The Search for Utah’s Best Donuts
**update June 2, 2017: our complete guide, with more than 25 Utah shops, can be found here: https://medium.com/@bradensthompson/utahs-best-donuts-ea1424104b2
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for two people to determine the best donuts in Utah, a shared love for raised dough and glaze requires that they should declare those results on the internet for all to see.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all donuts are not created equal. As such, we (Casey Williams and Braden Thompson), submit the following donut report.
We emphasize that this is only a preliminary report. As we embarked upon our quest, it became apparent that this project was much larger than we had anticipated. Though we would have preferred to wait to publish any findings until our research was complete, the pressures from peers and strangers on Twitter have become unbearable.
We concluded that releasing this incomplete report was the only way to quell the angry mobs of internet users. Please accept the following, unfinished report, and stay tuned for more conclusive findings in the months to come.
Method
The following is our method for gathering data and analyzing results.
- Identify a store that sells donuts
- Drive (or ride Razor scooters side by side if it’s not that far) to the donut shop identified in step 1
- Scour the donut selection for delicious donuts
- Inquire about the shop’s most popular donut(s)
- Purchase donuts using official, unmarked, non-sequential U.S currency
- Eat donuts
- Analyze and report donut deliciousness
Judging donuts is serious business. We understand that donut deliciousness is different for every donut eater. As such, we aim to objectively describe each donut experience. However, we are who we are, so we will also submit subjective recommendations based on our preferences.
For example, Casey loves maple bars, while Braden thinks they are a waste of dough. Thereby, any judgement of maple bars will come from Casey. And Braden loves filled donuts, while Casey thinks the hole in the donut is there for a reason. Thereby, any judgement of filled donuts will come from Braden.
It should also be noted that neither of us have a preference for cake donuts, which has been a sore spot for east coasters #westcoastbias. So the only cake donuts that were judged were ones that were specifically recommended by the donut shops as one of their most popular donuts.
Scope
Our findings come exclusively from local donut shops in Utah. None of our findings will include donuts from larger chains like Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts, though Braden does consider chocolate glazed Krispy Kremes and Red Bull to be the breakfast of champions. But that is neither here nor there.
For this preliminary report, the northernmost shop we visited was Tasty’s in Kaysville; the easternmost shop we visited was Twice the Dough in Park City; the southernmost shop we visited was Lehi Bakery in Lehi; and the westernmost shop we visited was My Sugar’s Donut Shopp in West Valley.
Findings
Without further ado, we present to you the meat and potatoes (or more appropriately, sugar and dough) of our research.
Tasty’s: Kaysville
Recommended by the bakery: blueberry cake, glazed (spudnut)
We got a bunch of recommendations for this place. There are a lot of die-hard Tasty’s fans out there, which came as a surprise to us only after we visited the shop. Overall, we came to the conclusion that Tasty’s isn’t horrible, but among the ranks of “best donuts in Utah” it’s definitely closer to the bottom of the list (sorry, friends).
Braden’s Take:
Though I don’t like cake donuts, I tried the blueberry cake donut on recommendation of the nice lady behind the counter. Frankly, I didn’t hate it. In terms of cake donuts, it wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t make me change my opinion on cake donuts. I also had the spudnut. I didn’t hate it. I enjoy a nice glazed spudnut. I also had their Bavarian cream donut, which just tasted like your basic grocery store version of the same.
Casey’s Take
Better than a grocery store donut, but that is about it. The first bite cracked the frosting throughout the maple bar and I had to bear watching the sweetness of my donut fall to the floor. On the bright side, the regulars that visit the donut shop in the morning are A+ quality. Average donuts, exceptional people.
Lehi Bakery: Lehi
Recommended by the bakery: buttermilk glazed, maple bar, square glazed
This shop screams “we know what the hell we’re doing” as you pull up to the small store front on main street in Lehi. Overall, this is one of the best shops we have visited.
