Valkyrie Doughnuts proves it’s hip to be square

Donuts are one of life’s greatest joys. As a vegan who stopped eating donuts 10 years ago, I never thought there would come a day when there would be such a wide variety of alternatives to my egg- and dairy-laden favorites.

For whatever reason, for many years, most of the vegan donuts that existed were cake donuts. Usually dense and crumbly, these donuts were good, but they just didn’t hit that donut spot the way, say, a Krispy Kreme donut would.

Now, things have changed, and there are a variety of fried-dough donuts available for vegans and non-vegans to enjoy. Onion Maiden, a shop in the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh, has great vegan donuts that come in inventive flavors and colors. But Allentown is a bit of a hike for my East End-centric life, so when it was announced that Valkyrie Doughnuts would be opening a shop in Pittsburgh, I was overjoyed.

The Florida-based company officially opened its Bellevue location in 2021. Before then, you could find their square-shaped donuts at Adda Coffee and Tea or Curated Flame as a pop-up. Now that they have a brick-and-mortar shop, Valkyrie has been cranking out delicious donuts for vegans and anyone else who loves a sweet breakfast or an afternoon treat.

Bellevue is also a bit of a hike for me, so I was relieved when Valkyrie announced that they’d partnered with Uber Eats to have these donuts delivered within the city limits. Sometime last week, I jumped on Uber Eats and ordered a half dozen donuts of the shop’s choosing, and a side of their Churro Nuggs, described on the Valkyrie site as “snackable little doughnut holes swaddled in churro style cinnamon sugar.”

You can order a full dozen or a half dozen donuts and a 13- or 20-piece side of Churro Nuggs. The shop also has a selection of vegan cookies to choose from, including a Red Velvet one.

I really liked the idea of not knowing what donuts I was going to get, so when they came I was pleasantly surprised. There were two plain glazed donuts, one with pink frosting and sprinkles, two with pink frosting and a golden drizzle, and an iced one with black and gold sprinkles.

I started with the black and gold number, and it was loaded with sugary icing that caught me off guard at first. I knew it would be sweet but I didn’t know how sweet. The dough itself is perfectly balanced and light, which was really the most important thing for me. It gives that classic donut feel that I had been craving.

I then tried one with the plain glaze, which had a brightness to it that I thought might be achieved with lemon juice. Whatever was behind the zest in the glaze, I found it to be perfect, along with the rest of the treat. Sweet, tender, and fluffy, these donuts were my second favorite of the batch.

My ultimate favorite were the pink iced ones with gold glaze. Upon tasting them, I gathered that the icing was either strawberry or raspberry based, and the gold glaze was lemon flavored. On some bites, the icing had hardened and gave a little crunchy texture, which I found delightful. The fruit icing had a bit more of a complex flavor than the first one I tried, so I liked it much more. The addition of the lemon drizzle added that zestiness I talked about earlier that

complimented the dough well. The Churro Nuggs, rolled in cinnamon sugar, were a bit uneven. Some were just right while others were a little tough. I still found them to be a nice treat for a great price.

I will definitely be getting donuts from this shop again, and maybe bringing a friend along for the ride.

Valkyrie Doughnuts. 601 Lincoln Ave.,
Bellevue. valkyriedoughnuts.com/pittsburgh

This article appears in Mar 2-8, 2022.