New Hampshire in the fall has a way of turning a simple drive into something you plan your whole weekend around. The trees go full color, the back roads get scenic, and somewhere along the way, the idea of stopping for a warm cider donut starts to feel less like a detour and more like the whole point.
Across the state, orchards and farm markets have turned apple season into a proper event, complete with pick-your-own rows, pumpkin patches, farm stands stacked with local goods, and bakeries cranking out fresh donuts by the dozen. The 11 stops on this list are all real, currently operating New Hampshire businesses with documented cider donuts on their menus.
Some are classic orchards with full harvest festivals, others are quieter country stops where the pace is slower and the lines are shorter. Either way, every single one is worth mapping out before you hit the road this fall.
1. Cider Bellies Doughnuts, Meredith, New Hampshire
Moulton Farm in Meredith is already a well-known fall destination, but Cider Bellies Doughnuts gives visitors a very specific reason to skip past every other bakery on the way there. The doughnut menu goes well beyond the standard cinnamon-sugar format, with creative options like maple drizzle, lemon, pumpkin spice, pumpkin pancake, baker’s chocolate, and French apple rotating through the lineup.
For anyone who wants to sample without committing to a full dozen, the stand sells “Belly Flops,” bags of smaller, slightly misshapen doughnuts at a friendlier price point. It is a clever way to try more flavors without regret.
The surrounding farm adds real depth to the visit. During fall, guests can pick pumpkins, work through a corn maze, browse the farm market, and catch wagon rides on select weekends.
The farm also sells scented candles in cinnamon-sugar and maple drizzle donut varieties, so technically you can bring the experience home even after the bag is empty.
2. Meadow Ledge Farm, Loudon, New Hampshire
For eight consecutive years, Meadow Ledge Farm in Loudon held the title of top-rated cider donut in New Hampshire, which is the kind of track record that makes a detour feel completely justified. The donuts are known for a light, crispy outer layer with a soft interior that keeps the apple flavor front and center, especially when eaten warm on a cool fall afternoon.
The farm store runs Thursday through Sunday in August, then shifts to daily hours from Labor Day weekend onward, offering apples, cider, baked goods, fresh vegetables, and pies. Starting Labor Day weekend and running through Columbus Day, the farm hosts a Harvest Festival with weekend tractor rides, live music in the orchard, and an apple pie baking contest.
Pick-your-own options include strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and 35 varieties of apples. The rural Loudon location also makes it a natural fit for a scenic loop through the Concord area when the foliage is at its best.
3. Patch Orchards, Lebanon, New Hampshire
Not every great cider donut stop needs a five-acre corn maze and a petting zoo to back it up. Patch Orchards in Lebanon keeps things intentionally low-key, and that restraint is exactly what makes it appealing to visitors who prefer their fall outings without the crowd management.
The farm prepares its apple cider donuts fresh every day during the season, which puts consistency at the top of its selling points. Beyond the donuts, the stand carries the farm’s own apples, pressed cider, maple products, and other seasonal goods, giving shoppers plenty of reasons to linger a little longer than planned.
The Upper Valley setting is genuinely scenic, the kind of countryside that makes taking the long way home feel like a responsible decision rather than a waste of time. For travelers who want a quieter, more personal orchard experience, Patch Orchards fits the bill without requiring any compromise on the quality of the donut itself.
4. Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard, Greenville, New Hampshire
Three-time winner of WMUR’s NH Viewers Choice award for Best Apple Cider Donuts in 2021, 2022, and 2023, Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard in Greenville has the hardware to back up the hype. Donuts are made hot and fresh every weekend from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout September and October, and for something a little more indulgent, the orchard offers a cider donut sundae topped with vanilla soft serve and a caramel drizzle.
The property runs well beyond the bakery counter. Over 700 apple trees are available for pick-your-own, and a pumpkin patch with thousands of options opens mid-September.
A 5-acre corn maze with a new design each year, farm animals, and weekend tractor-drawn hayrides fill out the schedule nicely.
The Monadnock Region backdrop gives the whole visit a classic New England fall look that photographs well and lingers in memory even longer. The season runs exclusively in September and October, so there is no off-season version of this experience to fall back on.
5. Windy Ridge Orchard, North Haverhill, New Hampshire
Getting to Windy Ridge Orchard in North Haverhill requires a commitment to driving north, and the reward for that commitment is a quieter, more mountainous version of the classic New Hampshire orchard experience. The on-site Cider House Cafe serves old-fashioned cider donuts that can be ordered with or without a sugar coating, and real apple pieces are folded into each donut for added texture and flavor.
The cafe runs daily from August through October, serving breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., making it a practical meal stop rather than just a dessert detour. Dick and Ann Fabrizio bought the farm in 1967 and spent five decades building it from a dairy operation into a full orchard destination.
Eighteen varieties of apples and blueberries are available for pick-your-own, while nature trails, a playground, farm animals, and a gift shop round out the visit. Panoramic mountain views make this one a natural anchor for a longer fall foliage route heading into the northern part of the state.
6. Applecrest Farm Orchards, Hampton Falls, New Hampshire
Applecrest Farm Orchards has been continuously operating since 1913, making it one of the oldest working farms in the country and a fourth-generation family enterprise with more than a century of harvest seasons behind it. That kind of history gives the Hampton Falls property a certain credibility that newer operations simply cannot replicate.
