Gurnee Donuts

I used to love this place! I would wake up early to get there and get some ube donuts before they ran out! But its been a couple years and I am in town so I decided to come in and get a does around 10 in the morning. This inside had a few chairs which people could sit inside. The server was very quick when taking my order. I walked in ans it looked the same as it was before. I ordered a dozen donuts and I was so shocked at how small they are now.. i got chocolate glaze, ube sprinkles, vanilla sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles and some Boston cream donuts. The donuts were smaller than I remember but using the same recipe so the flavor was more concentrated and they were way too sweet.. honestly they werent made with love.. another example of what happens when business prioritize profits over quality. So disappointing..

Idk what happened but this place was great years ago. We went in today ,February 19, 2026 and these donuts are old. They have oil built up on the bottom and are dry and hard. This is not fresh. I wish they would fix this. Whole box in the trash. I was so exited and have been craving some fresh donuts. I have to drive far so I did not go back for a refund. If I wanted old stale donuts I would go to Dunkin not here. I want to support family business but guys cmon.

Best place in the Northshore for delicious fresh donuts! They have been here for decades and rightfully so. Please visit and try for yourself you won't be disappointed! Friendly staff and they have the best Ube donuts in town! Ample parking.

Really cool local doughnut shop. Very fast, very friendly and great prices. Stopped on a whim, but boy am I glad I did. The doughnuts were awesome and they had a good selection. Would definitely stop here for doughnuts again.

Oh myyyygod the donuts were delicious. Get the ube donuts, i will be coming back for more of everything 🤤🤤🤤🤤

I have been there on 3 different occasions so now I will leave my review. I don't know what the hype is all about. The donuts are not the best. My experience is they are dry. You definitely need some type of drink. The Boston Cream are so so. The chocolate frosting has very little taste of chocolate. The cream is pudding not freshly made. The fruit filled donuts are filled with can preserves and very little filling. The people were very friendly that worked there.

It's refreshing to see a true family-owned business thrive in a town of chains and private equity-owned stores. Thank you, Lee family, for continuing to deliver delicious donuts for all these years!

I agree with other reviewers that the donuts were quite dry. I tried a Boston cream that had very little filling and not much flavor. That said, I also got a bear claw that was huge and packed with apples — and that one was not dry at all. So it may be a bit hit or miss depending on what you order. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the donuts enough to come back. The store was clean, though, and the employees were extremely friendly.

There are many wonderful reasons to live in Gurnee, but Gurnee donuts is near the very top (just behind my friends)! I drool just thinking about the maple bacon long john! Also the ube is a very unique special treat. Not to be lost amongst all this sugary deliciousness is the service! Try it out soon!

Tried to give this place one last chance this weekend, and customer service, product availability, and product quality are worse than they have ever been here. If you go, you can expect rude staff offering very picked-over and sparse, dry donuts with none of their signature famous donuts that have put them on the map for so many years. If you ask about the signature donuts, expect an apathetic shrug from the staff. It was good while it lasted, but I look forward to getting a better Ube donut hookup in the area someday.

What can I say?! It's a Lake County staple. All their donuts are pretty great! They have one of the best Boston Cream donuts I've ever had!

I can't believe I've lived in this area and just got around to Gurnee Donuts. It's wild that one of the best donut shops has been right under my nose. From the outside, it's unassuming. A simple sign with a simple store front located in a strip. There is plenty of parking in the lot. They are open until 2pm so it's always hard for me to get out but went on a a weekend and now I have to make frequent trips because on the weekend they have ube donuts and they are some of the most delicious donuts I've tasted. They are priced reasonably, and all the donuts just look so appealing. The employees I encounter are always friendly and quick with their service. If you happen to pass by Gurnee Donuts, do yourself a favor and go in. You won't be disappointed.

My fav donut spot. Come early in the morning on a weekend to get the best of the bunch! My fav is an Ube glazed, 2nd runner up is the cinnamon roll, 3rd is the Boston crème. But everything is delish and a sweet treat. I always have amazing service here, so kind and attentive. Additionally I love the merch, even the Box is adorable. Great spot, wonderful place for donuts!

The BEST donuts - THE BEST. Just had a red velvet donut and it was moist and so very good. Highly recommend!

Rude disgusting stale roach covered donuts and floor. Workers hard to understand, and the taro donut tastes like cardboard. The lady behind counter started raising her voice and scared me away

I love their donuts. Not the most creative (and for me that's not a diss -- I like my donuts traditional) and super pillowy tasty dough. Perfect. Friendly service. Good coffee too!