Braden’s Take
I’m a firm believer that if a donut shop kills it with their glazed donut, they’ve got things figured out. Lehi Bakery is no exception. Their glazed donuts are square, which is cool, but the dough is phenomenal. These guys know their way around flour and sugar. I could have eaten just the glazed donut and still rated these guys as high as I did. They also had a buttermilk glazed donut that could convince me to lighten up on my no-cake-donut stance. It was dense and delicious. Lastly, I tried their Bavarian creme, which was as great as I expected.
Casey’s Take
Hands down best maple bar I’ve had in my entire life. A perfect 10 on all levels. Lehi Bakery uses a frosting rather than a glaze and that made all the difference. Their glazed donut may have been laced with cocaine because I was left wanting more. A true diamond in the rough.
My Sugar’s Donut Shopp/Darla’s Donuts: West Valley
Recommended by the bakery: root beer float, orange creme
We grouped these two together because from what we can tell, they are run by the same parent bakery (Sugar Baby’s inc.), and they are pretty close to each other geographically (and probably emotionally, we don’t doubt that donut shops have the ability to build friendships with each other). Both shops are in little strip malls, and the employees were very inviting. Especially Darla. Made us dream a little about owning our own donut shops.
Braden’s Take
In terms of a good, overall donut shop, these guys did a pretty good job. They have some of the most unique donuts we have found in any of the shops. For example, the root beer float donut. I was super skeptical about this. Anything root beer flavored usually isn’t my favorite. But for some reason the donut wasn’t that bad. The root beer glaze and the whipped cream filling worked really well together. The orange creme is the exact same donut, just with orange glaze instead. Another thing I liked about this place was their blueberry glaze, which is similar to Donuts and Deli’s, but not quit as good.
Casey’s Take
I’ve been back multiple times since my first visit. They had all the options that you expect with a few extras. I too tried the root beer float donut and was pleasantly surprised, different taste but not in a bad way. Probably the best donut shop on the west side of the valley.
Parson’s Bakery: Bountiful
Recommended by the bakery: Maple bar
Not sure we would even call this place a donut shop. They make a few donuts. The selection isn’t great. And don’t expect to get any donuts until after 8:30am, even though they open much earlier.
Braden’s Take
I got a chocolate iced donut, a glazed donut and a chocolate cake donut. Honestly, I don’t even remember much about them. Probably my least favorite shop so far.
Casey’s Take
This is a hard one for me. I was enticed to go here because a coworker brought me some donuts from here and they were delicious. When we went in person it was not the same. My donuts were burnt and the frosting was thin and runny. Not very impressed. While waiting for my donuts to be made I had a cinnamon roll and it was delicious. I feel like the potential is there, but the inconsistency turns me off.
Donuts and Deli: 2700 State Street
Recommended by the bakery: blueberry glazed
If we were forced to choose only one as the “Best in SLC”, it would be this shop. These guys are on another level. Exactly the kind of outlier we are looking for in our search.
Braden’s Take
Where do I even begin. When I think about what makes a donut good, it always comes down to the dough. You can go to places like VooDoo donuts or Beyond Glaze if you want fancy/crazy toppings. But toppings are a cop out, and anyone can do crazy toppings. What’s difficult to master is the dough. In my humble opinion, Donuts and Deli has the best raised donut dough in the state (at least that I’ve tasted thus far). My absolute favorite here is the blueberry glazed. That donut melts in your freaking mouth. It’s simple perfection.
Casey’s Take
Amazing! They have perfected the donut. I’m a maple bar guy but the blueberry glazed persuaded me otherwise for a day. We arrived early, around 7:30am, and when I saw the line was 10 deep out the door I knew I was in for a treat. The dough was perfect consistency. The glaze was sweet enough to satisfy the taste buds but not so overpowering that it made me sick. 10/10 would recommend.
Twice the Dough: Park City
Recommended by the bakery: orange, blueberry (gluten free)
Not all the donuts were done when we were let in by the chill owner, but we did have a nice selection to choose from. This shop’s claim to fame is fancy donuts made with wholesome ingredients. So expect to pay a lot more than you would at another shop.
Braden’s Take
I’ll say, I have never had a donut like the donuts these guys make. The consistency was so new to me. It was super dense, almost like bread. But it was delicious. I tried their orange glazed, the cinnamon crumb, and the blueberry, which is gluten free. The orange donut stood out the most of the three. Again, with their dough being so delicious and special, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of their flavors.
