In search of the best donut in Indy

National Donut Day is the first Friday in June, and for the past couple months, I’ve been on a quest to find the best donut in the Indianapolis area. I’m pretty partial to Donut Bank in southern Indiana – I grew up near Evansville and nothing can quite compare to that glazed yeast donut perfection that they’ve got going on.

But Indianapolis has some great options too, and my first stop was Long’s Bakery in Southport. People consistently tell you that Long’s is the best in town; they’ve been a staple in the area for over 50 years and only accept cash, so be prepared for that if you plan to go. Their glazed yeast donut was pretty delicious, but still couldn’t quite compare to the memory of Donut Bank.

So, I kept searching. My next stop took me to Rise ‘n’ Roll in Greenwood. They’re not exactly local – after an Amish couple franchised their bakery, locations began popping up in other Indiana towns, and this new establishment took over an old veterinarian clinic on the south side little over a year ago.

I’m going to say something now that will anger the Indy locals: Rise “n” Roll was better than Long’s. This donut was a fluffy and perfect yeast donut with caramel icing and rainbow sprinkles. Absolutely delicious, and I could have eaten several more.

Sorry guys, sometimes the truth hurts!

My next stop was The Dancing Donut in Broad Ripple. They definitely get bonus points for having an adorable shop and donut truck! UPDATE: The Dancing Donut has permanently closed.

However, the donut itself wasn’t really anything special. I had the brown butter crumble which I thought might taste similar to the topping on a Dutch apple pie, but really didn’t. It was kind of bland, so I’m not sure that I would get that flavor again.

After that, I tried Donut Refinery in Carmel, which has one of the most instagrammable aesthetics in their shop. UPDATE: Donut Refinery has permanently closed.

They also have a fun ordering process – you grab a pink clipboard, fill out your order form, turn it in and wait for your creation to be done! All of Donut Refinery’s donuts are cake donuts, but you can add all kinds of fun toppings like cereal, bacon, oreos, M&Ms or sprinkles.

I went race weekend and they put adorable checkered flags on my donuts! The cake donut with vanilla glaze and sprinkles tasted a lot like birthday cake, so I was pretty thrilled with that. So cute!

Many people also suggested that I try Jacks’s Donuts, which I’d kind of had before when I tried TeeJay’s Ice Cream Donut Sandwich. They use their donuts when making their sweet creations, but to be fair when ranking, I had to stop in and eat an ice cream-less donut.

It was fine – comparable to Long’s. Maybe not AS good, but better than Dancing Donut. I had two glazed yeast donuts at Jack’s and they seemed quite a bit bigger than Long’s. I would definitely go back and try another kind as well – there was a bacon maple donut that looked pretty tasty!

Next, my quest took me to Rebellion Donuts in the downtown City Market. I’d never actually been inside the market before but it was really cool! So many food vendors and it smelled divine inside. The market itself is a renovated historical landmark and every booth is locally owned, so you’re getting something homegrown and unique. UPDATE: The Rebellion Donuts location in City Market has permanently closed, but you can still find them in Noblesville. 

Rebellion’s first location is in Noblesville and they opened the City Market location earlier this year. Their selection is more upscale and the flavors range from lemon tart to spiced caramel apple in the fall.

I went with the ever popular Nutella and OH MY GOODNESS was it ever good. Coated with sugar and cinnamon and filled with a rich chocolate hazelnut spread. I only had one and totally could have eaten more. This one is definitely a contender for first place!

And finally, the great donut search ended with Titus Bakery in Westfield. It was quite the haul up there from the south side, so I don’t know if I will go back anytime soon, but they seemed to be a pretty popular spot on the north side.

Titus has a TON of different flavors and also serve sandwiches, so you can have lunch or breakfast at their Westfield location. The original location is in Lebanon, and it has a cute donut mural on the side of the building, but I just didn’t have time to go all the way up there.

The donut I went with here was the maple bacon. I wanted to try something different and while it was really good, it was SO sweet that it was hard to finish. It tasted a lot like pancakes and syrup! I’m not sure I’d get this kind of donut again because of how sweet it was.

I’m sure there are many other fine donut establishments in town, and if I’ve missed any you think are worth checking out, please let me know! This was a lot of fun and something I worked on for several months and while I’m pretty donuted out, I do have a verdict to share.

Drum roll please…Rise ‘n’ Roll is the best donut in Indianapolis! That caramel sprinkle donut just couldn’t be topped. Long’s comes in second place, followed by Rebellion, Donut Refinery, Jack’s, Titus, then Dancing Donut.