Our artery-exploding ranking of the city’s best doughnuts, crullers and custard-filled confections
This vanilla cake doughnut may look like other pink rings, but it’s healthier: organic, vegan, gluten-free and baked—and it’s still crave-worthy. $3. 2188 Queen St. E., 647-350-6500, torisbakeshop.ca.
Go early in the morning to this Bloor West Village bakery, long known as Anna’s, and the plum-filled ponchiki are served, still warm, in a paper bag. $1.25. 2394 Bloor St. W., 416-769-8065.
You have to take a number at this perennially busy Italian bakery in Etobicoke—but their mouth-puckering lemon meringue doughnut is worth the wait. $1.80. 374 Royal York Rd., 416-255-2808, sanremobakery.com.
Imagine Wonder Bread slathered in hot-pink icing, and that pretty much sums up Apiecalypse Now’s vegan, Simpsons-inspired dessert. $2.50. 735 Bloor St. W., 416-516-4555, apiecalypsenow.com.
The café’s Donut Robot spits tiny rings onto a conveyor belt that drops them into a vat of cinnamon sugar. $2.75 for six. 375 Queen St. W., 416-260-0500.
The vegan Reverse Boston Cream doughnut at TBC sports a light vanilla glaze and a milkshake-thick, tofu-based chocolate icing. $3.25. 1277 Bloor St. W., 416-998-3321, @tbcvegan.
Brunch is always better with doughnuts and booze, so here’s a two-for-one: a brown-butter doughnut with a kick from frosting that’s had a few glugs of rye. $3.96. 96 Tecumseth St., 647-352-6000, thebeastrestaurant.com
Fat Pasha makes these Hanukkah treats year-round: the beignet-like bundles are dusted with cinnamon sugar, filled with whipped cream and served on a chocolate mousse bed. $10. 414 Dupont St., 647-342-0356, fatpasha.com.
The marquee says “fried chicken sandwiches,” but the delicate honey cruller deserves a shout-out. Hedonists can order their chicken on one from P.G.’s “secret” menu. $2.50. 610 College St., 647-925-2226, pgclucks.com.
Happiness is a bowl of La Cubana’s deep-fried, sugar- dusted doughnut holes. They’re served with chantilly cream and caramel for dunking. $6 for six. 392 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-538-7500, lacubana.ca.
One of these Nutella-filled bomba is the most joy you can buy in this city for under a buck. Each is a perfect three bites, and the house-made hazelnut deliciousness isn’t as sweet as the store-bought stuff. $0.85. 45 Ripley Ave., 416-762-6292, cheeseboutique.com.
This work of art—filled with house-made marshmallow cream, covered in a milk-chocolate ganache and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs—tastes like summer, minus the mosquitoes. $2.75. 376 College St.; 181 Bay St., 416-962-2053, jellymoderndoughnuts.com.
This sprinkled strawberry confection has a frizzy cotton candy wig to send it soaring into the sweetness stratosphere. $3.25. 3429 Yonge St., 416-691-4554, therollingpin.ca.
These gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free vegan doughnuts taste way less virtuous than they are—and the orange-blueberry looks like it belongs in an art gallery. $3.95. 176 Yonge St.; 1050 Rutherford Rd., Vaughan, 905-303-1073, sorelleandco.com.
The petite doughnuts here range from classic (maple dip) to contemporary (vanilla chai). The chocolate dip, with an airy dough and just enough dark chocolate ganache to satisfy a sweet tooth, is our favourite. $4.50 for two. 678 Queen St. E., 416-901-7800, whitelilydiner.ca.
These yeasted rounds are among the puffiest in town. The crème brûlée is Von’s top seller, but our pick is the blueberry-lime streusel for its fine balance between classic construction and gonzo excess. $2.85. 713 Danforth Ave., 416-901-8663, vondoughnuts.com.
Doughnuts don’t spring to mind when we think of Catalan cuisine. Crema catalana, however, is one of its specialities, and Bar Raval honours the dessert with a ball of dough filled with lightly sweet custard. $4. 505 College St., no phone, thisisbarraval.com.
Breakfast will never be the same after a bite of Glory Hole’s signature toast-and-butter creation. It’s topped with brown-butter frosting, a skiff of cinnamon and a smattering of sweet breadcrumbs. $3.50. 1596 Queen St. W., 647-352-4848, gloryholedoughnuts.com.
This brunch hot spot makes the city’s best doughnuts. (In fact, Emma’s co-owner Rachel Pellett once competed on the reality series Donut Showdown and won.) We’re partial to her Crunchie-inspired creation, a chocolate-dipped doughnut topped with melt-in-your-mouth shards of sponge toffee. $3. 810 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-652-3662, emmascountrykitchen.com.
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