By 
This post was originally published in Feb 2021. It was last updated in March 2024.
We all know LA is wellness mecca, but did you know there are about 1,600 donut shops? Or that LA was officially named the “donut capital” of the United States by National Geographic Magazine?
From vegan to gourmet, long gone are the days where a donut was considered a simple ring of fried dough. I decided to take my donut research to the next level and embark on a quest to find the best VEGAN donut shops in LA.
Both, vegan donuts and non-vegan donuts use flour as a base, but in the process of making a vegan donut, milk and eggs are substituted with plant-based alternatives. In my opinion, this doesn’t jeopardize the flavor in the slightest. While some vegan donuts are fried in vegetable oil, most of them are baked instead. The result? Donuts that are lighter, healthier, and less greasier than a regular donut. Most donuts featured on this list are not super sweet, which is good because it means they don’t use excessive sugar or artificial sweeteners.
I had so much fun exploring all these shops, some of which were located in the most random parts of the city, like Frogtown, or inside a pharmacy in the Mexican neighborhood of East LA. I loved listening to the owners’ background stories and how their inherent love of baking led them to open up a donut shop.
Note: If you’re new to vegan donuts, know that many of these facilities close at 3 pm, and on the weekends, some of them are already sold out by 12 pm. Because vegan donuts are more difficult to make and are not mass-produced, establishments make limited quantities. With this being said, you have to go early to snatch up your donuts or place your order online!
Here are the best vegan donuts in LA. Enjoy!
5107 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90065
543 S Broadway in DTLA
Donut Friend has solidified their status as LA´s most famous vegan donut shop thanks to word-of-mouth and heavenly donuts. Seriously, what sorcery do they use to make them so pillowy-soft, flavorful, and on top of that, vegan? The first time I tried their Polar Berry Club donut, it blew my mind. It’s their most popular and my personal favorite, with frosting and berries on top. The lemon glaze they use on top is fantastic due to its zestiness and bursting flavor.
Every vegan donut shop owner I talked to knew of Donut Friend and its footprint in the LA vegan donut scene. The shop opened in 2013, a time where the concept of vegan donuts was still foreign to many people. Owner Mark Trombino paved the way for future vegan donut shop owners who, like him, also wanted to offer innovative flavors and custom options.
Their menu includes an impressive array of signature donuts, special edition donuts, and even DIY donuts! Donut Friend also donates to hospital workers, first responders and senior centers across LA through the Support + Fed organization.
Cake Girl
2100 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 inside St. Louis Pharmacy
Out of all the places on this list, the location of Cake Girl surprised me the most. Located in Boyle Heights, Cake Girl can be found inside a pharmacy! I remember going there in the pouring rain and being utterly confused as I struggled to find it. I could have saved all this trouble had I checked their Instagram first. Thank goodness they had their sign in plain view! The donut I got, hibiscus lemon, was amazing OMG. The frosting was buttery and bursting with flavor and the texture of the donut was deliciously fluffy.
I went in the last hour of the day, so the options they had available at that time were pretty limited. They also sell vegan cakes, which looked delicious. Everyone in the store was super nice and helpful. I can’t wait to go back and order some more. Cake Girl is also foremost in my mind whenever a special occasion arises to buy a birthday cake. Not only do they look delicious on their Instagram, but even more so in person!! You can tell the freshness of the ingredients just from a cursory glance.
Amy, the co-owner of Cake Girl said: “Being vegan, I found it difficult to find vegan sweets without having to drive to the Westside of town and paying extreme prices for something so mediocre. I always had a passion for baking, so I thought: why not make vegan treats? In 2010, I began baking from my home kitchen for catering events and that’s how Cake Girl got started. Not only are all of our baked goods vegan, but also gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free too.”
If you haven’t been to Cake Girl yet, what are you waiting for?
Donas
8636 Imperial Hwy, Downey, CA 90242
This place is located in the Hispanic Beverly Hills of LA: Downey. I had already seen this place on Instagram back in 2018, but for some reason or another, I never made the trek. The biggest selling point of this place is the decoration. They fire on all cylinders making sure the guest will have an immersive donut experience, from the walls to the retro fridge.
Because of the Latin-influenced neighborhood, Donas’ donuts are named after famous Mexican sweets and some of the donuts have Mexican-inspired flavors like Chocolate Mazapan and Abuelita Chocolate.
Not only are their donuts heavenly, but so is their special hot chocolate. Why? If you’re of Hispanic descent (I’m half Dominican), you will know that there’s nothing more comforting than the hot chocolate your mother used to make when you were a kid. Their Mexican hot chocolate is made from the brand Abuelita, a staple among Mexican families. It’s so good! The hot chocolate is already made so you cannot make any modifications on the milk. If instead you opt for coffee, their coffee is also made from a Mexican brand.
