14 of the best places to eat doughnuts in London right now

The best doughnuts taste so good, you barely notice the avalanche of sugar all over your face and fingers. For those few, blissful minutes when you’re busy demolishing a fluffy ball of dough, the world falls away so that it’s just you and your bun. If you’ve yet to experience an encounter like this, you clearly haven’t visited any of the places in this list. The best doughnut shops in London have really changed the game over the last few years, serving up a host of unrivalled artisan creations that go way beyond the classic jam-filled variety (although we will always hold a dear place for them in our hearts).

No longer just the stuff of service stations and supermarkets, doughnuts have become Instagram fodder like nothing else. And when we’re not drooling over them being pulled apart on our feeds, we’re seeing them pop up at meetings, events, weddings and birthday parties. Nowadays, doughnuts come in a whole host of shapes, sizes and colours, and you’ll find practically any filling you desire if you know where to look. From Crosstown doughnuts' picture-perfect, sourdough-based creations, to Bread Ahead’s cream-filled beauties, if you can dream it, one of the doughnut shops in this list has probably made it.

People are so obsessed with these decadent doughy delicacies that many bakeries are now offering doughnut delivery in London, so you can get them delivered straight to your door without having to leave the house. While elsewhere plenty of businesses offer bespoke doughnut services that allow customers to pick their own flavours and toppings – perfect if you have a special event coming up.

Whether you’re on a personal quest to find the best doughnut or are looking for an easy way to make everyone in the office happy, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for in this delicious guide. We’ve rounded up the very best doughnuts money can buy in London for all your sugar-craving, Nutella-topped, cream-covered needs.

Donutelier, Charing Cross

What: One of the hottest places in London (and Instagram) to indulge in doughnuts, Donutelier offers extravagant creations that are both topped and filled with delicious buttercream and crème patissiere. The doughnuts are made fresh everyday and come in flavours such as chocolate pretzel, vanilla raspberry and cookie cream with limited edition offerings throughout the year. They don’t come cheap at a hefty £6 a pop, although true doughnut fans won’t care about that minor detail. These beauties are well worth the dough if you ask us.
Where: 48-50 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0BS
Find out more: Donutelier

Greedy Cow Bakes, Hackney

What: London has a whole host of 'viral' bakeries but this one takes the cake. Having racked up quite the following on social media since its opening in 2020, you might have to battle the queues to try one of the decadent doughnuts at Greedy Cow. This spot is definitely best known for its Korean milk doughnuts, much fluffier and thicker than your traditional doughnuts and taking the cream-to-doughnut ratio to the next level. Flavours include chocolate espresso and strawberries and cream.
Where: 395 Hackney Road, E2 8PP
Find out more: Greedy Cow Bakes

Crosstown, Various London locations

What: For many, Crosstown makes the ultimate doughnuts – no ifs or buts. These guys have gained cult status over the years and for good reason. Made with a hybrid sourdough dough, and available in all sorts of weird and wonderful flavours, there really is something for everyone at Crosstown stores. We’re talking peanut butter and blackcurrant compote, Sri Lankan cinnamon sugar, chocolate truffle, pistachio and rose, and Tongan vanilla bean custard. The team is constantly coming up with awesome specials too, so you can always expect something new and exciting on the menu. Plus, they’re available for delivery, and found in most major cities across the UK.
Where: Various London locations
Find out more: Crosstown

St. JOHN, Various London locations

What: St. JOHN boasts a bundle of bakery counters across the capital where it knocks up some of the best doughnuts in London. Hit up its stores on Druid Street, Borough Corner and Neal’s Yard to experience these exceptional beauties in all their freshly-baked glory. They’re pillowy soft and filled with rich crème pâtissiere, while indulgent flavours include the likes of chocolate, pistachio and classic vanilla. The final flourish is a liberal douse of sugar. Heaven.
Where: Various London locations 
Find out more: Smithfield, Borough and Commercial Street

Happy Donuts, Notting Hill

What: Located in an enviable spot on London’s famous Portobello Road, Happy Donuts serves up buns of joy made by hand with organic flour, butter, milk and Swiss chocolate. Better still, the company donates any leftover doughnuts at the end of the day to charity. Stop by for a sweet snack if you’re in the neighbourhood and discover flavours like Ferrero Rocher, crème brulee, and strawberry custard.
Where: 254 Portobello Road, W11 1LL
Find out more: Happy Donuts

Japan Centre, St James's

What: Ok, this one’s a little bit different, but the doughnuts at Japan Centre’s Mochi Bar in Leicester Square are not to be missed. That’s because they’re a twist on the sweet favourite, mochi, and combine buttery doughnut batter with the texture of a chewy rice cake. They come in all sorts of fun flavours too, like sakura cherry blossom, matcha and original glazed.
Where: 35B Panton Street, SW1Y 4EA
Find out more: Japan Centre

