Autumn or not, it’s always time for a fluffy vegan concha or an irresistibly moist cortadillo slice enjoyed alongside a steaming cup of coffee. Vegan and vegan-friendly panaderías are popping up all over the US with strongholds in Los Angeles and Dallas. Many of these Latinx bakeries are family-owned, offering yet another incentive to fill your pink pastry box to the brim with delightful treats.
From classic marranitos to pumpkin-spiced tres leches, here are seven outstanding vegan-friendly panaderías for an extra sweet season.
Vegan panaderías to try right now
Head to these vegan and vegan-friendly panderías the next time your sweet tooth comes calling.
Soy Concha Backery
1 Soy Concha Bakery
East Los Angeles and Santa Ana, CA
This industrious vegan panadería has spun through several names in the past. Pre-vegan transformation, it went by Victoria’s Bakery. In 2019, owner Kathy Lopez allowed her brother, Earvin, to offer up vegan varieties of the shop’s classic pan dulce in a small display case by the register. Just a few months passed until the vegan baked goods took over, drawing customers hundreds of miles to get a taste of veganized nostalgia. Now christened as Soy Concha Bakery, the panadería cranks out an impressive array of familiar Mexican sweets four days a week. Expect fun seasonal spins such as pumpkin flan and cute Halloween-themed conchas alongside traditional classics, such as the bakery’s recreation of the Gansito, a snack cake featuring strawberry and crème fillings enrobed in chocolate.
Find it here
El Palote Panadería
2 El Palote Panadería
Dallas, TX
Vegan for seven years running, this local’s favorite Mexican restaurant and bakery removed all animal products from its menu back in 2016 following a family health scare. In addition to the colorful conchas, pig-shaped marranitos (or puerquitos), and jammy empanadas, the kitchen also churns out a full savory menu of tacos, tortas, and combination plates.
Find it here
Sierra Valley Food
3 Sierra Valley Food
Dallas, TX
You’ll have to wait for the Dallas Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and Sundays to hunt down your brightly hued conchas, but these treats are worth the wait. Chomping at the bit for these fluffy sweet breads? You can pay a little extra for delivery in the Dallas Fort-Worth area. While you’re perusing the shop, throw a few vegan chicken tamales and vegan Latin meats into your cart. Bonus for those who live out of town: the savory items ship nationwide!
Find it here
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4Panadería la Mexicana
La Habra, CA
While not exclusively vegan, we are in full support of the expansive vegan options at this Southern California panadería. The bakers are really embracing the fall season with pumpkin-spiced conchas and tres leches in addition to scratch-made versions of the popular Gansitos.
Find it here
Cascabel
5 Cascabel
Houston, TX
Houston’s first full-service plant-based Mexican restaurant and bar also serves up a dizzying array of bakery items. In addition to cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, and cookies, customers can also stuff their pink pastry boxes with multiple flavors of conchas, cuernitos (buttery, crescent-shaped pan dulce often dusted in sugar), empanadas, and hojaldras (crumbly, oval-shaped bread speckled with sugar). Order early, as some sweets sell out faster than others.
Find it here
Panadería Nuevo Leon
6 Panadería Nuevo Leon
Chicago, IL
A Chicago institution since 1973, Panadería Nuevo Leon has evolved to offer a variety of vegan options by way of plant-based conchas, orejas, muffins, and cupcakes. Local tip: get there early, as the vegan options tend to sell out.
Find it here
@jodiesveganeats/Instagram
7 Toluca Bakery
Toluca Lake, CA
You’ll want to bookmark this all-vegan, Southern California bakery come holiday season. The family-owned panadería churns out festive pumpkin conchas in October, and in December, it’s all about Christmas conchas adorned with sweets made to look like holiday lights. The sprinkle-topped galletas de grageas, jam-filled danishes, fruit tarts, and seasonal pies can’t be missed either.
Find it here
Panaderia Cuscatecla
8 Panadería Cuscatleca
Los Angeles, CA
While not entirely plant-based, Panadería Cuscatleca offers an array of sweet and savory items, made vegan. In its vegan pastry case, patrons can find a rotating selection of vegan conchas, palmiers, slices of tres leches cake, milhojas (treats made with layered puff pastry sheets and creamy filling), and more. Pro-tip: order a vegan torta and bring your vegan pan dulce home for dessert.
Find it here
Delicias Bakery and Some
9 Delicias Bakery and Some
Los Angeles, CA
This Highland Park bakery has churned out pan dulce since 1991. And, according to Delicias, it made history after becoming the very first Los Angeles-area bakery to serve vegan pan dulce. Expect vegan empanadas, flan, and conchas alongside plant-based tortas, tamales, and specialities such as plant-based queso fresco.
Find it here
For more vegan Latinx food and businesses, read:
Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.
