10 Humble Donut Shops Worth the Drive From Anywhere in Indiana

I’ve spent more mornings than I can count chasing down the perfect donut across Indiana, and I’ve learned something important along the way. The best donuts don’t come from fancy chains with drive-thru lanes and corporate recipes.

They come from family-run bakeries where someone wakes up at 3 a.m. to mix dough by hand, where the glazing technique has been passed down through generations, and where regulars know exactly which day to show up for apple fritters.

These humble shops scattered across Indiana represent everything I love about small-town food culture: authenticity, dedication, and flavors that make you want to plan your entire day around a bakery visit.

1. Long’s Bakery – 1453 N Tremont St, Indianapolis, IN 46222

Long’s Bakery has been serving Indianapolis since 1955, and walking through their doors feels like stepping into a time capsule of Hoosier baking tradition. The smell of yeast and sugar hits you the moment you enter, and the sight of trays piled high with still-warm donuts makes it impossible to order just one.

Their yeast donuts are legendary for good reason, with a pillowy texture that practically melts on your tongue.

The glazed donuts here set the standard that every other bakery tries to match. They achieve that perfect balance of sweetness without being cloying, and the glaze has just enough firmness to give a satisfying crack before revealing the tender interior.

Their long johns filled with real cream are another must-try, generously stuffed and topped with chocolate icing that doesn’t taste artificial.

What makes Long’s special isn’t just the donuts, though they’re exceptional. It’s the unchanged recipes, the family ownership that spans generations, and the way they’ve resisted every trend to stay true to what they do best.

You’ll find locals lined up before dawn on weekends, and that early arrival is essential because they sell out fast.

After grabbing your donuts, you could head over to the nearby Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, located at 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, IN 46208, to walk off some of those calories while enjoying world-class art collections and beautiful gardens.

2. Dan’s Variety Bakery – 1800 S Union St, Kokomo, IN 46902

Kokomo’s best-kept secret sits on Union Street, where Dan’s Variety Bakery has been quietly perfecting their craft for decades. This unassuming shop proves that you don’t need flashy marketing when your product speaks for itself.

The variety here lives up to the bakery’s name, with everything from classic cake donuts to creative seasonal specials that change throughout the year.

Their cake donuts deserve special recognition for achieving that ideal crumb structure, dense enough to have substance but never dry or crumbly. The sour cream donuts are particularly outstanding, with a subtle tang that cuts through the sweetness and keeps you reaching for another.

They also make incredible cinnamon rolls that rival any donut for morning supremacy, with layers of butter and cinnamon that spiral through impossibly soft dough.

Dan’s operates on bakery hours, meaning you need to arrive early or risk disappointment. But that early morning trip rewards you with donuts so fresh they’re still slightly warm, with glazes that haven’t fully set and fillings that ooze when you bite in.

The staff treats regulars like family and newcomers like future regulars, creating an atmosphere that feels genuinely welcoming.

The prices remain remarkably reasonable despite the quality, making it easy to buy a dozen to share or keep entirely to yourself. Their coffee is simple but well-made, providing the perfect accompaniment without trying to compete with specialty coffee shops.

3. Tim’s Bakery – 6087 W Broadway, McCordsville, IN 46055

McCordsville might be a growing suburb, but Tim’s Bakery maintains that small-town bakery charm that makes every visit feel personal. Located on West Broadway, this spot has become a Saturday morning ritual for families throughout the area.

The bakery manages to handle crowds efficiently while never making you feel rushed, a balance that many busier establishments fail to achieve.

Their raised donuts showcase technical skill that’s immediately apparent in the texture. These donuts have that ethereal lightness that only comes from proper proofing and frying at exactly the right temperature.

The maple bacon donut here actually tastes like maple and bacon, not like artificial flavoring trying to approximate those ingredients. Real bacon pieces provide savory crunch that contrasts beautifully with sweet maple glaze.

Tim’s also excels at filled donuts, using generous amounts of filling that reach all the way to the edges. Their Bavarian cream is rich without being heavy, and their fruit fillings taste like actual fruit rather than corn syrup with food coloring.

The apple fritters are massive, crispy on the outside with chunks of real apple throughout, and they’re best enjoyed while still warm from the fryer.

The bakery cases also feature excellent cookies, turnovers, and other pastries that make it tempting to expand beyond donuts. Their customer service consistently impresses, with staff who remember orders and ask about your week like they genuinely care.

4. Rise’n Roll Bakery – 1065 N US Highway 20, Middlebury, IN 46540

The original Rise’n Roll location in Middlebury sits in the heart of Amish country, and while they’ve expanded to multiple locations, this flagship store maintains special significance. The bakery has become somewhat famous for their cinnamon caramel donuts, and that reputation is entirely deserved.

