As I write this, it’s Wednesday, November 5. It is, I learned just last week, National Donut Day.
Or, kind of. Here's what I can tell about the origins of National Donut Day after a brief search:
- The original National Donut Day is the first Friday in June.
- It was started by the Chicago Salvation Army.
- The holiday commemorates the Salvation Army members who served donuts to U.S. troops in WWI.
- The November one maybe exists in some sort of connection to Veterans Day? But no one seems to know for sure.
Regardless, when I saw that a national donut day, if not the National Donut Day, was approaching, I decided it was time to take on a task I’d been putting off for years: finding the best vegan donuts in the Twin Cities.
Sift Gluten Free
I’m sure we’ve all had that experience of craving a baked good and finding out that all the nearby bakeries are either closed or out of the desired treat, so I set my alarm for 7 a.m. I would not snooze, and, therefore, not lose.
Excited, I woke up at about 6:40. (I was not so excited that I didn’t do all my Wordles and things on my phone before getting up.) As I was getting dressed I remembered I have a pair of Homer Simpson donut socks, so I put those on.
I was out the door at 7:33; my plans were messed up by 7:40. I had walked to Modern Times, just a few blocks from my apartment, and totally spaced on the fact that they don’t open until 9. So I turned around and walked to Sift, the gluten-free bakery at the corner of Bloomington Avenue and 46th Street in Minneapolis.
Sift is a longer walk, but on a chilly, nutritionally poor fall morning, a longer walk was smart. I saw a squirrel eating a pumpkin. I saw a kid jogging because they were late for school. I saw leaves. Then, I arrived.
Not only is Sift is all gluten free, but a lot of their goods are vegan as well. And while "gluten-free" for many is synonymous with "dry and crumbly," this donut was anything but. It’s dense and moist, like a Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie. But better, and without a chemical aftertaste.
Modern Times
When I get a donut, I typically want a second one. When I get a second one, I typically feel terrible. As I walked back to Modern Times, digesting my first donut of the day, I was craving a second.
I arrived at Modern Times, my 10,000 steps nearly done, right as it was opening. It was so right-as-it-was-opening, in fact, that the donuts were still being placed in the case. The labels weren’t up yet and the guy putting them in didn’t know what one of the flavors was. Feeling adventurous, I went for the unknown one.
The cool thing about Modern Times’ selection of vegan donuts (available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) is that they're constantly changing up the flavors—sometimes sweet, sometimes savory, always tasty. I’ve had an orange one, and I’ve had a classic chocolate with sprinkles, and I’ve had others I’ve since forgotten, and they were all good.
This one tasted lemony, and had a nice drizzle of chocolate on top. The guy at the counter did say the other flavor was lemon olive oil, so maybe lemon was just in my head, but I’m pretty sure that was right.
What some may not like about the Modern Times selection is that they taste a little more fried than your average donut. But I like it. It adds a home-crafted touch that matches the punk aesthetic of the whole restaurant.
YoYo Donuts
As I took my last bite walking home through Powderhorn Park, a sense of “what have I gotten myself into?” washed over me. But I knew I couldn’t quit. Arriving home, I considered heading straight for the car and making for my next stop, because I feared that if I went into my apartment I might decide to take a nap.
But I’m glad I went home, because I saw my face was covered in chocolate.
Cleaned up, I was off to Minnetonka and YoYo Donuts. I’d never heard of YoYo until I looked up places with vegan donuts for this venture, and it turns out that alongside classic sweets, they offer a small selection of raised vegan donuts each day. The shop was down to just four when I arrived, one maple and three regular glazed. I opted for the maple.
It was good, and I was grateful that it was both a little bit smaller than the previous ones and a little less sweet. Given how tired I got on the next leg of the drive, I’m not sure I could have handled anything sweeter.
The Donut Trap
That sleepy drive was to Rosedale Center. If the timing had aligned differently, I may have driven to Maple Grove or Blaine for Uffda Donuts, but they only offer vegan donuts on Thursday and Sunday. They were thinking locally, but not acting National-Donut-Day-ly. Someday I’ll get there.
At Rosedale, I was on the hunt for a vending machine. The work of The Donut Trap. The Donut Trap has a storefront in St. Paul which is open Thursday through Sunday, but the donut shop also has vending machines at Up-Down, both airport terminals, and a handful of other places. I went for Rosedale because I didn’t have a flight and most of the other places are only open in the evening.
Their “donutz,” as they call them, all have great names. Among many tempting choices, I chose the Thicc Judge Judy, an Oreo-topped donut.
I wanted to enjoy it under the bright lights of the Foot Locker sign, but they were setting up Santa’s Workshop. I then moved to the couches outside Banana Republic, but one of the nearby stores was too perfumey. So I sat outside Von Maur next to some sort of under-construction Christmas star sculpture.
The donut nearly did me in. It is closer in texture and density to a banana or zucchini bread, and I found myself taking heavy breaths as I limped through it.
But I did finish it.
After four donuts, I was tired, I was full, and I was crazed from the sugar, but I wasn't done—my next planned stop was J. Selby’s, the vegan restaurant on Victoria Street in St. Paul. But it turns out I had misread the restaurant's post about donuts; they had been offering four-packs every day, but recently shifted to just offering donuts on Sundays. I had had one once before, anyway, and I liked it.
I took this as a sign that I was finished. I could go home. Maybe take a nap. Maybe eat a cucumber.
Some may read this and think, “Four donuts is not that many donuts. You’re weak, Charlie.” And that’s OK.
As for my mission, I don’t think I can say which donut is best. They were all different enough that it’s all a matter of preference. My takeaway is that, whether National Donut Day is a fake national holiday or not, the Twin Cities has many wonderful vegan donuts, and that’s a good thing.
Is eating four of them in one day a good thing? Your mileage may vary.
