The 17 best cider doughnuts in Massachusetts, ranked

There’s nothing that represents fall in Massachusetts quite like a good cider doughnut.

It’s a crisp autumn day. The foliage is going nuts. You’ve got a flannel on. It’s time to go for a drive to one of those cute country stores to get yourself a little treat — or several.

In these parts, no trip to a farm, country store or orchard is complete without grabbing a bag of cider doughnuts.

But who has the best doughnuts? I’ve spent the last few weeks scouring the state for the best and comparing them to find a champion.

Throughout my research, I found that there are tons of little nuances that can make or break a good cider doughnut. With that in mind, I based my rankings on a few criteria.

Flavor: Does it taste good? Does the apple cider come through? Is there a balanced amount of fall spices? Does the outer coating (or lack thereof) improve it?

Texture: Is the doughnut too oily or dry? Is it chewy and moist? What about the exterior? Is there a little craggly crust? Or is it soft and doughy all the way through?

Presentation: Is the doughnut scrawny? Does it actually have a hole in the middle? Was it freshly made? What type of bag was it served in and how does it hold up?

The 17 best cider doughnuts in Massachusetts

I limited my rankings to country stores, farm stores and orchards. That means grocery store chains and doughnut shops were not included. I wanted to focus on spots that have access to great apple cider and regularly make cider doughnuts fresh in the fall.

Of all the places I visited, there were 17 that I deemed worthy of adding to the list.

I want to make something clear: This list is ranked. But being on the bottom of the list isn’t a bad thing. All these doughnuts are great.

However, the tough decisions had to be made, and one doughnut had to be crowned.

These rankings are not scientific, but they are correct. Here are the results:

This doughnut was on the dense, cakey side. It carries lots of flavor, leaning more into the fall spices. It’s notably softer than most of the competition, giving a hefty, satisfying chew.

At $5.99 for a half dozen, these were among the most affordable of the bunch.

Bonus points for putting them in a nice paper bag, which kept the doughnuts fresh but not soggy.

The doughnuts at Bolton Orchards are another heavy, cakey variation. I really enjoyed the plume of cinnamon flavor that comes through on each bite.

These donuts were $7.99 for a half dozen, so a little on the pricier side. They came in a hard plastic container, which is the best container for protecting your doughnuts from getting squished.

At $5.50 for a half-dozen, these were the most affordable doughnuts I found. They’re balanced and airy, coming in with a light sweetness.

Light is the keyword here. These were the thinnest and palest doughnuts I reviewed.

Atkins Farms is one of the biggest names in cider doughnuts, especially in Western Mass. But I remember these being a bit bulkier.

These came in simple plastic bags with twist ties. You have to keep an eye on them, lest they get soggy on the outside from condensation.

This doughnut has a little bit of that satisfying crust on the outside. It’s less cider-y than the other doughnuts on this list and leans a bit more toward an old-fashioned doughnut.

Instead of coming in bags, these doughnuts were available for $1.50 a pop behind the bakery glass – $9 for a half dozen.

The Apple Place makes its doughnuts light and sweet. They’re a cruiserweight doughnut that comes in with a satisfying jab of sweetness and cinnamon.

At $5.99 for a half dozen, this is another affordable batch.

This is the first of a couple of stops that do not coat their doughnuts in cinnamon sugar.

That leaves almost no room for error. Everything rides on the doughnut itself. In this case, it’s a positive thing. The fall spices permeate throughout each bite, evoking pleasant apple pie vibes.

Apparently, uncoated doughnuts don’t come cheaper. These ran $6.99 for a half dozen. At least they came in a paper bag.

These have a craggled pattern on the outside and a super cakey texture on the inside. The bright spot was the nice wave of cinnamon and fall spice on the finish. This is one of the few donuts that had a cinnamon sugar coating, yet still manages to let the fall spices take center stage in the flavor.

I paid $6 for a half dozen in a hard plastic container.

These have a fantastic flavor. You can pick up the notes of apple cider, with the spice playing a nice backup role.

For a half dozen cider doughnuts, Red Apple charges $8 if you’re paying with cash or $8.32 with a card.

This is perhaps the crispiest and airiest doughnut I ate in all my travels. It was also the most expensive.

