TL;DR
Minneapolis vegan dessert shops by craving: Vegan East Bakery (Longfellow) for cinnamon rolls and custom cakes, Lutunji's Palate (Elliot Park) for peach cobbler, Oreo cheezecake, and cashew milk ice cream, Glam Doll Donuts (Nicollet Ave) for creative vegan donuts, MN Nice Cream (Northeast) for 100% vegan soft serve, and Sift Gluten Free (Longfellow) for the vegan-plus-GF combination. Most close mid-afternoon and vegan items sell out first, so go early.
Minneapolis is unusually good at vegan dessert. This is a city with a 100% vegan scratch bakery whose cinnamon rolls have a cross-town following, a soul food baker whose vegan peach cobbler stands up to any conventional version, a punk-rock donut shop that keeps a rotating vegan lineup, and a fully vegan soft serve window in Northeast. The catch is that these places are scattered across neighborhoods and categories, and most of them keep limited hours. This guide organizes every vegan dessert shop in Minneapolis by craving, cake, donuts, ice cream, and after-dinner sweets, so you can go straight to the right counter. For deeper dives, we link to our dedicated guides on bakeries, donuts, and ice cream throughout.
The Fully Vegan Dessert Shops
If you want zero guesswork, start with the spots where everything in the case is plant-based.
Vegan East Bakery - Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cinnamon Rolls (Longfellow)
Vegan East Bakery (5501 34th Ave S) is Minneapolis's premier dedicated 100% vegan bakery. Everything is made from scratch daily, and the cinnamon rolls are the item that makes people drive across the city: fluffy, perfectly spiced, generously frosted. This is also the default answer for custom vegan celebration cakes, with showstopper designs that need a 1-2 week lead time via veganeast.com. Many items are also gluten-free. Hours are limited (Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 3pm), and popular items sell out, especially Saturdays.
Lutunji's Palate - Cobbler, Cheezecake, and Cashew Ice Cream (Elliot Park)
Lutunji's Palate (1400 Park Ave) is the most affordable dedicated vegan bakery in the city and arguably the most distinctive. Owner Lutunji Abrams built the menu around vegan soul food: the signature peach cobbler with its flaky coconut oil crust, coconut macaroons, Oreo cheezecake made with a cashew base, and cashew milk ice cream made in-house. Many items are gluten-free, and the savory side (croissant sandwiches, plant-based omelets) makes it a full breakfast stop, not just a dessert run. Open Monday through Friday 7am to 3pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm; closed Sunday.
A Note on Hark! Cafe
Hark! Cafe, formerly Minneapolis's only fully vegan and gluten-free bakery in the North Loop, closed its storefront in May 2024. The bakery operation continues as Hark Bakery out of MSP Kitchenery in Plymouth, offering made-to-order cakes and pastries for delivery or pickup by appointment through its website. Worth knowing for custom orders, but no longer a walk-in dessert stop.
Craving Donuts
Glam Doll Donuts (2605 Nicollet Ave) is the flagship. The punk-rock shop rotates a strong vegan lineup daily, with reliable standbys like the maple bacon donut (coconut bacon on maple glaze) and salted caramel. Check their Instagram for the day's vegan flavors and go early: popular vegan flavors sell out by noon on weekends. Open Tuesday through Friday 7am to 3pm, weekends 8am to 4pm, closed Mondays.
The city's donut depth goes well beyond one shop. Angel Food Bakery in Seward (2925 E Lake St, closed Mondays) does classic vegan raised donuts plus vegan cakes and cookies. Bogart's Doughnut Co. is the minimalist counterpoint, with vegan-friendly options at both Lyn-Lake (3312 Hennepin Ave S) and Northeast (900 NE 4th St). YoYo Donuts in Richfield (6600 Nicollet Ave S) has one of the longest dedicated vegan donut menus in the metro. Our full vegan donuts guide ranks all of them with ordering tips.
Craving Ice Cream and Soft Serve
The scoop landscape shifted when Crepe & Spoon, long the city's best fully vegan ice cream shop, permanently closed in 2024. The current picks:
MN Nice Cream (807 Broadway St NE, Northeast) is the top choice for soft serve: 100% vegan soft serve with toppings, open Wednesday through Sunday from 2pm.
Minnehaha Scoop (3352 Minnehaha Ave, South Minneapolis near Longfellow) keeps vegan ice cream options daily from 1pm.
Lutunji's Palate makes cashew milk ice cream in-house, rich and creamy in a way factory pints rarely manage.
For the freezer at home, the Wedge Co-op (2105 Lyndale Ave S), Seward Co-op (2823 E Franklin Ave), and Mississippi Market (622 Selby Ave, St. Paul) carry the strongest dairy-free pint selections, including Coconut Bliss, So Delicious, Oatly, and Eclipse. The full rankings, including which brand tastes most like dairy ice cream, are in our vegan ice cream guide.
Craving Pastries with Your Coffee
French Meadow Bakery & Cafe (2610 Lyndale Ave S, Lyn-Lake) has been baking organic sourdough since 1985, and the case includes clearly labeled vegan muffins and pastries. It is the best pick when you want a sit-down meal and a baked good in one stop.