Small donut shop that packs a delicious punch of flavorful traditional donuts among other specialty items. The cafe is in a strip mall just east of Great America. Easily reach by I-294 or Route 41on Grand Avenue. When I pulled up it was already packed. I bought a dozen to bring home and try. If you know me, I had to try a little bite or 2 of everything. My favorite is the maple bacon long John with a crunch of sweet and salty. My next fav was the blueberry donut that had so much fruity flavor and I have never had a tastier one. The Boston crème was creamy but tastes like other ones I've had before. The apple fritter was great because their version is the best in its class and it's twice as big! The cinnamon roll was hefty but slightly on the dry side. The Ube cake donut had a nice texture but no Ube flavor in it. I think it was hidden behind the chocolate topping. I didn't order the other Ube choices. The other traditional donuts were definitely a step above others I've tried in the past. I'll definitely be back.

When you find a donut shop you love, you keep coming back! Gurnee donuts is located in a smaller strip plaza and can be easily overlooked while driving by, but the quality and taste of their donuts are unmatched. Growing up I've frequent at Gurnee Donuts whenever my parents wanted to go to the outlet mall, but my highlight was always a stop for donuts. Specifically their ube cake donut and their red velvet! When you walk into the shop, it is not super large and nor does it need to be. It's a mom and pop, they have a few tables and chairs and a display of all the donuts! You're greeted with a friendly smile, and even better treats. From long Johns, to red velvet, to ube, and chocolate, and we can't forget blueberry... no matter which flavor you try the donut is always fresh, soft and moist making you want to go for a 2nd and 3rd! Note that they do close early if their donuts sell out, so be sure to drop by earlier if you're looking for specific flavors or place an order in advance!

The donuts here at Gurnee Donuts are simply amazing! Let me tell you about their maple bacon that I had, it was hands down the best I've ever tasted. But that's not all. I also tried their chocolate frosted yeast donut and a blueberry cake donut, and both were absolutely wonderful. Every bite was a burst of flavor! Their products are unique and delicious. This place is truly a gem of a donut shop. I would really go back here again and again.

Honestly my favourite donuts ever. Delicious donuts located in an unassuming plaza in Gurnee. Staff is super friendly and welcoming. Come early or risk running out of your favorite donuts! They are really busy. For my fellow Asians or Asian food lovers, on the weekends, they sell ube (purple yam) donuts! It can come glazed, with fruity pebbles, oreos, or coconut! My favs are their apple turnovers, boston cream, blueberry, strawberry, regular glazed, and red velvet. They have a few specialty lattes on the menu and have milk alternatives! I had the bourbon villa latte with oat milk today. It was very smooth and went well with my donut. They also have merch- hoodies!

It is so hard to find a good donut that doesn't taste plasticky or generic like those "fast food" donut places. I'm always on the lookout for authentic homemade donuts and Gurnee Donuts is takes the cake on that. I learned about this establishment from a fellow Yelper- thanks Nina and I've since returned to this strip mall several times to get my donut fix. What I love about Gurnee Donuts is the flavor and variety. They have something for everyone: long johns, cake donuts, blueberry, UBE (oohh but you have to call ahead or get there early), crullers, frosted donuts, glazed, etc. The donuts are sweet and delicious and the staff has always been so friendly. They also sell coffee! My only gripe which is a small gripe is that you have to get there early because the best donuts to the early birds! I've gone after noon (they close at 2pm I believe) and the selection wasn't that amazing.

Gurnee Donuts: What many Midwesterners tend to associate with Gurnee (including myself) is the home of Six Flags Great America, but almost directly east of the park is a small shop called Gurnee Donuts. It's been around for over 25 years and although I undergo an annual pilgrimage to Six Flags, I've never taken the time to investigate this doughnut spot. A unique offering found only on the weekend is their ube doughnut. Ube is a purple yam commonly found in Filipino cuisine. It has a slightly nutty and vanilla flavor to it. Although I was there by 7:45am, there was a line extending out the door and they were nearly out of the OREO ube doughnut. They also offer a coconut ube doughnut, but let's just say that's not my thing. The doughnut is a cake style doughnut with a lovely purple color and topped with a generous portion of OREO crumbles. I may have detected hints of vanilla, but honestly, if I was blindfolded, I don't think I could have told the difference. I don't mean that in a bad way as it was a delicious doughnut and that means a lot from me since I greatly prefer raised/yeast style doughnuts (which is why I also got my go to raised vanilla sprinkle doughnut). It helped that their ube cake doughnut was not overly dry like a stereotypical low-quality cake doughnut but was instead pleasantly moist and satisfyingly chewy. Gurnee Donuts is Doughboy approved and the next time I'll likely give one of their giant cinnamon rolls a go. Doughboy_Food_Reviews

We were staying in the area and looking for a breakfast spot. It is important to know that this place has a table or two, but not an eat in restaurant. We grabbed a half dozen of the freshest, fluffy doughnuts-ube, cream-filled, jelly-filled, chocolate and strawberry iced and a blueberry. We couldn't try them all, but we made a dent, taking it all back to our hotel to enjoy.

