Sugar Charm Donut: Vegan Flavor Release & Review

Happy Tuesday Wanderers!

I am so excited to announce that as of today Sugar Charm Donut in San José, Costa Rica has officially released gourmet vegan donuts for sale. Ever since Sugar Charm Donut opened around the corner from my office a couple of months back it has been a welcomed addition to our neighborhood of Los Yoses. I am thrilled to be a part of their vegan flavor release and to support such an amazing local family business. Andrea and Aaron are a lovely couple and so amazing to their customers. Andrea is from Costa Rica and Aaron is from the US, making for quite the dynamic duo. Here is what Aaron had to say about bringing their gourmet donut dreams to reality:

“Andrea and I love Costa Rica and have always dreamed of starting a business here.  Andrea mentioned to me that her beloved country lacked a quality donut like we enjoy in the United States.  Andrea was born and raised in Costa Rica and moved to the US 15 years ago.  We visit Costa Rica very often to visit friends, family, and nature.

Andrea and her two sisters are very close, and creating a family business to grow together just seemed right. Andrea and Paola love baking while Maria had the business acumen to bring everything to life. We are now proud to say that we are Costa Rica’s first artisinal donut shop!

Sourcing specific products is more difficult in Costa Rica, but we have enjoyed the journey of exploring to find compatible ingredients and adjusting our recipes to get it just right!  Completing our Vegan Brioche dough to our standards, took much longer than we anticipated. We have long wanted to satisfy the wants of our vegan customers like Abigail.

We are happy to announce that we are officially vegan friendly! We don’t produce the vegan donuts in a separate facility but the products are made with 100% vegan ingredients.”

-Aaron, Co-owner

When the shop first opened I popped in to introduce myself and welcome them to the neighborhood. Aaron insisted on giving me free samples of the coffee and donuts. I politely declined the donut as it was not vegan and enjoyed a sample of their amazing cold brew coffee. Ever since then it seems Sugar Charm has been intent on bringing delicious vegan options to their shelves.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam

2800₡ / $4.71

Breakdown: 24 hour yeast raised vegan dough. Filled with house made strawberry marmalade (sugar, strawberries, water). Topped with a peanut butter vanilla glaze made with Jolie’s local peanut butter. Garnished with candied peanuts and a strawberry slice.

Review: Why have peanut butter and jelly in a sandwich when you can have it in a donut? This flavor packs a punch and it the perfect balance of salty and sweet. This is the donut for all of you peanut butter lovers out there. The house made strawberry jam was hands down my favorite part!

Orange Coconut Cream

2700₡ / $4.54

Breakdown: 24 hour yeast raised vegan dough. Filled with a house made custard of coconut cream and orange zest. Topped with an orange zest vanilla bean glaze. Garnished with a dehydrated sugar orange slice.

Review: When I think of a custard filled donut, my mind jumps to a decadent and rich Boston cream, this is quite the opposite. The citrus flavor and the use of coconut cream in place of heavier dairy options makes the filling both refreshing and light while remaining indulgent and delicious. This is the owner Andrea’s favorite of the vegan flavors!

Vanilla Glazed Vegan Brioche

2200₡ / $3.70

Breakdown: 24 hour yeast raised vegan dough. Topped with a vanilla bean glaze. Garnished with an edible flour.

Review: Sometimes less is more. If you are just looking for standard donut, vanilla is the vegan option for you! The simplicity of having no filling and minimal toppings gives you a chance to really appreciate how amazing the vegan dough really is. This flavor was a crowd favorite among my office, no one could believe it was vegan!

You may be wondering, what ingredients typically found in donuts are not vegan? What substitutes were used? Well I have the inside scoop, vegan  butter has been used in place of dairy butter and aquafaba (chickpea liquid) has been substituted for eggs. Sugar Charm realizes the importance of being transparent with it’s customers when it comes to the ingredients they use.

Customer Reviews

“As a picky eater I am always skeptical of vegan alternatives and hate leaving my comfort zone when it comes to food. The vegan donut tasted exactly like the real deal, everything including the flavor and texture matched perfectly. I would order it every time. It is like a Krispy Kreme but 100x more amazing! 11/10 would recommend.” -Julianne

“I tried the vegan “PB & J” donut and all I can say is wow! From the taste of the fresh jelly and peanut butter topping, to the strawberries the candied peanuts on top...everything had me wanting more. The vegan donut doesn’t taste much different in my opinion, although the texture is a bit denser which I liked. It’s awesome Sugar Charm is offering vegan options now! Will definitely be back for seconds!” -Heather

Wander often & wonder always,