20 Best Vegan Doughnuts in the US You Have to Try

Do not underestimate the power of the doughnut. During WWI, simple balls of fried dough were said to raise the morale of the US troops. You can read more about the history of this delicious day here, but if you’re in less of an educational mood and more of a “how fast can I find a vegan doughnut?” craze, keep reading. From coast to coast and everywhere in between, here are the best vegan doughnuts to start the day off on the right foot.

What makes a doughnut vegan?

Traditionally, doughnut recipes involve eggs and milk, which aren’t vegan. But as these 20 spots below prove, it is possible to make doughnuts with animal-free ingredients. While recipes vary, many bakers choose to swap dairy milk for soy milk, and banana, egg replacer, or silken tofu instead of eggs. But whatever the ingredients, the result is just as delicious. To find out for yourself, head to one of the eateries below. You won’t be disappointed!

20 best vegan doughnuts in the US

@donutfriend/Instagram

1 Donut Friend’s Youth Brûlée 

Los Angeles, CA

There’s so much wasted potential in a doughnut’s hole. Instead of leaving a gaping space of unsatisfying air, this vegan doughnut micro chain fills the gap with Bavarian cream that’s topped with sugar and torched for a crème brûlée effect. In terms of dessert mashups, this glazed doughnut crème brûlée hybrid is a step above the cronut.
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Peaceful Provisions/Instagram

2 Peaceful Provisions’ chocolate cake doughnuts

Beacon, NY

This doughnut is worth getting up early for. Based in Beacon, NY, and only open Fridays through Sundays with limited hours, this vegan bakery sells out fast. It’s a telling sign that you’re in for something great. Every morsel they make is epic, but the chocolate cake doughnuts are over the top. Go traditional with a vanilla glaze or try the indulgent Strawberry White Chocolate.
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Victor and Mika’s Bakery/Instagram

3 Victor and Mika’s Bakery Peanut Butter Jelly Doughnut

Winter Haven, FL

Those who eat peanut butter by the spoonful, you know who you are. While there’s a purity to spooning this nutty spread into your mouth, biting into a vegan doughnut with it is exponentially more delightful. Find them on the rotating menu at the Central Florida bakery or the Winter Haven farmers’ market. 
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Doe Donuts/Instagram

4 Doe Donuts’ S’mores

Portland, OR

This vegan doughnuttery specializes in yeasted, filled, and sweetly adorned fried dough. Its seasonal S’mores donut is a delicious wonder with a chocolate fudge glaze, vegan marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips. Enjoy with a double espresso. 
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Dun-well Doughnuts

5 Dun-Well Doughnuts’ PB&J 

Brooklyn, NY

A step above the classic jelly-filled, this doughnut adds a thick layer of creamy peanut glaze to recreate this humble sandwich in fried dough form. There’s a reason why it’s a bestseller. 
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The Vegan Doughnut Company/Instagram

6 Vegan Doughnut Company’s Strawberry Cereal

Lakewood, OH

Based in the Cleveland area, this specialty bakery offers a rotating list of inventive doughnut flavors, but customers and visitors alike can rely on the recurring Strawberry Cereal, which comes with strawberry icing and fruit cereal crisp. Vegan milk is not required.
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Ronald’s Doughnuts

7 Ronalds Doughnuts’ Birthday Doughnut

Las Vegas, NV

This no-frills vegan doughnut shop is cranking out some of the best vegan doughnuts in the country, according to its loyal fans. Grab yourself a dozen and make sure to snag a few sprinkle-topped Birthday doughnuts with a smattering of rainbow jimmies and a thick vanilla glaze.
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Dottie’s Donuts

8 Dotties Donuts’ Boston Cream

Philadelphia, PA

The flavors change daily at this acclaimed vegan doughnut shop, so while we’d love to recommend the blueberry pop tart-topped option or the spicy chocolate cheesecake-filled chef special, it may not be around during your visit. Pro tip: order the constant Boston Cream and always go for the chef special if it’s not sold out. 
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Erin McKenna’s Bakery

9 Erin McKenna’s Coffee Crunch

Multiple locations 

Looking for something gluten-free that doesn’t taste gluten-free? Erin McKenna’s got you. This bakery’s cake doughnuts are sublime and never gritty. It’s a tough choice between the coconut-and-chocolate-topped Samoa and the Coffee Crunch, but the texture of this coffee-flavored, crumbly-topped treat calls our name every time. 
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Vegan Treats

10 Vegan Treats’ Chicken and Waffles

Bethlehem, PA

This mashup only appears at the baker’s discretion, so if you see it in-store, grab it. Light and fluffy doughnuts are dipped in a maple glaze and then topped with two pieces of homemade crispy fried “chicken” and miniature Belgian waffles. If you thought chicken and waffles was a crazy combo, this doughnut will blow your mind.  
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Good Town Doughnuts

