Oregon’s Best Donut Shop Has No Eggs, Butter, or Milk

From onlyinyourstate.com

Doe Donuts is the best doughnut shop in Oregon, and it was the first all-vegan doughnut shop the city ever had 

On its opening weekend in May 2017, the best doughnut shop in Oregon sold 1,000 doughnuts in 4 hours. There were no eggs, butter, or milk in any of them. In a city that had somehow reached 2017 without a single all-vegan doughnut shop, the answer to whether anybody wanted one turned out to be emphatic.

Carly Sitner and Crystal Wegener met working at a natural grocery chain, where they were already making doughnuts on weekends, and decided to strike out on their own. Sitner had been vegan for years and baking professionally for more than a decade. Wegener graduated from the Oregon Culinary Institute with a degree in baking and pastry management. They spent about six months hunting for a second-generation restaurant space and eventually took over a building that had been a Pizza Hut for thirty years.

Doe is now in the Hollywood District of northeast Portland, just around the corner from the Hollywood Theatre, and the flavour list is as unhinged as anything in this series. If you're working through the 50 best doughnut shops, this is the entry where the seasonal special has genuinely been a spaghetti-and-garlic-bread doughnut.

What to Expect When Visiting Doe Donuts in Portland, Oregon

izikmd - stock.adobe.com

Order The Golden Child, the shop's signature and its original claim to being the only chocolate raised doughnut in Portland. It arrives under ganache, brownie, chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, and edible gold pearls, which is a lot of commitment for a single pastry and exactly the point.

Then get the All or Nothing, filled with cookie butter, glazed in chocolate ganache, and topped with raw chocolate chip cookie dough. The namesake Doe doughnut is strawberry milk with sprinkles, and The Oregon Trail throws pecans, kettle chips, strawberries, and chocolate chips at the same ring. Tiramisu, Portland Fog, French toast, baklava, and a peanut butter Old Fashioned all come up repeatedly in reviews.

The flavour inspiration comes from wherever the owners are looking. Sitner has described drawing ideas from seasonal drinks, which is how peach iced tea and Arnold Palmer doughnuts came about, as well as from cookies and ice cream flavours. Six or so core flavours stay put while the rest rotate, with fall specials starting in September.

There is also house-made vegan ice cream and soft serve, which the staff will tell you to eat sitting down rather than carrying out. Portland has an absurdly deep doughnut bench, and the state runs a six-stop doughnut trail that includes this shop, plus a mochi doughnut specialist elsewhere in the city.

How a Vegan Shop Won a City Full of Doughnuts

Portland is the hardest possible market for this. It is home to the country's most famous doughnut chain and a doughnut culture that has been competitive for two decades, and Sitner's own framing of the gap was simple: plenty of shops around town had one or two vegan options, and none had built a whole shop around it.

Her argument for the product is worth repeating, because it is not defensive. Traditional doughnuts have eggs, butter, and milk. Doe's has none of those, and she maintains that the result has the same fluffiness and texture while being a lighter, better product. Ingredients are locally sourced, non-GMO, and organic, which is also why prices run a couple of dollars above a highway doughnut.

Recognition followed fast. Thrillist put the shop on its 2021 list of the absolute best doughnut shops in Portland, and Philip Rosenthal filmed there for a 2022 episode of "Somebody Feed Phil," which is about as good as national exposure gets for a neighbourhood bakery.

The shop has also had a genuinely eventful decade beyond the doughnuts. Staff voted to join Doughnut Workers United in 2023, the place was burglarized in January 2025, and it still chooses two local organizations every month to receive a share of profits or donated doughnuts. Portland rewards that kind of thing, which is why the city's most unusual doughnut shop is a competitive title at all.

Plan Your Visit

Doe Donuts is at 4110 Northeast Sandy Boulevard in Portland, Oregon 97212, and the number is 503-333-4404. Hours run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Those weekend evening hours are unusual for this series and worth using, since almost every other entry has shut down by mid-afternoon. The shop sits slightly west of the Hollywood Theatre and is tucked around the side of the buildings there, so it is easier to miss than the address suggests.

