Vegan cookies, cupcakes, and cannolis, oh my! Is there anything better than biting into fluffy vegan doughnuts? Or dunking a gooey chocolate chip cookie into your morning Joe? If you’re anything like us, the answer is no. The next time your sweet tooth comes calling, stop by any of these 15 Black-owned vegan bakeries for a treat you’ll keep dreaming of long after your last bite.
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The Buy Black movement
Frequenting local Black-owned businesses throughout the year is a great way to support Black entrepreneurs and take part in the Buy Black movement, which encourages consumers to shop with Black-owned businesses whenever possible.
Maya’s Cookies
Between February and April 2020, the number of Black business owners witnessed a sharp, 40-percent decline according to Forbes. This steep decline is largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused unprecedented closures throughout the world. After the resurgence of the Buy Black movement in the summer of that same year, Black businesses experienced a boom of support. In fact, Bloomberg reports, the number of Black business owners in operation increased to 1.5 million during August 2021.
Black-owned vegan bakeries
Throughout 2024, we’re keeping the momentum going, so if you’re a vegan with an insatiable sweet tooth or are simply looking for a bakery to supply your office potluck with vegan cupcakes, here are the 15 Black-owned vegan bakeries we can’t stop dreaming about.
Maya’s Cookies
1 Maya’s Cookies
This fan-favorite, San Diego-based bakery made headlines after coming back from the brink of closure. After the pandemic forced owner Maya Madsen to let go half of her staff, the cookie company experienced a jaw-dropping 10,000-percent increase in sales after the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. Now spearheading two locations, Madsen and her team are whipping up specialty cookies—from chocolate chip s’mores to snickerdoodle and annual Black History Month cookie collections. Our favorite part? Nationwide shipping—vegan cookies for all!
FIND IT HERE
Southern Roots Vegan Bakery
2 Southern Roots Vegan Bakery
After Marcus and Cara Pitts adopted a plant-based lifestyle, Cara Pitts was determined to recreate her favorite dishes and desserts, without animal products, and earn her grandmother’s stamp of approval. She took to the kitchen, and through trial and error, Cara Pitts whipped up a dreamy vegan doughnut that her grandmother, friends, and family couldn’t get enough of. From their humble beginnings selling baked goods at their church to captivating Tabitha Brown and her millions of followers, this husband-and-wife-team doesn’t disappoint.
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The Vegan Doughnut Company
3 The Vegan Doughnut Company
Founded by sisters Kharisma and Kyra Mayo, The Vegan Doughnut Company made history as Ohio’s first and only all-vegan doughnut shop. The bakery’s iconic square doughnuts are guaranteed to satisfy the strongest sweet tooth. Choose between classic flavors or opt for the duo’s one-of-a-kind creations such as lemon lavender, Dunkaroo cake, and raspberry strudel. We’ll take one of each.
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Vegan Monarch Bakery & Café
4Vegan Monarch Bakery & Café
Mika Altidor knows the power of plants. When the former jewelry designer was diagnosed with several large fibroid tumors, her doctor informed her that she’d have to undergo surgery. Instead, she turned to a whole-foods plant-based diet and overtime, she successfully healed herself. Now, Altidor and her partner in life and business, Victor Munoz, helm Central Florida’s first vegan bakery. Between Oreo churros, whole vegan cakes and individual slices, and gluten-free tiramisu, you can’t go wrong at Victor and Mika’s.
FIND IT HERE
Estella’s Vegan Dessert Boutique
5 Estella’s Vegan Dessert Boutique
Entrepreneur Chantele Jones made headlines when she opened Detroit’s first vegan bakery. Jones, who grew up watching her mother and grandmother “turn heaps of flour into delicious pastries,” made it a mission to veganize her family’s recipes after going plant-based for health reasons. Named after Jones’ grandmother, Estella’s Vegan Dessert Boutique offers a selection of pound cakes, breads, muffins, blueberry bars, and cookies. While the bakery has recently pivoted to a pop-up model, keep an eye on their Instagram for updates about a permanent location. Until then, treats are available for local pickup and select offerings (including bundt cakes, muffins, and sweet breads) ship nationwide.
FIND IT HERE
Like Mom’s Only Vegan
6 Like Mom’s Only Vegan
Located inside Cincinnati’s famed Findlay Market, vegan bakery Like Mom’s Only Vegan defines family affair. Helmed by Naomi Sams and her mother Sakile Chenzira, Sams’ four children also work for the bakery in brand identity and communications, production and sales, and administration and accounting. Vegan for over 20 years, Sams raised her children vegan and always ensured they could partake in their friends and family’s birthday celebrations with their own plant-based treats. Now, she’s making vegan cupcakes and cookies for all! Lemon cranberry poppy seed cookies, we’re coming for you!