It has a wonderful texture and is fun to eat. However, it’s a bit limited in terms of cinnamon and fall spices.

Shelburne has a cool setup where there’s a separate cider doughnut booth outside the country store that streamlines the process. These ran $9 for a half dozen, which is on the expensive end.

The apple cider really comes through in this doughnut, giving it a wonderful flavor and spongy texture.

This is another spot that keeps its prices low, clocking in at $6 for a half dozen.

These are the best cider doughnuts I ate that weren’t coated in cinnamon sugar.

By going without the extra sugar, these doughnuts emerge with a refreshingly distinct flavor profile. You get the apple, the cinnamon, the nutmeg. You get some sweetness. But overall, it’s the fruit and spice doing the talking.

For six delightful doughnuts in a paper bag, it’ll run you $7.25.

These are wonderfully balanced with a fantastic texture. When you bite down, you get a bit of a crunchy exterior before it gives way to a chewy, soft interior. You get a minor wave of fall spices, but the cinnamon and sweetness are doing most of the heavy lifting.

Cider Hill might have the best grab-and-go setup of any farm store. They set paper bags out under mild heat lamps to keep the doughnuts warm. You can then pay for them at the front counter — $6 for a half dozen.

Smolak was the only spot that offered glazed cider doughnuts, which I thought was interesting. Their cinnamon sugar version is still their best, but glazed is a fun option.

These are cooked beautifully, with the craggly exterior protecting a fluffy, chewy bounty underneath.

If you wish your cider doughnuts were sweeter, you could certainly try the glazed version. But I think the traditional versions remain undefeated.

This was another expensive batch, running $8.99 for a half dozen.

Simple, crunchy, chewy, delicious. Now we’re getting into the elite tier of doughnuts.

Breezeland is one of the smallest spots I visited. But it still stood out for the simple, clean execution of the cider doughnut — all for $6.50.

It was also the first place that I’ve seen with a dedicated apple cellar. It’s like a beer cellar, a separate refrigerated room that keeps everything in there chilled.

Now I want every orchard to have an apple cellar.

The Honey Pot Hill doughnuts carry a big whollop. They’re big, dense and satisfying.

On top of that, they have a satisfyingly crunchy exterior and moist interior.

At $6 in a nice paper bag, they’re a great value.

Douglas is a relatively small outfit that only offers cider doughnut sales on Fridays through Sundays. But with that small operation comes high quality – and a higher price at $12 for a half dozen.

Farmer Nick Socrat is the guy who grows the apples at the orchard. He also preps and fries the doughnuts himself.

You can see the difference in the final product — a sweet, well-balanced doughnut with an awesome texture.

One bite. That’s all it took for me to do a double-take and say to myself, “Wow, this doughnut is in a class of its own.”

The cider doughnuts at Calaraso’s carry an unparalleled blast of flavor, giving off waves of caramel, sugar, cinnamon and fall spices. It’s like having a hurricane of apple pie roll across your palate.

This doughnut walks the tightrope of being light and airy while avoiding being dry. It’s buttery and flavorful, but not oily at all.

Plus, at $5.99 for a half dozen, they’re some of the most affordable on the list.

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Again, I need to stress that these are all among the 17 best cider doughnuts in the state. Calareso’s may win the title. But you can’t go wrong with going to any of these places.

Here’s a full recap of the rankings:

17) Rice Fruit Farm, Wilbraham

16) Bolton Orchards, Bolton

15) Atkins Farms, Amherst

14) Volante Farms, Needham

13) The Apple Place, East Longmeadow

12) Brooksby Farm, Peabody

11) CN Smith Farm, East Bridgewater

10) Red Apple Farm, Phillipston

9) Shelburne Farm, Stow

8) Wilson Farm, Lexington

7) Russell Orchards, Ipswich

6) Cider Hill Farm, Amesbury

5) Smolak Farms, North Andover

4) Breezeland Orchards, Warren

3) Honey Pot Hill Orchards, Stow

2) Douglas Orchard & Farm, Douglas

1) Calareso’s Farm Stand & Garden Center, Reading

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If you have any cider doughnut spots you think I missed, let me know at nomalley@masslive.com. If you have any issues with the rankings, please send all angry emails to jpignatiello@masslive.com.