Oct 14, 2022

There’s nothing better than biting into a freshly made donut topped or filled with your favorite ingredients. Whether you prefer it with some fruit, a little chocolate, or even adorned with crispy cereal pieces, these donut shops in El Monte, California, have you covered. Bring your family and friends and grab some of the most delicious pastries El Monte has to offer for your snacking enjoyment.

Birdies

Donuts
Image by AJEL is licensed with Pixabay License

Recently opened in downtown Los Angeles, Birdies offers fresh, fun, and all-natural food, including their artisanal donuts. These donuts are all made with King Arthur flour and locally sourced ingredients to produce flavors such as Candied Maple Bacon, Triple Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Horchata Twist with Dulce de Leche.

Location: 7900 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, and until 8 p.m. on Sunday.

California Donuts

Family-owned and operated since 1982, California Donuts creates fresh donuts and croissants daily. Choose from more than two dozen different varieties of classic donuts, such as toasted coconut, raspberry, Boston cream, and chocolate buttermilk. You’ll receive a discount if you purchase at least six donuts. You can also try one of their numerous specialty donuts, which include Blueberry Toast Crunch, Chocolate Strawberry, Cheesecake Crumble, and Maple Bacon.

Location: 3540 W. Third St., Los Angeles, California.

Hours: 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Donut Friend

Donut Friend has several locations in the Los Angeles area, but the closest one to El Monte is in the theater district. This local establishment is the brainchild of music industry veteran Mark Trombino, who had a vision of one day opening a donut shop. In 2011, he put his music career on hold to make his dream a reality and opened his first shop in Highland Park. The downtown location came next, followed by Creamo, a sister shop with a menu of plant-based milkshakes and ice cream built on popular Donut Friend flavors.

Their signature donuts are made fresh every morning, so you can be sure that the donuts you select are the very best. If you’re in the mood for some fruit with your donut, try the Compassion Fruit, Banana-versary, Lemon at Work, Polar Berry Club, Strawberrylab, or Yo La Mango. To get your chocolate fix, check out the X-Ray Speculoos, Rites of Sprinkles, Old Fashioned, or Custard Front Drive. A few of their other offerings include Jimmy Eat Swirl, Lavender Arms, Fritter Seems Forever, Poppy-Ghandi, and MC5 Spice.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Location: 543 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, California.

Lêberry Bakery & Donut

Created in 2018 to introduce health-conscious living via plant-based ingredients, Lêberry Bakery & Donut offers some of the best gluten-free and vegan donuts in the area. Stop in to try their plant-based blueberry cake donut or espresso yeast donut, both of which were winners of the 2020 LA DonutFest award. Another popular choice is their plant-based strawberry yeast donut topped with powdered sugar.

Location: 445 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, California.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Saturday (the shop may close earlier if they sell out of donuts).

Primo’s Donuts

Boasting L.A.’s best donuts since 1956, Primo’s Donuts began when the Primo family experienced a disappointing day of house-hunting, and the family’s three-year-old boy spotted a giant plywood donut sitting atop a strip mall storefront. Patriarch Ralph Primo needed a second job and reached out to the shop’s owner about part-time work, but the shop’s owner said he was planning to sell in six months’ time. After some discussion, Primo purchased the shop for $2,000. Over the past 60-plus years, Primo’s Donuts has added a second location in Westwood Village.

The shop’s extensive menu includes more than 50 types of donuts, so you’re bound to find something you like. All donuts are made fresh daily on-site. They offer several types of sprinkle donuts, such as Cherry Cake, Chocolate Cake, and Blueberry-Raised. Other popular donut options include Chocolate Devil’s Food Pretzel, Maple Long John, and Sourdough Glazed Maple Pecan. If you stop by on the weekend, try one of their gluten-free donuts.

Location: 2918 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, California.

Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. The store may close earlier if they sell out of donuts.

Randy’s Donuts

One of the most iconic donut shops in the Los Angeles area, Randy’s Donuts attracts visitors from across the globe, thanks to its giant rooftop donut. They started serving donuts in 1952 and have since expanded throughout Southern California and across the globe. Prices for donuts are based on single-item purchases, but you can save $2 off any dozen. You can even mix and match the categories when you purchase a dozen donuts.

Take a look at their menu, where you’ll find more than a dozen classic donuts, such as Maple-Raised, Cinnamon Crumb Cake, Pink Sprinkles Iced Cake, and Powdered Sugar Cake. You can also opt for one of their 16 deluxe donuts, some of which include Blueberry Iced Cake, Chocolate Long John, Glazed Old Fashioned, and Maple Iced Cruller. Their fancy donuts include Roasted Coconut-Raised, Bear Claw, Lemon Jelly-Filled, and Maple Long John with Cream. For a top-of-the-line donut, try the Matcha Tea-Raised, S’mores-Raised, Texas Glazed, or Red Velvet Cake.

Location: 230 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, California.

Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Saturday.

There you have it — the best donut shops near El Monte, found for you by Longo Lexus. What did you think of this list? Did we highlight your favorite spot to enjoy some fresh and delicious donuts? If not, please let us know, and we’ll add your selection to our list. We want to make sure everyone knows where they can stop to pick up a dozen mouth-watering donuts in the El Monte, California, area.