Pastries are awesome. Cake donuts and cinnamon rolls are my favorites. One must get there early since people line up for these treats.

Best Donuts in the area! We ordered primarily mixed Ube flavored donuts and some donut holes from here. Everything was delish! The place is small typically for grab and go orders but have two small side tables and bench to sit on by the window. Kevin and the workers were real nice and helpful. Definitely come early before they sell out of all the specialty donut favorites.

BEST PLACE FOR DONUTS!!! Been here a couple of time. Went in yesterday and was craving for ube donuts. If you don't know what ube is, you're missing out!! They only serve ube donuts on the weekends but you have to go early to get some. My favorite is the one with toasted coconut on it. I've also tried their red velvet and that's always good too. Service is always great and quick. Will always come back for more!

We have tried these donuts several times over the years and they are always just...very average donuts. Simple, strip mall shop - no frills. I wish I liked them more than I do since good donut options limited in the suburbs.

Wow! What a pleasant discovery! I was house sitting for my sister's family up in McHenry County for the weekend and my girlfiends and I made a minivactaion out of it. Saturday we spent beautiful mid 80's partly sunny day hiking around Lake Geneva 20 minutes north of us. The next day was a drastic difference in weather; 55 degrees, damp and rainy. We originally planned to attend Calvary Community Church and afterwards looked forward to a hike at Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy next door. The 8 a.m. worship service was enough to brighten our driery morning, but sadly our mini vacation had to be cut short. A hike was not appealing in the rain so we headed home. As we were driving along highway 41 heading south, Linda happened to be reading the signs and mentioned we were entering Gurnee. Faith ears perked up and suddenly we had to make a detour to Gurnee Donuts. Faith had been to Gurnee Donuts before so she was all too familiar with the ube declicacies which are created in this tiny shop. Upon entering the place was packed with people, I read a posted sign, "Ube donuts only avaiable on Saturday and Sunday". It felt good to know it was Sunday and surprisingly there were a number of ube donuts avaiable that late in the morning. I ended up buying a dozen donuts for "pasalubong". Never realized there was such a variety of ube donuts. The unique looking sugar crusted huge thick ube donuts sparkeled radiantly and drew my attention immediately. They tasted as good as they looked (my favorite of the 3 I tried). I also tried the 2 coconut ube varieties. After ordering the dozen, Faith discovered they had ube cinnamon rolls which were only avaiable that day. Of course I had to order some since they were rare; at $4 each I asked for 4 keeping my total just under $50. I believe the donuts were $2.50 each. The friendly employees added to the pleasant experience. As I inquired about the shop the nice young man who attended to us pointed out all the donut trophy awards they had won since they opened in 1994. I found the Gurnee Donuts to be another blessing to brighten the unseasonably cool rainy summer day. If you are in route to any town north of Gurnee, I highly suggest to take a short detour and stop in for a donut break--make sure it's not their closed days!

I totally get why Gurnee donuts made the top 100 donuts! Absolutely delicious! The ube donut was thick and fluffy, great sweetness and flavor. We also got the maple bacon bar which was smoky, crispy and sweet. The Boston creme had great chocolate glaze flavor and the creme was thick, creamy and sweet. The cold brew coffee was also very very good. The staff were so friendly and welcoming and of course meeting all the other yelpers was fantastic! Super cute shop! We had an amazing time!!

Amazing donuts! The best I've ever had honestly! No wonder this business gets national accolades! I highly recommend this place!

Consistently good donuts and such. Does a good business. Service is always top notch. Never been disappointed. Check it out.

This place is pretty solid. I would recommend coming on a weekend, which is when they sell their ube donuts. I think the ube donuts are a specialty here. If you want to try their ube donuts, I would recommend coming early before they sell out! I can't speak much about the other flavors at this shop. I mostly bought the ube donuts with various toppings (i.e. toasted coconut, oreo, sprinkles, etc.) I did get a red velvet donut, and the flavor was good. I think every other donut flavor they sell are your standard donut shop flavors.

Great Donut place. Highly recommend this business Best donuts in the Chicago Area!!!

They are really the best donuts around! Service is great and they helped us decide what and how many we needed for our breakfast meeting.

