Donut Stop Believing

The heady smell of dough, yeast and sugar, gently clouds the cool air. It comes in soft waves, blindsiding the hungry with sudden pangs of the rich aroma. Golden, cloaked in shiny, crackled glaze, these treats look substantial, but seem to evaporate the moment you sink your teeth in, leaving behind only a whisper of buttery sweetness.

Vegan Donut and Gelato in Houston, TX immediately delivers on the promise of their name the moment you walk in the door. Lined up in neat rows behind the glass case, rainbow colors dazzle, bejeweled with sprinkles, marshmallows, nuts, seeds, and even crisp bacon. You’d be forgiven for questioning the first part of the title but before you ask, yes, everything here is 100% plant based, reaffirmed in no uncertain terms everywhere you look. Posters brightly advertise “Shift To Plant Based,” “Eat Plants, Plant Trees,” and “Be Kind, Inspire Change, Help Animals,” alongside family photos of puppies dressed in sweaters. Meatless proteins fill the freezer and dairy free milks are fully stocked in the adjoining fridge. It feels a bit like coming home, if your parents were vegan activists.

Perhaps that’s on purpose. Van and Hung were the previous owners of a Loving Hut outpost in the area, bringing a large swath of the pan-Asian menu with them, alongside the generous array of donuts, gelato, and other sweets. Their dedication to the community shines though in each plate, luring in the skeptical with both a sweet and savory touch. By all means, eat dessert first; the golden rounds of dough are baked fresh every morning, ready to face the day even before the sun is. From a simple glazed cake donut that tastes for all the world like a Krispy Kreme incarnate to monstrous apple fritters that would make a New Englander proud, they’re simple pleasures all, simply done right.

You’d think such indulgences would ruin your appetite, but the moment you see a steaming bowl of pho emerge from the kitchen, I promise that a new hunger will gnaw savagely, impossible to ignore. And then, what about the vegan orange chicken, an imitation that surpasses the original? Glossy and gleaming under bright window light, it’s almost enough to distract you from the fully staked burgers that follow, either beefy or of the crispy chicken variety, sporting the most impeccable patties ever seen on a bun.

Don’t worry if you have to run. Grab a kolache on your way out to get the best of both worlds. Pillowy bread encases traditional fillings like sausage and ham, all with the option to add bacon, cheese, and jalapeño, which should be a no-brainer. Falafel is definitely an outlier, showing another side of this versatile, edible art form.

Hopefully you’ve saved room for one last scoop. Lighter than the average ice cream, the gelato is easy to justify after, or before, or during, any meal. All the classics are in attendance, the chocolate and vanilla filled to the brim, but look further for a real treat to the tune of lemon cheesecake, taro, cookies and cream, matcha, and more creative combinations. You never know what you’ll find, which is part of the thrill.

Vegan Donut and Gelato feeds the community, both in body and spirit. It’s a place to gather, to see friends, enjoy events, or simply remind yourself of the good in the world. Perhaps that sounds like a lofty takeaway from a donut shop, but as you can see, it’s so much more than that. I know from experience, as it’s a roughly three and a half-hour drive from Austin, but worth a trip from anywhere.

Vegan Donut and Gelato
16618 Clay Rd #125
Houston, TX 77084