Iowa’s Favorite Donut Shops, According to Iowa Road Trip Followers
There are some very important questions in life.
Where should we go this weekend?
What small town should we visit next?
And, most importantly…
Where do you find the best donuts in Iowa?
In honor of National Donut Day, I asked Iowa Road Trip followers to name their favorite donut shop in Iowa. I asked for the shop, the town, and the one donut they would tell someone to order.
The responses came in fast, and they covered every corner of the state. Some people voted for classic neighborhood donut shops. Others nominated old-school bakeries, Dutch bakeries, small-town cafes, and places known for apple fritters, long johns, Dutch letters, cream horns, cronuts, donut holes, and more.
This is not a scientific ranking. It is a reader-recommended donut guide built from Iowa Road Trip follower suggestions. More than 40 Iowa donut shops and bakeries were mentioned, and I’ve organized them by region to help you plan your own Iowa donut road trip.
Most-Mentioned Donut Shops by Iowa Road Trip Followers
Before we get to the full list, these were the bakeries and donut shops that received the most mentions from Iowa Road Trip followers:
- Bricktown Bakery — Nevada
- The Bakery Unlimited — Winterset
- Pedretti’s Bakery — Elkader
- Donutland — Cedar Rapids / Iowa City
- Ambrosia Donuts — Ankeny
- The Donut Stop — Shenandoah
- Main Street Donuts — Ottumwa
- Grin City Bakery — Grinnell
- Dough & Joe Bakery — Cresco
- ChuChu Donuts — Des Moines
Now, here’s the full regional list of Iowa donut shops and bakeries mentioned by readers.
Central Iowa Donut Shops
Bricktown Bakery — Nevada, Iowa
Street Address: 1105 6th St., Suite 102, Nevada, IA 50201
Web Address: https://www.bricktown-bakery.com/
The Bakery Unlimited — Winterset, Iowa
Street Address: 119 N. John Wayne Dr., Winterset, IA 50273
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/The-Bakery-Unlimited-141339626070721/
Cha Cha’s Hiland Bakery — Des Moines, Iowa
Street Address: 3615 6th Ave., Des Moines, IA 50313
Web Address: https://www.chachashilandbakery.com/
Ambrosia Donuts — Ankeny, Iowa
Street Address: 106 SW State St., Suite 101, Ankeny, IA 50023
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/LocallyMadeFresh/
ChuChu Donuts — Des Moines, Iowa
Street Address: 580 SW 9th St., Suite 116, Des Moines, IA 50309
Web Address: https://chuchudonuts.com/
Grin City Bakery — Grinnell, Iowa
Street Address: 934 Main St., Grinnell, IA 50112
Web Address: https://www.grincitybakery.com/
Donut Hut — Des Moines, Iowa
Street Address: 4941 Douglas Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310
Web Address: https://thedonuthutdsm.com/
Dutch Oven Bakery — Boone and Ames, Iowa
Street Address: 605 Story St., Boone, IA 50036; 219 Duff Ave., Ames, IA 50010
Web Address: https://dutchovenbakeryiowa.com/
Linda Donuts — Ankeny, Iowa
Street Address: 1810 SW White Birch Cir., Suite 121, Ankeny, IA 50023
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/LindaDonutShop/
Yummy’s Donut Palace — Winterset, Iowa
Street Address: 1217 N. 6th Ave., Unit A, Winterset, IA 50273
Web Address: https://exploremadisoncounty.com/dine_drink/yummys_donut_palace/
9th Street Bakery — Adel, Iowa
Street Address: 318 S. 9th St., Adel, IA 50003
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/p/9th-Street-Bakery-61567054211987/
Daylight Donuts — Ankeny, Iowa
Street Address: 502 N. Ankeny Blvd., Suite 2, Ankeny, IA 50023
Web Address: https://web.ankeny.org/directory/Details/daylight-donuts-793340
The Bake Shoppe — Windsor Heights, Iowa
Street Address: 6611 University Ave., Suite 102, Windsor Heights, IA 50324
Web Address: https://www.thebakeshoppe.org/
Nadia’s French Bakery — Des Moines, Iowa
Street Address: 2705 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312
Web Address: https://nadiasfrenchbakery.com/
Hurt’s Donut Co. — West Des Moines, Iowa
Street Address: 5513 Mills Civic Pkwy., West Des Moines, IA 50266
Web Address: https://www.wannahurts.com/locations/west-des-moines-ia/
Northeast Iowa Donut Shops
Pedretti’s Bakery — Elkader, Iowa
Street Address: 101 N. Main St., Elkader, IA 52043
Web Address: https://pedrettisbakery.com/
Donutland — Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa
Street Address: 4307 Center Point Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA; 2606 Williams Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA; 1681 S. 1st Ave., Iowa City, IA
Web Address: https://www.thedonutland.com/
Amana Colonies Bakery and Cafe — Amana, Iowa
Street Address: 4522 220th Trail, Amana, IA 52203
Web Address: https://amanacoloniesbakeryandcafe.com/
Dough & Joe Bakery — Cresco, Iowa
Street Address: 114 N. Elm St., Cresco, IA 52136
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/doughandjoebakery/
Icon Donuts & Sweetery — Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa
