A State-by-State Guide to New England’s Best Apple Cider Doughnuts

Fall is a fantastic time to visit New England, when the number of travelers starts to shrink thanks to the start of school and the onset of cooler weather. Simultaneously, two of the Northeast’s greatest autumnal treats emerge: fabulous fall foliage and apple cider doughnuts. Since most of the best apple cider doughnuts are hot and fresh at generational orchards, under big blue skies in the countryside, the fried confections go hand in hand with prime leaf-peeping opportunities.

Apple cider doughnuts

Cider doughnuts are usually old-fashioned cake doughnut rings — and occasionally airy, yeasted varieties — made with fresh apple cider (not hard cider, though that’s a natural accompaniment) in the batter to give the crumb extra moisture, tenderness, and a subtle sweet-tart element. Cider doughnuts typically draw you in first with a heavenly aroma that often involves cinnamon and sometimes other warm spices like nutmeg that you’d expect from apple-pie spice or pumpkin spice mix. The exteriors may be plain or coated with crunchy crystals of sugar, a dusting of powdered sugar, or icing.

When is cider doughnut season?

Cider doughnut season coincides with the apple harvest, roughly September through November or December, often on weekends at farms. Any year-round cider doughnuts should be treated with a little skepticism, as the treat benefits from the use of fresh-pressed cider, not to mention a steamy mug of mulled cider on the side to offset the chill in the air.

Here's where to pair cider doughnuts with leaf peeping in New England.

Connecticut

Haven Hot Chicken has locations all over Connecticut, but co-founder and president Jason Sobocinski still returns to Whitney Donut & Sandwich Shop and Sleeping Giant State Park in his hometown of Hamden for an epic fall adventure on a crisp, sunny, cool fall day. He appreciates that Whitney Donut uses cider from Norton Brothers Fruit Farm in Cheshire to make the cider doughnuts and massive apple fritters, and advises adding an order of pumpkin doughnuts for “autumnal overload.” Picking up cider doughnuts and other provisions at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield is the start of a perfect fall day for Steve Bayusik, director of operations for Geronimo Hospitality Co., which owns a few restaurants in New Haven. Bayusik then takes the scenic drive to Litchfield County in the northwest corner of the state for a picnic at Kent Falls State Park. Afterward, a glass of crisp, clean Kölsch beer from farm brewery Kent Falls Brewing Co. “is a must,” Bayusik says.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island may be the country’s smallest state, but it has plenty of superb cider doughnuts and showy canopies. Both Jennifer Curtin, general manager at Providence luxury hotel The Beatrice, and Brock Anderson, executive chef at Sea Crest Beach Resort in North Falmouth, Massachusetts, recommend Knead Doughnuts in Providence. Anderson takes half a dozen up the hill to Prospect Terrace Park “to enjoy a very New England afternoon, with scenic panoramic views of autumn colors.” Lisa Raiola, founder and president of Hope & Main, a culinary incubator based in Warren, loves the gluten-free Three Wishes Bakery, from a graduate of her program, in Johnston. It’s “the most delicious fluffy, brioche-style cider doughnut, generously coated in cinnamon-sugar while it’s still warm,” she says, “and you would never guess it is gluten-free.” 

The Hard-Pressed Cider Company starts the season at Windmist Farm on the island of Jamestown, where cows striped like oreos and fluffy sheep graze against a backdrop of the Newport Bridge over Narragansett Bay. Then the mobile vendor moves to The Farmers’ Daughter Christmas Tree Farm in South Kingstown. The fried-to-order doughnuts are “warm, sugar-dusted perfection straight off the truck,” says Curtin. Anika Kimble Huntley, chief marketing officer of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and Stephanie Haigh, co-owner of Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe in Jamestown, concur. “Get a lot,” Haigh insists. “You’re not going to want just one.”

