The Great 8 Donut Places of South Dakota

If you agree, enjoy this deliciously researched list of the best places to grab donuts in South Dakota. We won’t judge you for trying to hit all eight. In fact, we encourage it.

The Donut Shop

Pierre

The homemade buttercream whipped up every morning at The Donut Shop is enough to make this shop legendary, but it’s only one reason why people line up every morning. Hidden behind a row of trees is the home of handcrafted treasures, ranging from traditional glazed donuts to specialties like donut holes and full-sized donut cakes, both of which are filled with that buttercream that area residents savor and past customers crave.

Must-Try: Anything with the buttercream. It. Is. Amazing.

Location: 1120 N. Euclid Ave., Pierre

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 6 a.m. until they run out of donuts (which happens all the time)

Filler's Bakery

Mobridge

Everything from the pastries to the buns & bread are made fresh from scratch at this northern South Dakota bakery. They even serve kuchen, a cake-like German pastry made with sweet dough and a filling of custard, fruit, or nuts. It’s a distinctly South Dakota delight that many swear never tastes better than at Filler’s Bakery.

Must-Try: There’s no reason not to have a donut and a slice of kuchen. Call it the “Filler’s Compromise” and enjoy.

Location: 921 E Grand Crossing, Mobridge

Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to noon

Jerry's Cakes & Donuts

Rapid City

For 30 years, Jerry’s Cakes & Donuts has been the place to pull up a chair & shoot the breeze between delicious bites of a sour cream cake donut. With a wide selection of heavenly pastries and a rack full of personalized coffee mugs for the regulars, it’s hard not to be comfortable at Jerry’s. It’s the flavor, though, that led Saveur magazine to name the bakery one of the 12 best in the country. Older folks come for coffee every day. Young folks eat like young folks can. Former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton once stopped by for a snack as did Super Bowl champion (and SoDak native) Adam Vinatieri. Rick Harrison from Pawn Stars was a big fan of the maple bacon long john. No matter who you are, you enter hungry and leave satisfied. It’s the circle of life, just like a donut.

Must-Try: Harrison was not wrong about sweet and savory maple bacon long john, which features a full strip of bacon.

Location: 109 E. Omaha St., Rapid City

Hours: Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 5 a.m. to noon.

Flyboy Donuts

Sioux Falls

Searching the biggest city in South Dakota will offer plenty of bakery options, but it’s hard to resist the variety and succulence of Flyboy Donuts. Named by the fighter pilot who started it all, Flyboy’s donuts, turnovers, fritters, caramel rolls, and more are all there for the eating. You want a cereal-topped long john? No problem. Need a giant donut? Done. Heck, you can even buy some letter donuts and spell your name. Food Network believes that Flyboy serves the best donuts in South Dakota. We understand why. Bonus: As long as you do it by midnight the night before, you can order online for in-town delivery or pickup at one of the two Sioux Falls locations. There’s also a Flyboys Donut Truck that groups & businesses can request so, really, there’s no excuse for being hungry in Sioux Falls ever again. (If you’re not in Sioux Falls, no worries. Flyboy makes deliveries to certain shops in Brookings, Mitchell, and Vermillion.)

Must-Try: Sharing the super-sized Texas Donut is fine, but not at all required. Treat yourself.

Location #1: 5005 S. Western Ave., Suite 190, Sioux Falls

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location #2: 3600 East 10th St., Sioux Falls

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Zebra King Donuts

Centreville

Any dedicated donut connoisseur is willing to set an alarm to get the finest and freshest. Perhaps nowhere in South Dakota is that more true than in eastern South Dakota. Zebra King Donuts in Centerville (pop. 900) has never been short of customers in its 20+ years of operation, often selling completely out of inventory before many people have started their workday. There are plenty of reasons for the dedication, but the main one is the trademarked Zebra donut. These marbled chocolate-and-vanilla-dough donuts are fried, glazed, and hand-dipped in chocolate, attracting loyal customers from the area including Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s largest city.

Must-Try: It’s gotta be the Zebra. There’s a reason why they trademarked that baby ... and why you can buy a candle that smells just like it!

Location: 516 Broadway St., Centerville

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 6 a.m. until noon (but usually earlier since inventory rarely lasts past 11 a.m.)

Daylight Donuts

Sioux Falls & Mitchell

In 1954, Tommy and Lucille Day started selling their donut flour mixes out of their trunk to local shops in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The couple added “Light” to the end of their name to describe the texture and flavor. It was clearly a smart move. More than 50 years later, South Dakota’s two Daylight Donuts locations (Mitchell & Rapid City) are considered the dependable homes of deliciousness. Whether you’re looking for cake donuts with a variety of toppings, fruit-tastic fritters, or the glazed donut that started it all, you’re going to have a hard time exercising restraint once you walk through the doors. Don’t worry about that. Treat yourself. It’s what Tommy & Lucille—and your hunger—would want.

Must-Try: Starting with a classic glazed will give you the full flavor of a mix that launched the Daylight Donuts empire.

Mitchell Location: 900 N Main St.

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to noon

Sioux Falls Location: 1302 E Saint Patrick St.

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Wall Drug Store

Wall

Calling Wall Drug Store a "bakery" is like calling a car a "hubcap-holder" -- not wrong, but far too simple. The legendary tourist mecca is a mall, a playground, a museum, a restaurant, and so much more, but anyone that’s had one bite of a Wall Drug donut knows where to begin their visit. The fried treats come plain or with chocolate, vanilla, or maple frosting, and there’s something about the circular wonders that is absolutely magical. Do they go great with Wall Drug’s famous 5-cent coffee? You bet.

Must-Try: Your frosting decision is up to you, but this author is all about the chocolate.

Location: 510 Main St., Wall

Hours: The main store is open every day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the café closes at 5:30 p.m.

Kessler's

Aberdeen

For almost a century, the Kessler's crew has been making quality donuts from scratch. The tasty treats are fried at a lower temperature than other donuts, creating a rough-edged texture and shape that gets coated with signature vanilla glaze.

Must-Try: It's probably impossible to eat one of their Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts and not savor every delicious bite, no matter what flavor (original, blueberry, cherry or lemon) you pick.

Location: 615 6th Ave SE, Aberdeen

Hours: Every day from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.