They have a wide variety of eye-catching vegan options. You’ll want to take pictures of everything!
Vegan donuts: dona Rosa, choco mazapan, mazapan, bionico, Jamaica, chocolate abuelita, horchata, matcha green tea, chocolate mole, fruity pebbles, crunchberry cereal, and abuelita. Sometimes they have sprinkle donuts, which are vegan as well.
Sweet Retreat Donut
924 CA-1, Long Beach, CA 90806
Although this place is on almost every LA vegan donut list, I wanted to go there myself and hear their backstory in person. Sweet Retreat Donut is run by a lovely married couple named Dray and Srey. I called up Srey on a weekday and unfortunately, they closed at 3pm, so I had to postpone my trip to their donut shop until Saturday. When I got there, I was met by Dray, who gave me a quick rundown of the business and how he got started in the donut shop industry. His sister used to run a donut shop back in the early 90’s in Compton! After that, they relocated to Downtown LA, but he’s basically been in the donut game his whole life, so he truly knows the business from the inside out.
At Sweet Retreat Donut, they’re constantly rotating and changing the flavors, which adds a uniqueness to their shop. However, Sweet Retreat Donut is not an exclusively vegan donut shop, so they offer many types of non-vegan donuts as well. They gave me their green tea matcha donut. The consistency was moist and dense, and the glaze had a soft flavor to it. They also offer vegan Vietnamese coffee!
Simone Donuts
6400 E Stearns St, Long Beach, CA 90815
I thought this place was going to be your typical dingy donut joint given the fact that it’s open 24/7, but the reviews and the loyal patronage by Long Beach locals really speak for themselves. I went there and was surprised by the colorful displays of the donuts, as well as the line that quickly formed behind me once I was 10 minutes in. Since they’re open 24/7 and they don’t ever close, they will NEVER run out of donuts! They have three delicious rows of vegan donuts with five flavors to choose from: strawberry, maple, vanilla, chocolate and plain. The strawberry donut was delicious because, like the employee said, it’s all about the frosting. Super light, fresh, and packed with flavor. All the vegan donuts are only $1.25.
Primo Donuts
2918 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Primo Donuts is a classic, no-frills, mom-and-pop donut shop in Mar Vista established in 1956. There’s a reason why their non-vegan donuts are deemed the best donuts in LA, and one of the best donuts in California! Thanks to this post, I had the excuse to go to this place, as I had never been there before. I tried their vegan donuts and Wow…good is a BIG understatement. They have a selection of five vegan flavors: vanilla cake, cherry cake, blueberry cake, cinnamon sugar cake and plain cake.
Their vegan donuts are stored on a rack, not behind the display glass. The employee said that this was because their vegan donuts don’t sell nearly as well as their regular donuts. After I had my vegan donut at home, I couldn’t wrap my head around this. Perhaps it’s because Primo Donuts are not widely known for their vegan donuts. Well…I’m here to report that their vegan donuts are some of the best I’ve ever had! I ordered the blueberry cake. The inside had a magnificent fresh fluffy texture and the outside was deliciously crunchy. It was light, delicious, and the glaze had the perfect amount of sweetness, just perfect in every single way! For the life of me, I could NOT believe it was vegan. The hype for this place is totally justified! I went there on a weekday, but there is usually a very long line on the weekends, so plan ahead!
If they promoted their vegan donuts, I think they’d sell out every day!
236 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, and muffins galore! Everything at this perennial bakery shop is gluten-free, vegan, kosher, and they even have paleo options available. In 2005, Chef Erin Mckenna founded the shop in NYC’s Lower East Side. Since then, Erin Mckenna’s Bakery has successfully expanded to Los Angeles and Orlando. Their gluten-free option is a plus that not many donut shops on this list have. The texture of Erin McKenna’s donuts are not fluffy or pillow-soft, but rather firm and a little chewy, like a soft cake. The cutesy interior of the bakery reminded me a lot of the famous Magnolia Bakery shop in NYC.
2609 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
It would be remiss of me to not include the first vegan donut joint in LA! After being in business since 2006, Donut Farm closed its doors in 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. On their Instagram, there are comments from eager customers asking them whether or not they will ever be back. So far, no reply has been given on their end. Their first location in Oakland is still open, so who knows? Anything is possible!
Kettle Glazed
6211 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Located in a strip mall on Franklin Blvd, Kettle Glazed prides itself on using only top-notch ingredients.
Vegan flavors: blueberry cake, vanilla cake, apple cinnamon cake, and lemon. The vegan donuts are available everyday but the flavors rotate. They have gluten-free donuts but these are not vegan.
