Doughnut Plant

Lower East Side

New York City

Art & Culture

Cult-Favorite Treats, Dubbed "Doughnuts of the Gods."

About Doughnut Plant

& why it made the Carpe City list

New York’s Doughnut Plant is considered the pioneer of the “artisanal doughnut.”
In 2019 Doughnut Plant celebrated 25 years of insanely delicious, totally insta-worthy treats… but it all started in a basement.
- In 1994 founder Mark Isreal began spending evenings in the basement of his LES apartment, making doughnuts from scratch, before delivering them every morning on his bike to specialty shops around the city.
- Six years later Mark opened Doughnut Plant’s first storefront on Grand Street.
But the Doughnut Plant timeline goes back way further than that!
- Mark began by using his grandfather Herman’s doughnut recipe (Grandpa H started baking in 1910!).
While they might have a long and loving family history, these delectable doughnuts have nothing vintage about them.
- Mark and the Doughnut Plant are continually creating new kinds of doughnuts, and these are forward-thinking, innovative desserts!
  - Donut Plant invented the world’s first Crème Brûlée doughnut
  - They were the first to use seasonal fruits in doughnut glazes
  - They pioneered the square jelly doughnut
  - They have unique seasonal specialties, including their original doughflowers created for Mother’s Day.
  - Mark even spent 5 years coming up with the perfect cake doughnut recipe! One result was the first-ever Tres Leches donut. We are fans of the Red Velvet too!
The original Grand Street shop is still going strong, but you can also grab Doughnut Plant doughnuts at Grand Central, The Chelsea Hotel, and at the “Plants” in Long Island City, Queens and Fort Greene, Brooklyn and now in the new Essex Street Market.

Carpe City Trivia

Is it Doughnut or Donut?

Although both are acceptable, the proper English word is Doughnut. Donut is an Americanized version of the word but is now accepted as an official variation. Most likely, due to the popularity of Dunkin’.