Fall in NJ: The Best Apple Cider Donuts Near NYC — 5 Farms Worth the Drive

 

Nothing tastes like fall in New Jersey quite like a warm apple cider donut, still dusted with cinnamon sugar. We rounded up five farms where the donuts are the main event — all within about an hour of Bergen County or an easy day trip — plus what else to do once you have eaten your fill. Go early: the best farm stores sell out of warm donuts by late morning on weekends.

Place 1: Demarest Farms — 244 Werimus Road, Hillsdale, NJ. Bergen County's own classic. Demarest's hot, fresh-made apple cider donuts were voted the best in the state by readers, and the farm store pairs them with fresh cider, pies, and jams. General admission (ages 2+) includes the orchard, petting zoo, and playground; pick-your-own apples use a timed reservation system, so book ahead on weekends.

Place 2: Alstede Farms — 1 Alstede Farms Lane, Chester, NJ. One of North Jersey's best-known pick-your-own farms, on 600 acres. Its cider donuts are fresh-baked, light, and finished with cinnamon sugar, sold by the half dozen in the farm store. Make a day of it with the corn maze, hayrides, and fall picking — or come back for Harvest Moon Nights on October weekends.

Place 3: Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill — 104 State Park Road, Chester, NJ. A seventh-generation cider mill that wood-presses its own cider from its own apple blend — and the donuts are the reason many people make the drive. In fall the mill is open Thursday through Sunday, from after Labor Day to Thanksgiving week.

Place 4: Ort Farms — 25 Bartley Road, Long Valley, NJ. Ort's donuts come plain, cinnamon-sugar, or powdered, baked fresh daily, and the farm's 2026 corn maze celebrates America 250 with a Liberty Bell design. The patch is open daily 9:30 AM-4:30 PM through November 8, with hayrides pulled by a big tractor.

Place 5: Terhune Orchards — Princeton, NJ. A working Princeton farm whose store proudly says: do not miss its own apple cider and apple cider donuts. Pair it with a Princeton day trip — the art museum, campus stroll, and farm store make a perfect fall Saturday.

Drive Time: Demarest Farms about 15 minutes from Tenafly; Alstede and Hacklebarney about 1 hour west; Ort Farms about 1 hour 10 minutes; Terhune Orchards about 1 hour 20 minutes south.

What Kids Can Do: Watch donuts being made where the bakery window allows and pick a flavor each; pet farm animals and ride a hay wagon; get lost in a corn maze; pick a pumpkin for the porch.

What Adults Can Do: Stock up on cider, pies, jams, and honey; taste the difference between farms; turn the trip into a foliage drive — the Chester and Long Valley roads are lovely in late October.

Things to Do Nearby: Chester's Main Street — antique shops and cafes; Princeton — pair Terhune Orchards with the university art museum and Palmer Square; your own kitchen — buy a half dozen extra, cider donuts reheat beautifully the next morning.

Seasonal highlights: Late October is the last full push of cider donut season — many farm mazes close November 1-8, and Hacklebarney closes after Thanksgiving week.