3600 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90804
Devi’s Donuts is pretty well-known in Long Beach and have been included multiple times on VegOut Magazine. Founded by Tom and Eva Ogniben, Devi’s Donut is a vegan, family-operated business that sells donuts and other baked goods. However, they’re mostly famous for their whopping 30 donut varieties!!! As they state on their Instagram, the owners have been vegetarian since birth. The cartoon child on the logo, who’s also behind the name of the business, is actually their beautiful daughter Devi!
Besides their brick-and-mortar, which opened in 2021, the owners can be found every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm at the Marina Farmers Market in Long Beach.
6785 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90038
If you live in LA, this place needs no introduction. Founded by actor Danny Trejo, this vegan donut shop is one of his many business ventures in LA.
I don’t live too far from this place, and I drive by it on a daily basis. While the bright pink exterior wall is hard to miss, I never paid much attention as to why there was always a line on the weekends. Can you believe after 5 years in LA I had never been there? The employee told me that if you’re driving from a far place, keep in mind that they stop making donuts at 1pm. If you go on a weekday after 1 pm, you’ll find limited options, and on the weekends, forget about it because they’ll most likely have run out. In other words, either go early or place your order online!
I had their Valentine’s special donut called “A Sprinkle Of Love”. What stood out to me most, or dare I say, my palate, was how gloriously moist it was. The dough was what actually won me over. The moist consistency I mentioned, paired with the fresh flavor of the dough was pure magic in my mouth. The glaze was equally outstanding in terms of flavor, and they don’t overly sweeten them so that you can actually appreciate the donut from the inside out. I kept saying “wow” after every bite because it was that good! I’m going to be honest here, I was very skeptical due to the hype this place has, and now I have to admit that the hype is completely justified.
Colorado Donuts
1578 Colorado Blvd #14, Eagle Rock, CA 90041
Located not too far from LA’s vegan donut institution Donut Friend, Colorado Donuts offers an incredible array of vegan flavors. The exterior of the business has the classic Simpsons donut theme. I would usually go for the strawberry donut, but the nice lady behind the counter really insisted that I try either the ube or the salted caramel donut. I ordered the latter. The glaze was super flavorful and mildly sweetened. The texture of the donut was pillowy soft and airy. I regret not having gotten the ube!! Next time.
Winstar Donuts
11326 Long Beach Blvd, Lynwood, CA 90262
It looks like Long Beach is a vegan donut haven! When I called, they told me they had five vegan flavors: oreo cookies, glazed, vanilla and coconut. However, on their Instagram page it looks like they have more flavors available depending on the day. Other vegan baked goods include vegan croissants, vegan cigars, and even vegan conchas, which is a popular Mexican dessert.
@winstardonuts
Sks Donut & Croissant
5850 West 3rd Street Suite #A, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Another place I have driven by multiple times but never thought they would have such an impressive amount of vegan options — they even serve vegan cakes! Here’s the full rundown of the vegan flavors. They have a very small parking lot and it’s always packed on the weekends, but thankfully the line goes pretty fast. Their delectable donuts have been included in numerous LA publications such as LA Weekly, Time Out Los Angeles and LA Eater as one of the top donuts in LA. They’ve been open since 1989!
FONUTS
8104 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, California 90048
12065 Ventura Place, Studio City, 91604
The first time I had a donut from FONUTS was in 2016 at their 3rd street location. I remember being completely taken aback by the bursting flavors of their blueberry earl grey donut. So good! All of the donuts are gluten-free, but not all of them are vegan.
Vegan flavors: black and white, churro, vanilla, vanilla latte, lemon, peanut butter chocolate.
Multiple locations
With the last donut shop of this list, I wanted to end it with a bang by featuring the Chanel of donut shops in LA. Out of all the gourmet donut shops, this is the fanciest one. From the stunning presentation of their uniquely flavored donuts to the interior, which looks straight out of a vintage hotel, having a donut from Sidecar will be like eating at Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Some of their flavors include mango and cold brew!
Sidecar is not an exclusively vegan donut shop. Sadly, they only have one vegan flavor that changes every month, so don’t go there expecting a huge variety. When I called, their vegan donut flavor of the month was chocolate truffle, and another time, they had German chocolate cake! Their vegan donuts are gluten-free as well!
Other bakeries:
Just What I Kneaded
2029 Blake Ave #104, Los Angeles, CA 90039
This place blew my mind in every single way: the cool gentrified neighborhood of Frogtown, which I had never been to before, the sleek exterior, the decor, and the sinfully good cinnamon roll made the drive to this place worthwhile.
Just What I Kneaded is a vegan bakery, operated by the lovely owner Justine Hernandez. They don’t offer vegan donuts every day, but soon, they’re going to start making them on Fridays and Sundays. Here’s the ordering process: you go to their Instagram where they upload a story every day at 8 am with the menu available that day. After you choose your pastries, you go to toasttab, and place your order so that when you get to the store, it’s ready for you. Believe me when I tell you the pastries at this place sell out fast.