FIND IT HERE
Mo’Pweeze Bakery
7 Mo’Pweeze Bakery
You won’t find any top eight allergens in Denville, NJ’s Mo’Pweeze Bakery. This Kosher-certified, plant-based bakery helmed by Christine Allen has churned out cookies, doughnuts, brownies, cupcakes, pies, and more since 2013. Allen, whose family of five is no stranger to food allergies (her youngest son has over 30 himself), takes extra care to also omit sesame and mustard seed—two rising allergens of concern—from her baked treats. Allergen-friendly never tasted this good!
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8Brewer Bakes
Growing up, Tasheka Brewer’s happy place was in the kitchen baking alongside her grandmother. Watching people’s faces light up upon tasting the desserts the duo created further ignited her passion. Today, Brewer is keeping Indianapolis satisfied with her soft-batch vegan cookies made with organic ingredients. Choose between carob chip or the crowd-favorite snickerdoodle for a better-for-you treat.
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Brown Sugar Baking Company
9Brown Sugar Baking Company
When the COVID-19 pandemic began shuttering businesses worldwide, chef-owner Lillian Hill decided to temporarily close her kitchen and focus on helping other small, BIPOC-led businesses succeed. After returning to satisfy every vegans’ sweet tooth, she’s on a short break to focus on reorganizing and restructuring. We can’t wait till Hill is “back in the lab” working on creating new vegan desserts free of the top eight allergens. Follow the bakery on Instagram for the latest updates. For now, we’re dreaming of the chocolate ganache cupcakes.
FIND IT HERE
Devi’s Donuts & Sweets
10Devi’s Donuts & Sweets
16 years ago, Eva Ognibene acquired a doughnut recipe from a friend and soon started making fresh doughnuts for family celebrations and events. The positive reviews were plenty, and Ognibene, alongside her husband Tom, launched a vegan boutique doughnut business. After six years of selling their specialty vegan doughnuts at local farmers markets in Long Beach, CA, the “Vegan Doughnut Queen” and Tom Ognibene lauched their first shop. Whether you pay a visit to their doughnut shop or stop by one of their pop-ups, don’t miss the Pina Colada, Cookies and Cream, and Lemon Meringue.
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Cloudy Donut Co.
11Cloudy Donut Co.
This vegan doughnut shop is making history in New York City’s Brooklyn Heights and Nolita neighborhoods. The first Black-owned food and beverage business in each neighborhood, Cloudy Donut Co. slings pillowy-soft doughnuts in rotating flavors that range from Boston Cream and Powdered Jelly to Grapefruit Mimosa and Mango Chili Lime. Founded by restaurateur Derrick Falcon, this all-vegan doughnut shop also boasts two locations in Baltimore.
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Plant Based Sweets by Lotus
12Plant Based Sweets by Lotus
After husband-and-wife-team Allen and Maria Howard went vegan in 2019, they were on the hunt for plant-based Southern favorites such as biscuits, pound cake, and cornbread. Unable to find vegan treats in Baton Rouge, LA to satisfy their cravings, the duo took matters into their own hands. Now, they’re whipping up unimaginable eats such as oatmeal cream pies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, German chocolate cake, and more. Brb, we’re driving to Louisiana!
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@chefshyah/Instagram
13Shyah’s Vegan Bakery
Yis’Shyah Yisrael is at the forefront of this Raleigh, NC-based vegan bakery. The culinary pro, with a decade of experience in plant-based cooking, launched her enterprise in 2014 after a lack of high quality vegan and gluten-free bread options left her wanting more. A determined Yisrael soon began crafting her own breads, and after a positive reception from her plant-based family, she started selling her creations around town, soon adding cakes, pies, doughnuts, and more. Now, she’s slinging chocolate chip doughnuts, Tahini spelt cookies,cakes, and more nationwide.
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VTasteCakes
14VTasteCakes
From elegant custom creations to mini frosted bundt cakes and extra peachy handheld pies, this metro Atlanta-area bakery is whipping up artisanal vegan treats. Founder Jasmyn Reddick wows patrons with creations that deliver in both taste and aesthetics. Pick up a dozen treats or sign up for a decorating class. Whether or not you become a master decorator, one thing is certain: you’ll have a delicious treat to devour after class.
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Sweet Vegan Bakes
15Sweet Vegan Bakes
Chef Cheryl Nelson adopted a vegan lifestyle nearly 20 years ago, and after expertly veganizing her favorite dishes, she launched Sweet Vegan Bakes in Old Town Chicago. Now, Nelson wows patrons with a sweet-and-savory menu complete with chocolate truffles, cake balls, jackfruit barbecue sammies, mac-and-cheese, and more.
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