These Are The Best Donuts In The Country, According To Alton Brown

Donuts are a sweet treat that have been widely beloved for years and yet somehow continue to get even more popular as time goes on. However, while making donuts at home using slices of bread could satiate your craving for the classic dessert when necessary, not all donuts are created equal, and some are undoubtedly more desirable and delicious than others. This is especially true if you ask beloved celebrity chef and food expert Alton Brown, who is steadfast in his belief that Gibson's Donuts — a small shop located on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee — is the absolute best version of the sweet treat in America.

Brown's love of Gibson's Donuts and Memphis food at large was the topic of discussion during a 2015 interview with Eater. Although Brown's favorite foods around the country include barbecue from Western Kentucky, he enjoys the great burgers, chicken, and, of course, donuts that Memphis has to offer. In fact, the "Good Eats" host explained that the specialty donut shop was a massive reason why Memphis is among his favorite food towns in the country. "Gibson's freaking doughnuts, man," Brown responded when asked what makes the city so special. "Outside of Memphis proper is this doughnut place called Gibson's, which makes not just the best doughnut in the United States, but as far as I'm concerned, if all the other doughnuts went away and I still had Gibson's, I'd be okay."

Now, to credit one donut shop for your immense love of a city must say a lot about the quality of the bakery in question; in the case of Gibson's Donuts, the praise is far from undeserved. First opened in 1967 by Lowell Gibson, the shop was subsequently purchased by Don DeWeese in 1996, who kept the Gibsons' classic recipe and technique, down to the use of an antique glazing device that lightly coats and moisturizes each donut. Plus, the shop takes the time to allow its dough to rise three times throughout the process before molding, cooking, and glazing it for consumers to enjoy.

The raising and glazing methods are incredibly important parts of the equation for Alton Brown, who dove deeper into what makes Gibson's stand out so much in the "Decadent Donuts" episode of The "Best Thing I Ever Ate." While there are many great donuts out there — here are 13 of the best — Brown notes that it's the simplest flavor that needs to impress you. "You always evaluate a donut shop on its plain, yeast-raised glazed donut. If you don't do that right, everything else is smoke and mirrors," Brown advised. "The single best yeast-raised glazed donut comes from Gibson's ... It's a very tender donut, but it's also extremely airy. The only place I know with more majestic space inside of it is St. Peter's." 

Ultimately, if you are curious about what all the fuss is about when it comes to Gibson's, you'll find out as soon as you walk in the front door; first-time visitors are physically thrown a donut on the house, something that many consider a great first impression for the high-caliber donut shop.