The day before I went there was the day they made passion fruit donuts with toasted coconut! I can’t believe I missed them. And not too long ago, they made plum donuts, which people went nuts for, so they sold out extremely fast! This picture is actually how I found out about them. “They were so good!” said Justine.
The next day was Friday and they had them! Of course, I went there as soon as my schedule allowed. I’m here to report that they were as good as they looked in the pictures! They are really big, light and soft. The plum glaze was outstandingly delicious as well, my goodness! Absolutely worth the drive. Just What I Kneaded is a very small team, so they make their batches in limited quantities. This is why I can’t reiterate enough to place your order right away if there’s something you like, so when you go there it’s not sold out.
I also tried their signature dessert, which is the cinnamon roll, and it was such an unforgettable experience. The cinnamon was really flavourful without overpowering the glaze, which was not excessively sweet. The texture of the roll was melt-in-your-mouth fluffy yet softly firm on the inside. After every bite, I was left in awe at how exceptionally good it was. My taste buds were shaken to their core and will never forget that experience. Luckily, the cinnamon rolls are their signature pastries, so you’re bound to find them every day! As I’m typing this, I’m already planning my next trip just for that cinnamon roll. They also make very creative Pop-Tarts from scratch!
Twice Baked Baked Gluten Free Baking Company
8185 E Wardlow Rd, Long Beach, CA 90808
Dahlia is the owner of this small vegan bakery in Long Beach. She only does vegan donuts on Saturdays. It’s not necessary to call ahead, but just know that she sells out very fast. One weekend, she said they sold out by 12 pm. If you want a big order, you should call three days before to guarantee your donuts! The vegan flavors she has on rotation are blueberry, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, strawberry, and maple.
Miracle Bakery
1529 N San Fernando Blvd, Burbank, CA 91504
Miracle Bakery is a family-owned business offering Mexican breakfast, and other savory Latin treats. They have two vegan donut flavors, which they bake every single day and are always crowd pleasers: lavender and coconut raspberry. Those are their permanent flavors, but they always have more in rotation, such as their vegan mojito cake or earl grey tea with blueberry. They’re constantly changing them up. All the donuts at Miracle Bakery are vegan and gluten-free.
The Caffeinated Kitchen
Long Beach
The Caffeinated Kitchen is an online vegan bakery supplier based in Long Beach. They supply donuts to coffee shops around the LA area, Long Beach, and Ventura. I called Recreational Coffee in Long Beach, one of their retailers, and they told me that the flavors are constantly changing, but their most consistent ones at their coffee shop were chocolate sea salt and churro. Other flavors that they get are cinnamon bun, lemon poppy seed, and fruity pebbles. They receive about five to six boxes a week, but they’re constantly rotating flavors.
To try out their donuts, you can either go to one of their many coffee shop retailers in LA, or you can send them an email if you’d like to place a special order.
“We serve a variety of vegan treats everyday! Flavors rotate by the season and if there are any holidays. Currently, we are offering chocolate sea salt, maple sprinkle, boysenberry, and chocolate sprinkle (for Valentine’s Day!)” – Kindness & Mischief Coffee in Eagle Rock.
Whole Foods
Who knew that Whole Foods sold vegan donuts? I certainly didn’t! I went to the Venice Beach location and the baker said they don’t make them everyday, whereas the baker at Whole Foods in West Hollywood assured me that they made them every morning in their location. They have three vegan flavors: chocolate, maple and strawberry. All of which come in a box of assorted donuts. They only had one box left at the Venice Beach location, and two in West Hollywood. The baker from the West Hollywood location confirmed this by saying they sell out a lot.
Thrive Doughnuts
Canoga Park, San Fernando Valley
Thrive Donuts offers Vegan, keto and paleo doughnuts. With plenty of outstanding reviews, Thrive Donuts has earned a good reputation thanks to their healthy ingredients and catering services. In the Valley, they can be found in restaurants and coffee shops, such as Follow Your Heart or 10 Speed Coffee shop in Calabasas. On the other hand, you can browse their impressive flavor selection on their website, make a pre-order and pick them up a day later at their wholesale location in Canoga Park. The owner’s name is Amber and from reading the reviews, she couldn’t be any friendlier! To see more store locations, please visit her Instagram page.
If there’s anything to be gleaned from this article is that vegan donuts can be found extensively throughout the city, in almost every neighborhood. What are your favorite donuts in LA?
Daniel
February 17, 2021Mariana- I just recently discovered and started following your blog. I love how thorough you are in providing a variety of locations/so many options for people to explore and discover.
Keep up the great work!!!
Daniel