I love Ube and will try any dessert with Ube in it. Years ago when I found out Gurnee Donuts sells Ube donuts, I was willing to make the 30+mile trek to try one out. I went on a weekend with family and arrived around noon. Sadly, one Ube donut remained! No one in line had claimed it and by the time it was my turn, I snagged the last one. It was an Ube donut with coconut flaked topping. The donut texture is a cake donut. As other Yelpers mentioned, the Ube flavor is faint. It's still worth ordering and our favorites in addition to the Ube are the Old Fashioned, Bear Claw and Chocolate frosted Long Johns. On our recent trip up to the Pleasant Prairie outlet, we made a pit stop in Gurnee to pick up a half dozen of their donuts. This time, I eMailed ahead and Kevin helped me secure a pair of those coveted Fruity Pebble Ube donuts. I liked these more than the coconut ones and they are very Instagrammable. Gurnee donuts won several donut awards from the Annual Donut Fest in Chicago. As a Filipino-American, I take pride in supporting a Filipino establishment that gains acclaim for their skill and talent all while surviving through Covid. On our way out, the sweet lady behind the counter comped us two free donuts (an old fashioned and a blueberry) to add to our order which was awesome! For a half dozen donuts (mix of classic and fancy) our total came out to just under $12. We'll definitely return when we're in the area.

After reading many great reviews and even seeing Gurnee Donuts rated among Yelp's Top 100 Donuts shops in the US, we were excited to check it out as it's only 30 minutes away. We chose to go on a Saturday as people had noted this when they offer their Ube Donuts. Upon arriving at 1030am, the store was almost completely out of donuts. Not just the Ube, but ALL donuts. There was a sign on the door that once donut supply was consumed no more would be made. What is that? On a Saturday morning? We barely were able to fill a dozen with an assortment of plain chocolate and vanilla long John's which were nothing special. Good, but not worth going out of your way.

Omg!!! The most fantastic Apple fritter I've had! Filled with apple and made perfect!!!!! And the Purple Ube doughnuts wow! I want some now!!!!

Always soft and fresh l love this place. I wish my diet could afford to eat more of them.

We visited Chicago area this last week and my boyfriends family recommended the best donut place. We drove 30 minutes at 6am just to make it on time for delicious ube donuts we got a dozen donuts. The ube selection was so good they didn't have them displayed we had to ask for them and they were brought out from the back. Donuts were so good and fresh! Highly recommend

Stopped here before heading to a beach. Based on the Instagram-worthy pics I had seen, I expected the interior to be bigger, but it's actually quite small. They have the donut counter up front with another shelf of trays in the back, and there's a fridge with standard bottled/canned drinks. The selection of donuts is pretty good, but they're not labeled, so you have to know what you want. Mostly standard flavors aside from the purple ube donuts. Anyway, we got a glazed yeast donut, a sprinkled long john, and an ube cake donut with coconut. Each donut was excellent. The yeast donuts were nice and fluffy, and the cake donut was moist. Pricing is reasonable; a bit more than Dunkin, but these are premium donuts. Wouldn't mind stopping here again if we're in the area.

Listen up, folks. I feel a moral obligation to prevent you from making the same mistake I made at this doughnut spot. It all started innocently enough during a family trip to the Great Wolf Lodge. My kids, in their infinite wisdom, demanded doughnuts. And so, my noble quest for sweet treats began. With a quick Yelp search, I stumbled upon a place that claimed to have the holy grail of doughnuts: red velvet doughnuts. Excitement filled the air as I discovered that this seemingly magical doughnut haven was just a stone's throw away. As the super dad that I am, I decided to surprise my family with these tantalizing treats. Now, let me paint the picture of disappointment for you. Brace yourselves. Picture this: I walk into the doughnut spot, my heart racing with anticipation. But lo and behold, they didn't have the legendary red velvet doughnuts! My hopes were crushed like a doughnut under an elephant's foot. But, undeterred, I decided to go with their bow tie doughnuts instead. Big mistake. I presented the bow tie doughnuts to my family, expecting cheers and applause. But oh, how wrong I was. These doughnuts were a dry desert in a sea of flavor. Sweetness? Non-existent. Moisture? Vanished into thin air. It was like chewing on a crispy air mattress. My dreams of a doughnut-filled family bliss were shattered, one dry bite at a time. Now, I must emphasize that I can't speak for every single doughnut in that place. Maybe they have hidden gems that I missed out on. But one thing I can say with certainty is that their bow tie doughnuts missed the mark. They were the sad, neglected corner of the doughnut universe, far away from the realms of sweetness and satisfaction. So, dear doughnut enthusiasts, if you find yourself in the vicinity of this establishment, I implore you to proceed with caution. Approach their bow tie doughnuts at your own risk. Perhaps they excel in other areas, but their doughnut game needs some serious improvement. May your doughnut adventures be filled with sweetness elsewhere, my friends.

