up for the lack of ambience. Only four people are allowed in the store at once, but the small shack has a huge parking lot — wait your turn in the car. Open seven days a week. (Note: After over four decades in business, the Leavitts sold the bakery to new owners in mid-2021.)

The Holy Donut popularized the potato doughnut, and the world is better for it. The now-closed flagship location in Old Port had lines spilling into the streets. Today you can find the Holy Donut on Park Avenue in Portland, as well as in Scarborough and Auburn, and a new location will open on Commercial Street in Old Port in summer 2021. Don’t miss the Maine blueberry jam doughnut. 

With a rotating monthly menu of special doughnuts, along with lots of vegan and gluten-free options, there’s a lot to love at Lovebirds Donuts. Heading up to Kennebunk or York Beach, grab these on your way and the crowd will go wild. You can’t go wrong with any doughnut here, but for the Instagrammers, nothing trumps the watermelon sugar. Open mornings daily.

Unlike some of the other doughnut spots on this list, Brothers’ wants you to take a seat. The old fashioned counter is worth a day trip itself. Next door at Brackett’s, the doughnuts are utilized for sundaes and desserts. Try the buttercrunch, and be sure to follow Brothers’ Brew on Facebook, because the shop has been known to give out free doughnuts when the staff “miscalculates” the baking needs for the day.

This is a full-service grocery with the most banging bakery around. If you are heading to Crane’s Beach or Manchester-by-the-Sea for the day, you can call ahead to pick up your doughnuts curbside. While anything with chocolate frosting is top-notch, Henry’s chocolate glazed is the perfect combination of cake, crunch, and airy lightness. The eclair is the length of a lower arm and a delight in every bite.

Stop by Glazy Susan for the vanilla glazed, Vietnamese coffee, or lemon sumac doughnuts on your way out “west.” Boasting dough that rises for 24 hours, Susan’s doughnuts are light and airy.

Heading to Provincetown or spending a weekend on the Cape? Hole in One Bakery boasts two locations in Eastham and Orleans. Get your doughnuts early, and note that in the summer, the lines can be long. If you see the sour cream doughnuts or the coffee roll, try them.

From cake to brioche doughnuts and even old fashioned, PVDonuts has something for everyone. The shop rotates its options monthly but will always have the honey cruller — for good reason. If available, try the purple cow with black raspberry jam or the samoa. Open mornings and afternoons Wednesday through Sunday.

Worth the ferry ride for piping hot doughnuts. If you arrive in Oak Bluffs at night, you’ll smell the doughnuts on your way in. The doughnuts are sold via the bakery’s purple back door to those wandering by from 7 to 10 p.m. By day (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.), enter through the front for coffee and doughnuts. The shop does the classics very well (honey dipped, cinnamon sugar, and chocolate) and always offers a few curveballs. The apple fritter is the size of a dodgeball. Open every day except Tuesdays.

Located in Olde Mistick Village, Deviant Donuts attracts a significant following daily. With a marshmallow glazed doughnut decorated like Paw Patrol and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle doughnut, Deviant Donuts has generational appeal. Whether you are visiting Mystic Aquarium or any number of Mystic’s restaurants, an early trip to Deviant Donuts is worth it.

Located steps from Mystic Pizza, Young Buns features unique creations like the namesake young bun, a vanilla doughnut coated with buttercrunch and the seasonal jelly, filled with peach bourbon jam. Young Buns is open every day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for takeout only, and the doughnuts tend to sell out. Order online if you have your heart set on a particular breed.