Expect to pay more than you would at a conventional shop, in the range of a few dollars per donut, and know that reviews are not unanimous. A minority find some flavours drier than they hoped. Delivery runs through the usual platforms if you would rather not make the trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I order at Doe Donuts?

Lead with the chocolate raised, which carries the gold pearls and the brownie. Add the All or Nothing for the cookie dough, and a scoop of the housemade vegan soft serve. Ask what the current seasonal special is, because those get strange.

Where is Doe Donuts located in Portland, Oregon?

On Northeast Sandy Boulevard in the Hollywood District of northeast Portland, in Multnomah County. The shop originally opened at Powell and 82nd in southeast Portland before moving to its current spot near the Hollywood Theatre.

What makes Doe Donuts worth a visit?

It was the first entirely vegan doughnut shop in a city famous for doughnuts, and it is woman-owned with both founders trained as bakers. Ingredients are organic and locally sourced, and a share of profits goes to two local organizations every month.

Selection note: The editorial team at Only In Your State chose one independent donut shop in each state based on editorial research, local and national awards, longevity, and community reputation. No national chains.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/oregon/best-donut-shop-portland-or

British Food Creator Praises Indian Food Culture, Says Finding Vegan Meals Was Easy

From food.ndtv.com

Food content creator Julius Fiedler recently spent weeks travelling around India and was surprised by how easy it was to find plant based food 

Instagram

India is known for its diverse cuisines, and a British food vlogger has found another reason to love the country. Popular food content creator Julius Fiedler spent weeks travelling around India and found how easy it was to find plant based food.

Instead of struggling to find vegan meals, he found many familiar Indian dishes were naturally made without meat or dairy. He pointed to foods such as dal, dosa, idli and sambar, along with multiple street food options. Julius also noted that vegetarian food has a strong place in India owing to the influence of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

He said the country's warm climate also gives people access to ingredients such as coconut, often used instead of dairy in some dishes.

On Instagram, Julius Fiedler said, “Did you know that a lot of Indian dishes just happen to be vegan? I travelled to India to learn about the traditional plant-based food, and here's what I found. 

“There is South India's famous Sadya, a huge spread of over 40 different dishes that is often served at celebrations like Hindu weddings. While the food at these weddings is traditionally vegetarian, many of the dishes happen to be entirely plant based,” he said.

Julius explained that rice and lentils are often fermented together to make soft and fluffy idlis, crispy vadas and thin dosas. He enjoyed dosas, particularly the ones filled with potato masala and served with coconut chutney. He also tried misal pav and sambar. Another dish he mentioned was ragi mudde, a traditional food made with finger millet.

“There was plenty of incredible street food. I tried the original flavour bomb pani puri, tasted a complex mix of stuffed potato fritters with a white pea curry known as patties, and finally had the king of street food, vada pav, that is made with Mumbai's softest bread rolls, which surprisingly also happen to be entirely vegan,” Julius Fiedler added.

Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “Loving the plant based traditional food.”

Another shared, “Thanks for visiting and showing the world.”

“Being vegan in India is sooooo easy and flavourful,” a comment read.

An individual stated, “We had no concept of 'vegan,' but it just happens to be. The exception is the use of buttermilk in cooking, especially in the south.”

Another mentioned, “Indian Food with minimal Spice is just love. Each Ingredient in itself is Flavourful.”

One more added, “Unfortunately Vada pav - ladi pav might not be vegan, but India is a vegan paradise and you can ask most dishes to be made vegan, which they would do happily for you.”

