"donuts" was released to highly positive reviews from music critics. the album holds a score of 84 out of 100 on the review aggregate site metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". will dukes of "pitchfork" wrote that "donuts" showcases dilla paying homage to "the selfsame sounds he's modernized", and in that sense, the album "is pure postmodern art—which was hip-hop's aim in the first place." "popmatters" michael frauenhofer described "donuts" as an "album of explosions and restraint, of precisely crafted balances and absurd breakdowns, of the senselessly affecting juxtaposition of the most powerful of dreams." "the a.v. club"s nathan rabin noted dilla's "ability to twist and contort samples into unrecognizable new forms" and concluded that "as an album from one of rap's most revered producers on one of hip-hop's most respected labels, "donuts" would qualify as a fairly major release under any circumstances, but j dilla's recent death lends it additional significance and gravity." andy kellman of allmusic wrote that "donuts" "has a resonance deeper than anyone could've hoped for or even imagined" given dilla's passing shortly after its release, and ultimately "just might be the one release that best reflects his personality". giving it a three-star honorable mention rating in his review for "msn music", robert christgau called "donuts" "more about moments than flow, which is strange when you think about it".