The market bakery produces fresh cider donuts alongside pies, breads, crisps, biscuits, and cookies throughout the season. Harvest Festival weekends kick off in late August and run through October, bringing free tractor rides, live bluegrass music, a corn roast, a corn maze, barnyard animals, and pick-your-own opportunities for apples, peaches, nectarines, raspberries, and strawberries depending on availability.
An on-site Creamery serves ice cream, and the Orchard Grille offers lunch and dinner, so a quick donut stop can expand into a full afternoon without much effort. There are no admission, parking, or entrance fees, which makes the whole thing even easier to recommend.
Its Seacoast location also fits neatly into a coastal fall drive.
7. Emery Farm, Durham, New Hampshire
Award-winning house-made apple cider donuts baked fresh every morning set the tone at the Market and Cafe at Emery Farm in Durham, but the menu does not stop there. Donuts are sold individually, by the half-dozen, or by the dozen, with online orders fulfilled on the day while supplies last, which makes planning ahead a smart move during peak fall weekends.
The cafe also serves coffee, espresso, bagels, sandwiches, cookies, muffins, brownies, and whoopie pies. For something more unexpected, the kitchen turns out an apple cider donut bread pudding and a cider donut sundae with brown sugar sauce, whipped cream, walnuts, and a cherry on top.
Emery Farm operates year-round and uses its own produce alongside locally sourced ingredients, which gives the menu a farm-to-table credibility that goes beyond seasonal marketing. A garden center on the property adds another reason to wander around before heading back to the car.
For Seacoast and Durham area visitors, it is an easy and genuinely satisfying farm stop to build into a morning route.
8. Gould Hill Farm, Contoocook, New Hampshire
The store and bakery at Gould Hill Farm in Contoocook operate out of a restored 1810 post-and-beam barn, which makes it one of the more architecturally interesting farm stops on this list. The farm grows over 80 varieties of apples, including several heritage strains and the “Hampshire” variety, which was actually developed at Gould Hill itself.
Cider donuts are a weekend specialty during fall, made fresh using the farm’s own apple cider. Beyond the donuts, the store carries jams, jellies, pancake and soup mixes, honey products, homemade apple pies, and crisps, along with a selection of local gifts.
Horse-drawn hayrides offer panoramic hilltop views of the surrounding countryside, and pick-your-own apple access during harvest season gives the visit a hands-on element. An on-site Contoocook Cider tasting room rounds out the experience with an additional stop worth making before leaving the property.
The combination of historic setting, rare apple varieties, and weekend donuts makes this one of the more distinctive farms on the route through central New Hampshire.
9. Carter Hill Orchard, Concord, New Hampshire
Apple cultivation has been happening on Carter Hill since the mid-1700s, which means this orchard was producing fruit long before New Hampshire was even a state. The Larocque family took over in 2001 and expanded the bakery while renovating the farm stand, earning the property a New Hampshire Farm of Distinction designation in 2010.
The bakery sells cider donuts fresh most days during the season, and arriving early on busy fall weekends is genuinely useful advice since availability is not guaranteed. The menu also includes pies, sweet breads, cookies, and Annette’s widely praised whoopie pies.
Interestingly, some regulars actually prefer the donuts at room temperature over fresh-from-the-fryer warm.
Carter Hill presses its own apple cider and produces maple syrup through New Hampshire Cider Works, a collaboration with a neighboring operation. Pick-your-own options cover over 17 apple varieties, plus peaches, plums, blueberries, and pumpkins depending on the season.
A playground, walking trails, and an observation tower with scenic views give families additional reasons to stay longer than originally planned.
10. Sunnycrest Farm, Londonderry, New Hampshire
There is a particular type of farm market that makes it nearly impossible to walk out with only the one thing you came for, and Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry is exactly that type of place. The market carries farm-pressed cider, fresh produce, pies, jams, maple syrup, honey, and a rotating selection of local treats that tend to multiply in the shopping basket without much warning.
Cider donuts are made using the farm’s own fresh apple cider, and the bakery also turns out muffins, breads, cookies, turnovers, and seasonal specialties throughout the harvest season. The breadth of the baked goods selection means a donut run can quickly become a full pantry restocking mission.
For travelers based in or passing through southern New Hampshire, Sunnycrest Farm delivers a complete harvest-season experience without requiring a long drive north. The farm’s reputation for stocking something for every type of visitor has made it a reliable anchor stop for locals and out-of-towners alike, particularly during the height of apple and pumpkin season in October.
11. DeMeritt Hill Farm, Lee, New Hampshire
DeMeritt Hill Farm in Lee earns its spot as a final stop not just because of the cider donuts, but because the whole property is set up to keep visitors busy for an entire afternoon. Apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, and seasonal activities give the farm enough going on that the donut counter is just one of several worthwhile reasons to stop.
October adds a specific bonus in the form of the farm’s seasonal Craft Garden, a dedicated outdoor space that serves cider and baked goods, including the farm’s own cider donuts, alongside the main orchard activities. Having two separate spots on the property where donuts are available is a detail that dedicated fans of the format will appreciate.
The Lee location puts it squarely in southeastern New Hampshire, making it a natural endpoint for a fall drive that starts further north and winds its way down through orchard country. When the apple harvest is fully underway and the leaf color is at its peak, DeMeritt Hill Farm has the kind of atmosphere that makes the drive back feel noticeably shorter than the drive there.
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