Casey’s Take
The most unique donut I’ve ever had. Thick and hearty, I usually have the stomach for 3–4 donuts before I am full, but at this shop I could only digest 1 donut before I felt full. We pulled up at our typical early hour and were surprised that the shop did not open for another hour and a half. The owner noticed that we were waiting and opened the doors to us early and gave us first dibs of the day. Great donuts but even better management.
Dunford Bakers: West Jordan
As self-proclaimed non-fans of cake donuts, we weren’t quite sure how we would like Dunford. All the donuts we see in stores and gas stations from Dunford are cake donuts. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that their HQ store is a giant, wonderful, self-serve mecca of donuts: cake and raised alike.
Braden’s Take
For a mass-produced donut, Dunford wasn’t half bad. It’s about what you would expect. I’d probably rate it somewhere in the middle of all the places we’ve been. I had a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup donut—which was pretty good—but I love Reese’s, so that’s a biased opinion. They pulled the VooDoo Donuts card and tried to win me with toppings. However, one of the gems I found there was a raspberry cream donut, which was a raspberry filled donut with cream frosting. If you like filled donuts, that is one I recommend putting in your belly.
Casey’s Take
From glazed to fruity pebbles flavored donuts they have the largest assortment of donuts of any shop we visited. Typically when you increase the quantity you lose in the quality department, but that was not the case with Dunford. I had the Snickers donut and was pleasantly surprised. If you are in the mood to try something new I suggest giving this donut shop a visit.
Banbury Cross: 700 S 700 E
As bad as it sounds, we went into Banbury with a little bias against them. Mostly because everyone seems to profess they’d give their firstborn for a donut there, and it just seemed too good to be true. But truth be told, Banbury knows what they are doing. We had to rate them pretty high. Their dough is well made. While we still don’t put them ahead of Donuts and Deli, they’re right up there.
Braden’s Take
The strawberry donut is by far my favorite here. It’s just your basic raised donut with strawberry glaze, but it works. When a simple donut is done right, it’s hard not to love. Their bavarian cream is also top notch. That’s a difficult donut to do well, and I think they do a pretty good job of it.
Casey’s Take
When your donut shop has a shed to house all the sugar you go through, you know you’ve made it. One of the most popular donuts shops in the valley and I understand why. We ate our donuts in the shop and the visitors were non-stop. Their maple bar was the best I’ve had when it comes to using the maple glaze (see Lehi bakery above). The dough consistency was perfect, not too thick but not too airy, while maintaining the melt in your mouth experience. P.S if you are ever in a hurry Banbury has a drive-thru option.
Granite Bakery: 900 E 2700 S
This shop is connected to a bridal gallery or something like that. We weren’t really paying attention, because donuts. The bakery has a lot of treats that look delicious, but the donut selection is wanting. Aside from maple and glaze, the few other donuts were some variation of a cake donut. So needless to say this one doesn’t sit very high on our list.
Braden’s Take
I had the glazed donut and a few bites of a frosted cake donut. The glazed was actually not that bad. It took me a few bites to begin to appreciate it. It is more dense, almost like the Twice the Dough donuts in Park City. But it is only glazed on top. Too dry for my liking. The cake donuts were just whatever. Though I did buy a cheese danish and that was delicious. So I imagine a lot of their other bakery treats aren’t as bad as their donut selection.
Casey’s Take
Not a fan. Their shelves were empty from selling out at 8am… Either they did not plan well or they only make a few donuts because they don’t sell many. If anyone has had a good experience I’m always open to go back and give it another shot, but my initial experience was not great.
Braden’s Top 3 Donuts
- Donuts & Deli blueberry glazed
- Lehi Bakery square glazed
- Banbury Cross strawberry glazed
Casey’s Top 3 Donuts
- Lehi Bakery maple bar
- Donuts and Deli blueberry glazed
- Banbury Cross maple bar
We’re Not Done
Part 2 of this report is coming soon! If you have any other shops you think we should try, shoot them at us: @bradensthompson or @caseywilliams90