I had a craving for apple fritters and decided to stop by this shop. The store is clean and smells of delicious doughnuts. The customer service was great. The lady who served the doughnut gave me free doughnuts holes along with the doughnuts I purchased. The doughnuts taste homemade, are flaky and moist. It is impossible to eat just one or two doughnut holes. Although the doughnut holes are small, they are delicious. The apple fritter has just enough cinnamon to and apples it. The chocolate doughnut, which had a thick layer of rich creamy frosting is perfect for the chocolate lovers. I am excited about returning to Gurnee doughnuts to try the blueberry and buttermilk doughnuts.

Delicious but expensive. Bought a dozen with 3 being what they referred to as specialty ones. Apple fritter & 2 cinnamon rolls. $25

This family-owned gem services the community while also affirming their own ethnic identity. Every time I go in, there are old veterans from our American Legion sharing coffee, and even helping make take out boxes. Not only does everyone local, especially police and Cub Scouts, love their donuts, but I also bring their special ube donut selection as gifts on weekends to all my Asian friends and relatives. What is ube? It's a root, kinda like a small purple sweet potato, but not as mushy. More like a baked potato. On weekends only, Gurnee Donuts makes super-delicious purple donuts with ube and a variety of coconut, Fruity Pebbles cereal, ube frosting, or my son's favorite, crushed Oreos. For special occasions, they can also make a donut cake for birthdays! They've been featured on all the local news channels, and when I say "local," I mean CHICAGO news! Here's a link to the local ABC affiliate's video review: https://youtu.be/n3UY4J_mUys So, if you're heading to Six Flags Great America, get in a little earlier and stop by Gurnee Donuts for a taste!

I recently moved to Gurnee, and since then, I've had received so many recommendations about this place, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. In fact, we are fans of Gurnee Donuts! I cannot explain how happy I am when I see local businesses doing that well, and you can tell for the line that they have every single morning. Place is small, yes, but perfect for a quick stop on the road! We pick up donuts at least once a week, and we get plenty to survive at least a few days! I am so picky with my Boston creams, but theirs is pure love. Best Boston cream in Illinois I'd say! I love the glazed donut, as well as the red velvet. My husband LOVES the ube donut (which we've heard so many praises about it, and they were very much right!) Donuts are so fresh always, and I love that! Not a fan of their coffee, actually! We are so lucky to have Gurnee Donuts just a few minutes away from home, yay!

This is the best place to get a dozen donuts of any assortment. Every flavor is great and rich in texture. Small shop on the East side of Gurnee and a local classic for everyone who grew up in the area.

Best donuts in Gurnee IL! It's always a great way to start your day with a Gurnee Donut!

The absolute BEST donuts I've ever had!!! And I've had a LOT of donuts. Everything is great but their old fashioneds are incredible. The secret donut you must try is the Maple Bacon long john. You will probably have to ask for them to make in for you but they are a taste explosion. Like eating an entire pancake breakfast with bacon in every bite.

The donuts are to die for. The people that work there are very nice and pleasant. The place is nice.

Good donuts, better than Dunkin'. The place is not very clean, but you will receive a kind welcoming. There is a sitting area inside to sit and enjoy your donut. What you will expect in buying these donuts. They are a good size, and doughy and a good flavor at every bite. This place also has special donuts that are fun and tempting to always want go buy. Can you believe you can also order a giant donut ! Anyhow, don't leave Gurnee without trying these awards wining donuts. Parking is big and close to the shop.

Best donuts ever! The purple donuts are the best! So fresh and yummy! Well worth a drive when you crave an amazing selection of donuts!

Best donuts I've ever had. Blows any Chicago shop out of the water . Try the Ube donut if you get the chance !

Yum!!! Must try. Small business. Local. Family owned. Delicious. Special treat for our family! Enough said!!

The best donuts I've ever had, my favorite donut shop by far !! Try the Apple fritters and the blueberry donuts! Yum

Love the glazed twists and the Fruity Pebbles doughnuts! Just get there before 9am on the weekends so you have the best selection possible!

Fresh and original recipes. Great donuts. Go early or you may miss out. I'm not close to the location, but it's worth a drive.

Good selection of doughnuts, a nice local business. Prefer this over chain options, worth checking out.

"hidden gem". Once you get donuts from here nothing from the generic commercial places (Dunkin donuts, Krispy Kreme, etc.) can even remotely compare. It's akin to comparing beer to champagne. If i had to nitpick, my only complaint is that they close so early everyday.