Blue Star Donuts

I was just almost run over by a Blue Star Donut van when the driver blew through a red light and a protected crosswalk with flashing lights. Even after I yelled and jumped back (while wearing a neon yellow shirt), the driver didn’t react at all. Pretty good donuts, but at least one highly dangerous driver.

If I could write you a song to make you fall in love, I would write it about these heavenly donuts.
Ok so maybe those aren’t the correct lyrics to Mike Posner’s popular song but if he ever had Blue Star Donuts it probably would be!
Blue Star completely changed my mind about these circles of sugary dough. The fact that they spend 18 hours making their dough and top them with creative flavor combinations makes me sad (and thankful only because I would eat them every day) that they don’t have a location in Eugene. I can drive two hours for a donut… right?
My absolute favorites were the powdered sugar donut filled with lemon lime curd and the blueberry bourbon basil donut. The dough itself was light and fluffy with a hint of sweetness. The fillings and glaze were indescribably perfect. The tart lemon lime curd cut the sweetness of the powdered sugar while the basil and blueberry glaze was not only visually beautiful but a wonderful combination for the palate. And yes, they do have vegan donuts that are equally as amazing as the regular ones.
They definitely have it down when it comes to high quality production and I’ll bet money that it tastes very close, if not the same, as the donuts in France.

After a slightly above-​average visit to Voodoo, I was pretty excited to try Blue Star after hearing so much about it from Portland locals. We were on our way out of Portland, so we stopped by this Southeast location, as it was a lot closer to where we were staying. The smells, upon entering, are intoxicating. I’ve mentioned before that I definitely prefer savory to sweet. After coming here, it has made me re-​think my stance on savory vs. sweet foods. As previously mentioned, the locals feel the same way too, and you can tell, because they often sell out before their official closing hours. And I mean, ALL of their doughnuts sell out. You gotta think that’s much more impressive than the cronuts that come in a limited supply at Dominique Ansel in New York.
First thing I have to mention: raspberry thyme and blueberry bourbon basil doughnuts. Order them now. The raspberry thyme was more of a cake doughnut, and had a crispy outside and a moist cakey inside. And that glaze. There ain’t anything like it. The blueberry bourbon basil doughnut was a bit more complex in flavor, and more like a regular, fluffy doughnut. Hoo-​wee. We also tried the Meyer lemon curd-​filled powdered doughnut, and the chocolate crunch doughnuts, which were excellent as well, and just so unique.
The staff behind the counter were very patient with us as we asked for their personal favorites, as well as the «signature» doughnuts. They mentioned that there were definitely favorites, but that we should try as much as we could, and that we wouldn’t regret it. We got about a dozen doughnuts, and we did not regret it. The prices are very expensive, at about $ 3+ per doughnut. There ain’t no way around it, so it’s just that decision on whether or not you think it’s worth it. However, you can be assured that the quality will be there, and that Blue Star is constantly pushing the envelope in terms of creativity.
The doughnuts are excellent, the staff is friendly and efficient, and while the prices aren’t ideal, you can be assured that this is the best doughnut you’ll get in Oregon, and even quite possibly the country. For reals.

Blueberry bourbon basil…
Still warm-​and-​crispy raspberry rosemary buttermilk…
Never have I had such perfectly balanced flavors in a donut. Not too sweet, fruit-​forward, and just enough herb flavor to lend depth and complexity.
Space is a little sterile but eh, who cares — it’s all about you and your donut, baby

Of course I had stop by for some doughnuts before heading home to Seattle. I was hoping to get a crème brûlée doughtnut but they were sold out, but then I was there about 3pm on Saturday and they didn’t have very much to choose from. So I only I got a dozen doughnuts with only four flavors, blueberry basil bourbon, powdered peanut butter and jelly, the cocoa nib/​passionfruit and the almond chocolate. My favorite was the blueberry basil bourbon which I thought would be strange at first but it was actually very good. The peanut butter and jelly one took me by surprise because the jelly was spicy. It was alright, just not expecting it to be spicy. The other two flavors I got were pretty good too. Yes, it is pricey, which is why I gave this place 4 stars but there are not many doughnut shops that have unusual flavors and use quality ingredients.

This shop is amazing! We ordered the passion fruit cocoa and the dark chocolate pistachio ganache. They had a line which wasn’t too long, but if there’s a line… ITS IS WELL WORTH IT!
The passion fruit one was really refreshing as and unique it has a kick to it which was from my cayenne spice.
The chocolate pistachio was really nice as it was a dark chocolate and it wasn’t too sweet — great for those who don’t like it too sweet.
This shop I would give it a ⁵⁄₅ great service, amazingly fresh, great choices and compared to voodoo donuts this place is great for not as sweet, fresh, soft, melt in the mouth and great service!
This is definitely a must try and highly recommended!