For Julius, the trip showed that India's rich food culture offers plenty of tasty choices for people looking for plant based meals.

https://food.ndtv.com/news/british-food-creator-praises-indian-food-culture-says-finding-vegan-meals-was-easy-12067658

Forget Starbucks: Gregorys Coffee’s Fall Menu Is Almost Entirely Vegan, PSL Included

From vegnews.com

By Charlotte Pointing

Gregorys Coffee’s new fall menu, complete with Pumpkin Spice Latte and Banana Bread Chai, is almost entirely vegan

Tired waiting for Starbucks to finally drop a vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte? Us, too. But it turns out we might not need the Seattle coffee giant after all, thanks to Gregorys Coffee. 

This New York-based chain, with more than 50 locations across the US, has announced its 2026 fall menu, which features a vegan version of the iconic seasonal drink. According to Gregorys Coffee, its Pumpkin Spice Latte is made with espresso, pumpkin spice, vanilla, and oat milk. Yep, you don’t even need to request a milk swap; it’s dairy-free by default.

That’s not all. Most of Gregorys Coffee’s fall menu is vegan. Starbucks, are you taking notes?

Gregorys Coffee

Gregorys Coffee’s vegan fall drinks

In addition to the Pumpkin Spice Latte, the chain has launched the Banana Foster Latte, made with espresso, butter rum, cinnamon sugar, banana chips, and oat milk. There’s also an iced version, which comes complete with toasted maple rum vegan foam, a matcha version with ceremonial-grade matcha, and a chai version, called Banana Bread Chai.

Gregorys Coffee is also bringing back its Smashing Pumpkin Cold Brew, which features pumpkin spice, vanilla, and oat milk. 

“After 20 years in New York, there are drinks so beloved that people would notice if we ever stopped making them,” said Gregory Zamfotis, founder of Gregorys. “Those come back every year, and everything around them changes, so no two fall seasons look the same.”

“Banana Foster is a dessert everybody already knows, and getting the banana right took the longest. Once we had it, it carried across espresso, matcha, and chai.”

There are only two non-vegan drinks on Gregorys Coffee’s fall menu: the Smashing Pumpkin Frappe and the Basque Pumpkin Cheesecake Frappe.

While many of the food items at Gregorys contain meat and dairy, it does offer a few vegan choices, including the Vegan Breakfast Wrap and the new Vegan Deluxe, which features a croissant, vegan sausage, Violife vegan cheese, and vegan eggs.

Gregorys isn’t alone in catering to vegan and dairy-free customers this fall. While Starbucks’ PSL isn’t dairy-free, several of its seasonal drinks, including the Pecan Cortado, the Iced Pecan Crunch Latte, and the Iced Banana Bread Latte, can be customized with dairy-free milks and cold foams.

Plus, Peet’s Coffee, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and the Whole Foods Coffee Bar also offer vegan-friendly pumpkin drinks for fall.

All of Gregorys Coffee’s fall drinks will be available to order throughout the month of October. While the majority of its coffee shops are in New York, it also has locations in New Jersey, Washington, DC, California, Florida, Washington, Connecticut, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. 

https://vegnews.com/gregorys-coffees-vegan-fall-menu

This Simple Popcorn Recipe Could Turn Your Favourite Snack Into A ‘Superfood’

From plantbasednews.org

Movie night just got a whole lot healthier 

Popcorn may feel more like a movie-night treat than a health food, but this familiar snack has some surprising nutritional benefits that could make you look at your next bowl a little differently. Plant Based Science London, known for its nutrition-focused YouTube channel, recently shared why air-popped popcorn deserves a lot more attention.

The channel’s mission is to compress nutrition research into accessible videos while highlighting the potential benefits of plant-based foods. In a recent video, the creator explains why they regularly eat air-popped popcorn and shares a recipe from Dr Michael Greger. “I go through phases where I eat air-popped popcorn every day,” they say. “And this recipe takes its health benefits to a whole new level.”