These donuts feature layers of cinnamon throughout the dough, topped with a caramel glaze that manages to be intensely flavorful without overwhelming sweetness.

What sets Rise’n Roll apart is their commitment to making everything from scratch using quality ingredients. You can taste the difference in their yeast donuts, which have a subtle richness that comes from real butter and eggs.

Their devil’s food cake donuts are deeply chocolatey, with a tender crumb that doesn’t leave your mouth dry like many cake donuts do.

The bakery also produces exceptional cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, and other breakfast pastries that compete seriously with their donut offerings. Their bread selection is equally impressive, made with the same attention to detail that goes into their sweets.

During busy times, especially on Saturday mornings, the line can stretch out the door, but it moves quickly thanks to efficient staff.

Rise’n Roll’s success hasn’t changed their fundamental approach to baking. They still get up before dawn to start mixing dough, still use traditional techniques, and still price their products fairly.

After your bakery visit, consider exploring nearby Shipshewana, where you’ll find authentic Amish crafts, furniture, and the famous Shipshewana Auction & Flea Market at 345 S Van Buren St, Shipshewana, IN 46565.

5. Square Donuts – 935 Wabash Ave, Terre Haute, IN 47807

The name isn’t just clever marketing at Square Donuts in Terre Haute. These donuts are actually square, a shape that might seem gimmicky until you taste them and realize the shape somehow makes them better.

The increased surface area means more glaze or frosting coverage, and the corners get slightly crispier than the centers, creating textural variation in every bite.

Square Donuts has been a Terre Haute institution since 1967, and they’ve perfected their craft over those decades. Their buttermilk donuts are exceptionally tender with a slight tang that complements sweet toppings beautifully.

The chocolate icing here is made with real cocoa, giving it a depth of flavor that cheap chocolate coatings can’t match. Their seasonal specials showcase creativity without sacrificing quality, introducing new flavors while maintaining the high standards that built their reputation.

The bakery opens early and the smart locals arrive right when the doors unlock to get first pick of the day’s offerings. By mid-morning on weekends, popular varieties start selling out, so timing matters if you have your heart set on something specific.

The staff works with impressive speed during rush times, boxing up orders while maintaining friendly conversation.

Beyond donuts, their cookies and brownies are worth trying, made with the same attention to quality ingredients and technique. The prices remain remarkably affordable considering the quality and the generous sizing of their products.

6. Concannon’s Bakery – 620 N Cassady Blvd, Muncie, IN 47303

Concannon’s Bakery has been part of Muncie’s fabric since 1947, making it one of Indiana’s longest-running family bakeries. Walking into Concannon’s feels like visiting a relative’s kitchen if that relative happened to be a master baker.

The cases are always full, the staff always friendly, and the quality never wavers from the standards established decades ago.

Their old-fashioned sour cream donuts exemplify traditional American donut making at its finest. The exterior has that characteristic slight crispness while the interior remains moist and flavorful, with the sour cream adding complexity that plain cake donuts lack.

Their glazed yeast donuts are simple perfection, proving that basic doesn’t mean boring when execution is flawless. The glaze sets with just enough firmness to provide structure without becoming hard or sticky.

Concannon’s also makes exceptional cream-filled long johns, using real whipped cream rather than the stabilized filling many bakeries resort to. This means you need to eat them relatively fresh, but that’s rarely a problem because they’re too delicious to save anyway.

Their apple fritters contain generous amounts of apple pieces and achieve that ideal balance between crispy edges and soft centers.

The bakery serves Ball State University students and long-time Muncie residents with equal care, creating a mixing of generations that gives the place wonderful energy. Their wedding cakes and special occasion baking have made them central to Muncie celebrations for generations, building trust that extends naturally to their daily donut production.

7. H&R Bakery – 103 E Walnut St, Salem, IN 47167

Salem’s H&R Bakery represents small-town Indiana baking at its most authentic and unpretentious. Located on East Walnut Street in downtown Salem, this bakery serves a community that values consistency, quality, and fair prices.

H&R delivers on all three without fanfare or social media presence, relying instead on word of mouth and repeat customers who’ve been coming for years.

Their donuts follow traditional recipes that haven’t changed because they didn’t need changing. The glazed donuts here are textbook examples of the form, with a tender crumb, proper sweetness level, and that satisfying slight resistance when you bite through the glaze.

Their chocolate cake donuts are deeply flavored, made with quality cocoa that gives them genuine chocolate taste rather than just brown color and sugar.

