Like gluten-free dishes, vegan baked goods sometimes get a bad rep. How do you make a delicious cake without eggs, whole milk or butter, anyways? Fortunately, thanks in part to innovative recipe development by some of the city’s most renowned pastry chefs and bakers, excellent vegan bakeries are popping up all over Toronto, selling everything from vegan-friendly doughnuts to dairy-free cream cheese frosted cinnamon buns. Here are our top picks for the best vegan bakeries in Toronto.
Bloomer’s
View this post on Instagram
Known for their fancy doughnuts, like the campfire s’mores and the strawberry shortcake, Bloomer’s is a small family-run bakery that has been making handcrafted goodies for the Toronto community since 2014. Some of the most popular items on the menu include the cinnamon buns, the three-bite dark chocolate brownie, the peanut butter stout cookies and the blueberry oat muffins. Bloomer’s also has a selection of gluten-free goodies, including cupcakes, carrot loaf with cream cheese icing and a selection of cookies, like sprinkle and chocolate chip. The bakery makes all of its vegan doughnuts and baked goods using unbleached flour, organic non-dairy milk and organic cane sugar, plus uses certified organic and non-GMO products.
Bunner’s Bakeshop
View this post on Instagram
Bunner’s Bakeshop, which has two locations in the Junction and Kensington Market neighbourhoods, has been known as one of the best vegan bakeries in Toronto since 2010. The treats here, like the freshly-baked and sticky cinnamon buns, are so good that if you didn’t know any better, you’d never think twice about the dairy-free buttercream frosting. Alongside being vegan-friendly, Bunner’s is one hundred per cent gluten-free, too, so those with gluten intolerance don’t have to sacrifice their sweet tooth. Bunner’s sells a wide range of cakes—including wedding cakes, celebration cakes, cupcakes and cheesecakes—as well as traditional bakery items like cookies, tarts and pies, muffins, brownies, scones and bread.
Sweet Hart Kitchen
View this post on Instagram
What started as a way to bridge the gap between plant-based foods and a craving for sweets from childhood has blossomed into one of Toronto’s most beloved vegan and gluten-free bakeries. Sweet Hart Kitchen sweetens all of its baked goods naturally, using real whole ingredients. All of the treats promise to be free from animal products, gluten, refined sweeteners, palm oil, artificial flavours and artificial colours. Sweet Hart’s menu includes raw or baked cakes and cupcakes, a selection of keto-friendly items like the fudge brownies or cinnamon buns, raw bars, like the chocolate raspberry wheel and even savoury items, like pizza buns and veggie quiche. The majority of the items all range in price from $3-$5 with the exception of whole cakes, making this one of the most affordable, healthy bakeries in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood.
The Butternut Baking Co.
View this post on Instagram
The Butternut Baking Co takes a modern approach to classic baked goods, using a combination of gluten-free, low-carb and naturally-sweetened recipes. Although the bakery is currently closed for walk-in service, those seeking paleo, vegan or gluten-free goodies can still order everything online for weekly pick-up or delivery from Thursday through Saturday. Currently, the menu at the Butternut Baking Co. includes a series of mini doughnuts, a variety of yummy grain-free and gluten-free cookies, lemon tarts, mini cinnamon buns, cupcakes and Nanaimo bars.
Tori’s Bakeshop
View this post on Instagram
After opening in 2012 as Toronto’s first-ever plant-based cafe, Tori’s is now a household name for vegan treats that taste like the real deal. All of their baked goods are made using natural, local and seasonal ingredients. While the robust menu features bakery staples like biscotti, an assortment of cookies, loaves and tarts, as well as cinnamon buns, donuts, squares, scones and cupcakes, Tori’s is best known for its exceptional cakes. Alongside more classic cakes like the chocolate fudge brownie cake, not to be missed are stunning creations like the Margarita cake, which features three layers of vanilla cake with lime buttercream frosting and stovetop lime curd filling, finished with toasted coconut, lime zest and a sprinkle of Vancouver Island flaked sea salt.