Fresh donuts. Quality glaze. Friendly service. What more can you ask?
We shared a chocolate pistachio ganache donut and a passion fruit cocoa nib donut. It was melt-​in-​my-​mouth awesomeness. The first donut was generously topped with soft melted dark chocolate balanced with crunchy crushed pistachios. The second donut had a rich passion fruit coating that had a bit of cayenne kick. The donut dough was not too sweet and quite light.
This one’s going to be on my Portland list going forward.

Voodoo is all hype, whereas Blue Star lives up to the hype. The donuts are delicious! Although I wanted to get one of each flavor, I had to hold back and only got the blueberry basil, passion fruit, and Cointreau crème brûlée. I can’t pick a favorite because they’re all really good. The passion fruit is refreshing and fruity, whereas the crème brûlée is filled with custard and you can’t ignore the tube of Cointreau! Sometimes they’ll even have doggie treats for your furry friends.

My new favorite donut shop!!! Voodoo may be more of a tourist attraction, but the true donut connoisseur belongs here. I’ve only tried the Vegan varieties (due to egg/​dairy allergies), but they have a really great «soft crumb» texture with top notch flavors.
They have an upscale pastry shop vibe — with everything painted white and clean lines.
Prices are a little high ($ 2.75 each) but they a decent size.

Not really that special, the donut were like regular donuts to me, except extremely over priced, maybe with cooler flavors but really it was nothing different then any other donut shop.
I thought at least the donuts would be fresh but they have most of them premade stored behind the counter.
Blue star is similar to voodoo, both have their own flare but taste why they are both just normal donuts.

Some good, some meh. I did enjoy the Lilikoi and Lemon Poppyseed donuts. The Blueberry Basil wasn’t really my thing. Also, I just can’t fully buy into the whole expensive hipster donut scene… but that’s just me.

this is where I eat donuts.
I was told this is where the locals go and boy am I glad to have checked this place out. Blue star has an open kitchen and by 11am the donut display was looking pretty empty so we took 8 and speed off home to share them.
–raspberry rosemary buttermilk
–passion fruit cocoa nib
–maple bacon
–theOG
–chocolate hazelnut ganache
–glazed
–pistachio something
You will encounter classic flavours and also some strange combinations but all the donuts were deliciously light and not overly sweet. I will be stopping here again on my next Portland trip and the prices are moderate compared to fancy aussie donuts and so much tastier!

«Down goes Frazier!!!»
Yeah that was a 70s boxing reference, but this spot knocked out all of my heavyweight donut champions (Dynamo in SF, Voodoo in PDX, the Donut Vault in Chicago, the donut plant in NYC). I’m kind of shocked.
I was told (rather emphatically) by native portlanders (not the 6mo fake ones) that this was the donut spot of choice. And they were so so right. So right.
Walk into the Hawthorne shop and it’s super white (paint wise… Probably racially too but I didn’t take stock), bright, and simple. There’s a line, but it’s not obnoxious. You see a guy in the back cutting up dough, and a flurry of activity at the counters (they hand pack the donuts in boxes rather carefully). There’s a beautiful case of donuts behind some glass, and carts full of the gems that you want to run away with.
The flavors are super unique, from crème brûlée to bourbon blueberry, to lemon poppyseed. I tried 6 (don’t judge) and loved all of them.
They aren’t super sugar bombs like voodoo and they don’t make you feel disgusting after eating a bunch (but don’t mistake that these are good for you though). Textures are spot on from the cake donuts to the raised ones.
The lemon poppyseed donut won the day. Amazing crisp outside with soft inside. I will dream of this donut for days to come.
Man i want a donut from here. Like right now.

I don’t get it. I really don’t understand the hype of these donuts. Don’t hate me, I tried it twice, and I still didn’t like it at all. If I could give it 5 stars, I would for their amazing customer service. The guy taking orders was absolutely hilarious and super nice. Every customer he had, he made sure to make them laugh.
I tried the passion fruit, the blueberry basil, and the lemon poppy. I could care less for them all. We couldn’t finish the whole donut, and ended up throwing it out.
My allegiance lies with Pip’s Original Doughnuts.

