4 Mins Read
Dunkin’ is an institution. If you love all things bready, fried and covered in sprinkles, but struggle to find vegan options, you’re in luck. Vegan donut shops are indeed a thing, and they rival the donut king.
The following companies have all identified the gap in the market for authentic donuts made without any animal products, and available all year round.
PS: Dunkin’ fanatics can always head to Belgium, where 40 vegan flavours are sold.
1. The Happy Donut Bakery
The Happy Donut Bakery says that its products are all 100 percent vegan but not just for vegans. It’s a nice way of staying inclusive but also reassuring that every donut tastes just like you hope: squidgy, sweet and decadent.
Located: Bath, U.K. Available for delivery in Bristol as well.
Don’t miss: The Lotus Biscoff. It will have you simultaneously sighing with pleasure and exclaiming “Dunkin WHO?”
Bonus treats: The ‘shag cakes’ are incredible. Decorated to look like 1970s carpets, they are the ultimate celebration cakes when something from the supermarket won’t do.
2. The Vegan Doughnut Co
Any bakery started in a home kitchen knows how to deliver the goods and The Vegan Doughnut Co is no exception. This Black female-owned company was born out of the personal veganism of the familial sisters who launched it and Ohio has been thanking them ever since.
Located: Cleveland, OH, U.S.
Don’t miss: Flavours change every month, with the signature square donuts taking on new forms every few weeks. That being said, the Lemon Lavender should be a year-round treat as it sounds phenomenal.
Bonus treats: The shop is mental health orientated, meaning that it closes when staff need space. This is definitely a company to support if you are in the local area, because it nourishes mind, body and soul.
3. Machino Donuts
Machino Donuts has opening hours that are flexible according to if they sell out of their baked treats. And they regularly do, so arrive early or face the possibility of a closed door. It now has two locations in Toronto, so this could be a company to watch in terms of expansion.
Located: Toronto, ON, Canada.
Don’t miss: The Butter Toast vegan donut. It might sound simple, but they’re the perfect reimagining of what a donut should be. Rich, unapologetically bready and sweeter than your builder’s tea. Plus, they aren’t too sickly, so you can have a few.
Bonus treats: Cronuts are available here but not just plain ones. Matcha sugar and chai cronuts are a proprietary twist on a global food craze and they are a textural and taste sensation.
4. Donut Friend
Donuts done differently is what Donut Friend promises. It doesn’t disappoint either. 22 constantly available flavours make up the menu, plus seasonal releases and DIY options.
Located: Los Angeles, CA, U.S.
Don’t miss: Youth Brulèe. Seriously. If you’ve ever wondered what a creme brulèe, mixed with a freshly fried custard-filled donut would taste like, here it is. And it’s every bit as unforgettable as you are picturing.
Bonus treats: Certain flavours donate to local charity projects, so you can feel good as you eat something naughty. Look for the ‘Donut Funds’ signposting.
5. Frickin delights
Eating vegan donuts on a trip to Seattle affected Many and Cory so much that they founded Frickin Delights. It’s a testament to the success of the shop that both left their full-time jobs as a nurse and electrician to focus on fried deliciousness.
Located: Devon, AB, Canada.
Don’t miss: The Nutmeg Cake donut. It’s a taste of tradition but finished in a plant-based way and with coconut milk frosting. We are salivating too, it’s not just you.
Bonus treats: More than a shop or bakery, Frickin delights is a cafe as well. This means that you can sit in and sample as many of the 60(!) flavours as you dare. Chocolate Earl Grey comes highly recommended.
6. Donut Farm
Food activism underpins Donut Farm, leading to the vegan recipes that have made it renowned in California. The bakery makes no bones about its opinion that veganism is the most sustainable diet possible and doesn’t hold back when dismissing animals from the food system either.
Located: Oakland and San Francisco, CA, U.S.
Don’t miss: The Coconut Whiteout. It’s the dreamiest combination of a donut and a snowball that will take you right back to childhood.
Bonus treats: All the donuts are organic. That doesn’t make them healthy for you, but certainly takes some off the unnecessary guilt away from enjoying one or two with a coffee.
7. Dotties
Dotties has two locations in Philadelphia, churning out more than 1,000 vegan donut treats a day. The bakery offers customers the opportunity to see what’s for sale that day by using its social media accounts as online menus.
Location: Philadelphia, PA, U.S.
Don’t miss: Flavours change daily but apple fritters and Boston creams are usually available and definitely worth a try. The latter are so decadent they make people triple-check that all the ingredients are vegan.
Bonus treats: The donuts filled with secondary sweet bars are amazing. Strawberry cakes filled with lemon bars, as shown above, are just one version of the double-stacked goodies that have become something of a signature for Dotties.
Lead Photo by Setyaki Irham at Unsplash.
Author