Street Address: 1730 W. Ridgeway Ave. #600, Waterloo, IA 50701; 4505 Algonquin Dr., Suite A, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Web Address: https://icondonuts.com/
Tiffiny’s Tipton Bakery — Tipton, Iowa
Street Address: 405 Cedar St., Tipton, IA 52772
Web Address: https://www.tiffinytiptonbakery.com/
Prairie Flower Bakery — Keota, Iowa
Street Address: 214 E. Broadway Ave., Keota, IA 52248
Web Address: https://prairie-flower-bakery.square.site/
Posy Bakery and Cakes — North Liberty, Iowa
Street Address: 565 Cameron Way, Suite 108, North Liberty, IA 52317
Web Address: https://www.posybakeryandcakes.com/
The Eat Shop — Solon, Iowa
Street Address: 120 W. Main St., Unit 1, Solon, IA 52333
Web Address: https://theeatshop.com/
Sweetheart Bakery / Homer’s Deli — Clinton, Iowa
Street Address: 245 Main Ave., Clinton, IA 52732
Web Address: https://www.sweetheartbakery.com/
Southeast Iowa Donut Shops
Main Street Donuts — Ottumwa, Iowa
Street Address: 606 W. Main St., Ottumwa, IA 52501
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/main.street.donuts.ottumwa/
Jaarsma Bakery — Pella and Oskaloosa, Iowa
Street Address: 727 Franklin St., Pella, IA 50219; 201 A Ave. E, Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Web Address: https://jaarsmabakery.com/
Vander Ploeg Bakery — Pella, Iowa
Street Address: 711 Franklin St., Pella, IA 50219
Web Address: https://www.pellabakery.com/
Kalk’s Kwality Donut and Bakery — Osceola, Iowa
Street Address: 119 S. Main St., Osceola, IA 50213
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/61589632771919/
Tommy’s Cafe — Davenport, Iowa
Street Address: 916 W. 3rd St., Davenport, IA 52802
Web Address: https://tommyscafedport.wixsite.com/tommys
Donuts & More — Davenport, Iowa
Street Address: 1717 Brady St., Davenport, IA 52803
Web Address: https://www.donutsqc.com/
Wingert Bakehaus — Burlington, Iowa
Street Address: 400 S. Leebrick St., Burlington, IA 52601
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/wingertbakehausllc/
Dewey’s Donuts — Burlington, Iowa
Street Address: 3125 E Agency St., Burlington, IA 52601
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/DeweysDonuts
Stan’s Pastry Shop — Keokuk, Iowa
Street Address: 814 Main St., Keokuk, IA 52632
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stans-Pastry-Shop/119957418015438
Southwest Iowa Donut Shops
The Donut Stop — Shenandoah, Iowa
Street Address: 606 W. Sheridan Ave., Shenandoah, IA 51601
Web Address: https://www.donutstopshen.com/
Moe’s RBF — Greenfield, Iowa
Street Address: 242 Public Square, Greenfield, IA 50849
Web Address: https://moes-rbf.square.site/
Sweet Desires Bakery — Corning, Iowa
Street Address: 711 Davis Ave., Corning, IA 50841
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/SweetDesiresBakeryCorning/
Northwest Iowa Donut Shops
Storm Lake Bakery — Storm Lake, Iowa
Street Address: 616 Lake Ave. N, Storm Lake, IA 50588
Web Address: https://www.stormlakebakery.com/
The Texas Chic Bakery & Cafe — Emmetsburg, Iowa
Street Address: 2001 Main St., Emmetsburg, IA 50536
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Texas-Chic-61565585137195/
Wyman’s Spudnutz — Okoboji, Iowa
Street Address: 1104 Hwy 71, Okoboji, IA 51355
Web Address: https://wymansspudnutz.com/
Jitters — Sioux City, Iowa
Street Address: 130 Nebraska St., Sioux City, IA 51101
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/JittersSiouxCity/
Casey’s Bakery — Sioux Center, Iowa
Street Address: 251 N. Main Ave., Sioux Center, IA 51250
Web Address: https://www.caseysbakery.com/
Dorothy Jane’s Bakery — Lake View, Iowa
Street Address: 420 N. Main St., Lake View, IA 51450
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/dorothyjanesbakery/
Lally’s Eastside / Vander Meer Bakery — Le Mars, Iowa
Street Address: 125 Plymouth St. NE, Le Mars, IA 51031
Web Address: https://www.lallysrestaurant.com/
Delight Donuts — Storm Lake, Iowa
Street Address: 1515 Lake Ave., Storm Lake, IA 50588
Web Address: https://www.facebook.com/people/Delight-Donuts/61568706044566/
Plan Your Own Iowa Donut Road Trip
One of the best things about this list is that it proves you don’t have to travel far in Iowa to find a great donut. Some of these shops are in larger cities, but many are tucked into small towns, downtown squares, neighborhood storefronts, and local cafes.
You could build an entire road trip around this list.
Start with a classic apple fritter in Nevada, a Dutch letter in Pella, a cream-filled long john in Cresco, a donut hole in Storm Lake, or a stop at one of the small-town bakeries that Iowa Road Trip followers clearly love.
And if your favorite Iowa donut shop didn’t make the list, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the drive. It just means we may need to do more Iowa donut research.
Which, honestly, sounds like a pretty good assignment.
