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Home › Donut Guides › Best Holiday Donuts & Baked Goods in Knoxville

Best Holiday Donuts & Baked Goods in Knoxville

Holiday season in Knoxville tastes like peppermint everything, cranberry beignets, king cake and cookie advent calendars. Here are the bakeries, donut shops and sweet spots we send friends to, grouped by neighborhood, and you can taste a few favorites on our Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour.

By the Underground Donut Tour team · Updated November 2026

Looking for year-round favorites? See our Best Donut Shops in Knoxville guide.

Want to taste the best of Knoxville with a guide? See our Knoxville food tours.

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

◉ OFFICIAL UNDERGROUND DONUT TOUR PARTNER

Ruby Sunshine

37 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website

New Orleans-style brunch on Market Square, and the holiday season has brought white chocolate cranberry beignets dusted with powdered sugar. It is a stop on our Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour.

Donut Tour Recommends: White chocolate cranberry beignets

Taste it on our tour →

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

◉ OFFICIAL UNDERGROUND DONUT TOUR PARTNER

Proper Popcorn

29 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website · Facebook

Gourmet popcorn made fresh downtown, with festive holiday mixes like Reindeer Munch that make an easy, crowd-pleasing gift. It is a stop on our Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour.

Donut Tour Recommends: Reindeer Munch popcorn

Taste it on our tour →

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

◉ OFFICIAL UNDERGROUND DONUT TOUR PARTNER

Coffee & Chocolate

327 Union Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website · Instagram · Facebook

A cozy Market Square coffee and chocolate shop with house-made holiday chocolates and a peppermint mocha to sip while you browse. It is a stop on our Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour.

Donut Tour Recommends: Christmas chocolates

Taste it on our tour →

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

◉ OFFICIAL UNDERGROUND DONUT TOUR PARTNER

Cruze Farm Ice Cream (Downtown)

445 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website · Instagram · Facebook

Farm-fresh dairy turned into festive scoops like candy cane ice cream and peppermint bark shakes. Ice cream in December is a Knoxville tradition. It is a stop on our Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour.

Donut Tour Recommends: Candy cane ice cream

Taste it on our tour →

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

Ham'N Goodys

507 S Gay St #700, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website

Famous for buttery lemon cookies, which get dressed up for the holidays, plus holiday cookie gift boxes that are perfect for coworkers and neighbors.

Donut Tour Recommends: Holiday-decorated lemon cookies

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

The Phoenix Apothecary and Parlor

418 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website

An old-fashioned soda fountain on Gay Street serving festive flavors like Christmas Cookie ice cream and peppermint shakes. Nostalgic holiday fun.

Donut Tour Recommends: Christmas Cookie ice cream

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

Kilwins (Gay Street)

408 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website

An old-fashioned sweet shop where the holidays bring peppermint stick fudge, peppermint bark and festive chocolates. Grab a box for the stockings.

Donut Tour Recommends: Peppermint stick fudge

DOWNTOWN & MARKET SQUARE

The Tomato Head

12 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902

Website

A Market Square favorite with a great bakery case, and past holiday seasons have brought chocolate peppermint crackle cookies. Perfect with a hot drink after the ice rink.

Donut Tour Recommends: Peppermint crackle cookies

OLD CITY & NORTH KNOXVILLE

● Black-owned ● Women-owned

Mer-Mer's Bakery

617 N Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37917

Website

Knoxville's first Black-owned bakery has been baking cakes, cookies and cinnamon buns since 1998, and its five-flavor pound cake is a holiday table favorite.

Donut Tour Recommends: Five-flavor pound cake

OLD CITY & NORTH KNOXVILLE

Magpies Bakery

846 N Central St, Knoxville, TN 37917

Website

A Knoxville cake institution that bakes king cakes for the season, plus an old-timey Appalachian apple stack cake. Festive and full of local flavor.

Donut Tour Recommends: King cake

OLD CITY & NORTH KNOXVILLE

Wild Love Bakehouse

1625 N Central St, Knoxville, TN 37917

Website

A cozy Happy Holler bakehouse known for pastries and seasonal pies, with holiday pie pre-orders that sell out fast. Plan ahead.

Donut Tour Recommends: Holiday pies (pre-order)

BEARDEN & WEST KNOXVILLE

Duck Donuts (Knoxville)

6104 Kingston Pike, Suite 102, Knoxville, TN 37919

Website · Instagram · Facebook

Warm, made-to-order cake donuts with holiday toppings, and past seasons have brought a Christmas cookie dozen and gingerbread donut hole dippers.

Donut Tour Recommends: Christmas cookie donut dozen

BEARDEN & WEST KNOXVILLE

The Whimsy Cookie Company

4927 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919

Website

Beautifully decorated cookies, with a holiday cookie advent calendar and Christmas cookie collections that make December extra sweet.

Donut Tour Recommends: Holiday cookie advent calendar

BEARDEN & WEST KNOXVILLE

● Women-owned

Marble City Sweets

9307 Kingston Pike B, Knoxville, TN 37922

Website

A sweet West Knoxville bakery whose festive cookie advent calendars, like the 12 Days of Cookies, are a fun way to count down to Christmas.

Donut Tour Recommends: 12 Days of Cookies advent calendar

FARRAGUT & TURKEY CREEK

Schakolad Chocolate Factory

10944 Parkside Dr, Knoxville, TN 37934

Website

A family-run chocolate shop in Turkey Creek with handmade chocolates and festive candy dishes for holiday gifting.

Donut Tour Recommends: Holiday chocolate gift box

SOUTH KNOXVILLE

Myrtle's Bakehouse

2201 Kerns Rising Way, Knoxville, TN 37920

Website

A creative South Knoxville bakehouse that gets into the season with festive decorated holiday cookies and cookie decorating fun, plus its famous kronuts.

Donut Tour Recommends: Festive decorated holiday cookies

Taste Knoxville's best on one walk

Skip the guesswork. Our guides pick the best of the best at each stop, with stories along the way.

Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour: Beignets, Chocolate & More →

Knoxville Donut FAQ

Are these holiday spots ranked?

No. Every donut shop and bakery here is one we would happily send a friend to, so we list them by neighborhood instead of ranking them.

When can I find these holiday treats?

Most holiday specials appear from late November through the New Year, and many bakeries take pre-orders for pies, cookie boxes and holiday cakes. Menus change every season, so check each shop's site or social before you go.

Can I taste some of these on a tour?

Yes. Our Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour: Beignets, Chocolate & More visits Ruby Sunshine, Proper Popcorn, Coffee & Chocolate and Cruze Farm Ice Cream around Market Square, which is all lit up for the holidays.

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