11 Good Town Doughnuts’ Vegan S’mores

Costa Mesa, CA

Not all the doughnuts at this boutique doughnuttery are vegan, but at least half are. While the colorful Raspberry Pistachio or pretty Cherry Blossom may first draw your attention, feast your eyes on the colossal toasted marshmallow- and graham cracker-topped chocolate glazed pastry. You’ll have to unhinge your jaw to taste everything in one bite.
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Donut Run

12 Donut Run’s Apple Fritter

Washington, DC

As the country’s capital, it was high time DC had its own vegan doughnut shop. Established in January 2021, the small shop with a light pink exterior specializes in yeasted and glazed confections. Certainly, grab your fill of these frosted treats, but leave room for the head-sized apple fritter. It’s sweet, craggly, soft, and fluffy all in one.
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Revolution Doughnuts

13 Revolution Doughnuts’ Mint Julep

Atlanta, GA

It was extremely vexing to choose just one stand-out flavor from this vegan-friendly shop, but the Mint Julep edged ahead by a nose. The pastel green pastry is a yeasted round topped with bourbon and mint glaze, vanilla whip, and fresh mint. Why drink your cocktail when you can devour it?
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@yommynoms/Instagram

 

14 The Donuttery’s Blueberry Cake

Huntington Beach, GA

This surftown doughnut shop will never let you down. It’s open 24/7, 365 days a year. We profiled The Donuttery last year for National Doughnut Day to see how it managed to stay afloat (and open) during the turbulence of 2020. Given the vast assortment of vegan options here, we always try to mix it up whenever we visit, but the humble blueberry cake doughnut will forever be a constant in our orders.
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Kimberly Deflores

15 Vegan Donut Gelato’s Old Fashioned

Oakland, CA

This old-school, Oakland-based doughnuttery is serving up affordable, accessible, pink-box doughnuts to the Bay Area. Each bite into this crinkly, maple-glazed old-fashioned-style doughnut is utter perfection. 
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Valkyrie Doughnuts

16Valkyrie Doughnuts’ Birthday Cake

Orlando, FL

There’s more than one reason to visit Orlando, and it’s not Disney World. These square-shaped doughnuts surpass any vegan-friendly treat you may find in the surrounding amusement parks. When it’s in rotation, snag the Birthday Cake if you can. Think of it as a traditional sprinkle doughnut kicked up 13 notches—it’s hand-sized yeasted dough topped with a thick birthday cake-flavored glaze, rainbow sprinkles, and homemade funfetti cake crumb. Stick a candle in it and start celebrating. 
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Voodoo Doughnuts

17 Voodoo Doughnuts’ Vegan Voodoo Doll

Multiple locations

Not for the easily offended, this edgy, in-your-face doughnut chain is known for its crass inventions both in name and shape (we won’t sugarcoat it—several cream-filled flavors are phallic-shaped). We’re fans of several of the vegan flavors, but first-timers have to try the brand’s namesake Voodoo Doll doughnut. Shaped exactly as it sounds, the playful yeasted treat is filled with raspberry jelly, glazed with chocolate, and stabbed with a salted pretzel stake. This is definitely a time to play with your food.
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Dough Joy

18Dough Joy’s Everything but the Bagel Donut

Seattle, WA

Even Seattle locals can get a bit down when the weather is exceedingly dreary and they haven’t seen the sun in 10 days. That’s where Dough Joy comes in. While we don’t recommend eating your feelings for every cloudy Seattle day, treating yourself to any one of these yeasted, filled, and frosted treats can lighten the mood. Those who like it savory cannot skip the shop’s inventive Everything but the Bagel flavor featuring a fluffy yeasted dough, everything bagel seasoning, and a cream cheese center. Don’t question it—just enjoy.
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Cloudy Donut Co/Instagram

19 Cloudy Donut Co’s Grapefruit Mimosa

Multiple locations 

Vegans are spoiled for choice at Cloudy Donut Co. Every single donut served at this eatery is totally animal-free. You can choose from classic flavors such as Strawberry, Blueberry, and Cinnamon Sugar, but the brand is best known for its innovative flavors, like this Grapefruit Mimosa option, which comes with a tiny pipette of champagne. Don’t miss their tasty creations the next time you’re in Baltimore, MD or Brooklyn, NY. And if you’re in town for National Donut Day, Cloudy Donut Co’s collab with Tony’s Chocolonely—a limited-edition chocolate ganache doughnut—is a must-try. 
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Holey Grail Donuts/Instagram

20 Holey Grail Donuts’ Chaga Chai

Multiple locations 

Most of the donuts at Holey Grail Donuts are vegan-friendly, but just watch out for honey or bee pollen in a few flavors. Located in Los Angeles and Oahu and Kauai in Hawaii, expect to find many, many delicious flavors on the menu, including the Chaga Chai, which is topped with tasty cinnamon sugar.
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