Donuts from Blackbird Bakery Donuts in Bristol, TN
Photo Credit: Andrew Saucier

12 Donut Shops You Have to Visit in Tennessee

Step inside for the sweet smells of freshly made donuts, the mouth-watering unique donut flavors and unmatched hospitality.

Featured in this Article:

Donut Bakeries near Bristol and the Smokies
Where to Get Donuts in and near Nashville
Donut Shops near Memphis
 

Donuts are celebrated daily at family-owned Tennessee bakeries. Step inside for the sweet smells of freshly made donuts, the mouth-watering unique donut flavors and unmatched hospitality at these donut shops across the state. Your sweet tooth will thank you for visiting.

Donut Bakeries near Bristol and the Smokies

Julie Darling Donuts – Chattanooga

Freshly baked donuts with unique flavors like the pancakes and bacon, Oreo, blueberry, mint chocolate chip and chocolate pie can be found for your complete enjoyment at the family-owned Julie Darling Donuts in Chattanooga. Get a random assorted dozen to try a bit of everything. Julie Darling Donuts is always experimenting with new flavors, so make sure to stop by every time you’re in Chattanooga. 

Seaver’s Bakery – Kingsport

In Kingsport, Seaver’s Bakery has yeast raised and filled doughnuts and cake doughnuts with fun flavors like cookie crumble, Dutch apple, chocolate custard and vanilla iced cake. Seasonal flavors are also available as well as gourmet and espresso drinks like spiced mocha lattes and bold Americanos. Bring Seaver’s Bakery into your home by ordering the DIY Standard Donut Kit, featuring 12 unglazed yeast raised doughnuts, two icings and two toppings like sprinkles and cookie crumbs. It’s a fun activity for kids and adults to enjoy.

Status Dough – Knoxville

Walk into Status Dough in Knoxville and you’ll see a wide variety of doughnuts from traditional to specialties. Choose from buttermilk old fashioned doughnuts, cake doughnuts and yeast doughnuts with flavors like lemon poppyseed, traditional glazed, snickerdoodle, vanilla and chocolate iced doughnuts and more. A full coffee bar is available as well in case you’d like an espresso, hot chocolate or tea.

The Donut Friar - Gatlinburg

Photo Credit: @wellplannedadventures

Let the smell of freshly baked donuts lead you to The Village in Gatlinburg where you’ll find The Donut Friar, which has been providing powdered cake donuts, sprinkled donuts and more for more than 50 years. Fluffy donuts ranging from traditional glaze to coconut and chocolate chipper are available. Pair your sweet treat with a cappuccino, latte or other espresso-based drink. The Donut Friar was voted “the best donuts in Tennessee” by Southern Living, so you can guarantee these donuts are memorable ones. 

Where to Get Donuts in and near Nashville

Donut Distillery – Nashville 

Donut Distillery in Nashville gives a little edge to your typical bakery offering boozy donut milkshakes, wine and spirits, and incorporates whiskey into their donut recipes. Try the Whiskey Glaze, a Donut Distillery original which is made with Tennessee whiskey. Get a dozen or 25 pack (up to 5 flavors) and try the strawberry lemonade, frosted fruity that’s dipped in Fruity Pebbles, s’mores, Reese’s cup, Rocky Road and more. Go all out by ordering the aforementioned donut milkshake or the donut sundae – vanilla ice cream with any toppings and served with two custom donuts.

Fox's Donut Den - Nashville

Sample glazed, chocolate, maple, cinnamon donuts, in yeast or cake varieties. The devil's food donuts are heavenly, and the blueberry treats are sinful. Apple fritters, chocolate éclairs, cinnamon rolls and turnovers, bagels and muffins complete the list of temptations. Sausage/rolls and kolaches, great-tasting coffee and specially decorated donuts and pastries can make your morning or liven up your party.

Itty Bitty Donuts – Nolensville

Photo Credit: @s.ruiyun

Made-to-order donuts can be found at Itty Bitty Donuts, mini donuts bursting with flavor in Nolensville. Special flavors include Nutella Crunch made with a Nutella glaze and topped with Rice Krispies cereal; Saturday Morning Cartoons – a house-made vanilla glaze topped with Fruity Pebbles; and Lemon Poppy Seed – a house-made lemon glaze sprinkled with poppy seeds. Classic flavors are available like cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, classic glaze and chocolate iced. 

Donut Country – Murfreesboro

Photo Credit: @zacktn

Donuts, eclairs and apple fritters are ready for you to order at Donut Country which has been serving Murfreesboro for more than 30 years. Choose from cream filled or jelly filled donuts with flavors like chocolate cream, Bavarian cream, lemon jelly and blueberry jelly. Cake donut seasonal flavors can be anticipated which include strawberry cake for spring, pumpkin cake for fall and orange cake donuts in the winter. Other flavors include red velvet cake, glazed old fashioned and blueberry cake donuts. Donut Country also serves breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.

Ralph’s Donut Shop – Cookeville

When traveling to Cookeville, you’ll want to make a stop at the beloved Ralph’s Donut Shop. For more than 50 years, Ralph’s has been a local favorite for their homemade donuts and hospitality. Try the jelly filled donut with peanut butter icing or the devil’s food with chocolate for something more decadent. Blueberry cake donuts, chocolate cream filled and coconut with white icing donuts are just some of the many flavors served up. 

Bonus: Underground Donut Tour - Nashville

If you're a donut enthusiast with limited time in Nashville, two hours with Underground Donut Tour will have you tasting donuts from four donut shops in Music City all while soaking up the energy and live music of Broadway. Custom tours can also be organized for birthdays, bachelorette parties, student tours and more.

Donut Shops near Memphis

Gibson’s Donuts – Memphis

Gibson’s Donuts has been a Memphis staple since 1967. Step in to breathe in the sweet smells of donuts freshly baked. Try a few donuts with flavors like red velvet, maple bacon, caramel glazed and more. New flavors are always being developed so there is almost always something new to sample. After one visit, you’ll want to return to Gibson’s every time you come to Memphis.

Howard’s Donuts – Cordova

Follow your sweet tooth to Cordova for the delicious donuts on display at Howard’s Donuts. Donut holes filled with jelly and donuts with a traditional glaze, bacon maple, strawberry cream, chocolate coconut and peanut butter flavors are all available for you to enjoy. Order a single, half dozen or dozen of these handmade confections.

Savannah Donuts – Savannah

Photo Credit: Savannah Donuts

Head to Savannah’s charming downtown square for old fashioned donuts produced by Savannah Donuts. Here, you’ll find hot, melt-in-your-mouth donuts made by hand. Jelly filled, cake, glaze and sprinkled donuts are available for a single serving, half dozen or dozen. Donut shop also serves bagels and sandwiches and even kolaches, a Czech pastry that can be sweet with jelly or savory with sausages.

Happy Glaze Donuts – Germantown

Photo Credit: @happyglazedonuts

Happy Glaze Donuts in Germantown creates gourmet donut holes. Grab a mini donut box – a dozen of one flavor or a little big box – 8 dozen donuts up to four flavors of these cheerful donuts. The donuts are bursting with flavors like French toast, strawberry cream, raspberry cream, s’mores, chocolate glaze, cinnamon role and many more.

Find even more bakeries and donut shops across the state. Plan your sweet vacation to Tennessee. 

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