Omg yummmm!!! Of course my first 5 star review in Portland would be for donuts… it’s not voodoo, but i heard these were way better than the calorie, too sweet, voodoo donuts!
We tried everythingggg!
1. Olive oil — really good, but had this interesting zest on the top that was crunchy and not my favorite.
2. Almond chocolate — this was my least favorite of the bunch, but might be good for dark chocolate lovers.
3. Passion fruit — BEST one if you’re craving a lighter donut. My friend tried this one and ordered another one to go!
4. Tirimisu — this was more like a cake donut, a little denser type cake. not too sweet and B’s favorite.
5. Maple bacon — for me. i could do maple bacon allll day, every day. i really effing loved this one. Would be either this one or the passion fruit one would be my faves depending on my mood.
6. Blueberry bourdon — this one was less memorable, so not sure about the hype around this one. Meeps!
Solid donut spot. $ 3-​$ 4 donuts definitely can’t be a regular occurrence but a good stop if you want a donut in Portland!

I am not gonna lie, I wasn’t impressed by my first couple of visits. I should probably tell you, that my taste buds prefer salty and sour, and sweet is probably the last of my preferences. My review is a tad bit biased. I do like donuts, but when I get the standard donuts such as glazed etc, I have a certain memory or perspective of how they should taste. If you’re a type of person that loves sugar, and sweets, then Blue Star, will definitely be your place for donuts.
So far the cake donuts, meyer lemon/​key lime powdered donut and the marionberry with peanut butter powder are probably the only ones I would get. The rest that are glazed with various types of glazes are overwhelmingly dosed with enough sugar/​sweetness to fulfill my sugar limit for the week.
There can be a line on the weekends, but you’ll be in and out within ten minutes, which compared to other donut shops like Voodoo, is nothing in comparison.

If donuts were as delicious as Blue Star’s, I’d find every excuse in my book to justify why I’m allowed to eat them for breakfast every day. Although I’m not a huge fan of donuts, I still had to visit the popular donut shop in Portland and try the donuts, which feature a brioche bread recipe. As if donuts weren’t unhealthy enough, let’s throw some more butter into it… Ugh.
Flavors rotate, and we were unfortunate to not be able to try the famous blueberry bourbon basil. Instead we shared the raspberry rosemary buttermilk, lemon poppyseed, passion fruit cocoa nib, and tiramisu.
The donut base itself was really good, light and fluffy. Some of the donuts had a crispy exterior too, which I loved. And the glazes were phenomenal! My favorite was raspberry rosemary buttermilk — flavorful and fragrant, both the raspberry and rosemary flavors were very distinct yet worked well together. The lemon poppyseed was a close second, sweet and lemony but not tart. The passion fruit cocoa nib was a little too sour for me, but it was still decent. And the tiramisu was creamy and rich, but it didn’t taste like tiramisu at all.
Donuts range anywhere from $ 2.75 to $ 3.25 each. The shop is small, yet a long snake-​line of customers’ orders get filled quickly. Best to come early or else you’ll miss out — Blue Star Donuts hours are «8 am until out». The innovative glazes and fillings are what make Blue Star Donuts deliciously unique and worth the calories.

I have been wanting to try this since ever. Finally this place is open! Usually the donuts gets sold off. So call ahead! The wait was for 15 minutes but was worth it!
I tried their «Lemon Poppy Buttermilk» and «Red velvet Cake» donuts and I must say that these were the best donuts I ever had. The are not too sweet and don’t have air filled in them like balloon. They prepare everything fresh from the scratch daily. Everything is sourced locally from the best places around the town. The place is very neat, no clutter and their kitchen is spacious.
The price a bit higher in comparison to other donut shops but once you eat it, you know that it’s worth every penny. I have found the place to treat my sweet tooth :) I wish they open a branch near Hillsboro/​Beaverton side. In the meantime I am going there again soon. Hands down the best donut place in town…

According to Portland locals, this spot is the new shit around town and VooDoo donuts are played out. So we went here. The shop was small and their donuts are all about $ 3.00 each. They looked too pretty to eat! Very unique flavors, one donut had rosemary as part of the ingredient!
I gave it three stars because the donuts were just okay. Perhaps I’m biased because I like to have some traditional things remain simplistic and, well, traditional. If you’re visiting Portland, though, do visit this spot. Based on pictures alone, this place looks more classier than VooDoo donuts. Their cold brew is also pretty strong yet good.

Blue Star has gained a well-​earned reputation for quality doughnuts made with a brioche dough that develops over 24 hours. If only they didn’t call their offerings — and their store, do-​nuts.
All of their doughnuts are good, including the cake doughnuts. They tend to be sweet, so you shouldn’t down more than one at a sitting. Their beignets are also quite good.
The doughnuts are better designed than those at Voodoo, which tend to be more gimmicky. You won’t encounter the Voodoo lines, which tend to be populated mostly by tourists. But the Blue Star doughnuts disappear quickly enough.