Popcorn contains surprisingly high levels of antioxidants

Air-popped popcorn is a whole grain that provides fibre and concentrated polyphenols, which give this snack more nutritional value than you might expect - Media Credit: Adobe Stock

One of the most unexpected benefits of air-popped popcorn highlighted in the video is its concentration of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols. Plant Based Science London points to a study that found surprisingly high levels of these compounds in popcorn. “The researchers even reported that popcorn contains more concentrated polyphenols than many fruits and vegetables,” the presenter says.

The reason, according to the video, comes down largely to water content and concentration. Most fruits are roughly 90 percent water, while popcorn contains very little water. That means its antioxidant compounds are concentrated into a much smaller volume. However, the presenter stresses that this does not make popcorn a replacement for fruits and vegetables. Those foods contain vitamins, minerals, and thousands of beneficial compounds that popcorn does not provide. The comparison instead demonstrates how easily popcorn’s antioxidant contribution can be overlooked.

“It’s just fascinating that popcorn contributes far more antioxidants than most people realize,” the presenter says.

The video also highlights something that can be easy to forget: Popcorn is a whole grain. Eating air-popped popcorn means consuming the entire grain kernel, including its bran, germ, and endosperm. Plant Based Science London references large studies involving hundreds of thousands of people linking greater whole-grain consumption with favourable long-term health outcomes. The video specifically highlights associations with lower risks of heart disease, certain cancers, and premature death. It also points to a meta-analysis in which “higher whole grain consumption was linked with substantial reductions in cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.”

A surprisingly good source of fibre

Popcorn might not immediately spring to mind when people think about fibre-rich foods, but Plant Based Science London says it provides meaningful amounts. “Most people don’t think of popcorn as a fibre food,” the presenter says, before highlighting its contribution to dietary fibre intake.

According to the video, fibre supports digestive health, improves satiety, and is consistently associated with better long-term health outcomes. Three cups of air-popped popcorn provide around 3.5 grams of fibre. For comparison, one cup of cooked brown rice also provides approximately 3.5 grams.

That means a large bowl can deliver roughly the same amount of fibre as a cup of brown rice, with fewer calories. It is another reason the benefits of air-popped popcorn stand apart from those of heavily dressed versions commonly sold elsewhere.

The distinction matters because the video specifically focuses on plain popcorn prepared using hot air rather than added fats. “Of course, we’re not talking about movie theater popcorn that’s heavily buttered and sugarcoated,” the presenter says.

Dr Michael Greger’s savoury popcorn recipe

The video finishes with a recipe from Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org, designed to add flavour without turning air-popped popcorn into conventional buttery popcorn. Greger starts with popcorn prepared in an air popper and suggests building salty, savoury, and smoky flavours using plant-based ingredients.

“So, yeah, air pop your popcorn,” Greger says. “There’s all sorts of really healthy things you can add to it.”

For people craving saltiness, Greger suggests potassium chloride, describing it as providing the salty taste people may expect from popcorn. He then recommends nutritional yeast for a savory umami flavor, alongside smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Because the popcorn contains no oil, those dry seasonings need something to help them adhere to its surface. Greger suggests drizzling hickory-smoked balsamic over the popcorn to make it sticky enough for the powders to cling. He also mentions Tabasco and a low-sodium soy sauce as additional flavouring options.

The finished idea is less about eating plain popcorn and more about transforming a whole-grain snack with layers of savoury flavour. As Greger runs through the combination, even he appears impressed by where the recipe is heading.

“I’m making myself hungry,” he says.

For Plant Based Science London, that combination helps explain why popcorn can be far more interesting than its snack-food reputation suggests. With whole grains, fibre, and concentrated polyphenols already inside the kernel, the recipe gives the creator another reason to keep returning to it.

Visit the Plant Based Science London YouTube channel for more plant-based health and nutrition videos

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/benefits-of-air-popped-popcorn/

California's once-thriving vegan scene is quickly disappearing

From sfgate.com

By Karen Palmer

"I don't know if I'm coming back."