Treats Club, Shoreditch

What: Only recently making the transition from market stall to bricks-and-mortar doughnut shop, Treats Club specialises in hot doughnuts and decadent desserts. It initially started in 2018 when owner Lungi Mhlanga would drive to markets across the UK with a car-load of baked goods stuffed inside her Toyota Yaris. Female owned, female led and proudly a black owned business in the industry, we can’t get enough of Treats Club’s cooked-to-order doughnuts. The famous Nutella Hot Glazed Donut is the one to go for in our opinion, although you won’t go far wrong with any of the tasty flavours.
Where: 8 Hackney Road, E2 7NS
Find out more: Treats Club

Bread Ahead, Various London locations 

What: The fact that Bread Ahead now runs a dedicated doughnut-making workshop so that the general public can learn how to make these famous doughnuts at home, is testament to their popularity. The thing is: they really are very good. Head over to one of the sites to see them lined up in all their colours and flavours, from chocolate to honeycomb. Limited-edition flavours crop up throughout the year too, such as strawberries and cream for Wimbledon!
Where: Various London locations 
Find out more: Bread Ahead

Doughnut Time, Various London locations

What: Doughnut Time takes everyone’s favourite guilty pleasure treats and offers them up in doughnut form for a truly winning combination. Available under guises such as Snack Efron (hazelnut creme filling, white chocolate glaze, wafer, Kinder Bueno), and Hershey Steinfeld (cookies and cream glaze, dark chocolate, Oreo crumb and Hershey’s pieces), these decadent loaded doughnuts aren’t for the faint-hearted. If you’re thinking about getting hitched or throwing a swish soiree, Doughnut Time takes bespoke orders and is able to tailor fillings and toppings to suit you.
Where: Various London locations 
Find out more: Doughnut Time

Doh'hut, Clerkenwell

What: Starting off life as a food truck in Leeds, nowadays you'll find Doh'hut at Exmouth Market, where they focus on perfecting the classics. With only four permanent fixtures to the menu, you just know that they're going to be excellent. Weekly changing specials are available to spice things up a bit but sometimes you can't beat the fluffy and sugary goodness of a traditional doughnut, piped with either raspberry jam, vanilla creme patisserie or chocolate ganache.
Where: 30 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE
Find out more: Doh'hut

Urban Legend, Clapham Junction

What: Before you roll your eyes at the words ‘healthy doughnuts’, hear us out. The team at Urban Legend have done a pretty sound job at creating doughnuts that are way lower in calories, fat and sugar than your regular dough-based treat, without compromising on that signature sweetness and fluffy texture. All its doughnuts are less than 180 calories each – although in our eyes that just gives us licence to eat multiple. Flavours include strawberry Sundae, banoffee pie, bubblegum burst, cinnamon bun and peanut caramel protein.
Where: St John's Hill, SW11 1SA
Find out more: Urban Legend

Longboys, Various London locations

What: The clue’s in the name, but small batch bakery Longboys specialises in long doughnuts. If you don’t know what they are, it’s a dough-based creation that looks like an eclair but tastes like a doughnut (see image above). You can find its shops all over London, including Liverpool Street, King’s Cross and Borough Yards, where it serves an ever-changing menu of loaded long doughnuts. Think triple chocolate brownie, apple crumble, pistachio, raspberry rose lychee, sticky toffee date and pecan, and peanut butter jelly. All its ingredients are sustainably sourced, and it also offers vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options to keep everyone happy.
Where: Various London locations
Find out more: Longboys

Rinkoff Bakery, Whitechapel

What: Not to be mistaken with the trademarked ‘Cronut’, the Crodough is an entirely different creation which combines a croissant and a doughnut. Flaky and light, these delicious rounds of sweet fried pastry come in all manner of decadent flavours: toffee apple crumble, Oreo cheesecake, Lotus biscoff and lemon drizzle to name a few.
Where: 224 Jubilee Street, E1 3B
Find out more: Rinkoff Bakery

Borough 22, Oxford Street

What: Under no circumstances should dietary requirements get in the way of a good doughnut, and hasn't Borough 22 just gone and taken that into consideration? Its doughnuts are always gluten-free, always vegan, and always delicious. Flavour combos here include the pumpkin spiced doughnut with cream cheese glaze, as well as a salted caramel option topped with a chocolate ganache.
Where: Available at Selfridges Oxford Street

Hungry for more baked goods? Why not check out our guide to the best croissants in London?