Detroit Mini Donut
BLAC — Black Life, Arts & Culture

Detroit Mini Donuts and Other Spots for Delicious Bites

Bigger is not always better, and in the case of donuts, can often be downright dangerous. Donut worry – we’ve got you. Embrace the mini donut takeover.

Arianna Smith

September 11, 2019 · Updated March 2, 2023

For the past eight years, Detroit Mini Donut has been a sought-after mobile staple at food truck rallies and catering events, and last month, they opened a storefront in the Merchant’s Building right across from Punch Bowl Social.

“We got such a good response from being a mobile food truck business, we stopped tossing around the idea of a store to focus on that. But a friend of mine brought us the opportunity to put down roots and we didn’t want to pass,” says co-owner Karen Hudson.

Hudson wouldn’t spill the recipe for their famous cinnamon sugar donuts or the freshly squeezed lemonade, but she did say that quality is the first ingredient. “Everything is fresh and real. We don’t want a one-time buy. We want to provide as many incentives as we can for people to come back,” she says.

With Hudson and Kara Willis at the helm, Detroit Mini Donut is 100% woman- and minority-owned. “We pounded the pavement together for so long,” Hudson says. “I look up and I get surprised by how well things are going and how far we’ve come.” They’re using the extra space to create new confections for the menu like custard shakes and water-ice slushes. 

214 E. Grand River Ave. Detroit

Pop a pastry from any of these other miniature donut spots.

The Dapper Donut. Now available for catering and coming soon to 620 Woodward Ave., these guys have over 15 different flavors and combinations for any mood or occasion.

Donut Bar + Coffee. Get your bite-sized donuts from this spot offering flavors like Holi Cannoli, Cookie Monster and Tres Leches. Stop into the Southfield or Troy locations, or have them delivered by way of Uber Eats and Grubhub!

Diane’s Mini Donuts. Double-chocolate sprinkled donuts from this setup inside Cobo Center’s atrium are guaranteed to make any fall day along the riverfront just that much sweeter.

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