In 2022, comedian and actor Kevin Hart debuted an ambitious concept: an entirely vegan fast-food chain named Hart House. Its first location opened to huge fanfare (and long lines) mere blocks away from the ever-busy In-N-Out near Los Angeles International Airport. Three more Los Angeles outposts quickly followed, and for a moment, it felt like Hart had finally given approachable everyday vegan food the spotlight it had long deserved.

But in September 2024, the chain shuttered seemingly overnight.

It may have been a harbinger of things to come for vegan restaurants across California, as many meatless eateries have shuttered, some after decades in operation, in 2026. 

While San Francisco-born Cafe Gratitude and alternative protein companies like Beyond Meat once led the charge for vegan alternatives to casual food, it’s clear that the golden age for the category has dimmed considerably. These days, the family behind Cafe Gratitude has gone all in on cattle ranching, and Beyond has since rebranded, betting big on a new line of “clean” protein drinks.

In Los Angeles, traditionally a haven for alternative eating, 16-year-old vegan Mexican restaurant Un Solo Sol in Boyle Heights announced on Instagram that its final day of service will be Sept. 28. 

                                   Dishes from vegan restaurant Un Solo Sol in Los Angeles.   Danny C. via Yelp

Owner Carlos Ortez told SFGATE that the closure is part of a bigger global economic crisis affecting all small businesses. 

 “Our industry is vulnerable by the very fact that going to a restaurant should not be a luxury, but it’s now a luxury in these times when everybody has a big drop in their incomes,” Ortez said. “Their budgets are so tight that they cannot afford going out, to relax, to have a good time with friends.”

He added: “It’s even more difficult because the market for veganism is smaller. It’s very specific, not broad like a hamburger. It’s this tiny option compared to that monster option in the middle of a crisis, so it’s impossible that we would not be affected. It’s why vegan restaurants are closing.”

Ortez is right. The Vegan Joint, a plant-based vegan Thai chain, announced in late August that it would close its three Southern California locations serving the likes of Kra Pow burgers in Downtown LA, West LA and Woodland Hills. And after years of growth, vegan fast food brand Monty’s Good Burger closed half of its locations in early 2026, leaving only outposts in Koreatown and Echo Park.

                 Exterior signage for, left, and dishes from the Vegan Joint in Los Angeles. Michael S/Danny T. via Yelp

In Northern California, Saluhall, the struggling Ikea-adjacent and plant-forward food hall that debuted in downtown San Francisco in 2024, has shuttered most of its eateries, including Casa Borinqueña, a meat-free Puerto Rican concept that closed in January. The food hall’s operator, British developer Kerb Food, parted ways with the project in November. (The beverage arm of a local hospitality group has since taken over three bars at Saluhall.) 

The ordering area, left, and dishes from the now-shuttered Puerto Rican vegan restaurant Casa Borinqueña in Saluhall in San Francisco.    Robin M/Hilary P. via Yelp

Over in Oakland, legendary upscale vegan restaurant Millennium closed temporarily in May, then reopened with a more scaled-back menu and fewer seats in June. After introducing meat and cheese to its menu to combat sluggish sales in January, the long-time plant-based smashburger joint Malibu’s Burgers shuttered in Uptown Oakland in June. Sage Vegan Bistro, once a staple of Los Angeles with multiple locations, tried a similar tactic in 2024, adding meat to the menu and enraging its fanbase; the restaurant group closed entirely in early 2025. Once-vegan Burgerlords did the same at its long-time Highland Park location in 2023 before closing.

In San Diego, ambitious vegan restaurants Dreamboat and Vulture from well-known local restaurateurs — plant-based entrepreneur Kory Stetina of Kindred and Mothership, and Arsalun Tafazoli of CH Projects, who is also known for the newly revamped Lafayette Hotel and Club and the Little Italy standby Born & Raised — closed their doors in University Park in February after less than a year in operation. 

Vegan chain Loving Hut, which, at 16 years, was one of San Diego’s longest-running fully vegan joints, shuttered its North Park location in May, while vegan Mexican restaurant El Veganito served its final order of “phish” tacos at the Grossmont Center in La Mesa on Aug. 22.

