Now is the era of Big Doughnuts. Here are some of the best in Raleigh
Sorry, but the simple pleasures are out.
At least where doughnuts are concerned. We are in the age of Big Doughnuts, a time when if you’re going to have a doughnut, you’re going to make it count.
Doughnuts have become events, taking the fried dough form and topping them with rich maple and bacon, zippy berry icings and pistachios, crafted with the care of pastries.
That’s why for National Doughnut Day I dropped in on the newish Tepuy Donuts on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, a specialty shop of gloriously tall sourdough doughnuts just outside the Beltline.
At Tepuy, owned by baker Alejandro Contreras, the sourdough doughnuts get a 24-hour ferment before frying and filling, resulting in an airy but structured, chewy but light doughnut.
We stopped in at Tepuy as part of The News & Observer’s On A Budget column, where we dine for less than $25 out the door.
What to know about Tepuy doughnuts in Raleigh
Tepuy is part of a trend of idealized doughnut shops in the Triangle, taking humbled fried dough to new heights. Other new school shops serving monster doughnuts include Bright Spot in Raleigh and Redstart Takeaway in Durham, which serves $6.50 filled doughnuts that entire families might have to split.
At Tepuy, sure, there are the classics, the vanilla glazed and chocolate sprinkles, even Boston Cream Pie. But Tepuy shines with its twists on the form, a vibrantly pink raspberry icing with sprinkles, a banana pudding with a small temple of Nilla Wafers converging in the middle and its signature doughnut, the Crème brûlée, with a hard shell of sugar and rich custard filling, worthy of any fine French restaurant.
But these aren’t the doughnuts you can afford to pick up a couple dozen to bring to the office. Doughnuts start at $3 and $4 for regular and reach as much as $6 for specialties.
Afraid the rush of National Doughnut Day would lead to an early sell-out I put in my order the night before, managing five doughnuts with tax and tip for $24.49.
Here’s how I’d rank them.
- Chocolate with sprinkles: Richly and intensely chocolatey, light and airy sourdough brioche.
- Crème brûlée: You could use a spoon to crack the sugar shell wrapped around this doughnut, which shatters beautifully on the first bite.
- Raspberry with sprinkles: Simpsons-worthy pink doughnut with a subtly bright raspberry icing that glows like neon in the best way.
- Vanilla glazed: Not quite as light as a Krispy Kreme classic glazed, but more flavorful, with a sweetly pleasant chew.
- Dubai Chocolate: Somehow not as chocolatey as the chocolate glazed, and filled like a water balloon with pistachio creme, this is not a last place doughnut, it’s just not as singularly sublime as the others.
This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 3:02 PM.