Sift Gluten Free (4557 Bloomington Ave, Longfellow) is the answer for the vegan-plus-gluten-free combination. Everything is made in a dedicated gluten-free facility, with vegan items labeled throughout the case. The massive cinnamon rolls are the signature and the double chocolate donuts sell out early on weekends. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 7am to 2pm.
Dreamstate Cafe (2558 Lyndale Ave S, Lyn-Lake) is a 100% vegan all-day cafe and bar from the Reverie team, with vegan baked goods alongside coffee earlier in the day and a menu that runs late into the evening, rare for a vegan spot in Minneapolis.
Dessert After Dinner
Two options worth knowing when the craving hits at the end of a meal out. J. Selby's in St. Paul (169 Victoria St N, closed Monday and Tuesday) pours thick Frostbite dairy-free shakes, the right ending to a Crunchwrap dinner. And Dreamstate Cafe keeps its kitchen open until 10 or 11pm, making it the late-night dessert-and-cocktail play in Lyn-Lake.
Quick Reference: Vegan Dessert in Minneapolis by Craving
| Craving | Best Pick | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|
| Custom celebration cake | Vegan East Bakery | Longfellow |
| Cinnamon rolls | Vegan East Bakery | Longfellow |
| Peach cobbler and cheezecake | Lutunji's Palate | Elliot Park |
| Creative donuts | Glam Doll Donuts | Eat Street / Nicollet Ave |
| Vegan soft serve | MN Nice Cream | Northeast |
| Scoops, daily | Minnehaha Scoop | South Minneapolis |
| Gluten-free and vegan | Sift Gluten Free | Longfellow |
| Pastry with a full meal | French Meadow | Lyn-Lake |
| Late-night sweets | Dreamstate Cafe | Lyn-Lake |
Tips for the Dessert Run
Go early. Vegan items are usually made in smaller batches and sell out first. Weekend mornings before 10am are the safe window at Glam Doll and Sift.
Check hours before driving. Most dedicated vegan bakeries here close mid-afternoon: Vegan East at 3pm, Sift at 2pm, Lutunji's at 3pm on weekdays.
Check Instagram. Every shop on this list posts daily flavors or specials. Thirty seconds of scrolling saves a wasted trip.
Stack stops. Glam Doll, French Meadow, and Dreamstate sit within the same Nicollet-Lyndale corridor, and Vegan East, Sift, and Minnehaha Scoop cluster in Longfellow. A two-stop dessert crawl is genuinely easy.
For the complete picture of plant-based eating in the city, start with our best vegan restaurants in Minneapolis guide or browse the full restaurant directory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best vegan dessert shops in Minneapolis?
The core lineup: Vegan East Bakery (5501 34th Ave S, 100% vegan, legendary cinnamon rolls and custom cakes), Lutunji's Palate (1400 Park Ave, 100% vegan soul food bakery with peach cobbler and Oreo cheezecake), Glam Doll Donuts (2605 Nicollet Ave, rotating vegan donut lineup), MN Nice Cream (807 Broadway St NE, vegan soft serve), and Sift Gluten Free (4557 Bloomington Ave, vegan and gluten-free bakery case).
Are there fully vegan dessert shops in Minneapolis?
Yes. Vegan East Bakery in Longfellow and Lutunji's Palate in Elliot Park are 100% vegan bakeries where everything in the case is plant-based. MN Nice Cream in Northeast serves 100% vegan soft serve. Hark! Cafe, formerly the city's only vegan and gluten-free bakery, closed its North Loop storefront in May 2024 but continues as Hark Bakery with made-to-order items by appointment.
Where can I get vegan ice cream in Minneapolis?
MN Nice Cream at 807 Broadway St NE in Northeast Minneapolis serves 100% vegan soft serve with toppings, open Wednesday through Sunday from 2pm. Minnehaha Scoop at 3352 Minnehaha Ave has vegan ice cream options daily from 1pm. Lutunji's Palate makes cashew milk ice cream in-house. For pints, the Wedge Co-op, Seward Co-op, and Mississippi Market carry Coconut Bliss, So Delicious, Oatly, and Eclipse.
Where can I order a vegan cake in Minneapolis?
Vegan East Bakery in Longfellow is the go-to for custom vegan celebration cakes, with pre-orders required 1-2 weeks in advance via veganeast.com. Angel Food Bakery in Seward also takes custom vegan cake orders. Hark Bakery (formerly Hark! Cafe) takes made-to-order cake requests through its website for delivery or pickup by appointment.
Do Minneapolis vegan dessert shops sell out?
Regularly. Vegan items are typically baked in smaller batches and go first: Glam Doll's popular vegan flavors can sell out by noon on weekends, Sift's double chocolate donuts go early, and Vegan East's cinnamon rolls can be gone before its 3pm close on Saturdays. Arrive before 10am on weekends or check each shop's Instagram for same-day availability.