Donuts are usually made with sweet dough that is fried, yeast is leavened, and eventually glazed. However, at Donut Love, donuts are made differently. The small family owned business that has two stores in Hampton and Exeter New Hampshire makes their donuts by hand, and out of potatoes. In a recipe that has not no potato flour, no yeast, no fake sugars, and no dyes, Donut Love makes their donuts out of potatoes which are boiled, mashed, and incorporated into dough using ingredients from local farms in the New England area.

The store was opened in 2017 by owners  Mike and Stephanie Olivieira in honor of their mother who lost a battle to cancer. According to their website,Mike, who was trying to find a way to honor his mother, remembered her wish to open a bakery, and after some experimentation he was able to perfect his potato donuts. After selling some from his kitchen to his local community, Mike and his Sister were able to open Donut Love in Hampton.

Donut Love’s Website lists nine regular flavors, four specialty flavors, and three different topping flavors. Donut Love makes excellent potato donuts that are actually two to three times larger and more filling than the average donut. The shop also offers gluten free options daily, and dairy/egg free options on the weekends, so everyone can enjoy their donuts. At 25$ a dozen, Donut Love offers a tasty and filling donut. 

Donut Love received a 4.5/5 rating from Yelp consisting of 68 reviews. Almost all of the reviews were positive, and many rated the shop a 5/5. In fact, Ryan K, from Portsmouth N.H. said,”Best donuts I’ve found in the area. So far. I’ve been searching. The apple was my favorite. Lemon was good too. The donuts are very dense, but delicious when fresh… Go to now is 2 apple donuts and a coffee. Mr. Shivell, who is a well known donut connoisseur says,” Donut Love is one of his top 3 donut places of all time. It’s different but it is a must try.”  Donut Love was named New Hampshire’s best donut shop according to Yelp, and also won Best of NH for donuts according to eatthis.com. 

On Yelp and Tripadvisor, complaints about Donut Love are about the price of the donut, the wait time, and their “open till we sell out” model. Since the donuts are made by hand and use ingredients from local New England vendors, Donut Love has a higher price than most donut shops. Lines at the store have increased sometimes resulting in large wait times. However, the opening of a second store in Exter has helped reduce wait times. Those wait times are also likly a result of the open till we sell out model which guarantees the majority of the donuts being bought early in the morning. 

Personally, I believe Donut love is one of the hidden gems of New Hampshire. I am more than willing to get up early and pay the high price for excellent handmade donuts. It is a great place with a great story. Their lemon flavor is one of the best tasting donuts I have ever had, and I highly recommend getting it any time you are in the seacoast area of New Hampshire.