The squeeze on plant-based food has been felt in other areas of the state as well. When a popular local vegetarian restaurant shuttered after 12 years in business this summer, Sacramento Bee food writer Sean Timberlake headlined a June 26 column: “After Mother’s closure, what’s next for vegan dining in Sacramento?”

Many of the owners of the closed or closing restaurants have cited financial woes as a major contributor to the businesses’ demise, although the past few years have presented unprecedented challenges to the state’s restaurants across the board, from the lingering effects of the pandemic to the staggering price increases for ingredients and supplies. Vegan restaurants certainly aren’t the only ones who have felt the pinch, as closures have been, sadly, commonplace across cuisines and price points.

Other factors may be at play as well: In early January, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a new food pyramid that heavily emphasizes protein, full-fat dairy without added processed sugars and “healthy fats” from ingredients like meat, seafood, eggs, nuts and avocado. Some fast food brands like Midwestern burger favourite Steak ’n Shake have latched onto the new plan, leaning into the “Make America Healthy Again” movement with vigour.

Then there’s the rise of so-called “protein-maxxing,” a social media trend that suggests that overloading one’s protein intake can help increase metabolism and weight management. Whether due to the trend or not, meat sales are thriving. In a May 19 news release, the American Farm Bureau Federation said, “Industry analysis shows meat sales hit $112 billion in 2025, with more than 98% of American households purchasing meat for daily meals. USDA is forecasting consumption of beef, pork and chicken to rise in 2026.” And that’s even with the average retail price of beef up 13% over 2025.

                       The dining room, left, and a dish from Millennium in Oakland, Calif.    Bridget W/J. Beatrice L. via Yelp

Despite America’s animal-based consumption, the health effects of eschewing meat and dairy have been documented over the years. A recent study from researchers at UC San Diego and University of Freiburg in Germany found that switching to a vegan diet can “alter the body’s epigenetic landscape in ways associated with reduced inflammation and biological aging.” The data suggest that the participants experienced a deceleration in biological aging over the course of a month. 

Still, veganism has always comprised a tiny sliver of the population. A 2023 Gallup poll estimated that only 1% of Americans identify as vegan, leaving plant-based-branded businesses to fight for a small piece of the dining ecosystem. That kind of narrow focus is turning out to be increasingly hard to maintain.

Kayla de la Haye, a public health professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, has researched plant-based food and can see the challenges a vegan restaurant might face. 

In one of her recent studies of a national sample of adults, participants were shown two food baskets, one with meat and cheese and the other with plant-based foods like hummus and olives. When the basket was labelled as “vegan” or “vegetarian,” only about 20% of people selected it as the one they wanted. When it was labelled “healthy” or “sustainable,” that figure doubled.

“The effect was strongest for people who said they were meat eaters,” de la Haye told SFGATE. “Meat eaters are really turned off by something that looks delicious but is labelled vegan or vegetarian.”

“We’ve also done qualitative work interviewing people and asking them what they think about plant-based foods, and really unprompted people unleashed a whole bunch of negative views on veganism and vegetarianism,” she said, adding that plant-based diets are associated with the left in an increasingly polarized political climate. “They think it’s really extreme.”

De la Haye also throws GLP-1s into the mix of hurdles that vegan restaurants are facing right now.

“Over 10% of the population is on GLP-1s now, and they’re being told to eat more protein with every meal,” she said. “Generally, the protein available on the market is animal-based.”

For restaurant owners like Ortez of Un Solo Sol, the support he’s received from the LA community in the wake of announcing the closure has been bittersweet. Fans have flocked to the Boyle Heights restaurant for a final meal, filling up tables that were previously going empty.

“Even with that huge turnout that they’ve shown since the announcement, I still have to retreat at least for a while,” he said. “I do not know if I’m coming back.”

https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/california-vegan-restaurants-closing-22431879.php