What makes H&R special is their role in the community. This isn’t just a bakery but a gathering place where locals catch up on news, where high schoolers stop before class, and where families pick up treats for Sunday breakfast.

The staff knows most customers by name and remembers their usual orders, creating efficiency and warmth simultaneously.

The bakery also produces excellent cookies, coffee cakes, and seasonal specialties that reflect the changing year. Their prices remain notably affordable, reflecting small-town economics and a genuine desire to serve their community rather than maximize profits.

During Salem’s various festivals and events, H&R becomes even more central to town life, providing baked goods that fuel celebrations.

8. Munster Donut – 8314 Calumet Ave, Munster, IN 46321

Munster Donut sits in northwest Indiana where the state borders Illinois, and the proximity to Chicago influences the quality expectations here. Customers in this area have access to numerous bakeries and high standards, which means Munster Donut has to be exceptional to stand out.

They’ve risen to that challenge by combining traditional techniques with creative flavors that keep the menu interesting without becoming gimmicky.

Their buttermilk cake donuts are outstanding, with a fine crumb structure and subtle tang that makes them more interesting than standard cake donuts. The glaze options range from classic to creative, with seasonal varieties that change throughout the year.

Their filled donuts use real cream and fruit fillings, never the artificial stuff that tastes like chemicals and corn syrup. The Boston cream donuts here feature rich chocolate ganache rather than basic chocolate icing, elevating a classic to something special.

Munster Donut also excels at fritters, making them large enough to share but so good you won’t want to. Their apple fritters contain chunks of real apple and achieve that perfect texture where the exterior is crispy and caramelized while the interior stays soft and doughy.

The blueberry fritters burst with fruit flavor, especially when they’re using fresh local berries during summer months.

The shop maintains reasonable hours and handles morning rushes smoothly, with staff who work efficiently without sacrificing friendliness. Their coffee is solid, providing necessary caffeine without trying to compete with specialty coffee shops.

9. Fingerhut Bakery – 210 Lane St, North Judson, IN 46366

North Judson might not appear on most people’s radar, but Fingerhut Bakery gives locals and travelers alike a compelling reason to know where it is. This small-town bakery operates with the kind of personal touch that only happens in communities where everyone knows everyone.

The bakery has been part of North Judson for generations, adapting to changing times while maintaining the core values that built their reputation.

Fingerhut’s donuts showcase classic American baking without pretension or unnecessary complications. Their yeast donuts are light and airy, fried to golden perfection with glazes that enhance rather than mask the quality of the base donut.

The cake donuts here are tender and flavorful, never dry or crumbly like cake donuts from lesser bakeries. Their cinnamon sugar donuts are particularly addictive, with the perfect ratio of cinnamon to sugar coating every surface.

The bakery also produces excellent cookies, Danish pastries, and coffee cakes that make it tempting to buy more than just donuts. Their seasonal offerings reflect traditional American baking with pumpkin treats in fall, fruit-filled pastries in summer, and special holiday items that become part of family traditions.

The prices are remarkably reasonable, reflecting small-town economics and a business model focused on serving the community rather than maximizing margins.

Fingerhut operates on limited hours, so calling ahead or checking their schedule ensures you don’t make the drive only to find them closed. But when they’re open, you’ll find donuts that justify the trip from anywhere in Indiana.

10. Schmidt Bakery – 125 Village Ter, Batesville, IN 47006

Batesville’s German heritage influences everything in this southeastern Indiana town, and Schmidt Bakery reflects that cultural background in subtle but meaningful ways. While they make excellent American-style donuts, you can taste the European influence in their attention to technique and quality ingredients.

The bakery has served Batesville for decades, becoming an institution that residents take pride in and visitors discover with delight.

Schmidt’s raised donuts are exceptionally light, with a texture that suggests careful attention to proofing times and dough temperature. Their glazes are perfectly balanced between sweet and subtle, never overwhelming the delicate flavor of the yeast dough underneath.

The filled donuts here use real cream and quality fruit preserves, making each bite worthwhile. Their apple fritters are massive and loaded with apple pieces, achieving that ideal combination of crispy exterior and soft, almost custardy interior.

The bakery also produces German-influenced pastries alongside their American donuts, giving customers the best of both traditions. Their strudels are flaky and generously filled, their coffee cakes are tender and buttery, and their cookies showcase European techniques.

This variety means you can satisfy multiple cravings in one stop, picking up donuts for breakfast and pastries for later.

Schmidt Bakery maintains old-fashioned customer service where staff take time to answer questions and make recommendations. They’re genuinely helpful rather than just going through motions, creating an experience that feels personal.

The prices remain fair despite the obvious quality, making it easy to become a regular customer.