Massachusetts

Old-fashioned doughnuts often include sour cream or buttermilk in the recipe. Since her husband doesn’t eat dairy, Leah Klein of City Living Boston suggests a dairy-free version from Russell Orchards in Ipswich, Massachusetts, close to Crane Beach and the Crane Estate for views of the ocean and color-changing trees. Klein also created a map of cider doughnut purveyors in Boston for when she doesn’t have time to leave the city, including the Red Apple Farm stall at Boston Public Market. That’s where Tom Counts, director of sales at Hyatt Centric Faneuil Hall Boston, sends guests who aren’t able to get out to Bolton for his other favorite, Bolton Spring Farm.

Marc Sheehan, co-owner and executive chef of Northern Spy (fruit fans will recognize the restaurant’s name as a beloved apple variety) in Canton, grabs “incredibly moist, light” cider doughnuts from Foppema's Farm in Northbridge before driving the length of the Blackstone Heritage Corridor along the river and through quaint towns bursting with color.

Trisha Pérez Kennealy, owner and culinary educator at the Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, sends guests to nearby Wilson Farm for fresh cider doughnuts, caramel apples, and “the most diverse selection of pumpkins” accompanied by the magical colors of “Mother Nature’s artwork.” Kristin Jenkins, owner of 1928 Beacon Hill restaurant in Boston, is amazed how much there is to enjoy at Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, from the housemade doughnuts and beautiful property to a farm shop and cellar full of estate-grown hard cider.

Vermont

The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa in Manchester, Vermont, offers a fresh cider doughnut and hot cider to every guest upon arrival in the fall, and “you can’t beat a seat on the resort’s back deck, taking in views of Green Mountain National Forest,” says executive chef Chris Tedesco. Adam Polonski, co-founder and head of whiskey sourcing at Lost Lantern Whiskey in Vergennes, calls Shelburne Orchards “the gold standard for apple picking” and doughnuts in the Champlain Valley, with the value-adds of stunning views of Lake Champlain and a distillery that makes “probably the best apple brandy in New England and a shockingly good pommeau,” a mix of apple brandy and cider. For something a little extra, Polonski suggests Yates Family Orchard, a Monkton Ridge farm that serves the Dreamee: a cider doughnut topped by another iconic Vermont dessert, the maple creemee, “perfect for those early days of fall when it's still warm.”

New Hampshire

Visitors chasing waterfalls and fiery orange and red leaves along New Hampshire’s famous Kancamagus Highway and within White Mountain National Forest have a number of nearby options for high-quality cider doughnuts. At Leavitt’s Country Bakery in Conway, they’re “a perfect balance of crisp on the outside and soft, fluffy, chewy goodness on the inside,” says Henry Sirois, general manager of Jackson inn The Wentworth. Julie Cutting, chef and owner of Cure Restaurant in Portsmouth, can’t get enough of friendly McKenzie’s Farm in Milton. A little farther south in Meredith, near Lake Winnipesaukee, Cider Bellies Doughnuts has won countless fans at beautiful Moulton Farm. The cider doughnuts, available all the time, feature toppings like cinnamon sugar, chocolate drizzle, or on occasion, a glaze using Old Hampshire maple syrup aged in Tamworth Distilling apple brandy barrels, says distillery director Jillian Anderson.

Maine

Limerick, Maine, farm Libby & Son U-Picks is home to “the soft and flavorful cider doughnuts” that Allagash Brewing Company hospitality director Emily Wallace craves, and she looks forward to the colorful drive from Portland. The serene surroundings and warm brioche doughnuts of Earth at Hidden Pond restaurant in Kennebunkport do the trick for Ashley Corrao, executive pastry chef of Cape Cod’s Wequassett Resort & Golf Club in Harwich, Massachusetts — a seasonal cider addition “really captures the flavors of fall.” Executive chef Rick Shell of Cape Neddick resort Cliff House Maine can’t choose just one of his favorite cider doughnuts in Wells, spotlighting Congdon’s Doughnuts “to take with you on a beautiful fall walk along Wells Beach” and Chase Farms, an annual pick-your-own apple tradition for him and his son.